Do you treat your career like an Athlete?

Actors and athletes may seem on the surface to have made opposite life choices to get to those careers, but deep down they are actually quite similar.

For one, if you want to be great at either of these careers you have to practice ... a lot.  Plus, there is a certain level of luck that goes alongside all that practice if you want to be a star athlete or a star actor.  The best college ball player ever can be sidelined by a bad injury and never go pro.  Some of the most talented actors are never at the right place at the right time to get that star-making role.

I recently heard a story on NPR about a baseball player who got drafted into the Minors.  He was getting paid to do what he loved and many actors will say that in itself would be a dream come true for them.  The ballplayer said that from the moment he got drafted he thought the call to go up to The Show (that's what they call the Majors if you believe "Bull Durham") would come at any moment.  Every once in a while, one of his teammates would get the call and he knew if they took that guy surely they were going to call him next.

Then years started to pass and he never got the call.  There are so many actors in Hollywood that have similar stories.  They watch their friends start booking and become successful.  They think why not me and know their big break is right around the corner.

Here is where the story splits.  The ballplayer eventually got too old and had to retire.  With most sports, the retirement age can be 30.  Actors get to keep going and many are just starting at 30.  It's one of the wonderful things about this profession: there is no age limit on success.  Examples of actors who found success later in life include Chris Cooper, Michael Emerson, Melissa Leo, and even Tom Hanks waited tables for most of his twenties.

What's so wonderful about that, is it gives you so much time to become a great actor.  They say you have to spend 10,000 hours working at something to become an expert.  That is approximately 3 hours a day, every day for ten years.  Actors can keep working at it for a lifetime, so just think how amazing you'll get to be.  It just takes work.

How many hours a day are you working on your craft?

TV is Back (or why I love Fall.)

Fall is officially here.  The DVR is cleaned out and prepared for the onslaught of new television shows.  I can't tell you how happy this makes me.  The magical light box in the living room that tells me stories is pretty much my favorite thing ever.

My love for television may be genetic.  I've had entire conversations with my mother and sister about Ross and Rachel, Rory and Lorelei, Jack and Kate, and Quinn and Finn.  Deeply etched into my memory are final episodes of shows in the same way as a lost loved one.  Oh yeah, at 10 years old I sobbed inconsolably when "Family Ties" went off the air.  And who didn't shed a tear when Sam ended "Cheers" for the final time with the line Sorry, we're closed?  Well, I did.  In fact, I am pretty sure that my love of television is a big part of why I chose to become an actor.

This may be why one of my biggest pet peeves is when actors say with that super pretentious attitude I don't watch TV.  It makes me want to scream why on earth are you in this business then?  I don't actually scream that because I am a polite person, but truthfully there are lots of good reasons for actors to watch TV shows.

If you are an actor in LA and want to work then chances are you are going to go out for television series co-star and guest star roles.  The best way to prepare yourself for these auditions is to watch the shows.  That way you'll know the tone and look of the show.  Plus, you should be familiar with the main characters.  Don't be the guy that goes into an audition for "Community" asking, who is Jeff Winger?

If it's an audition for a show that hasn't aired yet, you can figure out a lot about what a show will be  based on what channel it's on and knowing other shows written or produced by the same people.  For instance, the new Aaron Sorkin show will probably involve walking and talking - at a very fast pace.  By watching TV you'll also know what shows are likely to cast your type so you can target those Casting Directors.  Basically watching television is necessary research for any actor that wants to work.

Plus, we should all be supporting scripted television by watching it because we want to keep those jobs coming for all of us actors.  I've been through a few non-existent pilot seasons because of the strike and all the reality shows that came out of it.  Let's not go back to that.

If you are still confused about how awesome television is, just watch Jane Lynch's intro to the 2011 Emmys.

How to Tackle those One-Liners.

Ask any actor and they will tell you the most difficult auditions they go on are for one line roles.  You see these on every TV show: the paramedics, nurses, waiters, receptionists with lines like, "Your table is right this way" or "The stab wound is in curtain two."

I went in for the role of "Assistant" on a TV show a few years back and the line was "Your dinner reservation is at 8."  At the audition, I walked into the room and said my line.  The casting director looked up at me and gave this direction: "Great.  Now say it like you're the assistant to a scientist."

What the hell does that mean?!  I mean, how would the assistant to a scientist say anything?

So, I turned around, took a breath, and just said the line again.  Did I say it like the assistant to a scientist?  I have no idea.

The problem with one-liners is that you don't have much to work with and how are you supposed to make yourself stand out with just one line?  A few weeks ago I went to a workshop with a casting associate who spent years casting a procedural drama that required a lot of your typical one-liner roles.  She had some great tips on tackling these roles.  Here are a few of them:

1. Don't over think it.  Generally, these roles are jobs and you do this job everyday.  It doesn't need to be dramatic.  Keep it simple.
2. Don't drag the line out with lots of unnecessary pauses.  I know it's a short line and you want to be seen for as long as possible, but it's more important to be truthful.
3. Give yourself a moment before you start the line.  You can turn or step into it.  This is a good moment for you to relax, but also practical because it gives the casting director time to find your name on her list so she can actually watch your audition.
4. Remember every part and line is important.  If it wasn't it wouldn't be in the script.  Put as much work into as you would any other audition.  And it's just one line, so please have it memorized.

Now that you've booked that one line role, what should you do?  Exactly what this guy did in his video, One Line on the Sopranos.  (I know I've posted this video before, but it's an awesome video and I'll take any excuse to watch it again.)

Can the actors out there please stand up?

When someone asks you, what do you do?  Do you spout off a list of survival jobs before eventually mumbling under your breath that you are an actor, if you even say actor at all? 

I know you worry how they'll look at you, especially in LA where being an "actor" can have some bad connotations.  I know what it is to dread the next question that'll be coming out of their mouths: Have you been in anything I would've seen?

But, if you can't stand up and proudly say you are an actor then how do you expect anyone else to think of you as an actor.  A couple years back I took a seminar about creating a business plan for actors.  At this seminar we each had to write down our ultimate dream goal in this profession, then we had to put down the paper and say it to the person sitting next to us.  You can't imagine how the words "I want to win an Oscar" get stuck in your throat when you are forced to say it to a complete stranger.  The point was if you can't say this dream of yours out loud to someone then how will you ever be able to reach it.

According to SAG, you are a professional actor when you have headshots, a resume, and are actively seeking acting work.  It has nothing to do with you being paid as an actor or if you have a SAG card, but simply if you are pursuing work as an actor.  So, for all you out there that are going to classes, submitting on Actor's Access and LACasting, or making your own movies: YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL ACTOR! 

Don't shy away from it.  Stand up and be proud for pursuing this crazy career.

And as far as that horrible question "Have you been in anything I would've seen?"  I answer by grabbing my iPhone and pulling up my website, MichelleCoyle.net.  There I have links to all the shorts I've made and my demo reel.  Now they've seen something I've been in.