Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 4/21/2007

Question
I graduated highschool in 2006 and since then have been really busy. Recently I saw an actor who isn't huge but due to his recent movies is now known. He came from nowhere and oneday I beleve he will be huge. He is such a great actor and has great perspectives. he inspired me to go into acting. I have always had the desire but never acted on it. I know nothing of acting but I think that if I learned how to put myself into a character, practiced the art, and gained confidence I could do it. I am only 18 and I'm considering going to college to get a Bachlor of Arts in Theater. That includes classes in acting for someone going into acting or directing. I thought it might make me more confident and give me experience. plus once i feel that i know how to be able to represent a character i will have the confidence to get work in student films or plays. i live in louisiana and lot of movies are going on here since hurricane katrina. i may be able to get a small role in a bigger movie once i get good. Do you think pursuing college for the classes will help me and will that look good on a resume. what type of small movies or student films should i look for or avoid? I have the drive and the motivation and I think that is very important. Plus apperence wise I am not bad looking... modeling would be a choice but I'm too short(5' and 104 lbs). What would your recomendations be for how I plan to procede? Thanks so much, Amiee

Answer
Hi Amiee,
First, let me say I loved your question. I have been answering questions for several years now and the majority have been people asking how to make it overnight without doing the work.
I can tell from your letter that you have drive, enthusiasm and most importantly, an understanding that you must do what needs to be done to get from "A" to "B".
When I mention work and pitfalls, many quit immediately.
Do you know Sandra Bullock worked in a bar in New York while training to be an actress? Or Tom Cruise was a building super (janitor) hauling trash to an incinerator while starting his career?
It is never too late or too early to start. Case in point: in the 1990's I worked a day job at World Gym in Austin, Texas. I made friends with a co-worker who taught aerobics while pursuing her teaching career. She asked me about acting because she said she had always wanted to do that.
I encouraged her to get headshots and advised her on how to write a letter to contact agents for representation. Well, 12 years later, Krista Allen has a resume longer than your arm...(check imdb.com) and she started around 22 or 23.
I think your idea to go to college for a bachelor of arts in theater is a great idea. I would also recommend minoring in something "practical" that you can live with, and on, while you work toward your career in acting. Many actors have/had businesses on the way up.
Harry Sherman, a veteran producer, gave me over lunch on Wilshire blvd one day, a great piece of advice: "Always have a backup plan." That goes for life, darlin'.
At your age, I would also be careful for distractions, they can derail your dreams.

On that note, I think it would also be an excellent idea for you to take advantage of the films being shot in Louisiana. I worked for more years than you'd want to know, doing extra gigs. Too long, in fact. Gotta be careful to not become known as "just an extra". The gigs will teach you many things if you pay attention. First, you will know whether you can stand doing movies. Despite what you may see on TV, it can be excruciatingly boring filming a movie. TV movies shoot much faster than big screen. In a theater release, you may spend all day or several days filming one scene! Granted, stars have trailers and aren't required to be present every moment of the day, but they aren't having affairs or sleeping while away from the set. They are going over and over their lines and trying to get in the right mental "place" for the upcoming scene. I remember early on, going to work on "D.O.A." -the first time I met Meg Ryan- a girl from my university who rode with me (we were paired as a couple) said on day three of shooting an art museum scene: "I thought it was going to be like a PARTY!" No. Not even. There will be light moments like Dennis Quaid trying to one-up Billy Bob Thornton by saying everyone in the scene should be awed at their characters -but moreso with his...but often it's 4:00 am and cold and you're dog tired and very glad you're not Clifton Davis putting on a soaking wet jacket and climbing into a murky creek in April!
IF you do the extra gigs and it's still for you, then either you need professional help, or there is no helping you, because you have fallen in love with acting!
You should pay attention to everything on the set. Watch how the gaffers light the scene. Watch how the actors talk with the director. Learn how things work! film acting class in college will cover that too.
Also, remember how you were treated as an extra. You will often find that the cast, crew and stand-ins ("second team") eat at a different spot and different food than the extras. You will notice that often they don't explain much of the scene to you -usually just enough to work, but no more. VERY IMPORTANT -watch how the stars treat you. I am a firm believer in karma. Some stars won't have anything to do with "extras" a.k.a. "moveable scenery" lol. The true stars will be more than that. During the filming of the movie "Michael" there was a dance hall scene. (I was a stand-in in the movie -a stand-in gig is an VERY educational position...AND often you get a small part at some point as a reward). After the filming ended on the last day of the scene, John signed autographs and took pictures with everyone until they were all gone. FACT. He remembers, no doubt, what it was like to fall from stardom and was grateful to be back. Not saying he wasn't always a nice guy...Clint Eastwood is too. He treats everyone equally. He paid his dues too!
When I work on a movie, I take the time to walk over to the extras and introduce myself and let them know what the heck it is that is happening in the scene. I am no better than them. I WAS them before...who knows, maybe I will be again....?
FREE TIP: When you get on set as an extra, don't crowd up to the person selecting extras for a scene. The first who do will be placed in the back of the room as they are "hams" and may ruin the scene. Hang back, even if it takes to the 3rd day of a three day shoot. I can almost GUARANTEE they will suddenly need someone who hasn't been seen before...and that person will be put next to a star in the scene.
Also, when you do a scene, NEVER EVER look at the camera, and remember when it was that you looked right, left, up, down...where you walked to, WHAT LINE was being said by the the actors at that point...AND DO IT AT Exactly THE SAME TIME, EVERY TIME! That way, you will become known as dependable and they won't have to cut away from you in the edit because your face was looking one way in one camera angle and another way in the next. Trust me, if you do this in enough films you will get a good reputation and it will help you get picked for the important stuff. I would actually get calls from extras casting and they would have a small part for me without an audition because I was PROFESSIONAL..ie, what you want to be.

Definitely do student films...practice makes perfect. Also never turn down an audition...unless someone's dying...like you. You learn from auditions. It's called experience. I can also tell you classes on auditioning are invaluable...because auditioning is a whole different skill in itself from the actual role. I still hate it. The best way I have learned to deal with it is to learn the audition lines several different ways so I can remember the lines and perform them if asked to do it differently than I thought it should be done. Trust me, I have watched people forget ("Go Up") on their perfectly memorized lines when asked to "try it funny this time!" You have to be able to change to suit the director's needs. Speaking of which, "why is training important?" Because if or when you get the BIG TAP on the shoulder by God to shine, you'd BETTER be able to deliver. It may not happen again. They will not wait for you to catch up and learn.
I was asked once if I had a problem "wrestling with Meg Ryan" (actually playing soft tackle football) by a casting director, Billy Dowd. I said "No, no problem." Then he offhandedly said as an afterthought, "...and you can cry on queue, right?" "Oh, yeah," I replied: "no worries." Uh, yeah. BIG worry! Luckily, I had the money, time and an excellent acting coach to hire to give me a crash course. In the end, it was up to me to bring the emotion. When the time came to cry for my "deceased sister" the tears came.
The director enthusiastically called for a "two-shot" to get "mom and brother Billy". Unfortunately, that didn't make the movie. -Which is why I learned to see the movie first before telling anyone I did it!
Last, about acting. It is easy AND hard. It took me 20 years to really "get it". Not to say it will take that long for you. What it is, is learning the lines...NO, it's learning THE PART until you could sleep walk it(don't be the actor who didn't learn your lines) and then throw it away, and just breathe...and BE. Be present in the moment. No thoughts of the 30 people watching you doing what you do, just you and the other actor in another world. That, to me, is heaven. When it all drops away... THAT IS HARDER THAN ANYTHING.
When auditioning, when doing this thing, acting, never forget to have fun with it. Take it grimly and it will beat you down.
Sorry to make this so long, but on the basis of your email, I felt it was worth the time to give you the long answer.
I look forward to seeing you on set someday!
Break a leg!
Taylor

FOLLOWUP:
Thanks for your nomination Aimee!
I think your backup plan is an excellent one! A good friend of mine teaches high school and acts. She is able to use sick days and vacation days to work on projects. It is really hard to find jobs that allow you to live normally while pursuing your dream. I heard of a call center in California that actually specializes in hiring actors. They found that although an actor may have to leave at a moments notice to audition, an actor tends to work very hard while on the job and also be well suited to the job as using their personality is second nature.
My first acting coach taught at Southwest Texas State while continuing his long career, and taught up to his death.
I was asked at a party once about my pursuing acting. The woman said to me: "I have always wanted to try acting...but I was afraid to give up the security of a regular job!" I won't lie: acting by itself can make for a tough existance, but as I said, attitudes are changing a bit with some employers. Partly as, in this new era of professional life, job security is getting to be a novelty. Changing employers or employers changing ON you is common.
Thanks again for the feedback/nomination!
Taylor