From the Midwest to Hollywood

NOTE: I wrote this a month or so ago, but am only now posting it. Enjoy.

My schedule last week was something like this:

Monday: I shot a pilot in which I played a Nazi ensign on an aircraft carrier. I enjoyed working with the director, and I hope to follow up with an actor I met.  Maybe we could work together in future, or maybe I just made a friend.

Tuesday: I interned from 10 am to 6 pm. It is a continual field trip for me to drive over the mountains to West Hollywood each day. It is a swanky neighborhood I rarely have occasion to visit. Paris Hilton used to live up the street from us; we are just above Sunset Boulevard. Don’t remember what I did exactly…might have read a script, worked on compiling some lists from my boss Julia or both.

After interning, I filled in for another worker at Act Now (where I help out in the office and take classes–www.actnownetwork.com); I interacted a bit with casting directors Fern Champion and Jason James. I also got to interact with the other actors who work at Act Now–this has been a great highlight for me because I have constant contact with the same people. This is in contrast to meeting people on set and rarely seeing them again, a matter of course in moving from one acting project to another.

Wednesday: At my internship, my other boss Bill and I put together a list of Australian actors to audition for a project we may cast. Once or twice in the past, we have posted requests for actors on LA Casting and Breakdowns Express. When we request foreign actors, many American actors pretend they are foreign in their submission. A couple of times we have received submissions from actors I know.

After work, I went to a Jamie Cullum concert at the Hollywood Bowl with my roommate and his girlfriend. The concert was excellent, though he did not play my favorite “I’m All at Sea.”

Thursday: I interned from 10 to 6. Afterward, I went to Act Now for a class with Don Phillip Smith of “The Young and the Restless.” If any readers could introduce me to people who work in soaps, please leave a comment. I have a particular interest in soap opera acting.

Friday: I interned from 10 am to 6pm.

Saturday: I had two auditions; one was in Beverly Hills for a short film, and the other was in Hollywood for a political advertisement.