All Kinds

At the Illinois Lottery callback, I ended up talking to some folks in the waiting area. One guy was from Chicago and he looked like a splitting image of either the King of Queens guy or that other show with a guy who looks like the King of Queens guy.

Anyway, he says that because he's from Chicago, he's kinda hoping it'll help him get the job. I mentioned to him that I once went up for a Washington Lottery job, but even though I'm from Washington, I didn't get the job. But later he explained that there's a certain accent that Chicagoans have that usually people mistake for somewhere else like, say, Queens, New York.

So, he's got a good point. Only thing is, the spot doesn't require us to talk, just mime the action. I'm hoping I mimed the action just as good as any true Chicagoan.

There was this other kid in the waiting area who it turns out was from North Carolina. I had to ask because he had such a thick Southern accent. So after a bit of small talk, this guy goes into deep thought for a while. But it was the kinda "deep" that looks sort of "baked," as in from smoking da kine. Then he starts to talk, almost as if talking to himself, about how he used to go into these callbacks "not wantin' it." I instantly understood what he was referring to. All sorts of actors, including myself, have held the theory that you usually book a job when you act like you don't want it. I looked at the Chicago guy and he sort of shrugs his shoulders. I just smile and let the Southerner keep talking. He says that he booked a couple jobs that way. Then didn't book a job for 4 years.

Yeah, that sounds familiar. So, you go into every audition as if you don't want it. Pretty soon, all these casting directors think, "Man, every time I bring the guy in, he acts like he doesn't want the job. I can't figure out why the guy wants to be an actor." Then they stop bringing you in for certain auditions.

I think this sort of thing happens to a lot of beginners. When I first started out with an agent, I booked my first union gig right away. I didn't know why it happened. I was reading with two very experienced actors at the time. Why the heck did I get it? Was I that good? Probably not. I didn't book another union gig for 2 more years.

It's probably what people call beginner's luck. I've tried not to be superstitious about things, but beginner's luck is something I'm starting to put faith in. Perhaps you've heard of some guy who walks into his very first casino, plunks down a couple of dollars in a slot machine and wins $5,000.

I've got a quirk of my own. If I'm not nervous, that's a bad sign. When I'm too calm, my performances are flat. Right now, I'm listening to upbeat music yet I feel like I need to go to bed. It's barely past 9 pm! Nope. Not a good sign.

One good thing going for me is that I got visitors coming in tomorrow. Two are just passing through and two others are staying a while. The last time that happened, I had a good week.

Oh, I also had a print aud on Saturday as a Japanese businessman.

Geez, am I tired or what?