The Waiting Game

So much has happened in the past few weeks, including my final day at the job I have held since I was 11, which has lost me my primary method of differentiating through the days. The more I dedicate my life to acting, the more I realize it is impossible to plan ahead. Auditions come up at the last minute, people get called to set the night before, shoot dates change because of the weather…it is all very exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.

On the 1st, which I now realize is forever ago and I should have posted earlier, we shot a few scenes for Tricaillin. One of them we had already shot, but the sound wasn’t great, so we redid it with some acrobatic dedication from our boom operator. The mosquitoes were all over us and I didn’t have my right shirt, which really stressed me out, but once we started filming, it all went away and it was fun again.

I was surprised when Johnny showed up to film as well. I knew he was going to be in the movie too, but I had yet to have any scenes with him. I still haven’t, but we did shoot some scenes at the same location, so I got to see him in action 🙂 And I know this was a long time ago, but if any of you remember the weather in Montreal, it was like 30 degrees out, and for continuity reasons, I was wearing a really thick leather jacket. This is the part they don’t show you in movies; sometimes you are walking around in a mini skirt when you wish you were wearing a parka, and other times you are wearing a winter jacket when you should be poolside in a bikini.

On Sunday I found out that I was no longer needed for some of the days I was supposed to be an extra, which really sucked, but I was trying very hard to see the positive, and I put myself on standby, which is probably one of the most nerve-wracking things ever. You don’t want to stop everything you’re doing for a maybe, but at the same time you want to be ready if they do call. In the end, being on standby paid off, because at about 10:30 on Tuesday night, I found out I would be on set at 5 am the following morning. The things you do for the job you love 🙂

Johnny and I carpooled together, meeting Morgan and a lot of other people we know throughout the day. I can’t say much about it, but I had an amazing two days on set, learning how to film crowd scenes, and just kind of being in the presence of greatness 🙂

A few more shoot days were cancelled, and Tricaillin was doing scenes that I am not in, so I was all set to have a relaxing weekend of nothing, until I filled it all up! Friday was my final day at my day job, meaning I will probably have to start waitressing soon 😉 Saturday afternoon I had an audition, which I think went okay, although I have a tendency to get kind of paranoid and overanalyze things. I did the first scene twice, then the second only once, which can mean they got what they were looking for in one take, or that they knew they weren’t going to find it. They did ask for my headshot and resume at the end though, so I just have to sit back and wait. 

An acting book I read says to always have plans after an audition so you don’t stress about it, so I went to see Now You See Me with Carolyne and Johnny. Definitely recommend it, the trailer doesn’t do it justice!

Now it is back to the waiting game, although I am trying to keep busy not to think about it too much. I am taking advantage of no longer having a job to do a thorough cleaning of my room, emptying the drawers and everything. I am also making lists of all the things I want to get accomplished this summer, but the fact remains that I am still waiting to be called to set, waiting to see if I get a callback for the audition…But at the same time, I refuse to idly sit by and wait for my dreams to come true. The OCD part of me does not enjoy the uncertainty of it all, but I am trying to concentrate on what I can control, by submitting myself, prepping for an audition in 2 weeks, making plans…I am putting my eggs in as many baskets as I can find so that there is always an opportunity out there just waiting to come to fruition. 

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

-Vivian Greene