If you will all indulge me in a non-advice-related blogpost… last night, my partner-in-crime, Cara and I were awarded an Artios from the CSA for our work in Los Angeles theatre. It was a moment I had dreamed about since the beginning of my career. And frankly, when I stepped up to the podium to […]
Happy New Year! Here’s hoping you’ve rung in 2018 in a happy, healthy fashion. Now that we’re decently into the new year, let me state for the record (and for the sanity of every Casting Director who is about to start on a pilot,) THERE IS STILL A “PILOT SEASON.” “But Erica, pilots are cast […]
I asked my actor friends what they felt was the biggest hurdle when self-taping, and the number one response was this… Finding a reader. And while finding a reader for your self-tape can be frustrating, it can also be a major benefit of self-taping. You can choose someone who will give you something, whether it […]
Dear Friends: Hartley and I are excited (read: nervous, eager, bittersweet, enthused, and ALL of the other emotions,) to announce that our little family is moving east! By mid-December, we will be living in Asheville, North Carolina, near Hartley’s family. While we will be quite blue to be physically far from our LA friends, (who […]
Actors, here are a few rules of thumb when producing scenes SPECIFICALLY for your demo reel: Make it look like it’s from a real project. Don’t shoot a scene with the camera ONLY on you. Sure, it’s YOUR reel, but if you don’t show your scene partner/the setting you’re in, it feels more like a […]
Today is a dark day. As I type this, the death toll in Las Vegas’ mass shooting is 59 souls, and climbing. Citizens in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico are struggling to recover from massive hurricane damage. Mexico is reeling from a major earthquake. Catalonians were beaten for trying to enter a polling location… These […]
Your reel is so, SO important. Often times, it’s the very first taste we have of your abilities as an actor. Sometimes, it serves as a reminder of who you are, and occasionally, it proves that you’re capable of handling a specific role. Your reel is meant to sell you; to agents, to casting directors, […]
Casting Directors don’t love receiving unsolicited self-tapes. My first instinct when I receive an unsolicited self-tape is to sigh and shake my head in frustration. I value an actor’s time and effort, ESPECIALLY the effort involved in self-taping. And to receive a tape from someone who is often not right, (which is why I didn’t […]
Auditions: When Excuses Take Over Your Read… “I just got the material.” “My reps didn’t send me the full script.” “I have three auditions today, so I’m not off-book.” “Normally I coach, but this appointment was too last minute, so…” “I was camping and didn’t have internet, so I just looked at this for the […]
Not every audition goes perfectly. Actors have good days and bad days, (you are human, after all.) How often do you find yourself thinking, “That was crap. I KNOW I could’ve done better. I can’t believe I…” Far too regularly, we see actors dwelling on what they consider a “bad read.” While it’s ok to […]
