If You Want It, You Have to EARN It

"If someone is not attacking you, it means you aren't doing your job."

Sean Hannity

" I think sometimes people don't pay enough attention to what they do. I've done well, but the reason why is pretty simple, I've worked my ass off."

Justin Timberlake

The Blog..

The only real way for people to know who you are, who you really are is to look back on your failures. These can be defining, explaining some of the areas you are least confident. Many times these failures point the true path forward.

I've said this many times before, and I was not the first one to do so. "IF YOU KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU ALWAYS DID, YOU WILL ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU ALWAYS GOT"

William Reynolds

The Truth About Head Shots....

Quotes:

" I always tell the truth, even when I lie"

Al Pacino

"When you are talking about a great actor, you are NOT talking about Tom Curise"

Lauren Bacall

HEADSHOTS:

Richard Fisher - Agent L.A.

Your headshot needs to be a natural representation of who you are in your daily life. There is nothing worse than to have an actor show up for an audition looking nothing like their headshot.

Benton Wiley - Casing Director

You want to look your best, but not like someone you're not. So be sure your headshot accurately reflects your personality as well as what sets you apart.

_________________________

I talk about this every single day when interviewing and/or auditioning both beginners and experienced talent. So many, way too many have photos that are simply 'not good at all'.

And I tell them that. They respond by saying 'they were done professionally'.

Truthfully that means very little. Just because you paid for them does not necessarily make them good, or even marketable. Many are out of focus, with the wrong type clothing. Or too much make-up, or not enough. Sometimes taken outside in front of a tree, and they look like the branches are growing out of the top or their head.

Your headshot, your photo is the start of the casting process. That process could continue, or stop right there.

William Reynolds

Give Your All!

"Actors, never give them what you think they want. That's mediocre and commonplace. Give them something they've never seen before...your soul."

"With any part you play, there has to be a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it's not just acting. It's lying."

Success in acting is all about being in the right place at the right time. Your job is to be ready.

Internal Process of Acting

Hey guys! Thought I'd inspire you with some acting quotes from some our favorite big name actors out there!

"I'm curious about people. That the essence of my acting. I'm interested in what it would be like to be you."- Meryl Streep

"Whatever character you play, remember they are always doing something. They are not just talking!"- Tom Hardy

"Acting is a very personal process. IT has to do with exposing your own personality, and discovering the character you're playing through your own experience- so we're all different."- Sir Ian McKellen

Study Study Study!

AND ONE MORE THING ABOUT ACTING, AND ACTUALLY STUDYING ACTING.

 Actors who think there isn't much to learn about acting in an acting class have likely never been in a great acting class. If acting classes are a low priority to an actor, I find they know very little about acting and the work of great actors. And they don't have much respect for acting.

Most great actors studied acting for years, and even when they are not working, they are working on their craft in some aspect.

Stay in Character!

You know when we train (and pay for) actors to study 'real' acting most have a problem staying in character for more than just a few seconds. For most as soon as they finish talking or listening, they drop their character altogether.

Read what DAVID OYELOWO says about staying in character.

“I stayed in character for the three weeks we shot Nightingale and for the three months we shot Selma,” he explains. “Ava [DuVernay] would call me out of the blue at times just to check — I think she was shocked that I was going to go through with this. This is how bad it got: I remember, my wife, we were moving house at the time and my wife called me and said, “So what do you think? Should we go for the gray curtains or the brown?” And I literally went, [in the voice of King] “Well, I think we should …” and she went, “Stop! Stop! I cannot talk curtains with Dr. King, we’re going to pick this up afterwards. What on earth are you doing?” So that was the moment I thought, “OK, I’m all the way in, here.” But yes, I just felt, for me, personally, I just felt you can’t half-do Dr. King.” 

Your Time is Now!

Old Chinese Proverb: "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."

 

"Whether you think you can, or you can't, you're exactly right."- Henry Ford

 

"Whatever must be done will not be done by waiting for the perfect moment or conditions. The fact is you 'can' take the first step and then the step after that, no matter what the conditions may be."- William Reynolds

 

Take Your Shot!

 "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take."- Wayne Gretzsky

"I've missed more than 900 shots in my life. Lost almost 300 games, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed, I've failed over and over again all my life, and that is why I succeed."- Michael Jordan

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did."- Mark Twain