Home Sweet Home

This is the lovely weather I came home to. Nothing like the sun and warm weather of L.A., but it’s good to be home (although if home were in California, my life would be a lot easier 😉 ) It has taken me quite a while to update, partially because I have been busy, but also because there was a lot of uncertainty going on, and I didn’t want to write until I knew what was happening.

I was getting ready to come home, making a list of the things I hadn’t gotten to do yet, when I got an email from April Webster, an amazing Casting Director I had written to earlier, asking if I could come in and help out. The uncertainty was because she had originally wanted me to help out a few weeks, while I was leaving the following Friday. I considered staying in L.A. longer for the incredible opportunity, but she didn’t want me to change all my plans just to volunteer for her (she kept thanking me for being there and helping, while I felt I was the lucky one). I’m not sure how much I am allowed to tell about my time in the playhouse, as she called it, so I won’t mention the project they were casting, or all the actors and actresses who came in to audition and made me have to pretend not to be completely star struck. In the end, I only got to spend 2 days there, but it was really an eye-opener, to see what goes on behind the casting scenes. I know how stressed I am before an audition, but you don’t realize how stressful it is for the casting directors as well. There are producer sessions and pre-reads, the phone is ringing off the hook, there is constant re-scheduling, conference calls with directors and producers, negotiations and offers…I tried to help out when I could, but I spent most of my time being in awe of the process, and the people I watch on TV every week who were coming over to talk to me. It is definitely something I recommend for anyone who wants to be an actor, and I might see if any casting directors here in Montreal need a hand. I know it’s not like you’re auditioning when you’re helping out, but I’m pretty sure that if a role comes in that you’re perfect for, it won’t hurt to be friends with the casting director, even if it’s just to be able to do the scene with a familiar face!

Before leaving Los Angeles, I also got an audition for when I got back to Montreal, signed up for Tough Mudder, finished my Fundamental Intensive with Zak at Margie Haber, and did my final scenes at Anthony Meindl’s. I wasn’t really in LA very long, and I probably never even talked to some of the people in some of my classes, but there are others who though I only spoke to once a week for a few minutes, I will be following their careers, wishing them well, and hoping that someday we will get to work together!

I went to the audition on Sunday, and am not entirely sure how it went. I really liked the script, and my character, but there were 6 scenes we were supposed to be familiar with, and I only did 2 of them. I’m not sure if everyone else also did 2, or if she didn’t want to waste her time on me(self-doubt is always creeping up…) I guess I will find out soon enough, but there isn’t anything I can do about it now, so I will keep submitting myself, and working hard, every day, so that eventually I can be a working actress. Even if I’m not as far along in my career as I would like to be, I am a lot farther than I was last year, or even a few months ago, so as long as I keep on moving forward, and getting up whenever I fall down, I will keep getting closer to making my dreams come true.