Category Archives: Acting

by | July 18, 2010 · 5:55 am

On Set: Day Two!

     Here’s what today consisted of: Monster, work, granola bar, work, Subway, work, home, leftovers.

     Now that we’re over the boring part, let’s just pretend today didn’t happen. I’m gonna tell you about yesterday, my second and final day on set!

     Started the day off with, of course, a Monster.

My roommate made this GM: 3 cups of spinach, 1/2 a banana, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, a crapload of frozen cherries and lemon juice. Thanks, roomie!
     We were filming in Pacific Palisades yesterday, and had to park on the ocean. It was rough sitting there waiting for the shuttle to come get me as the waves crashed on the shore and the salty breeze whispered through my hair. Poetic, no?
     When I got to location, I had to take pictures. This house was beautiful, and the view was even better.
The back of the house with Mr. Director.
View of the trail that leads to the ocean.
      I got hungry, as I do every few minutes, and the craft service table was hollering at me. I grabbed a hot cup of coffee (It was a nice chilly 65F when I got to set), and a big piece of buttery, sweet blueberry pound cake. 
No idea why the time-code showed up. I’m not totally saavy with the camera yet…
     My co-star Matt finally arrived in the shuttle and Mr. Director walked us through our first scene, then we were sent off to wardrobe and makeup.
Getting my makeup done makes me hungry.
When kissing scenes are involved, I make the guys WISP!
     We shot a few scenes that took about 4 hours including all the wardrobe changes – SO MANY WARDROBE CHANGES, then went to my favorite part of the day: LUNCH!
I love catering! I had a burger made with sundried tomatoes and bleu cheese, a big salad with a drizzle of french dressing, and two 4-cheese raviolis. HAPPY!
     After lunch came more makeup. My poor face. The lovely makeup artist had some fun with wardrobe.
Beautiful, dahling!
     The sun had finally set so we were able to move on to the most important scene.
Whaaaaa? What is this???
     Some scenes were filmed, drama occurred, and I got to get some cool shots of the set that the art department did an AMAZING job designing!
This is how I want my dinner parties to be! LOVE candles! And fake wine :).
     I took some pictures from the balcony to get some of the action. I had to use manual mode so the flash wouldn’t go off and destroy the scene, that’s why it’s blurry.
Cameraman and Mr. D with the monitor.
     We wrapped the day around 10:45pm. That would be a 12 hour shoot, folks. I was in heaven! I wish it hadn’t been my final day. I could do this forever! Love love love love love it! Love the exhaustion, love the pain, love the friendships that are created so quickly, LOVE IT! All my teetering on the fence is over. Acting is definitely my main passion, but I feel like I’m finally able to balance it with everything else in my life. I’m a happy girl!
     I had a beautiful, but long, late night drive up the PCH and got to see the moonset. Anyone ever seen a moonset? Me neither until yesterday, but it was awesome! The red crescent kept getting lower and lower until it disappeared into the ocean. The air was scented with salt and campfire, and the upbeat CD that my DJ friend gave me kept me alert and awake. When I got home, I showered off all the makeup and hairspray that had accumulated throughout the day, and CRASHED.
     This show will be airing mid-August. Once I get the official date and time, and I’m finally allowed to tell you what the project is, you’ll be the first to know. I’m going to go sit out back and enjoy my freedom and the sweet summer air for now. 
Wonderful day to be alive :).

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Filed under Acting, bride, catering, director, granola, green monster, love, wine

by | July 16, 2010 · 9:30 am

On Set: Day One!

     I take it back about yesterday being unbearably hot. I mean, it was hot, but today took the cake! Where we filmed in LA, temperatures got up to 105F! Speaking of cake, here’s a picture of my monster – it’s been a long day, don’t ask about my cake reference.

A sunrise monster! This has 3 cups of spinach, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/8 a cup of frozen berries, 1/2 a banana and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Perfect to sip at 6:30am when the temperature is already 81F outside. Summer is officially here!
     My roommate went out for breakfast with some friends from church, and he brought me back his leftovers!
Now THIS is a breakfast burrito! Eggs, refried beans, pico de gallo, cheese, sausage and marinated potatoes in a delicate flour tortilla. It’s from a local restaurant, so each one is lovingly made, not mass-produced.
     Traffic was looking sketchy, so I headed out around 8:30am to get to set. I wasn’t supposed to be there until 10am, so I figured I’d get there with about half an hour to spare, which keeps me calm and gives me time to make sure I have everything I need. Today, I was LATE! I hate being late! I got lost and had to backtrack to find my way to location and got there ten minutes late. I know it’s only ten minutes, but I pride myself in always being to places on time or early. 
     Location was in a beautiful house in the middle of Hollywood Hills. There was a side-view of the Hollywood sign that I tried to get, but all pictures failed. When I got inside, they still had six scenes to get through before I even started! Turns out those ten minutes REALLY didn’t matter! I didn’t mind at all. There was air conditioning, and I’d brought my book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and was able to read a few chapters before they brought me in for makeup and wardrobe.
The makeup table that has EVERYTHING you could ever need!
So many clothes!
     I only had half a cup of coffee before I had to get on the road, and all the coffee on set was lukewarm, so I improvised.
Ice, lukewarm coffee, raw sugar and Silk creamer! Magic! Other crew members followed my lead and soon iced coffee was flowing like water.
     I also had a wide variety of snacks to choose from at the craft service table.
Cookies, chips, sweet bread, Chex mix…
Nothing exciting, but it was the healthiest choice there.
     We broke for lunch around noon, and I loaded up my plate with the delicious catering.
Salad, grilled chicken, creamy polenta with spinach, ricotta and parmesan, a slice of pineapple and a slice of watermelon. There’s nothing like ice cold watermelon on a hot day! All of us actors sat around and enjoyed the view, and realized how small Hollywood is: Heather and I both competed in a Massify competition, we both lived in Boulder, CO and know a bunch of the same people. This city is SMALL!
     Matt, my costar in the show, and I had two hours after lunch until we finally were called to set. Hair was straightened, makeup was touched up, and we tried our hardest not to drip sweat. I’m gonna keep saying it – It was so hot! We had 16 scenes to get through in five hours. Dough was smeared, magazines were chopped, clouds were gazed at and parties were thrown! That’s all I can say :).
     After about a million wardrobe changes, we were finally released. I fought traffic all the way home, and was greeted with a home-cooked dinner (reheated).
This is some pesto chicken from Trader Joe’s (I find that their pre-marinated chicken tends to be ridiculously salty), and a bunch of bell peppers, eggplant, onions and zucchini grilled on our new mesh grill pan. Grilling really brings out a lovely smoky flavor! My roommate said he could go vegan if all veggies tasted like that, and that’s saying a lot! He loves his steaks and tri-tip.
     I’m going to go crash now since I’ve been up since 6am. Call-time tomorrow is 10:30am, so I get to have a full cup of coffee before I head out to set. Stay tuned for day two on set!
Tardiness (on my part) is my pet peeve – what’s yours?

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Filed under Acting, breakfast burrito, filming, green monster, Hollywood, makeup, polenta, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, wardrobe

by | July 7, 2010 · 9:26 am

A Vegan Day!

     Today was a whirlwind! I went vegan for the entire day – mostly by accident, but I changed my tune at the end of the day. It was exhausting! Have you ever tried being vegan for an extended period of time? My brother has been a vegan for 10 years – I think I rebelled again veganism because of that, but I’m open to try again…. maybe…. eventually….

     I woke up to some beautiful “June” Gloom in July, and finally got to start the day with a big mug (or two) of coffee!

It’s been very difficult for me to be at the LBM house where they have no coffee maker! I don’t know how they survive!
     I used up the last of the spinach this morning, and discovered that we were out of berries, so after digging through the freezer, my roommate came up with a bag of frozen mango. Don’t ask me how long it’s been there… I don’t even want to think about it.
2 cups of spinach, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/4 a cup of frozen mango, 1/2 a frozen banana and the juice of 1 lemon.
     I jumped in my car and got on the highway to head into LA for class. I was running a little late and didn’t have time to stop and get food stuffs, so I grabbed a banana and a kiwi from the fruit bowl before I left the house. Since I ate the banana on the freeway on the drive out, I figured taking a picture would probably be frowned upon by police/other drivers/many people who read the blog.
     Class today was “small, medium and large” day. We got our scenes, ran lines outside for an hour, then came back and got our running order. Basically, the scenes are shown in order from the “smallest”, meaning the most conversational, to the “largest”, which means the most dramatic/comedic ones, that usually include lots of sight gags and screaming. Mine was a medium scene which was mostly just a conversation except for the one line I got to get pissed off and storm out the door. Wheeee!
     My audition afterwards went amazingly! I got to the casting studio early because I’ve been called in to this place many times before, and if you don’t show up early, you end up with a line of 5 people in front of you, which can take up to 45 minutes to get through. After a short wait, they brought me in and I had 2 scenes with the new (and very cute) casting assistant/reader. It always helps to have someone cute to read with when you need to have chemistry in a scene ;-). I got to have a southern accent, flirt, and argue. The CD gave me an adjustment, we ran the first scene again, then did profiles on camera. I spent a few minutes afterwards chatting and reconnecting with the CD, then headed out. Happy, happy times! I don’t think it could’ve gone any better, and for now, that’s good enough for me :).
     When I finally got to the talent manager’s office (about an hour later than I was supposed to because of my audish), I sat down and was treated to an apple/strawberry juice by the sweet older lady who shares another area of the office building.
Lots of delicious fiber and hard work going on here!
I sliced up my kiwi and inhaled it. I used to eat kiwis by cutting them in half and scooping out the insides with a spoon, but I discovered a few weeks ago that the skins are edible, and now I’m hooked!
     Work was really busy! Episodics are finally casting again! The past few weeks have been pretty slow with a few pilots and a few features, but now that the regular shows are back from hiatus, I’m working non-stop with no breaks until I leave at 7pm. It’s hard work, but I really do like it!
     I swung by Trader Joe’s on the way home and picked up a bag of spinach and frozen berries for my monster tomorrow, as well as a bag of lettuce to make a vegan KSS for dinner, and a new beer.
This had 3/4 a bag of chopped baby lettuce, 1/2 a cup of warmed lentils, 1/4 a cup of chopped bell pepper, 2 small zucchinis that were sauteed in olive oil and herbes de provence until soft and caramelized, and a teaspoon of homemade dressing.
     The shocker comes here – I didn’t drink the beer! I just wasn’t feeling it today – are you concerned? Instead I had a tall glass of water, collapsed on the couch and watched an episode of That 70’s Show. Tomorrey will be a day full of hiking, filming auditions, and then working a late shift. I’m looking forward to being back on the trails! It’s been far too long.
How’s the weather in your area? Are you jealous of the Cali chill?

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Filed under Acting, audition, casting director, fiber, green monster, juice, kitchen sink salad, kiwi

by | June 30, 2010 · 9:21 am

Food On-the-Go!

     A quick warning to everyone: Do not attempt to recreate or consume the meals I had today! Today was definitely not a “balanced” food day :-/.

This be an omelette with 2 eggs and a massive sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese. See what happens when I don’t have GM ingredients in the morning? I sabotage myself!
     I had two gigantic mugs of coffee, then headed out to pick up supplies from Trader Joe’s. The drive into LA took about an hour (traffic was horrific – lots of highway construction going on). I parked on the street with 15 minutes to spare, so I scarfed down my lunch.
Trader Joe’s Turkey Club Wrap: Turkey, lettuce, tomato, BACON, and some mayonnaise wrapped in a piece of lavash bread.
     Class today was “listening day”. We get our sides (scripts) with the our partner’s lines blacked out. We have an hour to learn our lines, but can’t rehearse with our partners at all, then the first time we run the scene is in front of the class. This exercise really forces you to listen to everything your partner is saying, instead of just waiting for your cue word to begin your next line. 
     I had an audition last year right after this “listening” class, and the casting director said to me, “You are the first actor I’ve seen so far that was actually listening to what I was saying, and not just waiting for your cue!” I got a callback for that role. Then they ended up doing a second round of auditions and hired a cast made entirely of models. Seriously, the entire cast was 5’9″ or above! Not that I’m bitter because I’m short or anything… 🙂
     On my way over to work at the management office, I scarfed down a Clif Bar.
Oooooh, yeah! Chocolate Brownie, baby!
     Work was really busy! There were about 34 different series/films casting out there, with a few roles in each project to fill. I spent a good four hours doing nothing but matching actors to roles, sending e-mails, and calling actors who got called in for a commercial that’s casting tomorrey! Woohoo!
     I fought some evil traffic on the way home, swung by Trader Joe’s (twice in one day!) to pick up some dinner makings. It was so wonderful coming back from LA: I drove into a wall of marine layer and got a nice misting from the low clouds. Heavenly! 
     When I got back I had a Mission St. Hefeweizen waiting for me in my new wheat beer glass.
So purdy! That glass is gigantic!!!
     Dinner was a wonderful gourmet coconut-butterfly shrimp. Recipe to follow:
Coconut Shrimp Recipe:
1. Go to Trader Joe’s.
2. Pick up box of frozen Coconut Shrimp.
3. Preheat oven, then put shrimp in.
4. Take shrimp out.
5. Serve with mango chutney.
6. DEVOUR.
     I hope you could all follow that recipe. I know it’s a little intricate, but if you just take the time to read it through a few times before you attempt it, it turns out to be quite delicious!
     Dessert was two (!!!) Trader Joe’s chocolate soy ice cream bars. I now feel slightly ill as I gulp down water and watch Chopped on the Food Network, hence my beginning warning: DO NOT ATTEMPT TODAY’S FOOD CHOICES!
     To recap: today was not my smartest in food choices, but I have the entire day off tomorrow, so I’ll be sure to make lots of homemade meals, and start the day off with 3 servings of veggies in my Green Monsta! Also, keep your eyes peeled for Friday! Something amazing is coming that will involve wood, salt water, lavender and tents! 
Go ahead, try to guess what that means 🙂

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Filed under Acting, Class, Hefeweizen, Los Angeles, marine layer, Mission Street, omelette

by | June 23, 2010 · 9:30 am

An L.A. Kind of Day

     Happy Tuesday everyone!!!

     To me, Tuesdays say:

MONSTERS (of course every day says monster for the past 3 weeks)! For some reason the GMs I’ve been making have been getting really, really thick recently. I think my blender is on its last legs: two of the five motor-prong-thingies have broken off. I may have to empty my entire savings account to get a Vitamix blender!!! IN MY DREAMS!
     Tuesday ALSO means a day off from work! I made a lovely mini-breakfast – an omelette with one egg, a teaspoon of goat cheese, 2 teaspoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a handful of wilted spinach.
 
     Unfortunately, a day off from work doesn’t mean an actual “day off”. It means fighting the freeways so I can make it to my acting class in Los Angeles by noon.

     Holy crap. Here’s the thing – I don’t live IN Los Angeles. I live a short distance away on the outskirts, but add rush hour traffic into that and it equals HELL. LA freeways and I have had a very strained relationship. We were on good terms when I lived in the center of it – WeHo (West Hollywood) area, but now that I’ve cheated with one of its close relatives, it makes me pay dearly.

     Once I finally pass the traffic, I receive a lovely LA welcome.

I love overhead wires!
I love anti-landslide plastic!
Hollywood!
Aaah, the beautiful panorama of white skies, smog and palm trees!
     Honestly, I don’t have any real issues with LA. The thing is, I’m a small-town girl! I love the blue skies, clean air, traffic-free side streets, bike paths, clean rivers and FREE PARKING that small towns have! The crazy part is that to have the career I really want, I need to be in close range to this town. Until I’m working here on a consistent basis, I’ll live in my clean-aired, small-ish town paradise and make the painful commute. Then I will proceed to whine about it to you :).
     I didn’t have time to pack a lunch, so instead I had some super-healthy chocolate tortilla chips in my car.
On Tuesdays, I’ll accept calories from any source because I don’t have enough time between class and work to stop for a real meal! Pitiful :(. What “on-the-go” meals do you make for days when you have no time to stop and eat?
     Class was the usual – we get a scene, go outside with our partner to rehearse for 30 minutes, then head in and perform in front of the class and get critiqued. All the lines are memorized by performance time, but we keep our sides at hand just in case we need them. 
     This class is more of a business class than an acting class – we focus on the networking aspect, and learn how to sell the product that we’re offering (ourselves, in a non-hooker way). In the real world, it’s not about the art anymore: It’s about business – making connections and making producers/directors realize that they would enjoy spending two or three months (or more for TV shows) on set with you.
One scene of the day. 
Faces are blurred out of respect for our famous actors :). (We actually do have a few that have starred in some network shows. The Old Spice commercial guy, the “Swagger Waggon” Toyota girl and one of the leads from “Arli$$” may or may not also be three of them 😉 ).
Today was “easy day” in class. Last week was “casting director workshop” day which makes everyone incredibly nervous and awkward unless they’ve had a lot of experience in the audition room, so this week helps everyone realize that even though they may have bombed last week, acting is still fun!
     I had a scene with the lovely Rosanna which involved lots of ghetto head-bobbing and girl-fighting – FUN! Note on that: there are NEVER good fighting scenes out there for actors unless they are the stars of the show. I got some good screaming scenes in Lonelygirl15 though, so I’m one of the lucky ones!

     After class I worked at the talent manager’s office for a few hours. I called some actors that received auditions for tomorrow, sent some e-mails, submit many, many actors for different roles on the many feature films that are casting right now, and got to eat a banana!!!

(Picture omitted because I was so hungry I inhaled it)
     When I FINALLY got home at 8pm after fighting yet another rush hour, my wonderful roommate had made me a gigantic KSS!
AND a Fat Tire! She is honestly the BEST roommate ever! This KSS had about 4 cups of chopped lettuce, 1/2 a cup of warmed lentils, 1/2 a cup of egg white salad, 1/2 a cup of chopped bell pepper, a teaspoon of goat cheese, and homemade dressing made with 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of whole grain mustard, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
     Now I am completely stuffed, completely exhausted, and completely ready to fall into bed and crash – and yes, I realize it’s only 10:30pm Pacific Time, but I’m an old soul and exhausted and not ashamed to admit it. 
I’m off to sleep before yet another full shift at work!

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Filed under Acting, banana, Chocolate, Class, green monster, kitchen sink salad, Los Angeles, SUCKS, Tortilla, traffic, Vitamix