Peter Jazwinski - Act Now!: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Working Actor

Table of Contents

To Norman Sturgis, Sandra Mayer, and Katherine Jenner,
who showed me the joy of creative expression

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ID like to acknowledge the following people and thank them for their strong support.

My agent, Frank Scatoni, of Venture Literary was the principal player in getting this project done. His guidance and encouragement were instrumental in moving these ideas out of my head and onto the page.

Pete Fornatale, my editor at Random House, did a magnificent job of helping me sort out what was really important and necessary. Pete picked up where Frank left off, and it was a true pleasure to work with both of these fine wordsmiths.

Dorianne Steele at Random House, who guided me through the publishing process with great efficiency and patience. Jennifer OConnor, for designing such a beautiful cover. Laurie McGee, who went through the manuscript and made all the necessary corrections. Your skills are awe-inspiring.

My wife, Cloe, and my daughter, Storm, who are always there.

Last, Id like to thank all those aspiring actors who found me through the Internet and kept asking such excellent and curious questions. Your desire and excitement inspire me every day.

Introduction

IM THE ONE WHO THINKS YOU CAN MAKE IT

I ONLY read book introductions if theyre less than five pages, so Im keeping this short. I dont want to waste your time with a lot of explanations. Instead, I want to help you get started on your quest to become an actor.

If you tell someone you want to be an investment banker, youre met with a smile and well wishes. If you tell someone you want to sell advertising, theyll say, I hear theres great money in advertising. However, if you tell someone that you want to be an actor, youre written off as a dreamer and told to do something more realisticwhatever that means. What if Tom Cruise had decided to do something more realistic?

If youre an unknown actor in Hollywood and you tell someone about your dream, youre usually met with a snicker. Good luck, theyll say sarcastically. Oh, another actor. Where do you wait tables?

The glory of being in the spotlight is as indescribable as it is desirable. Its one of the driving forces behind every actor, whether they admit it or not. Those who dont achieve fame or notoriety can become very jealous and bitter. When they hear that someone else is trying to make it, they vent their frustration by saying, Youll never make it. Be more realistic. What theyre really doing is expressing their own fear of failure.

If you havent encountered this yet in your life, then start telling people that you want to become an actor and youll see what I mean. Come to Hollywood and start telling the waiters, cab drivers, store clerks, and pizza delivery guys that you want to be an actor. Theyll practically laugh in your face.

I know how much courage and determination it takes to try to make it in Hollywood, and thats one of the reasons I wrote this book. Im not a famous actor, but I have a lot of experience that I can share. Ive acted in movies, on TV, and onstage. Ive written plays, films, and books. Ive managed actors and taught classes. I know what it takes and what youre going to have to do if you want to give it a shot.

I once asked an actor whod been in the business for more than twenty years how I could go about becoming an actor. He stammered a bit and giggled slightly before muttering, Well, you dont just become an actor. I mean, uh, theres a lot of stuff. So I asked him again more pointedly if he could give me the general steps. He started a few sentences before finally agreeing that I should... get an agent. I tried one more time to ask if he would recommend any particular path. He cut me off by saying, What kind of a question is that? How do I become anactor?

The fellow with whom I had spoken had been an actor, writer, producer, director, and stagehand in Hollywood and New York for twenty years. Thats the problem many beginning actors face. There is no end to the expert advice about agents, headshots, rsums, and interviews, but nobody has ever put together a comprehensive, step-by-step plan that, if followed, could put an aspiring actor in the best possible position to get an agent and to get acting auditions. Thats what Act Now! does, and anyone who follows the steps faithfully will accomplish just that. I know, because I followed all of the steps in this plan and got auditions, a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card, and a speaking part in a scene with Jim Carrey in his famous film The Mask. It wasnt an accident. It was the direct result of persistently following all of the steps outlined in Act Now!

Before all that happened, though, I was just like you. I wanted to break into acting, but I didnt really know what to do. I had heard about headshots and agents, and I had talked to some people and read some books, but I wasted a lot of time once I moved to Los Angeles because I didnt really have a systematic approach. Oh, and I also got scammed and misled, so if thats ever happened to you, dont feel bad. If it hasnt happened to you, youre lucky, and youre now going to benefit from the mistakes I made when I was trying to figure it all out.

I have worked with actors who have come to me from all over the country with no experience at all. Then three months or a year later, they have an agent and theyre out auditioning instead of sitting at home dreaming. Theyre doing the same thing that every actor who ever made it did. The only difference is that with my help, they dont waste the first five years of their career fumbling around and getting scammed as they try to figure out how to get started.

I want to be that one person in your life who thinks its fantastic that you want to become an actor. I want to be that one person who says that you can make it. I want to be that buoy of hope in a sea of pessimism that you can cling to for truthful advice and honest encouragement. I am not going to infect you with my own fears; instead, Id like to inspire you with my own hope and well wishes.

If you have the courage to follow the steps in this book, then youll have a chance to make it. Hollywood needs new faces every year. Theres no law that says the next new face cant be yours. So the next time you tell someone that you want to be an actor, and they ridicule you, just remember that theres one guy out there who thinks you can make it. Ill not scoff at you. Im absolutely cheering for your success.

WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY TO ADVANCE YOUR ACTING CAREER?

Do you ever ask yourself that question? Think about that for a second. Other than picking up this book, did you do anything else today to advance your acting career? If you have an answer for that today, will you have an answer for that question tomorrow? Heres the first secret about succeeding: The more often you have an answer for that question, the faster youre going to succeed. Write this question down. What did you do today to advance your acting career? The answers to that question will be the most important information you ever learn as an actor.

If you cant answer that question each day or each week because youre lazy, then there isnt a book or coach in the world who can help you. If, however, you cant answer that question because you simply dont know what to do, then youre in luck, because Im going to teach you exactly what you need to do to advance your acting career. It wont matter how old you are, where you live, or how much experience you have. As long as you can follow the steps of this book, youll have a good answer for that question each day, and youll be on your way to becoming an actor.