Expert: Kenneth D. Plonkey - 6/6/2009

Question
Hi Kenneth,

Before I ask my question/questions I'd just like to give you a few details about my background so that you're better able to advice me. This might get a bit long but I ask that you please bear with me.

I'm a 26 year old female residing in Oslo, Norway. I'm originally from Jamaica, but have lived in this country for the past 7 years.

I'm very well educated with independent bachelors degrees in Hospitality Management & Business Administration. I'm also in my second and final year of a two year master's programme in International Marketing & Management at a business school in Oslo. As a part of my master's programme I'll hopefully spend a year in Bath, UK for the incoming academic year 09/10. Why I'm providing you with this info will become apparent in the following paragraphs.

I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit, that's why I've made many of the academic decisions I've made, but all my life I've had a passion for the performing arts. I've wanted to be an actress for as long as I remember -- but I was encouraged by my parents when growing up to focus on a more predictable and stable career choice. I listened to them and I must admit that as I grew older, I saw the soundness of their advice and began to tell myself to give up this dream -- not only because of what they and others said but for other reasons I will explain later. However, as the years have gone by the question of "what if" is never far from my mind, and in January of this year I finally decided to take the risk and pursue this dream.

During high school, I was a very active member of the drama club, and that is where most of my experience lies to date. When I moved to Norway, I tried to break into community theatre, commericals and films, but such work for a black female actress is quite limited in Norway.

It's also difficult to find serious training for the same reason as I've applied to a number of theatre schools / part time programmes and I did not get in. There is a theatre group called the Nordic Black Theatre which offers 3 year programmes to minoritorities, but due to the fact that I've been on a fulltime scholarship pursuing my business degrees this option was not ideal. Eventually, I was able to find a coach who accepted me in her four week class Meisner I acting class in early 2008. Though the class was good, it felt more like a refresher course where I learnt about voice, movement and breathing, but not the fleshy stuff such as character analysis, technique or acting for film. So even there the training was quite preliminary. Also in January of this year I took a four week acting class at NYFA in NYC.

I've now decided to move to the US and pursue acting. I've always had strong ties to the US as I have a wide extended family there, my father is a naturalized citizen and my boyfriend is American by birth. So my move should ultimately not be a problem, although unforeseen circumstances may arise. One never knows.

I'm not one of these people who are after fame and fortune. My love is for the profession of acting, thus I just want to perform. I know to be good at any craft requires training, training, and more training. Christian Bale, an actor who I admire deeply for his dedication to his craft, is a source of inspiration and testament to what good training provides. Unfortunately I feel like the past 7 years in Norway has been for naught when it comes to advancing my acting career because I haven't been able to train as much as I'd like to, and I guarantee it is not for a lack of trying. The opportunities for someone like me is just not abundant here.

I will hopefully spend a year in Bath, England as of September so my plan is to train as much as I can there and audition for as many student films as possible since London is just under 2hrs drive away. I'm hoping that even though black actors in the UK are not as integrated as in the US, they are more integrated than in Norway so I'm praying that I'd be more successful in getting roles there.

Also due to the enormous cost for training, I've attempted training myself by reading books (mainly those on Stanislavski's method) and I've made a few tapes of myself reading monologues with different interpretations, then I review them and make notes as to where I believe I can improve. I don't know how much credit that gives my profile or even if I should include it on my CV, but I'm thinking its better than sitting around doing nothing.

I'm a propopent of The Method and I have plans to enroll in the 6 week Acting course at the Lee Strasburg Institute in NYC once the move is complete (I'm marrying my boyfriend, but of course the process takes time). I won't be in the US until at least the beginning of next year, but hopefully no later than the summer.

So now that you know a little more about me, here are some of my questions:

I'm 26 years old, and maybe I'm crazy, but there are times when I can't ignore the little voice in my head that tells me the boat has sailed for me when it comes to breaking into this profession. Acting is a hard business and trust me I'm not one of those starry eyed people with a lot of idealistic wishful thinking. My investigation and observation has spanned years, and it's often said that women in general have a hard time being taken seriously, and that after 40 your days in the business are numbered. As a black woman the odds are even less in your favour. So I'm thinking that at 26 (I'll be 27 in Dec of this year) with little to no experience it's a disadvantageous  time to start. Also taking into consideration that I won't be able to start the professional audition trail before mid 2010 at the lastest (when I'm halfway to being 28) I'm thinking the best age should have been 18 right after I finished high school. I would really like a professional opinion on this because I don't know what to think. When I check out the profiles of many successful actors in the biz, many started out as early as 13. This also includes most black actors, male or female. I know Samuel L Jackson, one of my idols, didn't break out until his performance in Pulp Fiction, at the age of 46. But being that as it may, it has always been easier for a black man to gain milestones in the biz than a black woman, just as the same is true for a white man vs a white woman. During my stint at NYFA, a professor told me that black women fall at the bottom of the acting food chain. What are your opinions? I'm eager to hear a second opinion regarding this as this might be just one guy's jaded view.

Also Taraji P. Henson, who was nominated for the Oscar recently for her performance in Benjamin Button, didn't start acting professionally until around age 27 or 28. And Naomi Harris, a Jamaican born British actress, who got her break in the 2003 Danny Boyle film, 28 Days Later, also started out after 25. Furthermore, I think it is necessary to say that these actors/actresses are not by any means famous (at least not in comparison to many of their counterparts). They're working actors, and that is my aspiration: to be a working actor. But its hard to make a judgement about this from the outside looking in. I know a lot is up to the person and luck, but every industry, regardless of how unpredictable, has certain standards.

I know one of the standards is training. Something that Taraji P. Henson and Naomi Harris has in their favour which I don't is a solid 3 year training from a professional drama school. How good would my chances be considering that I don't have this traditional training in acting? I train here and there when I can and am able to, for eg with the coach in Norway and the 4 weeks course in NYC. People have told me that many directors/casting directors are mostly interested in seeing actors who are traditionally and formally trained. Could you provide some thoughts on that?

When I move to the States next year, how can I help myself along as quickly as possible? Do you recommend that I get my docs in order before moving to NYC (docs being headshots, prefessional resume, business cards etc)? I'm thinking that way I can start auditioning/networking the next day after I land. This might seem like a silly question, but again it has to do with standards. The standard for these docs may not be the same in the US as in the UK or even Norway. Please advice.

Also my initial strategy is to gain employment as a night manager and audition during the days. Though people have said this might not be a good idea since working nights take such a toll on your appearance (your product) in the long run. I also have a talent for writing (novels and screenplays) -- which would have been the perfect day job to combine the acting with -- but my quest to be published has not been successful so far. I also plan to post my headshot and resume at film schools around the city so I can hopefully be contacted by student directors. I don't know if I'm on the right track so any thoughts and or advice you can provide will be very helpful.

My next and final question is regarding the fact that I'm an overseas actor. While Australian and British seem to dominate in the business at any given time, very few black actors from abroad has proven to be very successful in the business in US. The few that I know of is Djimon Honsou(sp) and most recently Idris Elba plus a few others. All males. Not many females. I have to admit that this worries me. Any thoughts? Am I just being a girl and overanalyzing all aspects of the game?

I know speaking about colour and the opportunities for male vs female actors is somewhat taboo and most people want to avoid it, but I hope you will answer me with as much brutal honesty as you can.

I promise you you will not hurt my feelings nor will I take anything you might say personally. I just don't want the PC, beating around the bush answer. I'm planning to give up a rather stable and successful existence to pursue something that is very illusive. I want to go in with my eyes wide open and since my current location doesn't help me in gaining any insights, any advice / thoughts you can provide will be significant in how I develop my strategy.

I think one of the reasons the yearly turn over of actors in both NYC and LA is so enormous and filled with a lot of sad, heartbroken people is because many of these very people don't do their homework before embarking on the journey. I don't want to end up amongst this group, although I know in this profession sadness and heartache are almost guaranteed either way.

I know my email is long and probably filled with info you might not necessarily be interested in, but I thank you in advance for any insights you can provide.

With Very Kind Regards,

Ann  

Answer
Dear Ann, I wrote a complete and thorogh answer to this qustion and my computer deleted it before it was sent to you. I want you to write me at kencosp@aol.com and ask your questions again and I will not only answer them, I will send you my ebook on preparing for an acting career. God bless, Doc