The Difference
Thank God Mark Sande is around to make me read everything I wouldn’t otherwise read. Check out these quotes and his wonderful analysis:
Les,
Did you see Brantley’s review of “Salesman” in NYT? Here’s his key criticism of the actors who play Willy, Linda and Biff:
“Mr. Hoffman, Ms. Emond and Mr. Garfield all bring exacting intelligence and intensity to their performances. They make thought visible, but it’s the thought of actors making choices rather than of characters living in the moment. Their reading of certain lines makes you hear classic dialogue anew but with intellectual annotations. It’s as if they were docents showing us through Loman House, now listed on the Literary Register of Historic Places.”
Isn’t this EXACTLY the tendency that those of us who are blessed with well-developed left brains are fighting against in our acting? He compares them later in his review to the actors who play Charley and Happy:
“At the end of this “Salesman” I felt that I understood Willy and Linda and Biff, and was grateful for the insights that the actors playing them had offered. But I felt I knew Happy and Charley, that I might run into them on the street after the show. I also felt for them.”
And THERE’S the difference.
Live In the Moment
This morning I Skype coached a client who is sooooooooooooooo talented. I mean, get this mofo in the mood, and he is incomparable. He has so much natural specificity and fun and fuck it factor. But man, is it hard to get him there. He is SO addicted to memorizing, and doing it right and doing what he planned (if, in fact, he planned anything), and just getting those lines out of his mouth, that most of the time, that’s what he does: dump words out of his mouth in generally the right order. He doesn’t listen, he doesn’t think. He doesn’t have a relationship with the other people. He just recites his lines – and he does it only by the skin of his teeth. I said, “Dude. It’s like you’ve got this beautiful car and you took it to the car wash and now it just sparkles. But if you don’t put any GAS in it, it’s just gonna sit there in the parking lot. Gas that fucker up!” Have THOUGHTS about what was just said! Listen! Think! BE in the SCENE! Don’t just recite it!
“When I go out for commercials,” he said, “it’s not a problem.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“I just don’t do anything,” he said.
“BS,” I said. “It’s ‘cuz you just don’t care. You go in and you have a take and a point of view and you do it, and if they like it, cool, and if they don’t, whatever.”
“Yah,” he said.
“So you gotta do that with the theatrical stuff too.”
“But –“
“No ‘buts,” I interrupted. You can do it. It’s the exact same thing. You just do it longer. A few pages instead of a few lines.”
And then? I read this. Check it out.
Dear Lesly,
Live in the moment. It’s crazy, because today I was listening to ESPN radio, as I often do, and NFL analyst and former super bowl winning quarterback Trent Dilfer was talking about how he actually played poorly the first half of the super bowl that he and his Baltimore Ravens teammates ended up winning. He called it “paralysis by analysis.” He had studied so much film of previous games and went over plays with his head coach so much that when he was playing in the actual game he overthought everything, rather than relying on instinct and trusting his gut. This really spoke to me in terms of my acting, especially having just completed Jesse and Adam’s on camera ongoing. I know that I need to focus on listening and reacting. That is not to say that I shouldn’t do my homework, rather I should do my homework so well that I don’t have to think…just trust my INSTINCTS. Thanks, Les. -Liam T
Wigging Out
My Week; Or, How I Fought Tooth and Nail and Totally Booked “Top Ten Episodic Show,” by Carrie W
In the script, it specifically says that the character has “black hair with a streak of red,” though her sister is a blonde. However, I went straight to producers/director based on my headshots/reel, which all clearly show I’m blonde. So I figured it wasn’t a huge deal, but I put in black extensions and a feathery doodad just to punk it up a little. They put me on avail that night, and said I was the first choice of three girls put on avail.
By Friday at 6pm, things got iffy. My agent called to explain that they were now having an issue with me being blonde, and were wondering if I’d put a brunette rinse in my hair. Now, we’ve been through this before, and my colorist swears that because I just use bleach to put highlights in my hair, ANY color (even a normally temporary rinse) would take months to get out. So I said no, I can’t dye my hair for a small guest star role, but I’d happily wear a wig. He said they’d like to have a picture of me as a brunette.
I have never been a brunette, so I don’t have any photos like that, but I have been meaning to get a brunette wig for exactly this reason. So…on Saturday, I went to Naimie’s to get a brunette wig. Turns out good wigs that look real are $500-$1000, but I thought they just wanted to get an idea of what I’d look like, so I bought a cheaper synthetic wig for about $100. I also got a short choppy black wig, just for fun. So I gambled $220 in an attempt to book this job, but figured it would be a good investment for other auditions. I went home, took some photos of me in the brunette wig, and fired them off.
Later on Saturday, my agent responded saying casting was grateful for the photos–and also, would I consider a strawberry rinse?
No. Because then for the next three months I won’t look like my headshots or what’s on my reel, and maybe that’s not a good call right before pilot season. My agent agreed, and we both figured if they liked the pictures of me in the wig, they could easily put an expensive wig on me and it will look just as real. However, on Monday morning my agent called to tell me that casting appreciated the photos, but there was some real concern that the wig wouldn’t really look real.
Well…yeah. It’s a $100 synthetic wig. Didn’t they just want an idea of me as a brunette? And couldn’t the Big Fancy Network Show With a Huge Budget maybe be able to get a nice wig to throw on me?
But…casting was wondering…would I come back in that evening to their last producers’ session and show them the wig?
At this point, my agent started apologizing profusely, and saying of course I don’t need to do that, and it’s great that everything had gone so well so far, and if nothing else now I had had a great first experience in front of casting and they’ll keep me in mind for future episodes.
But of course, all I could think was…another opportunity to have a roomful of producers all to myself? Um, yes please. So I said, “No, of course I’ll go in and show them the wig, it can’t hurt right?” And then, randomly, I told my agent about the OTHER wig I got, the just-for-fun black bob. He said “OMIGOD go in wearing that one!! One of the other girls they have on hold has a short black bob!!”
I walked in, and apparently that shit looked real, because I knew within fifteen seconds of being in that room that I had it in the bag. They couldn’t believe how different I looked, and we had a great few minutes of just bantering about wig shopping and freaking out my boyfriend with the new wig. Then they asked to see the brunette one on, so I changed wigs for them, they thanked me, I thanked them, and home I went.
Come Tuesday afternoon, I got the call from my agent–I booked the job. And so did my short black wig.
THEY ACTUALLY WANT ME TO WEAR MY CHEAP SYNTHETIC WIG FOR THE ACTUAL SHOOT.
So, I guess the moral of the story is, don’t stop fighting and don’t think you’re too good to fight. Because from the way my agent was ready to give up, it seemed like some people would have just said “I guess they really don’t want me, why try to convince them that they do.” But sometimes I think they are looking for a reason TO cast you, instead a reason NOT to. Which is nice. 
Say No More Often
Les, I booked a commercial this morning that pays nicely. It shoots this Thursday. However, I have a callback/interview for a major motion picture at 4:30 on Thursday. It has been scheduled for three weeks. The producer called me to tell me that they really liked me at my first audition and they were rooting for me. And this was an interview to see if I was a generally nice/interesting person that they’d be willing to work with. I got an email last night from the casting director about my callback time stating in big red letters, “No cancellations, no tardiness, no excuses, no exceptions.” Then I got the call this morning that I booked the commercial and to block out the entire day… So… one is a paid gig; the other is an audition. But I REALLY would love to be in a film–and it’s SAG and its a good part and I feel good about it but again…it’s not a done deal. What do I do?? I can’t ask production to reschedule the entire commercial shoot and I can’t cancel my film audition…and I’m afraid (yes terrified) if I call and ask them to reschedule my callback interview that they will then take me out of the running… any thoughts? And? I don’t have an agent. – DAZED AND CONFUSED
Dazed, I would tell them I’m so sorry, I can’t make the callback, I booked a job. I would NOT tell them it was a commercial. I would just ask them to reschedule it for another day. That should make ‘em want you even more.
Dear Les, They rescheduled because they had liked my first auditions. And guess what? I booked it!!!!!!! His exact words when I rescheduled were, “I want to work with people who other people want to work with.” The best part is knowing that I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I am so happy! Thank you Lesly! Honestly, and the proof is in the bookings–this all started since I started taking classes at the Kahnstitute. 
Sometimes saying no is the best way to get them to say yes!
How to Be a Wrecking Ball on Your Own Terror Barrier
Hi Lesly,
I wanted to share with you an exciting email I received from Bob Proctor today. (I love him, he’s such a kind spirit with a FEROCIOUS amount of intention.) I felt it spoke so harmoniously with a lesson I learned in Jesse’s ongoing last week…well and again this week. About fear, and it’s relationship to procrastination. I read the War of Art, and we have been talking about it in ongoing…Enjoy;
Love
Arae
How to be a wrecking ball on your own Terror Barrier
1. Bulldoze through it scared. That’s right … just keep marching, no matter how badly your feet want to stay rooted to the ground. Refuse to permit this negative demon to control you, your emotions …your future.
2. Remember – the Terror Barrier rears its ugly head every time we attempt to make a major move in life into an area we have never traveled before. It’s as natural as day and night. Where before you used to let it stop you cold, now you can simply shrug and tell yourself, “Oh, there it is again. Well! This must really mean something great to me!”
3. Then, further remind yourself that it might be an unknown, but the other side of that Terror Barrier will have you that much closer to your goal. I’d encourage you to fall in love with THAT feeling of accomplishment, get wrapped up in it! I often say that if your goal doesn’t scare and excite you at the same time, you’re going after the wrong goal!
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
That is excellent advice. By following her advice you will liberate yourself from the crippling emotional state that the Terror Barrier causes.
Do it scared. Begin to visualize yourself successfully being a wrecking ball on that Terror Barrier of yours. Mentally see yourself winning. Remember, perception IS reality!
To your success,
Bob Proctor (http://www.bobproctor.com/#)
I Hear Voices
Dear Les,
I’m still trying to figure a way to put my personality into my work. I still have this “I’m acting” voice that comes out by default, which is annoying. When I can take that away I do some great stuff. But consistency is difficult to achieve.
Dear “Acting,”
Your “I’m acting” voice is just that – thoughts. “I’m acting.” As soon as you commit to thinking only your character’s thoughts, your voice will disappear.
Change the Product
Les,
I am wondering about casting director workshops. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of money and time in those workshops. I get good feedback (Ani Avetyan, Scott David, and Jeff Greenberg were crazy about me) and then very little result. I’m not sure what to do. Should I keep plugging away? Or target different offices? Or is my acting so out of control not where it should be that I should skip the workshops altogether? I’ve even done Dallas’ 40 day book a job challenge and nothing happened. My brain hurts. I’m a little down, but not at all beat yet. This journey is far from over.
Dear Down,
That’s a toughie. I guess if nothing’s happening in spite of the good feedback, I’d take a break from the cw’s and let the new acting stuff become habit. Then go back to the cw’s and see if anything changes. Clearly they’re not buying what you’re selling yet, so let’s change the product a little.
Our First Impression is Not Always the Correct Impression
You must read this amazing article from Nick C.! – Les
Hi Lesly!
So, I was doing some research on psycholinguistics (the study of how the brain interprets speech and dialogue) and I came across this fascinating concepts that I had never heard of: The Garden Path Sentence. I think it has some really interesting similarities to the mistakes many of us make when interpreting a scene.
In short, a “Garden Path Sentence” is a phrase that is constructed in such a way to set up the reader to make an incorrect assumption about what is being said before they finish the sentence. Psycholinguists use it as an example of how the human brain processes language one word at a time as we read and constructs a logical narrative of what is being said before we finish the sentence. With a Garden Path Sentence, we see that what we initially assume to be the main point of the sentence is in fact not what we assumed. It’s easier to see it as an example:
“The old man the boat”.
The first time we read this, we assume that the sentence is beginning with the idea “The man, who is old…” but we are caught off guard when the sentence ends with “the boat” which is too abrupt and doesn’t make sense from our initial assumption about what it is talking about. Once we re-read the sentence again after having completed it, we see that the point is actually: “the boat is manned by people who are old”.
There are hundreds of examples of these kinds of sentences. Here are a few more:
“The man whistling tunes pianos”.
“The cotton clothing is made of grows in Mississippi”.
“The author wrote the novel was likely to be a best-seller”.
“The government plans to raise taxes were deflated”.
The essential error that humans make when reading these sentences is that they falsely conclude which verb is the active verb in the sentence and which noun is the subject. I feel that this has a direct correlation to the way many actors approach a scene or a piece of dialogue. Often times we begin reading a scene and start to make assumptions about what will likely follow, thus constructing thoughts that connect the statements logically, but we are often thrown by some piece of information that does not fit into our logic. This occurs because we have not allowed ourselves to be presented with the entire scene before constructing the threading that connects everything together. The pitfall is that some of us become so entrenched in our initial logic of the scene (read: line readings, thoughts, etc.) that we cannot remove ourselves from it. Perhaps the lesson to be learned from the Garden Path Sentence is that we are not always correct in our initial assumptions about a scene, a character, or any other element of a piece of material. If there are elements that don’t seem to “make sense”, it is important to renew our view of the scene and approach it from the beginning again, anew.
Put simply, our first impression of a scene is not always the correct impression, and if there are gaps in the threading of a scene because it does not make sense given the various nuances of the dialogue or character actions, perhaps we need to restart.
I just thought you might find that interesting!
Love,
Nick
A Couple More Hours to Go
Dear Les,
Daring to go first in the Juries, it became painfully clear that I’ve got the balls but not the chops quite yet. BAT: “Gosh, I should know everything there is to know ‘bout acting NOW. It should just come naturally. If it doesn’t, what does that mean???
LK ANSWER: that you’ve got a couple more hours to go before you hit Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000.
I walked in there wanting to be GOOD so much that I lost sight of the joy in it… Was so aware of the long list of things I need to do that I couldn’t be in the moment…ahhh! GAT: “Have fun! Enjoy living in the character’s thoughts…there’s no right or wrong!
This inspired me: “I didn’t get my SAG card until I was 30. But that’s how it works: you keep putting your work out there, and at some point, if you’re fortunate, if you’re lucky, if you’re blessed, it morphs into something.” -Viola Davis, THR
That’s too many If’s for me not to enjoy every moment I’m given to ACT!! Which beats the hell outta hunting down some agent. – G
Stop Caring About Time
Lesly,
“ . . . what I have learned from you since basically January when I started ongoing until now has changed my acting more than three years of conservatory and everything else combined. . . . The other part has come from me not caring and just saying fuck it. What I mean by that is that since probably December I’ve started realizing how precious the little time we have on this Earth is and I’ve wasted enough of it in the past to last me another lifetime. I knew I had the talent in me to act back in high school but I was playing three sports and I wasn’t exactly going to ask for time off from practice to audition for THE ODD COUPLE. If there is one time in my life when I am an open sore, vulnerable and capable of giving and receiving all that I have it is when I’m acting. I always found it fascinating that we had the ability to make people laugh, cry, get mad, feel inspired, cheer, groan and every other feeling that we get when we sit down and watch people perform. That’s why I started acting, not because I thought I could be a star, not because I had a bad childhood and this was my outlet, but because I wanted to make people feel what I felt. . . . Because I just don’t have that much time left. And I have a girlfriend I’m in love with, and brothers and sisters and parents and nieces and nephews, and everyday I get up I do this not only for myself but for them. Because time doesn’t care about any of us so I decided to stop caring about time. – Frank M
