MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

Things continue to be moving along rather smoothly, at a somewhat steady pace. Little side jobs are still dropping at my feet, which keep the bills paid, and acting opportunities are coming into sight on the horizon, even though I have nothing ground-breaking to report…as of yet.

I will admit it has been slower than usual, at least for me, but those of you who read my blogs know that I have always said it is about baby steps, and I think that’s true, whether they are rapid or sluggish ones. Every child starts walking at various paces and at different times, but all get where they are heading in the end, and we can too, as long as we keep trying. Remember, persistence is key!

As I mentioned last week, my parent’s were in town. Having them around always re-energizes me because they are so supportive in every way. They remind me that if I really want it, to be an actor in my case, I can achieve it, it will happen and they believe in me. They always encourage me while also letting me know that they are there for me no matter what I am doing, as long as I am happy.

I honestly wish everyone could have parents, or parental figures, like mine, but I realize that isn’t always possible, and of course we all know “life isn’t fair,” but, either way, we can hopefully all make the most of what we are given. While those of us who might be given more, in whatever form, will be able to offer help to others, even in a simple way, such as being a listening ear. After all, when you think about it, we’re all in this together.

As I roll along my acting road, I am prepping for yet another trip to NYC, Jet Blue airlines must love me…hehe, and I have piles of clothes, bags, accessories, and of course shoes, laid out all over my floor, making for quiet a rainbow of spring colors. Flying to the Big Apple makes me happy and I am always ready to take another quick bite out of it, since it seems to inspire me in ways I can’t really explain.

Perhaps it’s the bright lights, fast pace, around the clock energy, yummy pizza and bagels and the “go get ’em” attitude. Regardless it always offers what I need, even in the times I don’t know I need it. All in all, who knows what exactly is in store for me as I ride out this week before taking to the skies, but I know that me, myself and I will continue to look on the bright side as, “merrily we roll along.”

“Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.” - Anon

HEADSHOTS, AND AGENTS, AND JOBS! OH MY!

The last couple week’s blogs have been about my past acting experiences. These have been fun for me, since they document times from my early days in the business and, hopefully, are somewhat entertaining for you to read as well. I assure you there will be more of that style in the future, seeing that I have much left to tell, but this blog will be more of a week’s wrap-up blog.

My amazing parents are in town from the NY/NJ area, and since they arrived it has been sunny and in the 90’s in “the valley,” very similar to our days living in the Middle East, though not as humid. The heat seems to have warmed up not only LA, but heated up the job front too! They always say that when you aren’t looking or expecting it, things just seem to happen, and that sure appears to be the case here.

Aside from being a part time nanny to the most adorable and happy 4 month old, house sitting, and the usual creative jobs I do on the side when I am not acting, just this week alone I got a number of other fun offers. These include creating a theatre poster, retouching headshots, designing logos, creating MySpace layouts, designing a website (since I know HTML coding), acting in promotional DVD’s, and doing some print modeling for brochures.

This is on top of designing and creating layouts for coupons and business cards for a friend’s popular make-up lines Razzle Dazzle Cosmetics (RazzleDazzleCosmetics.com) and Pur Element (PurElement.com). Needless to say, I am thankful for each, since they allow me to use my design/artistic talents and PhotoShop/HTML programming skills to stay creative, as well as to make money, while taking baby steps towards being a successful actor in the land of actors.

Above, I mentioned modeling, and although people often ask me if I model or do commercial print, I quite honestly have never done either. Many in Hollywood are the model-actor types, but I am an actor only. That said, my good friend Amanda Fields, who is a successful fashion and runway model, mentioned this past week that I should really be doing commercial print modeling and quickly suggested I go meet with her agency’s print division for actor types.

In this business you have to take opportunities and run with them! Although this is a different avenue, which veers off of my typical acting road, it is relevant, I suppose, and you never know unless you try. So, she generously went ahead and spoke with them, and they are wiling to meet with me. I should know the outcome next week and will be sure to update you on it in a future blog!

Aside from the above, I got my new headshots ready with a variety of looks, something that is very important for all actors and are somewhat like calling cards for us. The shoots, despite being long (five hours in this case) are always fun and relatively easy. It’s narrowing down the pictures that’s the difficult part. I have about 800 to choose from, which my agent has kindly reduced to about 150 from the proof sheets.

Next, I made 4×6 copies of those chosen and, on Friday afternoon, stopped by my agent’s very sleek, Manhattan-esque, high-rise office on Wilshire to drop them off for further review. We’ll meet next week to discuss and pick those I will get printed as 8×10’s to use for auditions.

All in all, it has been a very productive week, and I look forward to seeing what might stem from the above. Including whether commercial print makes an appearance on my resume or stays off in the wings, so to speak. Either way, I shall continue to welcome any and all of the above and enjoy the remaining time with my parents here in LA…especially now that my 2007 tax returns are out of the way!

“Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.” - Hugh Allen

RAZZLE DAZZLE ‘EM!

Picture hundreds of hyper cheerleaders, plenty of proud parents, upbeat pop music, loud dance beats, noisemakers, energetic cheer and dance routines, a rainbow of bright colors and glitter galore. Have that pictured yet? Well, if so, then you are in the midst of what I like to refer to as cheerleader central, and you can now imagine my last weekend.

Previously, I mentioned some of the creative jobs I do on the side while making my way as an actor. One of them was working for my good friend who has various successful make-up lines. This past weekend I did just that at The American Showcase National Cheer & Dance Competition at the Anaheim Convention Center. It’s a yearly event where I helped represent Razzle Dazzle Cosmetics (RazzleDazzleCosmetics.com), a vibrant glitter and sparkle-filled make-up line, geared towards cheer and dance teams.

Along side the stage, where the competitions are taking place, there are many booths set up for selling a variety of items. From animal print luggage and giant sparkle signs to jewelry, sunglasses, and, in our case, glitter make-up. Despite the 14 plus hours per day on your feet and moments of craziness, I must say it is all well worth it and tons of fun as well! I am also a big people watcher and there are plenty of opportunities for that at these types of events. You get to meet so many interesting people with different personalities and be around what truly is the youth of America.

Plus, actors learn through observation and soaking up bits from all their surroundings, to possibly use at a later time. Just as Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Acting is a question of absorbing other people’s personalities and adding some of your own experience.” Therefore, working events likes these can be beneficial and relevant to an actor, even though it is not an audition or acting job. It relates in some form and is also all about “show time,” after all.

The teams come from all over to perform, and, in a way, this event is somewhat of an audition for them. All in hopes of placing and winning an award at the end to show for their hard work. It is a time and place for people to be supportive of one another, and, at the end of the day, we all need that, whether for doing stunts or making it as an actor.

All in all, I was able to sport my daily smile in a place where I think it was truly appreciated and became very good at making glitter stars, starting with a pink one for myself, of course. I created so many of them for numerous girls that I think I might be able to make them with my eyes closed! Regardless, a glitter star never hurt anyone and who doesn’t like a little sparkle…so I say, no matter who they are, why not Razzle Dazzle ‘em!

“Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is.” – Mae West

REMEMBERING RITTER

Last week I took a nostalgic walk down memory lane and reminisced about a defining moment for me as an actor.  A moment, thanks to casting director Mark Fincannon, which brought me my first TV role that happened to include acting opposite Emmy and Golden Globe award winning actor and comedian John Ritter.

To be honest, all I knew about John Ritter at the time was that he was the funny guy on “Three’s Company.”  Knowing this gave my sister and me a good laugh and I looked forward to sharing the screen with such an established actor.

So, during the summer of 1998, when I stepped onto the set of “Holy Joe” in Wilmington, NC, the cast had been shooting the TV movie together for a couple months and everyone had formed a rather tight circle of comfort.  I, an unknown actor, was being added to the mix near the end of the shooting schedule.

That said, aside from the butterflies I felt from my first time on a “real” set, I never felt like an outsider.  Instead, Mr. Ritter instantly gave me that “at home” feeling.  He was in the middle of rehearsal for an upcoming scene when the Production Assistant, who was showing me around, and I quietly entered.  John quickly noticed us, looked over and smiled warmly.  At which point the PA said, “this is Liesl who will be playing Cylla.”  Without missing a beat, he stopped what he was doing, put the rehearsal on hold, and said, “let’s all take a moment to welcome Liesl.”

He went on to make a little joke, in a typical John Ritter manner, about what they were doing before I showed up, catching me up to speed and making everyone laugh with ease.  He then said how happy he was to have me join them and how he looked forward to working with me.

His words gave me the encouragement I think I, unknowingly, needed.  They assured me that, despite just starting out in this industry, I was a fellow actor whom he and others, including Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”) and Joanna Garcia (“Reba”), saw on a mostly level playing field.  We were all there to do the same thing - to act.

I still remember sitting with him in director’s chairs that evening during our down time, which you have a lot of on most shoots, and chatting like two everyday people, talking about everyday things.  He spoke so fondly about his family, things he and his children were planning to do later that summer and just how much he enjoyed being a father.

He made a point not to talk only about himself, but graciously to ask about me:  where I was from, where I was in school, when I started acting, etc. He showed a true interest in me, as well as in all those around him.

When my part was wrapped, he guided everyone saying, “Let’s give Liesl a round of applause for her wonderful work.  It’s not easy to come on a set when everyone already knows each other.”  As I left, he made a point to simply say, “Thank You” to me.  Those two rather small words really meant a great deal to me, which I suspect was his kind intent.

Needless to say, his death came as a shock to me, as it did to so many who loved him, be it personally or through his many talents and work.  It hit me harder than I would have thought, probably because he was such a big part of my first TV acting role and had made it such a positive experience for me.

Shortly after his death, I saw his widow, Amy Yasbeck, at a FOX Fall Lineup party in LA.  I wanted to go up to her and quickly say how sorry I was for her loss and let her know what a beneficial and authentic impression John had left on me as an actor just starting out, but didn’t want to bother her.  Looking back, I wish I had said something.

Therefore, I shall take this opportunity to let her and everyone know that my experience says that he was a lot more than the talented actor and comedian we saw on the screen and in Hollywood.  He was a down to earth, genuine and encouraging person towards everyone he encountered, no matter who you were, and he kept things lighthearted and fun through his wonderful sense of humor.

I am quite sure that anyone who had had the honor of meeting, knowing and/or working with him, can’t help but hold fond thoughts when Remembering Ritter.

“I’d like to be remembered just as a guy who was interested in the golden thread that intertwines all of us together.  That’s what an artist can do, that someone - anyone - could do, if they’re willing to pluck that…golden thread of humanity, and I’d like to be remembered as maybe a guy who plucked a few of those.” – John Ritter

IT HAPPENED IN 1998. HAS IT BEEN A DECADE ALREADY?

Picture this:  a relatively shy, somewhat insecure, 18 year old college freshman, dressed in a brown and cream mod print knee length skirt and matching cream shirt, with a dainty, “in fashion” at the time, espresso scarf tied sweetly around her neck, to complete her mostly together look.

Now envision a large, open, rehearsal space, filled with an array of undergraduate and graduate acting students all sitting in a sea of folding chairs for a casting workshop, with everyone intently focusing on and listening to the guest speaker, Emmy Award winning casting director Mark Fincannon.

If you can visualize the above, then you can imagine me in that room back in 1998. 

I sat quietly, off to the right side, intently watching through my almond shaped eyes, soaking up vast amounts of information being offered by Mr. Fincannon. He was from Fincannon & Associates in Wilmington, NC, the main casting agency in the Southeast.  His workshop was held at UNCG, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where I was attending college.

My already rather big eyes were slowly being opened, even wider, to another side of acting - acting in TV and Film.  This was something that for me was rather unfamiliar and unexplored, since up to that point, all I knew was acting in the theatre, on stage.

This TV workshop was open to all acting students to attend, watch, and learn; but mainly it was intended to allow graduating students a chance to perform in front of a seasoned casting director before entering the world as an actor, outside of a structured, educational setting. 

So you can imagine my surprise when Mr. Fincannon, looking down at a stack of headshots, suddenly said, “Where is Liesl, is there a Liesl Ehardt?”  After all, I was a lowly freshman, just expecting to observe silently from afar. 

Hesitantly, I raised my hand and was promptly handed sides containing lines from a popular teen drama, in it’s first season at the time, “Dawson’s Creek.” 

I was instructed to read the character Jen Lindley, played on the show by actor Michelle Williams.  It was a scene where Jen’s ex-boyfriend Billy from her troubled past living in NY shows up in the small, coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts, where Jen has recently come to live with her very conservative Grandmother, played by Mary Beth Peil.

Despite it being 10 years ago, I remember it as though it was yesterday.  There I was, having to do my very first cold read in front of a number of extremely talented students and faculty, many of whom I looked up to.  Needless to say, I initially felt completely out of my element.  That said, I did what any actor must do, I took the opportunity and ran with it, even if it was with a bit less confidence than I display today.

I anxiously sat with sides in hand, all eyes on me, heart beating with a burst of energy and adrenalin, and looking attentively at my scene partner.  Mark Fincannon sat in a chair facing me just a few feet away and leaned in watching closely, his elbows on his knees.  With the camera rolling, he said, “action!”  I remember taking my time with it, being completely in the moment, and when I came to the end of the scene I remained in character, not breaking ’till I heard Mr. Fincannon, after many moments of silence, say “and cut.” 

This was the very first time I had ever felt “at home” while acting, a sensation I remember vividly!  I was on a natural high and truly “in love.”  It was in that defining moment that I knew I wanted to act on-camera and needed that indescribable feeling to be a part of me for the rest of my life.

When I looked over, Mr. Fincannon had a somewhat proud smile on his face and he winked.  Then he said to the workshop, “Did you all see that?  That, everyone, is how it is done!”  I reference his words not because I want to “toot my own horn,” but because it was the first time I felt validated as an actor and became more assured that maybe I held even the slightest amount of talent in that area.

After the workshop, Mr. Fincannon asked me if I could be in Wilmington for the summer, offering me my first television role, playing Cylla, in a CBS TV movie entitled “Holy Joe,” staring John Ritter and Meredith Baxter.  A role that resulted in getting me my SAG card, something actors not only need, but strive for. 

Despite having very supportive, encouraging and loving family and friends rallying around me, who believe in my talent and me, like most actors, I am insecure to some degree.  We often question our talent, since we play on such an unstable playground.  Therefore, moments like those of the workshop that result in a tangible indication of reaching our dream have a longer lasting effect on us.

It is so important, especially for actors, “to be in the right place at the right time,” and perhaps that was the right place for me to be at that particular moment in time.  The opportunity allowed me to experience the simplicity of acting found on screen, a smaller and subtler form of acting than one sees on the stage.

Plus, all this happened in front of the faculty that would decide the 10 students who would be accepted into the 3 year intensive acting training program that year, and ultimately earn their BFA in Acting degree.  Seeing that the workshop was held just before the BFA Theatre auditions, the faculty was able to see me act in a manner I believe they hadn’t yet noticed.  I think it shown the spotlight on me that I needed, even if just for a brief moment.

I ended up being 1 of 4 girls accepted into the program.  To this day, I believe my odds were much improved due to Mark Fincannon’s encouraging words, sudden interest in casting me, and the faculty seeing my work, as a result of his workshop.  However, the significance of that day’s events is something I am only now truly realizing and I credit Mr. Fincannon for graciously giving me the opportunity that lead me to where I am today.

Someone once told me, “everything happens for a reason.”  Whether you realized it or not at the time, just remember that you might later discover what the reason was, why it happened, good or bad, and it’s relevance and importance in your life - no matter how much time passes, even if it is a decade.

“Events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order the continuous thread of revelation.” - Eudora Welty