That's what I'm focusing on in both my approach to auditioning and my career. In terms of auditioning, I think it has less to do with shock appeal or outrageousness and more to do with allowing my unique perspective and maybe even personal quirks to shine through the text. I'm also using my actor's instinct to make interesting and coherent choices.
In terms of career, I hope boldness manifests itself as a sort of fearlessness. Maybe "fearlessness" isn't exactly the right word, because for me, fear can be a helpful emotion if managed properly. Maybe a better word would be "courage" or what my grandma would call "nerve." I aspire to have the nerve to encounter my fears, to occupy my space, and even to perpetually jump off the ledge when I'm not sure of the outcome.
Next week I start rehearsals for "As You Like It" at the Shakespeare Center of L.A. It's being directed by the great Kenn Sabberton, and I'm really excited about exploring and playing during rehearsal. The audition process for this show was fantastic. The director took the time to really look into us as actors. I got a chance to play with a couple different ladies, and I even got a window into his process as a director. I'll be playing the dual role of Silvius/Charles, which should be a lot of fun. My last encounter with Shakespeare was really serious and experimental. I'm sure this will be a very different kind of experience.
Otherwise, I'm still auditioning a lot: commercials (a lot of these lately), film (shooting one later in the summer; otherwise nothing too crazy happening), theater (notably a really exciting stage adaptation of one of my favorite novels, written by -- hint, hint -- Ralph Ellison. Fingers crossed that we'll be talking more about this in columns to come).
I've also been talking to my manager and searching for a voiceover agent, which is easier said than done. I haven't covered much ground in terms of actually securing voiceover representation. But I will be going in to record an audio-book demo at Deyan Audio and hopefully will be recording with Deyan periodically.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the summer plays out, especially after mid-July, when network television starts shooting again. In the meantime I'm enjoying being in L.A. and wrestling with the work I have in front of me.
