Probably most actors find that costumes and the props they interact with help bring their characters to life – along with dialogue, of course. Stephen Dorff talked in a recent interview about working in Sofia Coppola’s movie “Somewhere” with much less of all of those. Moviefone Blog: There’s hardly any dialogue in this script. Isn’t [...]
By guest author Carmen Lynne After spending the greater part of my life as an actress and performer, I became a therapist in early 2007. While I still do a little bit of acting when I have a chance, I now mainly spend my time helping other people to fulfill their creative ambitions or to [...]
It can be a major decision to be a mother and still pursue a demanding life as an artist. On her Twitter profile, Amanda Bynes says: i want to be a mom but not til i’m 30 and even if i get married b4 then i still want to wait to have kids til long [...]
What choices and compromises do you make to gain attention and opportunities as an actor? Romola Garai has expressed a number of thoughtful perspectives on these topics. Here are some quotes from her imdb.com profile. On Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights : “I wouldn’t have done something that I thought had no merit in it at [...]
From This I Believe essay and podcast : As a young girl growing up in Arkansas, Julie Adams longed to be an actress. Even though the odds were against her, she believed in the inner voice that encouraged her toward her dream — and it ultimately helped her find success in movies and television. “I’ve [...]
In her post Defining Success on the Showfax blog The Actors Voice, author and casting director Bonnie Gillespie writes about new actors lusting after fame. Here are some excerpts : Those who do become household names? They’re talented. Yes. That’s a given. Being even moderately successful in this industry requires a baseline of talent. Done. [...]
Amanda Seyfried says she was obsessive as a little girl. “I would have to be really organized—too organized. Things like straightening my room didn’t feel right to me; I’d have to redo it and redo it.” She thinks, “that kind of anxiety in me, that obsession, was helpful. I use it in my acting. It’s [...]
A role that resonated Summer Bishil stars in “Towelhead,” about a Lebanese American girl’s coming of age in Texas during the first Iraq war. In an article about the film, Rachel Abramowitz notes Bishil was 18 when she played 13-year-old Jasira in the film directed by Alan Ball (“Six Feet Under,” “American Beauty”), based on [...]
Gabriel Byrne on auditions “It’s important to present oneself as relaxed and confident..” Gabriel Byrne commented that the audition process “is really a most inadequate way to determine if an actor is right or not for a particular role. Unfortunately, it’s a situation that most actors have to accept. “Work on developing an unshakable trust [...]
The photo is from Sarah Polley’s film Away From Her (2006), in which Julie Christie has been gaining much acclaim for her portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. In an interview [some years ago], she talked about her work as an actor, and using dark or difficult human emotions and experiences. “I think there’s [...]
I had to sort of figure it out for myself Ellen Pompeo was four when her mother died, at age 33. A new article says “her five older siblings were dissolved in grief; her father.. was wracked by a sorrow he was unable to articulate.” It was “a very, very vivid, painful memory,” Pompeo says. [...]
Joey Lauren Adams makes her feature film writing and directing debut with Come Early Morning, starring Ashley Judd. In a recent interview, she talks about how satisfying this new area of creative expression has been for her. Question: Is writing a script like this or any script for that matter in some ways a reaction [...]
Out of the comfort zone Many people, maybe most, want to avoid anxiety, fear and other “stressful” feelings. Except for the occasional roller coaster ride. But talented actors (and other artists) often use those kinds of feelings to guide and energize their work. Julia Stiles [left] says she chooses projects based on “ways I need [...]
Harry Dean Stanton – compelling authenticity “I play myself all the time… on camera and off. What else can I do?” Harry Dean Stanton [photo and quote from the HBO.com section for “Big Love”] Nicolas Cage thinks “Harry Dean exudes a spiritual awareness that’s steeped in deep sadness, and it’s so compelling to watch on [...]
Grace Zabriskie on obsessional mode Grace Zabriskie commented recently about the article In Praise of Positive Obsessions, by Eric Maisel, PhD, and on the value of reading. “I have for many years now extricated myself, without too much guilt, from social events with close friends by knowing I will be understood when I say that [...]
Amanda Bynes Amanda Bynes, talking about going to college, commented, “I have such a busy mind and it’s really hard for me to do one thing at a time. I can’t only be acting. I have to either be reading something or drawing. It’s hard for me to sit still.” Finding it “hard to sit [...]
“Brokeback Mountain” director Ang Lee was keen on teaching Heath Ledger how “to capture stillness” – one of [Ledger’s character Ennis] Del Mar’s signature traits – which was hard for Ledger, who can get twitchy. “Sometimes I find it hard sitting still, usually when I’m in the spotlight or even in rehearsal. My nervous energy [...]
A state of gratitude “I love to act because it’s the only aspect of my life beside God and family that I am truly passionate about on a daily basis.” Michael Ealy [currently in the Showtime series “Sleeper Cell”] continues, “I thank God for not only the gift of creative expression but also surrounding me [...]
Imagination is our essence Getting caught up in the more “serious” aspects of a career, you may lose contact with that child part of being an actor. As psychologist Robert Maurer noted in an interview that children are “playacting from the time they have words and the ability to move. They begin fantasizing, playing, imagining, [...]
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