Action! My accidental/almost acting debut.

So, here's the story: I wanted the lead role in Sweet Thing's new video for their first single, Dance Mother (due out at the end of this month, by the way!!). The guys would never go for it, even though Alex had faith in me. Bless his little heart. But when the director decided to hold auditions, we both knew that it was the only way I'd have a chance to convince such a skeptical audience. By auditioning anonymously, I'd have no advantage (or disadvantage in this case) over anyone else. 

Although the director was only auditioning "real" actors, Alex gave me the details anyway, and I threw myself in the mix. I knew enough to come armed with a headshot and an acting resume. Since I didn't have either, I spent last Saturday attempting a self-portrait and scratching through my history to piece together a very pathetic list of my "acting" experience. The result was the photo below and a measly "resume" containing creatively worded credits to quasi-acting roles (Vivek's video and my Much Music gig being the meat of it).

I arrived on Monday at the studio, leaving out the wife part and just said that I "knew" the band and that they suggested I come out. I was honest about my limited acting background, but hoped my confidence, enthusiasm and personality would sell me. I was asked to perform some possible scenes for the video. OK, acting is not easy. Especially prop-less. Driving a car without an actual car? More difficult than it sounds. But I felt decent chemistry with the director, and didn't think I totally tanked it. Based on the girls I saw in the waiting room (actual actors with real headshots not printed on their home inkjet), I thought that, physically, I measured up, but I was still on the fence about my acting chops. I told Alex I felt 50/50.

 [unflattering screen shots from my audition ]

We painstakingly waited for the emails to come in that evening. Chris was sending his top 3 picks that very same night. The first email - their number one pick - was not me, but an actor friend of Morgan. However, I turned up as #3! The director and producer clearly favoured the #1 pick and the guys went with her, trusting their choice. 

So I didn't get the role, but ending up #3 out of at least 6 or 8 girls who auditioned, was a pretty huge victory. I beat out at least 3 other "real" actors. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I mentioned in my last blog on the subject, that the results were semi-catastrophic despite my mini victory. Turns out, I was wrong. That night, no one responded to the email that came through with huge pictures of me as #3 pick. We assumed that they were totally weirded out, or mad that we had schemed behind their backs. There was not so much as a peep from a single one of them. I started to let my Yoko complex (whether real or imagined) overcome me again, and I felt quite stupid about the whole thing.

Wednesday though (the day of the shoot), Alex had a chance to feel them out, and it turns out that while they found the whole thing amusing, they were impressed that I had done it, and came out as a top choice. Perhaps I earned a little extra respect in the end? Who knows, really? Either way, I'm relieved that it didn't alienate me even more.

The winning candidate, Kendal Carson, turned out to be quite good, according to Alex, and from the pics I saw, she pulled off quite a decent evil-ex meets gladiator-goddess. The video should be released in mid-March and I am oh-so excited for it.

 

 

[nothing but green screen: Kendal as the heroine; the car chase ]

 

Alex thinks that their next video, which will likely coincide with the release of their second single (maybe Change of Seasons?), should have more of a party feel and may involve more roles or at least some extras. Video stardom, here I come! ;)