Oh, the endless variety of acting...

So, I found myself working on a commercial last week in a unitard, covered from fingertip to toes to neck in stretchy, shiny orange fabric, with a matching orange bike helmet on my head. I was on a sound stage dancing, doing the wave, and standing at attention like I was in the military.

Is acting an uphill climb? Yes. Does it make you wonder if you'll ever have career stability? Yes.

Is it boring and monotonous? Absolutely not!

AFTRA Waiver

At the beginning of this month, I worked background on the show Lights Out, and got to talking with one of the guys behind the camera, who was happy with my professionalism on set, and decided to give me one of the available AFTRA waivers for the day. For those of you not in the industry, this means that I was counted as being a member of the performer's union called AFTRA for that day of work. Because of this waiver, I am faced with the decision of whether to go ahead and join AFTRA or wait. For research purposes, I attended a talk at Actors Connection given by the heads of the NY Chapter of all three actors' unions: AEA (Actors' Equity Association - stage), AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), and SAG (Screen Actors Guild), and it was very informative.

What the decision really comes down to is whether the large monetary investment upfront will end up being worth it, and also whether committing myself to only working under the jurisdiction of one particular union will pay off in this economy, where there seems to be more non-union than union work available. Big decisions, but I know that having to think through these things will only help me grow.

Audition: Fragmin

Casting Director Ken Lazer called me in yesterday to read for an industrial video for a drug called Fragmin. My preparation involved doing my research by calling up my cousin, Anna, who is studying to be a physician's assistant, and also memorizing some very technical copy--"heparin-induced abnormally low platelet levels" anyone?

I did two takes, one with the teleprompter and one without. The biggest challenge was making it conversational while trying to get out two paragraphs of difficult medical-related copy. I now see the merit of my friend, Virginia's advice to "uber-memorize" everything. Whether I got the part or not, I definitely learned a lot!

Pilot for Web Series shot on Saturday

On Saturday we shot the pilot episode of X Pimp, a web series written and co-directed by Jeremy Kruse. The show follows an ex pimp named Antonio in his attempt to come clean and start a dating service. I co-star as Sarah, Antonio's upbeat and wholesome assistant.

I will post the link to the series on this blog as soon as it becomes available.

Tribeca Film Festival: Earth Made of Glass

This afternoon, I took part in something which felt very important. From the casting call I attended in Soho in the early afternoon, I traveled up to Chelsea, to the SVA Theater, to take part in one of Tribeca Film Festival's documentary screenings. What I saw was Earth Made of Glass, the title derived from a powerful quote by Emerson about how there is no place to hide for the guilty, how the earth becomes like glass for them.

The film centered around a man called Jean-Pierre Sagahutu, a 47-year-old man living in Rwanda whose entire family--2 parents, 2 brothers, and 3 sisters--were killed in the 1994 genocide in his country. During the course of the film, Sagahutu finds and confronts one of the men who killed his father and talks to him face-to-face to learn the long-awaited truth.

What made this event especially memorable was the "Tribeca Talks" panel discussion afterwards, in which director Deborah Scranton, producer Reid Carolin, and Jean-Pierre Sagahutu himself answered questions posed by moderator Jeff Chu and members of the audience. During the discussion, they shared the country of Rwanda through the eyes of Rwandans and how it differs from the media's portrayal. They talked about the process of making the film, how they went in without knowing what the story would be, and stumbled upon Sagahutu's tale of a quest for resolution and memories of nearly two and a half months spent hiding from the Hutus in a septic tank.

What a valuable afternoon this was. Film is such a powerful tool for empathy: transporting the audience to another place and another life, and dispelling years of apathy in record feature-length time.

Stock Photo Casting Call

I was asked to come to the offices of Image Source today for a casting call for an "everyday health" stock photo shoot. Sitting on a sunlit white couch facing an identical white couch, I had a casual conversation with Lisa Curesky, the casting director, and Steve Prezant, the photographer, whose business card, which features a 1920's looking model, impressed me with its style. I've been thinking that stock photos would be fun to create; I use them often for the e-newsletters that I design. I'll let you all know if I book the gig.

Audition: Amtrak

I have been selected to audition for an Amtrak commercial tomorrow. The casting director is Ken Lazer, whom I met at NY Connection a couple of weeks ago. I'll also be taking his commercial class starting at the end of the month at Actors Connection.