I Hear Crickets...

For a while I thought maybe it was just me. Then I spoke to other 'usually-working' actors and heard that auditions are few and far between for then too, One of my agents sent out an email to all clients saying "Yes, it's slow..."

I haven't been a WORKING actor long enough to have experienced one of these lulls before, but I figured it would show up sooner or later. Summer usually signals a slowdown anyway, but I can't imagine that a pending SAG strike helps matters any.

I did have an audition today - for "Monk". It shoots during a time when I am planning to be out of town (I did book out, but my agent accidentally overlooked it), but I decided to audition because A.) I figured it would give me a chance to audition for Casting Director Corbin Bronson, B.) I LOVE "Monk", and C.) If I book it, I can rearrange my plans. Win-win.

I found out about this audition last night at about 7:15PM. I was getting ready to take a nap because I had plans to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" at midnight, and, however exciting, I didn't think I'd make it through the movie without falling asleep. So I went over the sides a bit, made some phone calls to rearrange some things that were on my schedule for today, took a nap, got up, ran my (one) line again until I knew it, and went to the movie. The movie was good. Not great, but entertaining summery fare. I was surprised at the number of people who showed up wearing brown fedoras and bomber jackets. Some dude showed up looking scary in a black wig and some white horn-looking things sticking out of his head. I was standing there wondering "What in the Rocky Horror hell?", but my friend told me he was dressed as a character in a previous Indiana Jones movie. Oh. I guess it's alright then. Sheesh.

I got home a little after 3AM, chose my clothes for the audition, went over the script again, decided what I was going to do, and went to bed. I went in and auditioned today, and I was pressuring myself to 'make it count', focusing so much so that I forgot to say "hello" to the CD when he called me in! How rude is that? Actually he read my name as "Nicholas" on the sign-in sheet, I knew I was next, so I said "Nicole?" He looked again and said "Yes, come on in." Then introduced himself. I was looking around the room, trying to get my bearings, and by the time I realized that he had introduced himself, it was too late to say "Hello." I felt like an idiot, and the first time I went through it, I stumbled a bit. Um, it's ONE LINE, Nicole. HELLO!!! Luckily for me he redirected me, I did it again, and it went fine.

We'll see.

Gotta learn lines for the two shorts I'm shooting this weekend. I guess that means I'm still a working actress, but I need to be a getting-paid actress as well.

Crazy business.

--Nicole