WIL WHEATON dot NET: Where is my mind?: up the junction

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March 02, 2005

up the junction

I just got home from ACME rehearsal. It takes me at least an hour to unwind, and my favorite way to do that is to grab a Stone Pale Ale, let Sketch hop up into my lap, and check out my friend's blogs.

I just discovered that my friend Shane has a positively brilliant entry at his equally brilliant blog. It's about an audition he just had.

Shane says:

"I had an audition today.

Normally, that statement wouldn't mean very much because normally, I am an actor.

Today, however, I had my first audition since August.

On the business side, we who act all know that we're going to miss more than we hit. If we were baseball players, most of us would be batting .095, and we'd be thrilled. I've had about six auditions in the last twelve months, and I think four of them have come in the last eight weeks. It's not a big deal, because I'm currently able to support my family by writing, and I get to act once a week at ACME. Like Shane, I've found other priorities in my life . . . but there's this thing in my brain that demands I get on a stage and perform for people. If you're a creative person, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If you've ever gotten paid for it, you know how good that feels, too.

Shane's been working as a Supervising Producer on a show for several months, so he hasn't put on his Actor's Shoes in a long time. I could really relate to his story, because I've been wearing my Writer's Shoes for at least a year. Even when I did CSI, I had a hard time focusing on the acting . . . there were a ton of great stories going on all around me, and I wanted to tell them all.

One more excerpt from Shane, and then you'll have to go hit his blog to read the rest:

I showed up at CBS Radford about a half an hour early and read through it a few more times in my car. The audition was at 3:30. At 3:15, I walked over to Bungalow 15. Walking through the lot felt strange. I felt like an interloper, certain that everyone who saw me could tell that I didn't belong there...at least, not in THAT capacity. I had to remind myself that I've been an actor for 15 years and a producer for only 8 months. This should feel natural. I entered the Bungalow and looked for the sign-in sheet.

"I don't have one," the assistant behind the desk said with a smile.

"Was I that obvious?" I asked her.

"You had that look in your eye," she said with another smile. She brought over some water, as if pre-emptively answering the typical actor's next question and I smiled.

"Are you trying to stay one question in front of us?" I asked her.

She laughed: "Uh-huh. Also, the bathroom is down the hall and to the right."

It felt good to be back in this world. Actors are often looked down upon here as a necessary evil, but I had forgotten how much I enjoy filling those shoes.

As an actor, I can so relate to Shane's story. I've been in that room at least a thousand times. I bet that it's got drab grey carpet, particle-board furniture, and the ever-present copy machine whirr Ka-chunk!-ing its way through hundreds of script pages. As a writer, I totally admire his ability to put into words some of the things we actors go through when we do that thing we do.

Please visit Shane's site and read Old Shoes Fill Easy.

Posted by wil at March 2, 2005 01:12 AM

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Comments

Wow. First one in? Killer \m/

Anywho, after reading Shane's entry, and recounting the many times I've read your entries about auditions, I feel like I'm starting to understand the entertainment world a little more, and starting to feel less like a loser than I have in the past.

Being a musician, we have somewhat similar "problems" when it comes to getting ourselves going. Whereas you guys have "not getting the job," we have "not finding the sound" or "not finding the audience" for our tunes. For the last two years, I was frontman for a project (pops) that fused classic rock with harder edged metal. Internal problems were probably the majority of the reason I left, but another big factor was the fact that, despite our music's coolness (at least to us), we couldn't find ourselves gigs, or an audience.

The problem rests with a few factors: 1) We didn't have an established name. Which brings up problem 2) Without gigs, we couldn't establish said name. Then there's 3) The popularity of Rap/Hip-Hop and people's unwillingness to listen to anything that isn't by Jay-Z or whatever other flavor-of-the-week rapper is popular during this particular 5 minute period. They feel that you can't dance to hard rock (what?!? since fuckin' when?!?) and will blow off the oppertunity to see live music to go listen to a dime store DJ spin digital recreations of music that is, in itself, purely digital, with some guy talking in rhyme over it about this ho he fucked or how much money he has. And of course, 4) The fact that the music industry is dominated by big-wigs who think they know what music people want to hear, and subsequently pass over real talent for the likes of Pop-Punk wannabes and the Simpson sisters.

We're kindred, actors and musicians. Reading you for the past three years, as well as discovering Shane and many other blogging actors, has brought some comfort to my end of the performing arts spectrum. No matter what, we keep plugging away at what we love, despite any failures or lack of real successes.

Looking forward to "Compulsion" next week. It'll be awesome to see you on Network TV again...

Posted by: Eric in PA

at March 2, 2005 01:50 AM

hey wil,
i love shane's blog! i have this set routine that i do everytime in on t'internet...i check my e mails, then i come here, then i go to shane's site! tee hee. it was soo cool over last summer, i managed to get in touch with one of my college teachers from Keene, (where i was on exchange) through shane's site!
anyway...that is a great story, i was right there with him in that room!

hope you are well wil,
take care
rach

Posted by: rach

at March 2, 2005 02:14 AM

I had an utterly out-of-the-blue mental response to the "old shoes fill easy" blog entry title (not the entry itself, which I haven't read, but just the title).

I hear Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron in _Transformers: The Movie_ saying "Would anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?", one of the very nifty moments in that film.

Shows where my mind is...or something...

Posted by: Craig Steffen

at March 2, 2005 04:25 AM

Once an office I worked at got a makeover and, being a small computer software shop, we thought everyone could give their opinion on the new carpet. Let me tell you, dark grey is one of the few decent choices available in industrial carpeting. Dog's breakfast, fruit salad and various green/lavender patterns are much worse. I guess its cheap but that's all you can say!

Harry

Posted by: Harry

at March 2, 2005 07:12 AM

One of my uncles used to do commercial work (training videos and such). He said that he would get 1 job out of 27 auditions and claimed that was pretty typical for others.

Posted by: Alan

at March 2, 2005 07:36 AM

Stone Pale Ale? Rock. \m/

I love all their stuff, except maybe the Levitation Ale. Unfortunately, we can only get Stone IPA and Arrogant Bastard here in Texas. I've got a sister in San Diego though. Whenever anyone in my family heads out there or she comes here, I'm always begging for some Ruination or Pale Ale. I'm also trying to keep up with the Vertical Epic. Only two months to go til the next release!

I'll be sure and raise an IPA while watching CSI next week.

Posted by: ttrentham

at March 2, 2005 07:39 AM

I'm a NY based actor (commercials, voice-over, animation mostly)

I, too, enjoy reading about Wil's and Shane's audition adventures. But that enjoyment is sometimes masochistic. Being a working actor is a life of mostly tedium and boredom.

I get the same feeling when watching "Unscripted." I know it's not a "real" reality show, but the scenarios are certainly based on the tribulations we oftentimes endure in the trenches.

(sigh)

Fortunately, the merciless Gods usually step in just as frustration starts to take hold... your agent calls: "You booked."

Ok, I'm stressed out now.

I'm reading for a bunch of characters in an animated Disney feature today... wish me luck.

/Nauseas in NY

Posted by: AJ

at March 2, 2005 08:55 AM

Baseball has the Mendoza line. What would it be for actors? Gary Busey? Clint Howard? Cliff Robertson?

Posted by: fred

at March 2, 2005 09:05 AM

I always wanted to bean Actor (big A). Arguably, I AM an actor (little a). I'm one of those creative type people. I do get to stand up before a small audience and perform.
You see, I'm a corporate instructor. Some similarities but many differences, right?
I don't have to audition to become the instructor of a course. I get it assigned to me. Right now I'm instructing an accounting class even though I failed accounting twice earlier in my life. (Luckily, I have an expert in the room to cover the really important stuff.)
So my job, right now, is to keep the learners entertained while making sure the class stays on track. Not as easy as it sounds.
I have to be "on" at all times, pushing the company's culture and policies (by never acting outside of what is acceptible. (I am held up as an example)).
It can be utterly exhausting. Day after day after day.
And next week, I have one week to learn the next course I know nothing about so I can instruct a whole new group of corporate folks how to do something I'm not even familiar with, today.

And I love every confusing and frustrating minute of it.

Posted by: Mr. Lizard

at March 2, 2005 09:53 AM

Ummm, thanks Wil.... I am now ADDICTED to Shane's blog..... He's addicted to LOST! What can I say?
And this would be a good time to point out that you have to read his entry about Javier.. it's from the Feb 27th entry.... I wanted to tell you to read JAvi's blog yourself (as I think you would like what he has to say..), especially the one after the entry Shane blogged about. It really made me think... and cry.
*shrug*
Have a good day!

Posted by: Jeannette311

at March 2, 2005 12:46 PM

I'm not an actor, so I don't feel qualified to comment on that.

But I did just finish 2 slices of pizza for lunch and then read the words "Pale Ale" and that set my mouth to watering all over again!

If you're ever up in the Mendocino coast area, I'll treat you to some Scrimshaw or Old Rasputin at the North Coast Brewing Co. You can probably get that near you, but there is just something special about drinking it in the place where they make it.

Or maybe it's just the damn amazing coastline up there!

Posted by: Smiling Jack

at March 2, 2005 01:33 PM

Oh God how I love the Stone Brewery! When I lived in San Diego, I used to nourish my aching bones or weary head with their infamous Arrogant Bastard ale. The description on the back of the bottle is worth the price alone. Then they released the Double Bastard. Wow. One of those with a breakfast burrito from your local Mexican hole-in-the-wall burrito shack, and you're in paradise.

Well, I was anyways.
js

Posted by: Jshugars

at March 2, 2005 03:56 PM

I've really enjoyed reading both your, and now Shane's, comments on the audition process in LA. It's been very enlightening, particularly since I am working to cobble together a career that has me on both sides of the audition table. I live in New York and have been brought in several times for a popular series, but never actually cast. Bypassing that first pre-read (thanks to a recommendation from one of the show's staffers) was a huge thrill, but that's beginning to fade as they still have yet to use me.

My last audition was for a single line and, ironically, was the worst audition I have given. Possibly EVER. I was amazed at how much more difficult it felt to make a simple stand-alone statement than it normally feels to get involved in longer scenes. While I hope that my having been "off" that day won't dampen the casting office's enthusiasm for me, I have been engaging in that futile post-audition excercise of analyzing EVERYTHING that happened in the room. Ah well.

Until my TV moment arrives, I'll stay busy producing and performing whenever possible (yay for making one's own work). Also, I'll happily continue to cheer on the successes of my friends, colleagues, and role-models. A few of my friends are having great sucess right now, so between their projects and waiting to see your ep of CSI on March 10th, I have a lot to cheer for.

Posted by: uberlibra

at March 3, 2005 10:15 AM

up the junction. thanks for getting squeeze stuck in my head...

Posted by: marie

at March 4, 2005 10:21 AM