Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 11/25/2007

Question
Hello.

I'm a senior in high school and am applying to colleges now. For some colleges i need to audition and i was wondering if you have any general advice for this.

Also, what are some big mistakes you have made throughout your career? What are some things you wish you had known at the beginning?


Thanks

Answer
Hi Kate,

Wow, I'm not sure if theres a limit to how much I am allowed to write, but I could definitely fill some pages!

For college auditions, you will need a very, very good monolog to perform. I'm not a Shakespeare fan, but some may want that. Some may be all about George Bernard Shaw. If you can get a heads up from someone connected with the department -maybe visit the schools and strike up a conversation with students in break areas? You may get an idea. Be sure to talk with guys and girls, btw, because you may get different viewpoints especially from a "friendly" gal who might just see you as future competition.

If you can find a piece that has a clearly defined beginning, climax and end, all the better. Something that will knock them back in their seats at the begriming would be great, cause you need to grab their attention quickly and keep them off-balance, so they can't stop to think about anything negative. Secondly, I would hire an acting coach if possible, to help you polish your performance if at all possible. You will gain a lot from individual instruction that can be used later and it is very important.
When I have a BIG audition I do this, it is worth it and more.

Mistakes I have made...many from being young at the time and hot-headed. There will be times when people will accidentally short change you on something. Maybe it will be cutting lines from your script. Don't complain. There is likely a reason and unfair as it is to you, you will not gain from being labeled "difficult".

I did some of my best acting in a Meg Ryan movie once. I had never cried on queue, but lied to casting that I could, because I knew I could and through my coach, learned really fast! On set the day of the scene, everything was perfect and "mom" and I clasped hands and looked into each others eyes and wept. The director, the talented Ed Zwick, saw this and shouted for a "two-shot" set up on "Brother Billy" and "Mom" to capture what we were doing. Well, when the movie came out, guess who was virtually completely cut out? LOTS OF ACTORS! -including yours truly. Was I upset? Initially, yes, but I thought about it and realized that with the hours of footage that was shot, carving it down to two hours and something was not easy. The rule in film is, whatever is happening onscreen needs to drive the story forward. That also means it has to be relevant, if not vital to sticking with the story and not wandering off. Although the tears would have heightened the pathos in the scene, the movie didn't HAVE to have it to work.

There was an early Steven King adapted movie I remember, and Mr. King was given a cameo as a guy walking around either a cemetery or a crime scene. He was wandering around asking an inane, pointless question of everyone. Who was he? no one involved in the plot. Did he need to be there? Only for vanity's sake. It was a kick for some people to see him in the show, but I found it distracting and pointless. They dump lots of work on the floor in editing...get used to it.

Don't GOSSIP. you never know who you are talking to, and can really hurt your career with a few misplaced words.
(Be aware that movie microphones can pick up a bug crawling across the ground. "Did you see that bimbo script girl?" (the director's main squeeze)He just heard you whisper that...and your GONE!

Don't be late! To auditions, rehearsals, plays, the set...be early, but not too early...you hang out too long and: you get caught talking in the hall and disrupting auditions!

Don't be the person who didn't learn your lines up, down, in, out and sideways. When you know the words (and the role) you can have fun with it and focus on the fun stuff. Be the dummy, and everyone will roll their eyes and mutter under their breath about you.

DO learn to take direction. There are many would-be stars who aren't because they just "know better" and are un-directable. Yeah, yeah, YOU bring the character to life and can be blames for a bad performance, BUT he or she gets the credit if it's good. AGAIN....not fair, but life isn't fair.

Don't forget to listen to the other guy while you are in-between lines. Your reaction likely carries more weight in the scene than the guy blabbering on and on at you!

DON'T be petty and jealous...good karma in...good karma out. If you are the one, you'll be picked, if you aren't let it be a friend, and be happy. It will come back around.  

Don't make excuses.

Don't sit around in between shows. Do something (classes if out of school), read scripts, read books on acting, learn to country dance...whatever...just work at it!

Don't look for shortcuts or "cheap out" on your craft. Get headshots done with the guy that prices them with the market, not the cut-rate guy. (be wary of the "free headshot" in exchange for the "modeling" shots...you'll wish you hadn't...see: Matthew McConaughey and others who did.) Do things right, spend when you need to.

Don't get into acting to be rich and famous.
Do it for the love of acting. You will be disappointed otherwise. You always be happy if you love doing it. If it is a means to an end to show up friends and old boyfriends, to be in magazines, etc., you will lack that strength and focus that makes a good actor. It just doesn't work like that. If you love it, it will come out in your work, otherwise, it will be hollow, because you don't care about anything but what you might get....

There is an old story: a guy sees a violinist of note outside Carnegie Hall. The guy rushes up and gushes: "I'd give my life to play the violin like you!" The musician replies: "I did."

Not all of these were my mistakes, but they are good rules.
When questioning a choice, just ask yourself: Is it a lazy choice? Is it noble? Is it mean? Is it right or wrong, and if wrong, what could the repercussions be? Usually you wouldn't ask yourself if you didn't already know it wasn't right.

Best,
Taylor