About Taylor Sheppard Expertise I can answer questions: on starting a career in acting, mistakes in acting, etiquette when dealing with industry contacts, finer points on how to act, and things to avoid in the field.
Experience I have been a professional actor 21 years, with appearances in TV, Film and commercials. I have made good decisions and potentially damaging mistakes. I believe anyone who has a dream deserves to explore it, and I take their aspirations seriously. That being said, I do not pull punches. I try to be tactful, but I will not lie to someone, honesty is more effective. My last film role was in "Teeth" which was picked for Sundance in January 2007. It was sold to Lionsgate and Weinstein Co. for somewhere over 2.5 million. The role was "Mr. Griffith", a sex-ed teacher.
Organizations Ciao Agency-Austin/Georgetown, Texas. (Formerly known as Donna Adams Agency. Matthew McConaughey was a good friend and fellow member. I also have belonged to agencies in three other Texas cities, but they have since closed.) TXMPA -Texas Motion Picture Alliance. Various other internet networking web rings as well as Actors Access. I was instrumental in advising actress Krista Allen on getting her career in acting started in Austin,Texas (we worked at the same Health Club in the early '90's).
Publications Previously wrote on a now defunct website such as this one. I enjoyed helping new actors.
Education/Credentials I have acted for 21 years. I studied under James Nelson Harrell as well as other talented actors at Southwest Texas State University. After college, I have taken classes with Julliard graduate Mona Lee, Bill Johnson, Van Brookes, Marco Perella and others in Austin Texas. I am constantly attending classes to maintain my edge and explore new directions. In addition to attending strictly acting classes, I have also taken business workshops with respected casting directors, such as Shari Rhodes ("Jaws","Close Encounters", "Raggedy Man".) Barbara Brinkley, Jo Edna Bolden and Donise Hardy, (Castingworks LA).
Question Hi,
My name is Amanda,and I 13 years old.I have loved acting since i was 4 would really love to start acting as a career but I am not sure how to get started.I have been communicating with these people in California but I am still not sure.
Answer Hi Amanda,
Acting is like any other profession. You need to learn how to do it. There's a myth that there are "natural born" actors out there. Well,there may be people who have a gift for it, but even they have to learn how to work with a camera to come out right on film. For instance, if you learned terrible news in real life and you buried your face in your hands and sobbed the entire time someone talked to you, that might be normal. If you did that on film for more than a few minutes, it would be boring and not much to look at. The camera has to see your face.
When a young inexperienced actor gets a script, he may go: "Wait a minute! I don't have many lines!" He feels ripped off! -But look at a movie...who's face does the camera look at when someone's talking? more than half the time its the person LISTENING to the person speaking! We as an audience want to see that person's reaction to the information they are hearing. We want to see what the news does to them! Do they break into joy or tears? Do they freeze in horror and dread, or do they take off running? Do they grab the other person in a hug and hold them?....acting is about a lot more than talking. If you don't think you are performing unless you are speaking, you are wrong! But, back to the lessons thing. You ALSO need to know how to present yourself to the camera to be seen well. Many things that look natural on camera are not. Many things done normally on camera look terrible. You also need to know how to "find" the emotions you are needing to feel to act when you run into a bump and are having trouble focusing. Maybe you are distracted by the film crew or extras, maybe you are dealing with some news from your other life that is making it hard to be there...that's what you learn in CLASSES!
I suggest you enroll in beginning acting class and then move up and up, taking all the classes you can find. The more you do it, the better you get!
