Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Detachment

New Yorkers are famous for being cold.  They bump you out of the way with their shoulders on the sidewalk even if there's room.  They say things like, "Fuck you if you can't take it."  They thrive on hardship and adversity because they can then claim how hardcore they are for surviving it.  Not everyone is this way.  They can also be incredibly generous and kindhearted, but make no mistake: those are some of the coldest, hardest streets on Earth and you need thick, thick skin to walk them.

So coming from this harsh, unforgiving environment to sunny California and the laidback atmosphere has been a lot to handle.  I usually don't warm up to people until I've known or worked with them for months, remaining guarded until the New York facade thaws.  (A lot of my friends are actors I've been in shows with and they will probably tell you I wasn't that much fun to hang out with until we were in production.)

So imagine my dismay when discovering that film sets are basically like the first day of rehearsal of a play.  No one knows anyone and the first tentative overtures to friendship are loaded with baggage.  People talk up how important they are and who they've worked with.  They try out jokes and see how far they can go.  They flirt and try too hard.  I really have not experienced this level of open salesmanship before and it appears to be an L.A. thing.  In New York, yes actors were a commodity, but here they are also the pitchman.  Performing is only a third of what The Actor in L.A. is; the other two parts are advertising and advertising.

For a long time I worked in a New York theatre circle that respected good work and would promote from within based on merit.  The salesmanship and self-promotion could've been better on my part, but I felt like I could make a name for myself based on the acclaim of the work itself--which is all artists really care about anyway.  Making work.

Well, that got me only so far.  In the position I'm in right now, getting hired means having a website, a reel, headshots, postcards, a top class with a top casting director that has stars dropping by, and an oversized personality.  (Part of capturing "the truth" on film also means that the talent is skewed towards improv performers and non-actor wildmen like Puck from the Real World who are unpredictable.)  I may have always been the CEO of a business called "Paco the Actor," but while in NYC I must have given power of attorney to the art department and they ran the place into the ground.

I'm proud of the work I've done and the career I've carved out for myself, but opportunity is something to  always be searching for actively and that's never been clearer to me than here in Los Angeles.  You have to bring your A-game every time out and get yourself out there in every way you can.  Online, in the face, in the ear, on a postcard.  Never rest.

14 comments:

網站設計 said...

hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!

抓姦 said...

hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!

偵探社 said...

hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!

尋人 said...

hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!

討債 said...

hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!

討債 said...

Thank you, that was extremely valuable.

法律諮詢 said...

hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!

網頁設計 said...

hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!

抓姦 said...

Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.

偵探社 said...

Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.

尋人 said...

Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.

討債 said...

Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.

討債 said...

Keep the faith, my Internet friend.

法律諮詢 said...

Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.