Keeping It Reel: An Actor's Blog

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.   The  important thing is not to stop questioning."                                                                                                                ~Albert Einstein Yeah. It's me.  I guess I had something to say.  I've been down the last few weeks. Down. Really down. So down the toilet in the house flushed in the other direction.  I guess when it comes down to it, this business called acting kicked my butt. I had several rejections all within a couple of days and the pain and emptiness I was experiencing consumed me. Swallowed me whole! Like a whale noshing on krill.  ...

"I don't think actors should ever expect to get a role,  because the disappointment is too great. You've got to think of things as an opportunity.  An audition's an opportunity to have an audience." Al Pacino There's been a lot of rejection this week. I feel like a guy who was mismatched in a prize fight and got his ass handed to him. Not in a box with a pretty bow like you would want your own ass handed to you, but in a weary brown paper bag that's seen way too many school lunches.  It's a little more than I can bare at the moment and I am crushed by the weight of it.  I don't know what else to say. I've always promised this blog, if anything, would be honest .  The truth is I don't have anything to say.  I'm just going to be still and not say a word and look at the world and see what the wind tells me to do. I would listen to my heart, but at the moment, it's a little broken and I can't trust what...

"I’m sorry, but all questions must be submitted in writing." Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory I had no particular reason for posting this.  Well, that's not totally true.  First off, I love Gene Wilder.  Secondly, he was brilliant as Willy Wonka.  Thirdly, I'm just weird.  But that's okay. Weird is good....and not boring.  I'll never be boring.  Just keeping it reel.  And a little strange.   Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

"I never met a cookie I didn't like ." j.e. matzer, actor "If the body is an instrument,  mine is in serious need of tuning." j.e. matzer, actor Before you can inhabit the skin of someone else, you must be comfortable in your own. Self-awareness is the key and such self-examination means stripping down and looking into a mirror and giving yourself a good once over.  Well. Not once over, I guess. That's just awkward. Nobody wants to walk in while you're standing in front of a mirror giving yourself a good once over . Even though it does sound very British and proper.  "Nigel? Yes. Well I walked into his room this morning rather unexpectedly and discovered he was giving himself a good once over. Poor chap. He was terribly embarrassed. So was I come to think of it. Oh well. Tea?" The point is to look at yourself. Really look at yourself. Every wrinkle. Every nook and cranny. Every roll. Every pimple. Every inch...

"My happiest moment is the day they call wrap and I'm free.  I'm not looking back." Actor Brad Pitt Yesterday at about 7 P.M., I wrapped on a project I've been shooting for The Fox Channel.  LEGENDS & LIES: Into The West will begin airing on Sunday, April 12. The mini-series was shot by LionHeart FilmWorks, a Richmond-based production company specializing in historic pieces.  What's that? What's wrapped ? Wrapped is a term which usually signifies the end of filming on a project. The director, satisfied they have shot everything they needed to shoot, will shout "That's a wrap!" There is an urban legend, which has been disputed (like most urban legends) that wrap is an acronym for " Wind , Reel and Print ." I don't have the answer to that mystery. It makes perfect sense. Doesn't make it fact however.  I agree with Mr. Pitt about the freedom you experience when you are wrapped on a project.  ...

Billy Campbell.  Chevy Chase. Jonathan Frakes.  Jeff Goldblum. Vincent D'Onofrio. John Larroquette. Max von Sydow. Liam Neeson.  Michael Moriarty.  John Lithgow.  Daniel Stern. Donald Sutherland.  Yaphet Kotto.  Michael Rapaport.  James Brolin.  Adam Baldwin.  Stellan Skarsgård. David Morse.  Vincent Price.  All of these actors have one thing in common.  They might have more in common with each other, but for the purposes of this entry in my blog, they all have one very noticeable trait in common.  All these very talented actors are 6'4.  That's right!  Six freakin' feet and four freakin' inches tall .  Now obviously, their height is secondary to their  talent . Each has enjoyed long, successful careers because they are talented not just because they are tall.  It does my heart good to know there is hope for me.  Being as ta...

"Something about auditioning." ~Some famous actor  Every actor has their own opinion of auditioning. Some are terrified of the experience. Some get heart palpitations just imagining the experience. Some actors love the experience...the adrenaline rush. For the record, these are the same people who love roller coasters, base jumping and taking eighteen items through the 15 Item Or Less Lane at the grocery store.  I love auditioning. I love the challenge of it and, admittedly,I love most of the adrenaline rush.  Getting a part in a television show or movie or commercial or whatever is pretty damn awesome, but just getting an audition is half the battle.  Here's how that usually works: Step One: You see a casting notice for a feature film, called, oh let's say, Star Wars. Step Two: You submit for the feature film Star Wars. You follow all the instructions, include everything they've asked you to include and th...