“Great acting comes from who you are as an individual… Focus on nurturing yourself as a human being who exists outside of this industry. Do the things that make you happy. Go have some fun. Find the bliss in your life – and when you do, share it with someone else… Acting is a very delicate art form that’s based on your personal life experience. So how can you be a great actor if you have no life?” – Secret Agent Man (BackStage)
When I first moved to LA, I thought that I had to spend every waking moment focused on acting and anything acting related. Surely if a potential agent could see that, they would take me on as their most dedicated new client. Not. I soon realized that only focusing on the business is just plain crazy. Even people who start their own companies, like my dad, have lives outside of that business. They have families, the have hobbies, they have LIVES! Yes, they work extremely hard and put in long hours, but their jobs are not their lives. Acting is not my life. Acting is my job. It’s what I love. But it doesn’t define me. I am also a daughter, a sister, a friend, and most importantly a child of God. And the beautiful thing is that all of these aspects of myself make me a better actor! I am extremely dedicated to my craft, and I work many hours of the week to excel in acting. However, I’m not going to feel guilty for taking time to play, relax, and enjoy LA…
And in the past few days, that is exactly what I been doing! My sister and brother-in-law came from Dallas to stay with me this weekend. We ate at some of my favorite restaurants – Toast, the Lobster, Geoffrey’s, and Gjelina – hiked Griffith park near the Hollywood sign, and spent the afternoon in Paradise Cove in Malibu laying out on the beach. June gloom came to an end just in time. The weather was perfection – 75 and sunny with a light breeze… the ocean water lightly misting our faces as the waves rolled in… okay, you get the picture. I guess you could say it was a little bit of paradise ;)
Then on Monday my good friend Amy invited me to go to the beach with her and her little sister who is staying with her for two weeks. How could I say no? And yesterday I had to use the Groupon I had bought for Malibu Wines before it expired… My friends Leeanna and Julie joined me, and it was truly the most delightful and relaxing afternoon. The drive up there was gorgeous, and this place is just adorable. Here are some pics!
Okay, I did manage to squeeze in an audition Sunday afternoon after I dropped Liz & Daivd off at the airport, so don’t think I’m a complete slacker ;) It was an interesting one at that. The director told me, “For the crying scene, I’d like you to cry like Liv Tyler does in movies, you know?” Considering the last Liv Tyler movie I saw was Armageddon about 12 years ago, I definitely did not know. He went on to clarify that it wasn’t hysterical, but subtle. Got it. Seriously never had anyone tell me how to cry in an audition… I did my best to not let talking about crying pull me out of the moment, and turns out whatever I ended up doing was “exactly what he was talking about.” Now if that wasn’t enough, he proceeded to say, “That was great. How did you make yourself cry so quickly?” Um, let’s see, I’m a professional?! Which this question is clearly not. An actor’s prep work is personal. I just told him that I had prepared ahead of time and allowed that prep to affect me emotionally. Overall, weird audition. But good.
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