Chasing Your Dream

It is definitely challenging trying to make it in Hollywood as an actor.  But let me tell you I have some awesome experiences.  

In one day my journey takes me from pushing paper or serving a plate of Salmon to Helen Hunt and Orlando Bloom, to shaking hands with & giving 27 cents to a celebrity while in line at PC Greens, in Malibu (when I hardly have two dollars left to my name).

I wake up early to make it from one audition in Pasadena, for a role as an insurance agent.  I fight traffic, fight time and I fight nerves.  When I get there I run in to find I'm there earlier than the production team.  Finally, I audition before one person in a cold room.  I run out to my car parked at a meter, I thank my lucky stars I didn't get a ticket, and head to Santa Monica while I'm running out of gas.  At the same time I'm changing in the car to play a young mom.  I somehow make it on time to the second audition.  But it doesn't stop there.  I have to head to work and let all that stress go for a different kind of stress.  

Oh did I tell you I haven't eaten all day.  

Unless you come from money and your parents are paying your way,  most actors I know have to juggle four jobs to be able to chase that dream. Most people that make it have parents in the industry and already have a path paved just for them. It gets real.  Some of my friends have lost their jobs due to an  inflexible schedule which has no time for an actor trying to act on weekends or evenings.  On top of this most non-union plays hardly pay any money to help pay bills, and sometimes they don't even pay at all.  Acting takes money. 

Of course everyone believes they can act! In America the general public hardly has respect for the art.  In fact, I just had a conversation with someone the other day telling me just this, “don’t take this the wrong way but I think anyone can act.” I responded, “don’t take this the wrong way but everyone that says they can, doesn’t know what acting is".  (They don't know their act from a whole in the ground.”

Overseas there is so much more respect for the art.  Children get trained very young to have an acting career. That is why American movies have so many British, Australian actors.  I really don’t understand why American studios are hiring so many foreign actors.  I know so many actors who are good and deserve that job.  Like me, for instance.  Don’t be surprised by this statement.  I live in America; I am going to be pro-American actors.

The best part of it all is that when you finally make the decision to ACT.  It is a difficult decision to make.  You have to give up everything to chase your passion.  You get in debt and go back to school for training.  You give up the job with a full time pay and benefits.  You give up luxury and get a cheaper car to bring down your monthly expenses.  FINALLY, with eyes closed, you jump into the unknown abyss, with the hope that you’ll land on your feet. It is such a relief when you kind of "do" land.  The duality that had been in the past is no longer there, you are finally a whole being.  It just got real.  It doesn't stop there.  The best part of it all, and I mean this very sarcastically, life decides to test you every step of the way.  Life begins to throw you challenges, some of them are tough to get over, (and I don’t think you can ever get over).  But it keeps throwing them at you to see if you really want it.  

Your passion doesn’t have to be mine.  Whatever that passion is, you can be sure it will be tested.  Patience, stamina, tenacity, health, love, money, it will all be challenged.  And I'm here to tell you, "don’t give up!  Keep at it, keep going, don't leave".  

I truly truly, truly believe that you wouldn’t be tested if it weren’t the right path for you.