Hello hello hello!
I'm a professional actor, I've worked in film, tv, theatre, radio and video games. Have been working professionally since 2000, both overseas and in Australia.
Thought this post would be a laugh on the off chance anyone's curious. Ask Me Anything!
You realise that DB is the abbreviation for database? It's like saying ATM machine.
Shit, I think I actually have said that a couple times.
I'm not going to be baited into giving it, sorry.
And probably a 1.
@dingdong3000: Bait bait baaaait. So much baiting! I'm a working actor. Some years are good, some years are bad…but I'm still working….and I get paid for it. So yup, professional.
@dingdong3000: To be a professional requires payment for your service, OP gets payed for acting and is therefore a professional actor.
Stop being a douche.
@jlogic: I don't have an issue getting MOD's to confirm what i do for a living if I ever do AMA so they/community know i'm not bogus.
@dingdong3000: Interesting point you raise, undermined by the lack of it being raised on the other AMA threads (eg. the police officer) and the manner in which it was raised it here.
@IndianaBargainHunter: Not doing this to bash you in anyway, it just so happened i saw your AMA thread in feed and voiced my opinion.
Number scales are worthlessness without a reference. Because the values are arbitrary in the sense that 1 could mean you're a famous actor or that you're an amateur actor.
Furthermore, are you saying that a person who receives a paycheck for acting roles
is a professional actor?
If so that would make me a professional actor, which is not the case.
@lsdbeta: Alas no. I also work in post production and that at the moment is my main source of income. I've done the usual 'other' jobs, bartending, waitering, barista, temping and so on.
Dude, I have an IMDB database. I don't flaunt it. Indiana doesn't have to 'prove himself' just for you.
Wait…I just realised, which end of the scale is which??! Whichever is lower, that's where I am. ;)
If he/she is any of the famous, will he/she be on ozbargin.com.au?
If I make an altcoin, will you endorse it and accept payment in said altcoin?
Probably not, I'm a bit cagey with investments. I've invested in bitcoin, it's doing well but I'm still waiting for the crash.
When my landlord accepts payments in altcoin, then I'll take payment in altcoin, but not before. :)
Where should one start if they wanted to start acting?
Training. Reading. Doing. There are mulitple paths, not all actors do traditional courses (as such).
The best leg up would be NIDA/RADA/LAMDA etc, one of the 'branded' schools. Not necessarily because of the standard of education but because of the standard of connections you get and the showcase opportunity you get. All the top agencies go to the best drama school showcases.
There are smaller schools that don't do showcases, and you can train, and just start doing, working on student films and short films, doing theatre.
Create your own work is very, very important in this day and age. You simply can't sit around and wait for the phone to ring.
Oh and disabuse yourself of any notions of 'fame' - if you want to be famous, forget about being an actor. Seriously. It may never happen. Invent something or invest in something and make a lot of money, more likely to get famous quicker. :)
What do you say to someone who tells you to get a real job? (serious)
Well a few things occur to me on this point.
Thankfully I don't hear that much anymore, I've been doing this long enough and have enough work I can point to where people realise I'm actually not bad at what I do. And thank bloody goodness. Because for years and years I was told to get a real job or a real career.
It's not really the kind of statement you can engage with, though is it? It's a statement, a statement that's already made up it's mind. So by and large it's a 'shrug your shoulders' and brush it off. Easier said than done.
And actually have a killer skill you can use to shut them down with - 'Actually I'm a forensic accountant as well. How are your taxes by the way?'. That's quite satisfying. :)
Whats the best bargain you have found on this website?
Haven't found one on this site yet as I've only been back in Oz a few months.
On the UK equivalent (hotukdeals), I got a brilliant Logitech Z5500 surround sound system at a ridiculous discount, because there was a pricing error on the website and a discount that could be applied. I think it was something like 50-60% off and they honoured it.
What would you say to someone thinking of a career in the arts?
Well of course I'm going to say do it.
If you want to be famous, don't.
If you want to do it because you have to, absolutely.
Life in the arts is not getting easier. Never expect it to be easy. Never have any expectation that it will work the way you want it to. When it's good it's amazing but when you're between jobs it can be utterly crushing. Create, create, create. Find genuine likeminded people and make stuff. Some days you'll be seen by hundreds of people, some days you'll be performing to an audience of two.
My own opinion is that it's important to have done some work behind the scenes - you very quickly get over your own self importance when you see how much work it takes to get a play/film up and running.
Christopher Lee said 'We don't always get the kind of work we want, but we always have a choice of whether to do it with good grace or not' and I believe that 100%.
This is perfect advice Indiana. I'm also in the arts industry…couldn't have said it better myself :)
Cheers. :)
How did you get into acting? Did you do any acting course?
I've always wanted to be an actor. I started doing school plays when I was…sheesh, maybe four or five? I got into drama classes with a local group, kept doing school plays, started doing plays outside of school.
When I could start training professionally I did, and keep training.
To be, or not to be?
That is the question.
Never done Hamlet, I prefer Cassius from Julius Caesar.
Does anyone ever get noticed as an extra on set and invited to try out for parts?
Rarely if ever.
Have you ever boned your leading lady?
Nope.
How about your leading man?
Also nope.
How has acting impacted your emotional side? Do you find it easier to control yourself now after working in a job that demands highly emotional performances on cue?
Interesting question.
Yes, you ceratinly do learn to control your emotions, because you are required to be in a certain heightened state. The flip side of that being you need to know how to get back to a neutral state after being happy, sad, angry etc because you need to move on to the next scene where something else will be required.
So I'd say it raises your sensitivity, gives you permission to go to difficult places. As for ease of control? Yeah, it has helped.
PErson won't link IMDB page. But I'd like to ask OP who's the most famous actor you have worked with?
I would have made far far more working a 9 to 5, and have done. I had an office job for three years at one stage, because they knew I was an actor and offered me some flexibility. I was putting away a grand a month straight into savings.
As mentioned elsewhere, unless you're a regular in a series or doing film after film, it's not a lucrative industry. Pay rates for commercials, for instance, are constantly getting squeezed down. They used to be a good way to make a living but not any more.
My very first professional job was as an extra on a Guy Pearce film. He's really nice.
In like Flynn :)
Did you do a bit of filmmaking to start with or get straight into acting?
I went straight into acting but have actually done filmmaking subsequently.
I like the stories you can tell on screen and am fascinated by all aspects - editing, lighting, costume, make up. So when I've had the chance, I've been involved behind the scenes too.
Any experience with screen writing?
Seeking someone to assist with a project.
Limited experience with screen writing to be honest. It's not my area of expertise. I mean I can tell you what I think works in terms of story progression, character development and internal logic, but I can't give you any writing tips. Happy to read a script and offer feedback though.
Most famous person you've slept with?
Myself?
Have you worked with Webb/Mitchell? Whitehouse/Enfield?
Alas not.
Okay.
While I respect your online privacy, telling us your professional stage name (assuming you use one) needn't cause you loss here.
Your account is quite new. Your active participation prior to this post was nil.
My point. You could tell us, wait a bit, delete your current OzB account and create a new one with a different username. Aside from OzB staff (notwithstranding IP masking/VPN etc considerations), your anonymity would be restored.
I mean, seriously. A thespian wallflower?
Why is it important that you know?
Curiosity.
He has his reasons I guess.
What was the last video game that you was in?
Re: Stingers
What was it like to work with Gary Sweet?
Enjoyed watching Police Rescue when I was young:)
Unfortunately I didn't work with Gary Sweet for my episode. I did see him in passing - a lot shorter than I expected!
I worked with Anita Hegh and she was lovely. She had on bright red runners! The shots were mids and close ups - nothing full length as we were in an interview room behind a desk, so Anita was wearing shoes that would be comfortable.
I haven't been a series regular on anything yet. I'm usually on for an episode or two of things. Essentially like a guest in someone else's house. Regular cast members are 95% of the time extremely welcoming and accommodating because they know it can be an initimidating environment. As a guest actor on an episode, you're essentially walking into a well oiled machine where everyone knows each other, moving at a fast pace. Can be kind of intimidating so the regular cast members are usually extra gracious to you. Crew members are always flat out working.
Re: video game, unfortunately I can't answer that, signed an NDA.
I've only done voice work for video games. Some of my friends have done the full motion capture and voice work for characters.
Are they as yet unreleased titles, or just extenuating NDAs?
Oh, and how often do you actually know anything about the title you are doing VA for as opposed to something like a cartoon or other VA medium? Supposedly VAs for games are often never told what the title of the game even is?
As yet unreleased.
With regards to knowing what it is, it varies from project to project. It's usually the bigger studios, triple A titles that are being secretive. Which can be unintentionally funny - I'm a gamer and read gaming websites. Audition notices going around asking for people doing voices of orcs and similar creatures for a triple A title sequel without naming the project were clearly Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.
I suppose an actor who's also an active participant in gaming would be able to sus out what it is pretty easily haha. Thanks for your time.
Where do you find Audition notices for video games? Or is it something that agents only know, or industry insiders?
@ceebee: Audition notices for video games are put up on the industry job boards - Showcast in Australia and Spotlight in the UK. You have to be working in the industry to have access to those casting notices.
Thank you very much, that was very informative.
Thanks in advance.
Hello!
I prefer film/TV, because I prefer the stories that can be told through that medium. I think the camera offers a director a huge amount of opportunity to control and move an audience through a story. Personally, as an audience member, I find it easier to suspend my disbelief watching film and TV.
Film and TV is gruelling in it's own way. Usually you have to be available hours before your scenes, so it requires an ability to manage stamina and perform on demand again and again, often with little rehearsal. Forgetting lines is extremely stressful because it's precisely the time when everyone is depending on an actor to do their job. Time is precious on a set.
Not necessarily. There are some training places where singing and dancing aren't part of the curriculum at all.
Do you think with the increasing medium in which content is consumed, and produced, like YouTube, Stan, netflix, amazon, etc, on top of the old tv and movies, that there is more content being created and more work for actors?
Has this been felt in more work for you and better pay of late?( of late, meaning since Netflix started)
And how do u see this moving forward?
Edit: thanks for the AMA
Good morning!
Yes, I'd agree with that assessment and I think that more creative opportunities are coming to the fore for actors and writers. Slowly but surely we're seeing more diversity in the types of stories and storytellers thanks to these advances.
More work, yes. Better pay? That's hard to gauge. The global financial crisis has had a massive impact on the arts. Everybody wants the same level of quality (or better!) for less cost.
Talk about pay is complicated. Pay on a show specifically funded by Netflix will be different to pay on a film made on a low budget then later sold to a streaming service.
Outside of mainstream film and television production, the low to mid budget sector can be a bit of a wild west - some people just cover the minimums required by employment legislation. Pay on commercials, for instance, has been dropping and that's tough because a brand will usually ask for exclusivity of an actor's image, which means that actor can't work for any competing business or service for 3-5 years.
Ah yes , I remember the chick that used to do adds for iselect. She was on all their adds,but no where else and now it’s a fat guy. I guess she got so popular with iselect she was replaced when she demanded too much. (My theory only).
Are you able to enlighten me on how a streaming service might pay an actor as opposed to production company who then later on sells the production to a Netflix might pay an actor. I’m intrigued at the differences in the business model.
Sorry to burst your bubble but that scenario is unlikely. It's more likely that market research into the company image coupled with changes in company direction necessitated a change in image. That's conjecture too, but an actor in a commercial getting dropped because of pay demands is an unlikely scenario - it would be the first case I've heard of.
Most low budget productions offer one off payments - your daily or weekly wage for the term of the engagement, maybe extra sums for marketing usage, maybe,uncommonly, percentage of sales profit after investors get their share (so a tiny fraction). That happens before the sale to a streaming service.
I can't comment on Netflix pay structures, I don't know.
… but an actor in a commercial getting dropped because of pay demands is an unlikely scenario - it would be the first case I've heard of.
One for you - albeit from fifteen years ago.
The original guy/actor from the Flight Centre advertisements appeared in those for a number of years and very clearly considered himself nigh on entirely responsible for the success of the brand, and therefore indispensable. He angled for a reported multiple of his fee, thought Flight Centre were over some sort of a barrel, and was promptly sacked. Replaced by two real pilots, since. Media/comedians had some fun in his ripple wake and he deserved it.
ProbablyAlmost certainly the most important question in this thread is whether or not you have worked with the girl from Trivago ads? She maybe is intrinsic to the success of that brand and all over the tele and on billboards in the UK at the moment. Maybe she'll become as popular as Cate and Nicole off the back of it? Stranger things have happened in showbiz. Hang in there.
Bonus question - not about Olivia Colman, mentioned earlier, even though she does have a cute-mischief thing going on and can act.
Have you ever seen a more grumpy and menacing avatar than Batboy's? I certainly can confirm that the menace is real, as I very scarily recall him trying to turn me into a binge-watching serial killer at one point. Who does that? Terrible.
Be careful. (If you see this, you be careful too, bluesky.. ;-)
IndianaBargainHunter, practise this expression in the mirror, every morning.
It's a far better default and will give you range. It may reduce your chances of being cast in horror films, though. Swings and roundabouts.
From comment by you, further down..
Can't sing or dance well enough for…
:o Oink!! Go method on these moves to at least increase your chance of being cast in any reboot of Babe!
An engaging and thoughtful AMA.
Well done and best of luck.
@Dne: Hello hello, thanks for your contribution and kind comments.
Lordy, I've not seen that Flight Centre ad in forever! I had not heard about that, and it is indeed, the first case I have heard of. Oh dear. :/
I have not worked with the woman in the Trivago ads, which incidentally also screen in the UK. I certainly hope she was well compensated for them.
Thanks for the expression advice. This is my go to Those all important animal studies in drama school really pay off.
@Dne: Haha, I am already binge-watching sometimes. Too much good stuff, too little time I say. And that cute smiling alpaca, makes my day! :-)
@bluesky: G'day
Evening, bluesky.
I hope that you're well.
Very serious cuteness overload with that little alpaca, I'm glad that you enjoyed. Piglet a close second with that Oink!! at the end!
Number 19 from peacockspiderman fellow on Youtube, nowhere to be seen, as yet.
There was an announcement about the discovery of seven more species a little while back, so maybe in due course, some more risky courting videos…
Dance-performance chops by those little critters almost certainly warrant an AMA all of their own!
Take care.
:-)
@Dne: Hi Dne! Great to hear from you, I did not instantly recognise your new persona. I am very well, and trust you are likewise.
Can’t believe they keep finding more species of these beautiful spiders. Glad Australia has such rich biodiversity. Just hope they don’t disappear before even being found, due to human encroachment.
Especially enjoyed this clip in your link. Just a thought: maybe they should use these to cure anachnophobia. I mean it is hard to fear these creatures, when they look so beautiful, vibrant and dancing around, right? :-)
Talking about cuteness overload, recently I watched clips on dogs-babies interactions (e.g. this), and they are off-the-chart cute.
Hey thanks for keeping me updated on the peacock spider front, I enjoyed the clips tremendously and the sense of wonder they bring.
You please take care too. Cheers :-)
Have you been touched by Harvey Weinstein?
There is a lawyer below who can help.
How do you compare your acting with Penny, the girl from the Cheesecake Factory?
Ahahaha!!
On a par. :) I get killed in horror films very often.
So your not the young white girl then? :P
Ah, so you take after the Sean Bean school of acting? :D
Accurate in many ways. :)
Thanks for sharing OP
Thanks for reading. :)
How would a lawyer who's always dreamt to be involved in your industry best make the jump to your field?
Sexualy harass people.
Start taking classes. Research classes in the city close to you, find out which is reputable.
Emphasis on reputable.
Would it be worth trying to find a role in administration, law etc. in a reputable organisation in the field in the meantime? If so, could you please suggest a list of organisations?
I'm not sure I understand the question, sorry. What do you mean? With a view to doing what?
@IndianaBargainHunter: sorry, it was really a two part question. To clarify: would finding a job in the industry now help build the right networks? If so, which companies/roles could use the skills that an ex-lawyer would bring to the table?
@imprvn: No, not necessarily. For instance, working in the box office of a theatre or as an usher doesn't guarantee you are going to get any closer to being cast in something that's on at that venue. Sure it can happen, but it's not likely.
how famous are you on a scale of 1-10 ?