Pretending To Be An Actor In Front Of Cameras

I'll never forget my first audition.

Well, the first audition where I got the part.

My *actual* first audition, I totally blew it, and immediately erased it from my memory for all time ;)

Let's get something clear: I have no acting experience, no acting education, no long lost actors in my family tree and no uncle that's a director who's been secretly preparing me for my acting debut.

My first successful audition, the audition where I got the role, was actually my second audition ever. In my life. Ever.

With no education, experience or innate inherited talent, I somehow nailed my second audition and got cast "on the spot" (according to the director).

I'll never forget it.

So many things could have gone wrong...I could have stood on the right hand side, for example, and when the director said "Slate" I would have responded with: "Huh?"

But I didn't. I stood on the left. Someone with experience or education or a great grandma who was in the first "talkies" stood on the right and when they said "Slate" she said "My name is (blah blah blah)".

"Okay," I thought to myself... "Slate means 'Say your name'".

My third audition didn't go so well. I stood on the right. When they said "Slate and Profile" I said "Hi, I'm blah blah blah". Then everyone looked at me, waiting. I looked to my left and thought "Doesn't the person on my left know they're supposed to go "Hi I'm blah blah blah"? Jeeeeez!"

But still...silence.

Then I hear "Ok now Profile".

THEN I go "Huh?" and needless to say, I didn't get that part ;)

The part I *did* get, was the role of a 23 year old mother. My TV daughter, Princess Taea, was dressed up in matching glasses, boots, jeans and sports coat. She was like my own mini me!



Here's a video of us going up the escalator one of one million times:



We filmed in Tinseltown (yes, the movie theater) in Vancouver. I was the first scene of the day. The director was so nice, and I loved every second of it. Within a few hours, it was over, and I was slammed back to reality.

I get a kick out of my life sometimes. I am literally learning how to act in front of cameras. My first "acting" experience has been at auditions, music video shoots and commercial shoots. I realize this makes me a total jerk...there are a lot of people who have spent hundreds, thousands, maybe more, to perfect their craft and pursue their dream. Others have toiled away night after night in community theater groups and every play, production, musical or comedy they could squeeze themselves in to. Me? I just jumped in front of a camera and happened to be standing on the left hand side.

I do feel kind of bad. Audition waiting rooms, you can generally cut the tension with a knife. Every one is likely competing for the same part, so it's really hard to make friends. I swore from the get-go I would never be like that, and have tried to make one new friend per audition (of the 3 auditions and 2 callbacks I've had in my life).

My agent told me that the thing I had going for me was the fact I didn't care. I didn't *need* this job like some kids who have been waiting tables for ten years do. They walk in, and casting directors can smell their fear, the "I Need This" look shines through their best rendition of themselves as someone else.

Me? I see every opportunity as just that...a chance to practice. I don't know what I'm doing, so the best I can do is just pretend I know what I'm doing. By the time I walk in to the audition room I'm already in character haha

In that sense, I'm a total jerk. I waltz in without a care in the world on the premise that this, these auditions...they're just a cheaper way to learn how to act than paying for acting classes ;)