Monday, March 19, 2012

Star for a Day

Okay, so maybe I wasn't the star, but I was a co-star for a day on the set of a pilot last week.  For the non-Hollywood peeps out there: being a co-star means that you have at least one line and usually no more than one scene on a TV show.  It doesn't have an exact definition, but if a guest star on CSI is the primary person accused of the crime with a full character arc and multiple scenes then the co-star is the actor who brings them the coffee in the interrogation room and says "Would you like cream and sugar?"

Co-stars often don't even have names and are usually defined by their occupation.  In the script it will simply say nurse or secretary or waiter.  I had the role of Flight Attendant with one line and one speech.  But, as with any job in Hollywood it is extremely competitive and difficult to get even a small role like this one.  Most actors will even tell you these roles are the hardest to audition for and here I wrote some hints on how to tackle these auditions.  One thing that I think helped me book this role was to make a very specific choice on how I felt about the character I was speaking to and decided to make the very boring, exposition type dialogue as a way to flirt with him.

I know an actress that spent a year getting to know the casting directors for her favorite show.  After that year of going to workshops and sending postcards she finally booked that much coveted co-star role.  The day after she shot it, she quit the business.  Decided it wasn't worth all the work she put into it.

Not every role is going to take as much work as your first one.  But, remember as an actor your day job is to network and audition because that is what you'll be doing much more often than actually getting to act.  If you can't enjoy that then you'll never be happy in this business.

So, now that I filmed a co-star role, was all the work worth it for me?  Yes, a million times over, yes.  I love being on set, I love the actors, and I love the crew.  I am never happier than when I get to act.  Even though I only had two lines, I worked on them the same way I would any script.  The best part was after we filmed the director gave me a hug and thanked me for bringing so much to such a small role.

In front of the door to my trailer.
Plus, it was nice to feel like star for a day with my own trailer.  (Okay, so it was only a 6th of a trailer, but I had a couch and a toilet that I didn't have to share.)  I even had my own stand-in, which made me laugh because I am perfectly happy standing on set while they adjust lights and such.  But, I think make-up was happy I wasn't under the lights sweating off my foundation.

Now, if I could just book some more!

1 comment:

  1. No question that you will book lots more, MIchelle. You are a terrific actress and you continue to study every aspect of this business - you can't lose! Go get 'em!

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