Scarlett Johansson: “My favorite actors are actors who are enigmatic and mysterious and never make the obvious choice”

Scarlett Johansson is, on one hand, one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood and has used her fame to publicly support various political causes. On the other hand, Johansson has managed to keep her personal life very private despite her massive fame, and even though in the last year she’s gone through both a divorce and a hacking scandal she’s managed to keep her name out of the gossip columns. Frankly it’s a bit refreshing in a world full of media whores to see an actress who wants to keep to herself.

But Johansson doesn’t try to keep her business to herself simply for privacy purposes.  While speaking with Interview Magazine, she reveals that there is a professional reason why she attempts to keep her life a bit of a mystery. 

In addition, she says that she seeks to work with actors who similarly also try to maintain a bit of the unknown.  Read more

Brad Pitt Talks About Quitting Acting, His Early Frustrations and Doing It All For His Kids

Let’s get the bombshell out of the way since it’s been reported all over the Internet already: in his recent Australian 60 Minutes interview, Brad Pitt revealed that he plans to quit acting in three years when he turns fifty. 

His exact words after interviewer Tara Brown asked the follow-up question “What about after that?” were, “Hell if I know. Hell if I know. I am really enjoying the producing side and development of stories and putting those pieces together. And getting stories to the plate that might have had a tougher time otherwise, so…You know, I have gotten away with a few things in writing and I have been pissed off about a few things.”

Huh.  Not only is that rather disappointing that Pitt, who has turned into a rather fine actor in recent years, is vowing to quit acting, but it also totally contradicts the last interview Pitt did that I posted on last week in which Pitt claimed he has “no aspirations whatsoever” to work on the production end of films, although he did hint at believing that he had a “shelf life.”

But overall Pitt’s interview with 60 Minutes seems to focus on the negatives.  Read more

Ask a Casting Director: What Does the Path to LA Look Like?

written by Scott David, Casting Director; Theatrics presenting Beckinfield

Scott, as an actor living in Northern California, what does the path look like to get to L.A. and start working? Should I be submitting to agents and casting directors down there now or should I build a body of work up here first and submit demo reels? I guess I’m at a point where I want to know what the next step is. – Jason

Jason, your question is the never-ending quest of an aspiring actor!!!

It is always best to live near to where the action takes place…and that would be Hollywood! If you are young and stable and have the means to move into the area your chances at procuring work will be greatly enhanced!

Be sure to have a safe place to live, a car, money in the bank, the ability to immediately enroll in acting classes, and the strength and perseverance to engage yourself in the entertainment industry.

It is always much easier to come to LA with some legitimate credits — theater, TV, film, commercials, or web-based work.   Read more

Anne Hathaway Latest American Actress to Put Some English On

Why is it that Brits always seem to one-up American actors with accents?  People have watched season after season of House thinking Hugh Laurie is made in the U.S.A. until they hear him speak in an interview.  But people still rip on Kevin Costner, who didn’t even attempt to use an English accent in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Dick Van Dyke, who has a memorably awful one in Mary Poppins. 

Even when Brits commit accent errors (Sean Connery using his typically thick trademark Scottish accent as Irish cop Jim Malone in The Untouchables), they still receive awards. Of course, American actresses seem to be a bit better at it, with Renee Zellweger and Meryl Streep receiving praise for their British turns.

Another American actress who faces the accent trial by fire in an upcoming film is Anne Hathaway, who appears as Yorkshire native Emma in One Day.  In fact, in an interview with the New York Post, Hathaway admits she was intimidated by learning the accent, confessing, “There were many reasons to say no to this part. One, because I didn’t think I could pull it off. Two, I was very nervous about the Yorkshire accent.”  Of course, critics are already out, with the UK’s Daily Mail reporting that some have already tagged her accent attempts as “awkward” and “horrible.”  Yikes!  Read more

Boca Raton, Florida: Workshop – Monologues That Win The Part!

MONOLOGUES THAT WIN THE PART

WHAT:  Week-long experiential workshop taught by producer Sunnie Brooks of Elite Retreat Events Co. which produces Star Mitzva! A Show Within a Party Where the Guests are the Entertainment.

WHEN:  August 1-5, 2011 Monday-Friday.
Kids 9 and up: 3-6 p.m.
Adults 6:30-9:30 p.m.

WHO:  For aspiring and seasoned actors. Improvement guaranteed for all levels.

WHERE: The Loft at Congress, Boca Raton, Florida

WHY:   Discover and develop the best audition monologue for you. Learn how to deliver it the way directors and casting agents want it. Avoid pitfalls that trip up even the most seasoned actors on-camera. Learn acting and pre-audition techniques to last a lifetime.

Bonus #1: Each student will receive valuable reel of their performance.

Bonus # 2: One student will be chosen for a paid acting job in an upcoming full- wardrobe STAR MITZVAH production with reel.

COST:  $349 Includes course materials, makeup lesson, reel, refreshments. Class size is limited to provide individual coaching for each student.

Enrollment deadline is Monday, July 25, 2011.

CALL SUNNIE NOW TO ENROLL:  561-389-1990 to avoid disappointment.

Email: sunnie@eliteretreatevents.com
Web: www.EliteRetreatEvents.com

Peter Facinelli Discusses the Difference Between Acting for Film and Television

Peter Facinelli is currently playing two very different types of doctors; Dr. Fitch ‘Coop’ Cooper on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie and vampire-turned-doctor Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight franchise.

The roles themselves are diverse, but Facinelli also notices major differences between acting for film and acting for the small screen.

He told the Los Angeles Times that television is not nearly as finite and cut and dry as film, saying, “In television you don’t really know where you’re going to be in Episode 7. It keeps it fresh in the sense that you only know what your character is going to do that week, and you’re not exactly sure how it will develop.”

With Nurse Jackie, he says that “It’s kind of fun for me because sometimes I’ll pick the writer’s brain and what’s going on with Coop for the season and they have a rough idea. They don’t really like to tell us, but sometimes they’ll spill some info — it’s almost like going to a medium and they’re telling you your future. But things can change. They’ll throw you a curveball. It keeps you on your toes.”

Beckinfield: A New Online Web-Series Any Actor Can Participate In

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:57 — 10.3MB)

Imagine creating your own original character and inserting it into a video game.

Now, imagine that that character is actually you.

Using your webcam, cell phone or video camera, you upload whatever you want your ‘character’ to do into the game.

Sounds pretty cool, right?

Beckinfield, is a a sci-fi web series that is brand new and for a limited time, completely free to join and play.

I talked with the creators of the site (actors themselves) recently and they’ve even told me that some of their current members have booked jobs from the site.

So, check it out here! And, if you’d like to take a listen to our conversation, click onto the above link.

Also, if you happen to be at SXSW this year, they are going to host the first ever actor meet-up. Click here to RSVP! Keep checking back on the link also because they are planning to host actor meet-ups in various parts of the country.

Read more

How To Feel Confident And Give Great Auditions

HOW TO GIVE GREAT AUDITIONS BY CHANGING YOUR FOCUS!

Hello fellow actors!

I’m thrilled to be able to share my years of experience as an on-set and stage actor and over 15 years of teaching and coaching actors. Some of the topics I’d like to cover include; how to have sexual chemistry at auditions and on set, the secret to playing bad guys, cops, lawyers, FBI, judges and prostitutes; how to break down audition scripts; how to get more depth and vulnerability as an actor and much, much more!

For my first column I’d like to address:

How to feel confident and have a great time at your auditions.
The incredible technique I’m going to share with you is based on the work of Jerry  and Esther Hicks, who introduced the secrets of the law of attraction years before the huge success of the video and book, The Secret.

According to Esther and Jerry Hicks we are always either focusing on what we want or what we don’t want. When you’re unhappy, nervous, angry, etc it’s usually because you are focusing on what you don’t want. “I don’t want to be lonely, I don’t want to have so few auditions, I don’t want to be poor”, etc. The secret to shifting your mood in general and specifically when you audition is to focus on what you do want and how you DO want to FEEL at your auditions and on set.

So here’s a simple process for preparing for an audition:

First, imagine yourself on the way to an audition for a part you really want. try to focus on how you are feeling.

FOCUS ON HOW YOU ARE FEELING
Usually if you’re honest, you’ll say, for example…I feel nervous, I feel excited. I feel anxious. I feel like I’m not even right for this role. I feel unprepared, etc.

Read more

Actors Roundtable: Comedic Actresses

Sophia Vergara, Jane Lynch, Courteney Cox, Felicity Huffman, Wanda Sykes and Patricia Heaton talk about who’s the funniest female comic, do you have to have confidence when you’re doing comedy and more.

My favorite was video 3 where Jane Lynch talks about trying to memorize lines.

Read more

Three Tips To Finding An Agent

Three Agent Tips

by Dallas Travers, CEC

One of the most common complaints I hear from actors involves finding the right representation. Snagging a solid agent or manager can be tricky, time consuming, and expensive. A lot of actors experience the old catch-22: “I need an agent to get work and I need work to land an agent”. What’s an actor to do?

Whether you feel like you don’t have enough time or money to grab the attention of an agent, or you question whether or not you’re ready for representation, you can begin planting seeds with prospective agents easily and inexpensively. All you need to do is commit to these small steps.

Apply a Laser Beam Focus

I’m a big believer in “doing less more often”, so narrow your agent list to a manageable target group of about 10 agencies. Ask for recommendations from fellow actors and any industry connections, such as casting directors, producers, acting coaches, etc. Do you have a peer with representation whose career you admire? Research their agency. The Hollywood Creative Directory, available as a reference book in many libraries, and IMDB Pro are good resources to help locate names and contact information for anyone in the industry. Don’t forget to plug in to online forums such as the Hollywood Happy Hour Yahoo Group. You will be amazed by how easily you can access up to date information about any agent you may be researching.

Read more

Next Page »