Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 6/12/2007

Question
Okayyyyy... First off, thank you for taking the time to answer all these
questions for us, i have read your other anwers and basically you rock!!

There are a lot of short question i have for you... you said it took you 20
years to learn to act.... what was it on that one day that finally clicked for you,
can you remember what changed mentally or emotionall???

Second, I am about to make the big move to LA.... against my own better
judgement possibly, but I have to do it, sink or swim i guess...
Are there any books you would reccomend, any agencies that you would
recommed (17, dramatic and comedic actress, long brown hair, i probably
look mature for my age....)

If I attached my resume would you look at it?? ... tell me if there is anything
you would change, or what an agent might look at, and if you think i have
enough credits....

Also... here in Texas I recieved casting emails from all kinds of sources that
tell me about Texas auditions.... do you know of any recources like that in
Los Angeles (like craigslist, DFW film casting, Linda McAllister, or backstage)

Not finished yet!!... question #99: I am going to have to find some classes out
there.... any reccommendations for that???? I am looking for a home basically,
a group of super dedicated people, hopefully working, and learning still, with
a seriously awesome teacher :)  Also are their any improv classes you are
familiar with.  

I might not listen but just have to inquire.... in your opinion, college or no
college while I am trying to make it... and if so what colleges have great film
programs that are innexpensive??? and does a film major on a resume mean
anything to a casting director?


Do you have to be a member of SAG to be considered by a good agencies?

Should you start with a small agency and as you get better look for a better
agency (reason for concern, if you make little mistakes in the beginning with
a great agent they might stiop calling you as opposed to a smaller agency)

Hope all this is making sense!


In addittiondo you think it is better to be good for a role at an audition or just
good. I know there are character actors and some are not... but you see
people like sandra bullock and she really to me seems like 'sandra' in
different situations.... and you hear about people being written in because the
casting director just liked the person they were and thought they would fit.  
Be a good actor or be a good actor for the role?

Do you advise bringing gifts for casting directors?

Ah, I think thats the end.  You have successfully been interrogated, please
write back!

Also..... do you think being shy is a con in LA?

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!  

Answer
Hi Audry,
Well...a challenge! I took some time to think about the one question, I will do my best...

As to what clicked. Hard to formulate the exact thing that came to me. It just all made sense. You hear things over and over, then one day, it just falls into place. I guess the best description is, you suddenly have a sense of being...of presence. Jimmy Harrell told me years ago when alive, that when you portray a king, you don't act like a King, you act as if a King. If you were a princess or a queen, how WOULD you be? Does that make sense? Because, when it comes down to it, IF you WERE royalty, how would YOU be? So many actors in their hopes to get an Oscar, give this over-wrought performance as if to say "Ain't I feeling a lot?" -Instead of just being honest. The big thing in acting is not to be afraid. Not to worry that you are doing the right thing...or enough.
I had an English professor in college who graded a paper I wrote (an opinion paper) and gave me a "D".) I thought: "What the...?" HOW can I be wrong? It is my opinion! I could have understood her grading my poor writing skills, my "creative" punctuation, but my opinion?
All you can bring to the table is how you would react to the circumstances that you are in. You have to throw away the drama, the worry of being interesting, and just BE. When we watch the survivor of a tragedy on TV, we are riveted to their face and the reality of how they feel about what happened to them. That is why cameras cut to the person that is being told that the person they love is leaving for good...or that their child is dead...or that the person they love has returned because they couldn't forget what they had, even though they had moved cross country to start a new life. The best moment in acting...what draws me to it...is the moment that you aren't even aware of the cameras, the director, the grip eating a doughnut, you are just living in that moment, you and the other actor, sharing a moment that no one else is. I had an experience on stage years ago where that happened. The lead actress and I were having a moment and it hit us like a lightning bolt! -Sadly, we came offstage, and asked Bill, our director if he saw it. He said, very flatly, "No, I didn't see anything." To this day I have wondered if he wasn't paying attention or was just holding back on us for some reason. I did a play called "Love Letters" two Valentine's Days ago. An extremely powerful piece of art, I must say. It was a fund raiser for the theater and my ex-gf talked me into doing it for free. The basic story is a girl and a guy exchanging letters throughout their lives, from grade school to their 40's; he, a practical, straight arrow who follows a path of success in life (by the numbers) she, a very emotionally driven person who despite having family wealth, and artistic ability, is a tortured soul. I was concerned for Suzan, because we could never get through a reading without her bawling her eyes out. (Her character was supposed to be a ghost at the end, and immune to those emotions). When we got to the performance, we were onstage and everything went great. We got laughs in spots that I didn't realize were jokes. However, when we got to the end, where I had to read the last letter, to her mom, after her character's passing, I lost it. She was fine, but I choked out the words as if my heart was truly breaking. In the end, good old practical Andy (my character) realized that Melissa (hers) really had been the piece of him that allowed him to feel, and that he had lost an unrealized piece of himself that could never be replaced. As customary at this theater, there is a meet and greet with the actors after the show. We both cleaned up quickly, wiped our makeup off and came out to the lobby......to an empty room! I thought: "Oh God, we must have really sucked!" Our director came up and said: "I have never seen this before! Everyone RAN out the door!" I thought she was confirming how bad it was, but she continued: "The men all grabbed their date's hands and yanked them out of the building, keeping their heads down so you couldn't see their faces." -Because they had been crying! I had heard the sniffles in the audience, but it didn't register then, what we were doing to the audience.
The whole time, I WASN'T TRYING...all I had to do was just let go, and just let the script take me there! It seems simple, but trust me, to get there is HARD! I hope that explains it, I can't really get more specific!

The move to L.A. : Here is a fact, old, but still relevant,
Each spring, a million actors head to Los Angeles. By summer's end, 1/2 of them are back home, tails tucked between their legs. By the following spring 1/2 of THAT 1/2 gives up and goes home. Harrison Ford is quoted as saying that he flipped a coin between NY and LA. LA was the winner of the toss. He said he was happy, because he wasn't keen on cold weather anyway. He also said that he watched all the other wanna-be actors leave, yet he stayed. He joked that he "won by 'attrition'." He just didn't quit.
Read every book you can get your hands on. Be prepared to put in at least two years in L.A. before you get connected. Not to become a "star"...just to get to be known and know people.

I would be happy to look at your resume if you attach it.
Steer clear of Craigslist on auditions -unless they are honest and admit they are novice film makers and that there will likely NOT be pay. A "Real Deal" film won't be found there. Multiple scams will be, however. I am on Actors Access and get tons of emails on jobs....
Yes...on college while working on your craft/career. Just balance it all. (that will be hard) And I mean to balance school, acting, work and your social life. Don't forget to live your life a little while on your way...it won't repeat itself later. Most actors I have met who are "names" are actually, VERY intelligent. I am not talking about Pam Anderson or someone who relies solely on their body to get jobs. (sorry Pam) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have a backup plan! Harry Sherman, a now retired producer, gave me that advice over lunch at on Wilshire boulevard years ago. You always have to have a plan for "later". Sadly, few actors do it forever. You need to have a "second act" lol. Unfortunately, college at an out of state school ain't cheap! Once you have lived in Cali long enough, you can qualify for in-state tuition. USC is the big film school. It is more for the production side, but they have a good acting program too. Matt McConaughey was in film school at UT when we first met...he had planned on being a director, not an actor. Go figure!! It never hurts to know everything you can about the technical end of the business, either.
Yes, it is very hard to get representation if non-SAG out there.
As to starting at a small agency, nothing wrong with that! You will also get more attention with a smaller agent than with a huge one. Just work up as you get bigger. Here is a contradiction: A) mistakes help you grow. B) Don't make too many mistakes! lol!
I pissed off a certain Texas (at the time) casting director...not once, but three times! I have only seen her once since then, and only by chance. Let me just say, it wasn't all my fault! The one time, my Houston agent gave me crappy directions to an audition there ("Unsolved Mysteries" -Matthew got it.) that some brainiac decided should be at 5:00 p.m. in downtown Houston on FRIDAY! I was late by 15 minutes. I tried to explain, but she said, flatly: "Guess you should have bought a map." I had almost wrecked my car getting there! Another time, I was a stand in for Chris Cooper ("Breach", "Sea Biscuit") who is now an Academy Award winner. Great guy too. The assistant director was kind of a giant bully, among something else, and enjoyed giving me grief every day. One night, a week before wrapping the film, I knew I couldn't go back one more day. I told the casting assistant that I had to quit, and that they would need a replacement for me. I felt like a giant loser, but leaving set that night, a set dresser stopped me and hugged me, saying: "No one blames you for quiting!" That didn't stop me from feeling bad about it, and apparently, not to the casting director, either. The third incident was my being given the wrong call time three days in a row, and being replaced on a featured extra role because I was on time according to my sheet, but late, in reality. I was young, and felt that I had been screwed over. Yes, I was. HOWEVER, when I was told someone else was in my spot (even though nothing had been filmed yet that day) I lost my cool, and left. BIG No-No! Lesson: Bite your tongue, "turn the other cheek". That goes whether you are a nubie, or possibly, even a star, because "difficult" stars have been blackballed and lost their status for very little. You must "Pick your battles" carefully or risk ruining your career. Not fair, just life!

As to being a "type". While it's good to "know" your type, and how to maximize it, don't let it define you completely.
There was a guy I used to see playing office "Schmoes" alot. He had glasses, and seemed just a background character type. He didn't just accept the hole he was cast in, and by constantly improving, became a great actor -Kevin Spacey.

Gifts to casting can be tricky. If you don't know them well, it may not be good to assume what they like. Sad part of human nature is that we tend to look down on neediness and weakness. If they smell it, or desperation, they feel compelled to squash you like a roach, where they wouldn't if you approached them as a professional/equal -deserving of the role, not trying to bribe them, or buying their favor. Dropping a promotional postcard, or a thank you note for an audition is not improper.

Being shy in L.A.? Hmmm. What you are in private is your private life, but you will have to develop your own public persona, chutzpa, for putting yourself out there, if you plan on promoting a show. OR talking to reporters/journalists for three days in a row at some hotel suite for a promotional press junket (a necessary evil, I am afraid). Try answering the same questions over and over for days while sticking to what the studio press says you are allowed to say!

Thanks for the interesting letter, Break a leg!

Taylor