Hi, guys. I won’t be blogging for a little while, as I am on my summer holiday. Pumped to see family and friends, I am hoping to recharge before getting back at it.
Happy first half of July,
Hans
Last week, a casting director asked me if people said I looked like Viggo Mortensen, and the honest answer is that probably hundreds of people have told me that now. Funny thing is, no one told me that until I moved to LA, and now I get it all the time. In fact, when my roommate Nate tells a story about one of his two roommates, his friends ask “is it the one that looks like Viggo Mortensen or the other one?”
I have kept a list on my cell phone message pad of comments people make about my appearance since moving to LA. The celebrity-similarities and ethnic background comments include the following: Viggo Mortensen, a young Willem Dafoe, Sting, a young Ed Harris, Jude Law, Neil Patrick Harris, Niles from Frasier, a young David Caruso, of Russian descent, a young Pope John Paul II, David Beckham, Conan O’Brien, Peter Wiler, Casper Van Dien, Jason from General Hospital, Tony Hawk, Steve Zahn, Ryan Seacrest, James Blunt, the smart guy from Criminal Minds, Ryan Phillipe in Cruel Intentions. Per a friend-from-of-old Brooke’s renewed comment, I also add Leonard Whiting, of the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet. Link follows: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2776891673/
Several of these “similarities” have only been referenced once or twice, so I think it has more to do with the observer than myself. But frequently-repeated comments give one pause for thought: Viggo Mortensen, Sting, Ed Harris, Neil Patrick Harris, a Russian man (I get this one somewhat frequently).
Far and away, over the course of my life people have commented most about Sting and Viggo. People have mentioned Sting to me ever since I was in junior high, but in the last year or so, these comments have dropped off remarkably. My theory is that Sting has recently re-emerged in the spotlight as his present self, whereas people previously remembered what he looked like earlier on. I did a Sting-image search and in certain pictures, I saw what people meant. Here are some of these pictures:
Since moving to LA, it’s been Viggo, Viggo, Viggo. At first, I had only seen Viggo in The Lord of the Rings, where I see no similarity to myself. But last year I saw “A History of Violence,” and it made a believer out of me.
Here are some Viggo pictures and a link to the “History of Violence” trailer:
http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_NAME/GALLERY/video/screenplay/vi1672741145/
Whether or not it helps to resemble a celebrity is debatable. I’ve heard of an actress who looked like “a little Angelina Jolie,” and an industry professional said she would never get any work because “we already have an Angelina Jolie.” On the other hand, some agents refer to established celebrities when marketing new talent: “appearance-wise, he’s a young Viggo Mortensen, and acting-wise he is…” I guess it can give a frame of reference when thinking about an actor.
I am all for their making a movie about Viggo Mortensen’s life, but I am not holding my breath. I think we’re more likely to see a movie about Heath Ledger in the next couple of years, and I don’t look like him at all.
Last week I did my first acting project with a group called the Greenhouse, a film-making co-op group. Every three months I pay dues of $100 and in return I get to participate in one to two films per month in various capacities. We meet on the first and third Sunday night of each month in North Hollywood.
The Greenhouse is based on a beautiful concept. We are aspiring directors, producers, writers, actors, craft service providers (that’s show-biz-speak for food), editors and score composers. Everyone with a passion for a certain part of film-making gets to operate as part of a team. On most projects I will probably be an actor, but to keeps costs low and to learn valuable skills, I will volunteer my time helping with lights and sound. We’ve also started a monthly writing class, and the Greenhouse wants to use scripts we write.
The Greenhouse is good for me as actor, but it is great for aspiring writers, producers and directors. For these individuals, it is always challenging to find people to make their film and expensive to find the equipment necessary to do it. But since we are a co-op, we all work for free; the Greenhouse also owns a camera, lights and sound equipment.
The Greenhouse is not perfect. I find it hard to work with some of the people who come to our bimonthly meetings. Also, my part in the last shoot was not huge, and I will not get to act in some productions at all, but I think that is more than par for the course. I get new footage most months, and I will be acting continuously; my impression is that this is how we get better at what we do.
I recognized today the most frustrating part about being an actor. Forever and always, people are sizing you up and deciding whether you are successful or not.
For example, I recently booked my most important television experience so far. I got a small speaking role on a Discovery Channel show called Mystery ER. What I want is for friends and acquaintances to be excited about that with me. But when many people hear about a new role, they need to categorize how significant each experience is. “Is that one of those shows where they recreate past events?” is a perfectly good question when asked simply for clarification. My perception, though, when some people ask this question is they want to know whether they should be impressed.
I recently had lunch with some excellent and kind people, but there was an element I did not like in the least. I got out my new head shots to show them. I am excited about my new pictures, and they are relevant to what is going on my life right now. One of these very kind people, though, went straight into analysis, saying ”this one head shot is good, but the other one doesn’t really pop for me.” Now I am all about seeking out a critical eye when I need one, but this was a social interaction: I was not seeking advice. I begin to understand how expecting parents feel when they share the names they have picked out and people say they don’t like them.
And then when I showed my head shot to others, the first thing they did was flip it over to look at my resume and see if I have done anything impressive recently. At this point I felt the need to say “that’s not completely updated…I booked a television role recently…”
Let’s celebrate with others as they grow in what they are doing, folks.
I have been going to workshops with casting directors for several months. I am quite hopeful in making good connections that could lead to noteworthy auditions. However, I sometimes find natural interaction with casting directors to be complicated.
Tonight I attended a workshop with two women who cast independent films. At the end of the workshop, I got to talk in a small group with one of the casting directors, and we even had a lot in common! She was from Ohio and we got to talking about the Midwest. The unfortunate truth, though, is I was thinking too much: I do not want to act especially friendly to someone just because she is a casting director; as a result, I end up being less friendly then I might be, and I probably come across as flat and quiet. Every individual is a valuable person, am I right?!? This dynamic was the same when I interned in DC for Senator Russ Feingold–I didn’t want to pay close attention to the senator and avoid his assistants.
I find it hard to live as a person among persons AND to make professional connections. I think I should just talk to people and not think about interpersonal complications. Any thoughts, friends? Mary and Cory, I would especially like your thoughts.
Last summer, by buddy Christian asked which actors I would like to act with someday.
My newest answer to this question is Christian Bale. We watched Newsies in class today, and that guy was a great actor when he was 15. Even then, he meant what he said when he acted; that is the sign of a good actor. My roommate, Brian Vestal, respects Sally Fields because she has had a continuous career through all of life’s changes. On a shorter-term scale, the same is true of Christian Bale. He was in Empire of the Sun at a very young age and continues to skillfully perform in worthwhile projects.
My other answer continues to be Judi Dench. This is an unexpected answer from a male in his twenties, but that lady is a great actress. I consistently watch As Time Goes By on BBC to see how excellent acting choices play out on-screen scene after scene, episode after episode. She seems to decide very specifically and irrevocably what she will accomplish in each scene; yet again, this is the sign of an excellent actor.
My continual intent is to apply what these actors apply while acting: I do not want to think about myself or how I am coming across. My focus should be what I must accomplish as my character**–in a particular scene, do I need to make sure someone learns an important lesson? Do I need to convince someone that he or she is loved and valued?
In recent months, much of what I learn about living life mirrors my learning how to act better.
**My favorite acting book directly and briefly teaches how to do this: A Practical Handbook for the Actor, by Melissa Bruder, Lee Michael Cohn, Madeleine Olnek, Nathaniel Pollack, Robert Previto and Scott Zigler. These authors teach one to apply the teachings of David Mamet, who wrote the preface. David Mamet wrote another excellent book that simplifies an actor’s job called True and False.
NOTE: the images I attach in this post first open really big but then they reduce in size automatically.
I have wanted new headshots for several months. I meet casting directors who do projects with vastly different tones, so while my current head shot is good for soap operas, it is less appropriate for commercials and a lot of nighttime television.
For two weeks, I searched on Craigslist for photographers doing “TFCD” shots, meaning “time for cd (of images).” These photographers are usually building their portfolio, so on occasion they are willing to do photo shoots at a reduced price or free. After diligently searching and contacting photographers, I heard back from photographer Michelle Kunz. You can check her blog out here: http://mk2photo.blogspot.com/ . I was impressed with her self portraits and the head shots of the blond girl. Post-photo shoot, I am entirely pleased with her professionalism and ability in photography.
One element that made this photo shoot a success was our stream of communication back and forth during the few days before the shoot. Michelle encouraged me to consider what “looks” I wanted to pursue as well as locations for the background.
My thoughts and preparation for the photo shoot included the following:
I thought about television shows I might be appropriate for, and I looked through a book of other actors’ headshots.
I booked friend and image consultant Krys Ferhervari to do my hair for the shoot. I am not good at doing my hair. I also found a really useful web site about men’s hair and printed off about 30 hairstyles to use as a reference.
Frequently, postings about parts ask for pictures that show one’s build, but I don’t really want shirtless pictures of myself floating around the internet. So I compromised and decided to get some exercise shots in a tank top at a park. I got a pack of four tank tops from Walmart for $10. Here is one of the pictures from this look:
I decided to pursue looks appropriate for specific casting director workshops. Next Saturday is a workshop with the casting director of “Greek,” a comedy about fraternity and sorority members. For “Greek” clothing, I wore shorts my sister Kari gave me from Old Navy and a yellow shirt I got for $15.00 at Target. I also did a scouting trip to Gap and saw that polos over tees with layers are popular right now, and I incorporated that into my look. In order to specify these pictures a bit, Krys told me about some homes that resemble frat houses near our exercise shoot location. Here is a Greek-oriented picture:
Another casting director I would like to meet casts Ugly Betty. I had a coupon for “Express,” and I spent a couple of hours there Thursday night looking for just the right stuff. I bought a couple of shirts and a skinny tie for $75.00. I found a pair of black pants at “Ross for Less” (Midwesterners–think “TJ Maxx’) for $14.99.
For the Ugly Betty look, we decided to go to downtown LA. Michelle suggested we go to Disney Music Hall, a super cool location with all sorts of glassy and shiny surfaces with unique angles. Brilliantly, Krys suggested that we then use the glass elevator at a swanky downtown hotel to indicate a clubby feel with skyscrapers in the background. Here are an Ugly Betty picture and an Urban cool picture:
Of the 400 images Michelle gave me, I have selected to print these for current use:
I
Since I was seven years old, I have been thought a German foreign exchange student by almost everyone I meet. People hear my name, and this causes them to interpret my appearance and voice as European. Even when speaking Spanish as a student in Medellin, Colombia, people thought I was from Germany.
When I moved to LA, I decided to capitalize on this perception. An image consultant and I decided to emphasize a European appearance in my head shots, and I began checking out accent tapes from the public library. So far, I have studied German, Irish, Northern English, Russian, Swedish/Norwegian, French and New York accents.
Of course, a major goal is that my accents be authentic and believable. I find it important to practice the accent enough that I can do it without thinking much about it. Thus, I can simply perform through the filter of the accent.
Last summer, I attended a comedy show and spoke with a British accent in all my interactions with others. Once I did a German accent when I substitute taught. It went great until someone asked to go to the bathroom, and I slipped into the “no you may not go to the bathroom” mode and left the accent behind. They all said, “what happened to your accent?” and asked me to finish the class as a German anyway because they liked it better.
Last weekend, I booked my first foreign role, a student film through California State-Long Beach, and it was really a pleasure. Of the four actors in the film, I was the only American actor. Our multinational cast consisted of a Scotsman, a Dutchman, a Turkish actor and myself. The Dutchman warmed my heart when he bought my accent and said “really, you’re American? You look more Dutch than I do.”
I am anxious to hear how unbiased audience members receive my performance. David Mamet, playwright and the author of “True and False,” says the circumstances of a scene guide an audience to believe unless they have a reason not to. Will my accent and performance allow the audience to believe the illusion of me as German?
At this moment in my career, I need to act in films that may not pay any money but will look good on-screen. As an aspiring actor, part of success is getting parts in productions I can feel proud to show to a casting director or a prospective agent.
My new conclusion is that the people one works with is the best gauge of the film that will be produced. Which camera one uses is important and a great script is important, but a dedicated director, good actors and experienced crew are more important.
For example, last weekend, I acted in a short film called “Into the Red,” directed by Tiffany Frances from the Pasadena School of Art and Design. Our two-day shoot was mapped out so we would have plenty of time to shoot every angle the director had included in her storyboard. All the actors were thoroughly prepared for the shoot. Both days, we finished before the estimated wrap time, and both days we had plenty of time to break for meals.
As a side note, the script and camera we used were also excellent. I am really hopeful there will be some excellent footage from this project.
NOTE: For those interested in looking for acting projects for themselves, checking out gigs and tv / film jobs on Craigslist is a good first step because all you need as a picture and a rough resume you can send by e-mail.
However, ONE SHOULD APPROACH CRAIGSLIST WITH CAUTION. If you get the sense that a project is fishy, don’t go to an audition. Also, avoid auditioning at anyone’s house. If you must go to a residence, be sure to bring someone with you. There are many sexual predators out there, and trust me, I am not exaggerating or overreacting.
To go a step further than Craigslist, check out www.mandy.com. Though it lists fewer projects than some others, this site is totally free, and you can upload several pictures and a resume.
Finally, www.actorsaccess.com lists projects from all over the United States. Like on mandy.com, you post pictures and a resume and submit yourself for parts. Here in LA, it lists far more projects than mandy does, but they charge about 10 dollars a month for unlimited access.
Last weekend, I completed my first demo reel. A demo reel is a brief compilation of footage of one’s acting. One sends it to casting directors and agents upon request. To watch mine on Youtube, click here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkacSmStbMc
