Actor Growth

So I got the preliminary call time tomorrow for the movie Wolverine and it is tentatively slated for 6:30am. This one is going to be a doozie it seems as call times that early usually means one incredibly long day. There is a possibility that the time will start later though as apparently they are still shooting right now.

I’m not too far from the studio location though, so even if it lasts all night at least I can et some rest fairly quickly right after the shoot. Judging by the time announcements too, there is going to be multiple units shooting on the same day.

Today some friends asked me what kind of famous people I have met on set that they would recognize as I suppose just the thought of knowing someone who has seen/worked with a celebrity tickles their minds I guess. As usual too, I get asked if I ever take pictures with them, any autographs, etc.

For myself, I have always viewed celebrities and people who work in movies as simply normal people. Example, here in Vancouver I must have seen people like Robin Williams, he is a big video game fan it seems btw, a ton of times and spoke to him casually. The person I talked to the most before was Bill Campbell and it’s interesting to hear his view about the acting profession. Funny thing is too for these examples I met them off set as oppose to on set.

Usually when you are on set that means work time too. Just like most other jobs, if people click together for whatever reason outside of work then they will hang around each other. It just becomes like a normal routine afterwards where the “awe factor” kind of goes away. It’s similar to how say one country might think this certain food item is so exotic whereas another country would have an abundance of it.

Although, I must say it is fun to show things to people who would not normally get the opportunity to see the things I do.

So yesterday while going to the Vancouver Film Studios I was mingling around with some of the production people and other performers as that is usually what you do to kill time. As you all know, one thing on my mind this year was an agency change and so I casually talked to people about their opinions about various agencies.

I can tell you I was so surprised at some of the answers that I heard. While I can’t reveal the information I was told, it was so crazy to hear the opinions about various agencies as us as the performers hear one thing based on our experiences. As you may expect, the reputation for some agencies was the other way around when the name was mentioned to the people that were working on the production either in the form of casting or management.

It just makes it so much more confusing. That is usually expected though as when it comes to representation sometimes you have people on an agency’s roster that has the best experience ever while others would say they are the worst. In the end the only real way to find out is to say join them and to see for yourself. It’s really tough too as you don’t really want to waste your time in joining a place that does nothing for you or is limiting your opportunities because they have say a bad relationship with casting directors.

I went to the Vancouver Film Studios today as planned and this has been the most disoriented experience for me so far as I had no clue what production I was going to. The only information that was given to me was the type of person I am suppose to be on screen and the studio location.

The security at the front was a little hesitant at first too as usually they ask you what show you are suppose to be working on since they just don’t want anyone walking in to these places. I did bump into a nice lady though who I figured was working on the same show I was since she was Asian too considering my part was ethnic specific. Turns out we were both a both lost, however she knew ahead of time that the production was for the upcoming movie Wolverine.

Eventually, we did find the building okay. Today was just the fitting though and so we didn’t do much other than have the wardrobe people check us out and prepare for the Tuesday shoot. I did get to talk to people though and learned some very interesting things which unfortunately I can’t talk about.

I personally haven’t kept updated on the production of the movie, but as I was looking at the cast list I saw the character “Gambit” and was like “What?”. That was cool I thought since the character is pretty popular in the comic book. Although, if I’m not mistaken this movie should be a prequel of sorts and it’s kind of funny to see him here but not in the other X-Men movies.

After that short day, I was off and just need to wait for my details for the Tuesday shoot.

So I got booked for a fitting tomorrow which means I must be needed for something very specific. A fitting is basically just a day that you go on a production and the wardrobe simply checks you out to fully prepare you for the day of the actual shoot. Example, like in that Farewell Atlantis movie a lot of people needed military costumes with props and so the production needs to make sure everyone is good to go right on the day of shooting as it can take awhile.

The only strange thing is I have no idea what show or movie this is for as usually I would at least get some kind of notification of it beforehand. All I know is that it will take place at the Vancouver Film Studios.

So I was watching American Idol recently and like everyone else I think one of the more entertaining aspects of the show is the auditions. While I have no intentions of being a singer personally, the show does remind me a lot about the film industry in general and what auditions can be like for an actor.

At the same time, what it made me think of too is all the people that appeared in the show that don’t really have good singing skills, such as that William Hung Guy way back, yet they tend to be successful still. That should make you think as an actor too. In the end it is just about entertaining people as oppose to being so uptight about showing that you are this great actor and your personality plays a huge role too.

Obviously we all want to try our best to portray believability, but remembering that it is all about connecting with your audience can sure change your perspective. If you are this real thick headed actor for example that thinks you are way above everyone else, people will likely be more critical of you and your performance. However, being genuine is something many people can relate to.

Thinking about it, do you think that William Hung guy would have gotten all that attention if he was a super arrogant person? I would think not.