So, here we are. 3 rehearsals into the process of making a short film, and now its all seeming to come together for me. I have to start at the beginning though for this to be a good 1st blog entry.
  I havent been acting for a long time. Maybe on and off for the last 3yrs. I was actually interested in writing and directing, but I figured the best way to start off seeing the ins and outs of film making was to try to be an extra or something. So I went online and got hook up with an agent... (Name Drop in 5...4...3..2..1). "Jo Anderson Talent Agency". I must say, that the people at Jo Anderson did a great job. I got a bunch of work while I was still taking their acting classes. And the acting classes were a HUGE help. So I do advise if anybody is in the MD,NJ, Philly area to please look them up. They have my stamp of approval. lol
  Anyway, one of the things the agents told me is that it takes money to try to get into acting. If your an extra, you have to travel to gigs and auditions. That can get expensive. This was one of the reasons I stopped really pursuing acting as hard as I did early on when I was actually enjoying it, and made money. You have to have some disposable income, which I started to not have much of. So I stopped responding back to my agent, and ceased coming on Talent Pages. So the last bit of acting I did was like a year and a half ago. Life was catching up to me and I had to deal with it. IT IS what IT IS.
  Fastforward to about a month ago. I was just having the best day with my nieces. I barely get to see them, but they love their uncle to death. Im already like a Movie Star to them :-). We went to the mall. And they bought some shoes. We came back to the house and we were busy taking pictures, posing, and taking more pictures. I was just busy having a great time with them, when I realized that I had missed a call. The number was one that I didnt recognized, but the unknown caller left a voicemail. I tried to listen to the message with 1 niece on my lap and the other right next to me. The were trying to see what pictures I like the best and which ones I wanted to delete. So I couldnt really hear the message, but it sounded like a guy was talking about "Auditioning"?
  I didnt know what to think about what I thought I had heard on the voicemail. So I somehow manuevered myself away from my beautiful, energetic nieces and went to the bathroom to give a good listen to the messgae. It basically said that he was a director of a short film called "The Handyman", and he wanted me to come in and audition. So I called back and talked to this director and scheduled the audition. I had mixed emotions at the time though. I was obviously excited, but I was also skeptical. The director couldnt really remember the place where he got my info or saw my face (In a later convo, he remembered it was off TalentPages). And also, the auditon was in Takoma Park, MD. Im a New Yorker (I had to put that in there :-)) that lives in Elkton, MD. So that audition is almost 2hrs away. And this could be some kind of scam, or maybe somebody might try to murder me (I mean you never know)...lol.. But anyway, I told myself that it was time to start getting back on that acting horse again. I wanted to go on this audition just to get back into the flow of being a little nervous. I wanted to be handed a bit of a script that I know nothing about and in 10mins or so of practicing, try to make the words on that paper come to life. I wasnt going there to get that job. I was going there to get my juices flowing again so I could get the next audition that I would be offered...if it ever did happen again.
  A 2hr drive to Takoma Park, MD had me ready to go in there and Do MY Thing. I was excited. I met the director. We sat down and talked. He is young looking, might be in his late 30s though. Has a strong carribean accent. He gives me his background, and tells me what he sees for this short film "The Handyman", which I am auditioning for the lead male role. The director is really just trying to stall me, while we wait for a female who is supposed to read with me (apparently she has already earned her spot as the female lead). I have a nervous excitement in my stomach because this is only my 2cd or 3rd time auditioning for a speaking role. And this will be my 1st time reading lines in an audition with another actor. And also I havent did any acting in close to 2yrs (Except for the night before, where I went online and read a bunch of monologues, in a feverish attempt to try and get my "acting swagger" back. lol). So really, I was about to explode with anticipation... When SHE walks in...
Posted at: 07/17/2013 18:08
Tags:
The Handyman Short Film Takoma Park MD Karriem Rivers JoAndersonTalentAgency