And.. here we go!

Since my last post, a lot of things have happened and have changed, mainly, my attitude towards my acting career. 

I left my job at the gym, I have enlisted the help of a personal trainer and have plans to move to London at the end of February! 

Yup, a lot has changed! This year, I plan on living life to the fullest, only exuding positive energy and hopefully attracting the same! I already have an audition lined up for a theatre show here in Ireland and after that, I just need to finish my training with my trainer and then head out to London to really immerse myself in the industry over there! 

So yes, this poses a good bit of obstacles, but nothing I cannot overcome! Firstly, personal training does cost money, and since I just left my job, I have to rely on savings to cover it. But I figure, in this industry, a good, fit and toned body is essential, because I don't want my body to be just another reason casting directors will say 'next!'... mmm.. So I think of it, as an investment for my career, just as a good headshot is! 

Now, moving to London poses more obstacles, but I have family to stay with for a little while, and from there I will try and get myself accustomed to the theatre and film industry in the UK. Becoming a member of British Equity and Spotlight is a must! And then of course I will be heading in and out to as many workshops as possible and to as many theatre shows as possible, and just network!! Woo!  

Just positive energy for this year folks! That's all I'm focussing on! Getting my body and mind in check so that I can be 'available for life to happen to me' (Bill Murray)

So that's really it folks! I'm doing it! Throwing caution to the wind and just going for it! Anyone else having the same feelings for this year? Or even any advice for London? 

Much appreciated! 

Thanks for reading! 

Peach Out! 

xx

Advice and Inspiration

I feel a lot of the time, being an actor is extremely difficult. Often we end up in jobs we don't love doing and in time, our performance skills go unpracticed and forgotten. So, here's the advice: stay true to yourself. If performing is something you want to do professionally and it truly is your passion, then stay true to yourself and do what you love to do. Practice all the time! Practice in the mirror, practice to a camera, read plays and watch movies and learn from other actors! Stay faithful and disciplined to your passion and one day you will succeed. Also, don't ever take on a job you're not passionate about, and I'm not talking about the receptionist job, or the waitressing job, because, even though we're actors, we do need to eat, and sometimes there just isn't enough work to guarantee food on the table. No, what I'm talking about is, is the small performance jobs like Halloween gigs, or christmas gigs that you think 'oh well, it's performance and at least I'm acting'. My advice is, if you're not passionate about performing in the show, then don't do it, because you'll start to dread it, and it'll start feeling negative, and really when it comes to performing, nothing should be a negative!

So, in keeping with the upbeat mood of the post and the advice, I find the easiest way to stay passionate is to be inspired! I love going to the cinema and I'll go whenever I have the money to go, and while I'm sitting in the theatre, I honestly do think to myself 'one day, you will be on the screen'. And it's just a little positive thought to myself. I know it's a long way off but it helps me believe it really is achievable.

Also, watch movies starring your favourite actors, this is another great way I become inspired. I love to watch Angelina Jolie, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Jennifer Lawrence and Idris Elba. These are the actors I'm seriously addicted to watching in films, and on TV. I just feel so inspired by their styles and feel I can learn a lot from just watching them!

I also recommend visual aids when it comes to trying to stay positive and disciplined in your field, so for example, putting up film posters of your favourite movies, or cut out pictures of your favourite actors. These visual aids help me feel positive and stay focused on what it is I am trying to achieve.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful evening! Thank you for your support and thank you for reading!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Best

Pagan

England!!!

Hi all, so I know I haven't posted in such a long long time, but here is a brand new update!

Other than some extra work, I haven't been on the acting scene very much! I have been involved with a few performances over Halloween and now during the Christmas period with the National Leprechaun Museum here in Dublin. The shows are interactive and just general good craic so it's been a lovely little creative outlet, rather than just standing at the reception desk! 

But in other news, I have decided to move to London for quite a short period of about 3-6 months in January! And let me tell you, I'm terribly excited!! I cannot wait to get over there and to meet the amazing acting community that I've heard such great things about! 

So essentially I'll be spending time with my grandmother and my family in Crawley and then heading in and out of the city to explore audition workshops, meeting at spotlight and what nots! And hopefully I'll land a few auditions and get seen by some great Casting Directors and all that jazz! Now I know it's not gonna be all rainbows and sunshine, and it'll be super hard, because lets face it the pond is bigger, and there's a whole lot more fish! Yikes! The competition is fierce in London but I've heard great things about the support from the acting community over there and I have high hopes (although cautious, I'm thinking positive!)

Also, in case anyone was looking for me, I have a youtube channel that I will be uploading weekly videos to, hopefully all monologues but I'm sure I'll ramble off at one stage and start to talk a bit more about Acting life. 

you can find me here: https://www.youtube.com/user/appeleyes

and I currently have a beauty based blog and vlog too:
Blog: whimsyofme.wordpress.com
Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxoQkIb_lm4HNjNbFSDO0Ew

Thanks so much for checking it all out guys! if you like what I do, please like and subscribe!

Also what are your thoughts about London? I am also very interested in the acting scene in Brighton, does anyone know anything about that?

Thanks for your support!

Peach Out!
xxxx

This is tough

So recently, I've been in contact with other actors from the same agency and it seems like they're getting more opportunities than I am? Is that really true? Does my agent have something against me? Do I have some kind of really unique look that rules me out of a lot of things?

The answers are complicated! Everyone has their own look and will suit certain types of projects. And every agent works for as many as they can, while not forgetting the littler people who are just starting out! And everyone gets different opportunities, and maybe it's important to not focus on what others are achieving or what auditions they're going to, because chances are, you were probably put up for it, and the casting director chose not to see you! Sigh...

This business is so friggen tough! I think it's important to not get bogged down on the negative, even when there is very little positives right now! A friend of mine once said, 'you will definitely make it in this industry if you stick with it, because many will give up along the way and you'll be the only one standing'.

I've thought a lot about that statement, and I really think that could be true! And so I want to stick it! I want to be in it for the long haul, but again, that's kinda difficult if you have nothing going for you right now.

So, here's what I plan to do. I'm going to be positive! I'm going to follow Nick Dunnings advice on peak-performance for actors ( http://www.peak-performance-for-actors.com ) and focus on the positive and remove all of the negative 'can'ts' and 'won'ts' and 'it will nevers' from my vocabulary and just keep moving on. I am going to practice. To volunteer for any and every work that I possibly can! I am going to hound directors and casting directors and hopefully find someone somewhere will be willing to give me a chance!

So let's do this guys! Let's all take a moment to promise ourselves to stick it to the end! And to do it for the love of it! And hopefully one day soon, maybe we will even get paid for it!

Keep the faith!

Peach out! xxxx

What happens at Open Auditions?

So I thought I'd do this post as I've been to a few open auditions and thought I'd share my thoughts and insights with you on what happens and what to expect.
( I apologise for the poor state in which this blog is written by the way, since I'm extremely tired but thought this is probably a necessary topic for you all to read!)

I have attended 4 open casting auditions in my life time, 2 in London and 2 in Ireland. In London I attended the open casting for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. And also for Lavender Brown for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. So lets discuss these two first.

So, Harry Potter certainly attracts attention, and both auditions went very similarly. Firstly, there is a lot of waiting involved. Approximately I waited for about 4-5 hours to be seen in each audition. And they were both the same, you end up in a room, where you are asked to fill in a form, they take a polaroid photo and attach it. Once that is completed they call you into a different room in groups. In this room, you stand in a semi-circle and essentially get crossed of their list by appearance. They say to certain people 'please step forward' and then those who have not been asked to do so, can leave and thank you for your time.

So that was a waste really... but not entirely. In the Lavender Brown audition I was sent straight home. In the Luna Lovegood audition, I was asked to step forward... so this is what happens should this happen to you!

I was taken to a room with a few other girls inside, and was given a page of the script to read over, and then once I was ready I could go and read it to a person with a camera. If you've seen the film, the scene you were asked to read is the one in which Luna is petting and feeding the Thestral and talking about how her mother died. So that was an interesting experience!

After all that I learned from the newspapers that I was one in 500 that were asked to read from the script so I guess that was a little achievement in itself.. but really these auditions are all based on looks.

Ok so lets move on to the next two auditions I attended here in Ireland...

Star Wars.. if you lived in Ireland and you are in any way interested in acting, you most likely attended these auditions or sent in a tape! So this was a great experience! Again, a lot of waiting, about 6 hours maybe.. in total.. I think I was there at 6am and got seen at around 12 or 1...

This audition was very different from the Harry Potter ones I had attended before. They asked you to bring a headshot, on which I wrote my agent's contact and my own contact on the back. I also included my height, hair and eye colour. And this is essentially how they judged you. Yet again people, these auditions are primarily Superficial auditions!!

I was asked had I any acting experience, and she recognised that I had a good quality, professional photo and she recognised my agent... and this is how I got through to the next round. If you didn't have either the looks, the experience or the correct kind of photo, they were more likely to dismiss you straight away, and your photo was put into a large storage container on your way out.

In the next round I was introduced to a casting director and had a small discussion about myself, my experience, and what I had attended for... And I must have impressed them, as I got a 'side' (that is a small section of script to read) and an arm band, and was told to come back at 5pm... WOOHOO! I got through! I was over the moon!

Anyway, round 3, you attended an audition, in a room where another audition was already going ahead at the same time. The room was quite large though and so their audition didn't affect yours at all.. except mentally... Anyway, you were asked to introduce yourself on camera and then read opposite the casting assistant. Also, you were standing, not sitting...
Anyway, what can you do but wait, and sadly, nothing came of it! But at least I had auditioned. I had met a new casting director and had the opportunity to perform, so all in all, I thought my day was pretty successful!

The most recent open audition I have attended was for 'Red Rock', a new soap opera currently under pre-production here in Ireland. So, the waiting was much less for this, as I arrived at 7am and expected a group of over 100 people to be there already, since the auditions started at 10am... there were 50 people ahead of me. Over all between the time I arrived, and the time I left (11am), I think there were about 200 people who were there, most of which had already been seen. But I believe more people came out after 11am.

In this audition, you were asked to prepare a monologue of no longer than 1 minute long, of which the character needed to be the same age and 'type' as yourself. And this, is incredibly difficult if you're in your twenties and a female... It also needed to be from a film or tv series. I chose a scene by Lexi Grey in Grey's Anatomy in which she discusses how her father is an alcoholic.
At the top of the queue, you were asked to fill in a form, and they filled a piece of paper for you to hold up for the camera. The information on this form was your name, mobile number, age and contact email.

There were 5 rooms in which were one casting director each and a camera. You entered, Said your name to camera and answered a small question about your monologue, and held your information sheet up in front of camera.

Once it was over, that was it. Done and dusted. So overall, my experience with these open auditions is that the wait is incredibly long, for little less than 5 minutes in a room to prove yourself...

These auditions are mostly superficial and everything about you can factor or alter your fate.. you're too small, you're too blonde, etc..

But these auditions are fun! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people, and the people in the queue are amazing! And we're all there for the same reason, there isn't much of a 'competition' atmosphere because it is mostly superficial.

So if you go, have fun! You could bring a book or headphones but you'll find that talking to people in the queue is a way more effective way to pass time! Bring food, and also always bring your headshot just in case, some productions take them, some do not. But better safe than sorry.

Don't be put off by the amount of people there, if you're going... Have fun! Just go with it and enjoy the experience!

Again, I'm so sorry about the poorly written state of this blog, I'm pretty exhausted! But I thought I might just take the time to express my thoughts on open auditions, so I hope this helps! And now there is nothing you can do, except to play the waiting game...

So in reference to 'Red Rock', it was so recent that I'm still currently playing that waiting game.... so... I'll let you know :P

Thanks for reading...

Peach Out!!!

Jealousy

So this business is tough...
Ha.. NEWS FLASH!

I know, you already knew that. I'm wondering if anyone reads this blog any more? Hmm. Oh well, It's probably more for myself that I write it now, but you never know!

Anyway, So this business, as previously stated, is tough. You get nowhere, and you get there very feckin quickly. The thing is, when you're in this business you're bound to know someone who is more successful than you, no matter how little the success, you still feel as though a sharp little knife is driven into your heart.

Actually, more accurately, you feel as though you've been marked across the face. Because the ever tormented voice in your head won't let the idea that there is something wrong with you go.

For example, recently there have been actors who have come into my work place and their production has paid for their gym membership. And my little heart breaks each time I get a phone call from production to sign a new member because honestly, I feel I should be the one having my membership paid for.. not the one writing the receipt.

So I've decided again on LA or London. I think there are definitely highs and lows of being an actor, and in the low times I always think 'I need to get out of here'. But many have 'made it' and are successful here too! Such as Domnhall Gleeson, Brendan Gleeson, Cilian Murphy, Liam Neeson and so on...

The pond is smaller here, and there is a lot less competition, and maybe one day when I knock on the same doors too many times maybe they will eventually cast me in something!!

But that's not a guarantee is it? I mean I know the pond is massive (more like an ocean) in LA and in London or New York, but at least there are enough people that could potentially hire you, rather than say, the top 3 casting directors here in ireland would. There are more auditions in these places, more acting classes, more of an acting community (i'm assuming)...

So now I wait..  Come the end of this month, I will have decided if the move to California is realistic and doable.

Sorry, I got a bit side-tracked there... anyway, jealousy.. the title of this blog. I can't help but feel bogged down by other people's success, no matter how little, it's still more successful than anything I got going right now...

Bottom line is, I have to grow up.. and if anyone else is in the same boat then GROW UP! We cannot measure ourselves against someone else because everyone is different. And bottom line is, someone will always be more talented or skinner than you and you will always be forever envious of what they have, instead of trying to move on and enjoy your own life.

So get a grip people! Hakuna Matata and all that!

Peach out.

Cutting Room Floor.....

Yikes....

So.. as you have all probably recently discovered (or not), I've been cut from vikings. Now, I kinda knew this would happen as it was a one line character, and it was basically just repeating what someone else had said a moment before.. Still, it's not the greatest feeling in the world to end up on the chopping block.

Naturally all sorts of negativity scrolled through my head, insecurities and what not. But at the end of the day I think it's important for me to remember, that it's probably not personal. In the meantime I just need to keep trucking on with whatever I'm doing..

So. Here's an update. I think other than auditions from my agent, I'm putting acting on the back-burner for now till I can save some money. I have acquired a job as a part time receptionist in a gym and have decided to work hard, save earn some money and work on my body image. I think this is a healthy way to channel all the acting stress, negativity and paranoia. So I'm eating healthy (which costs a tonne by the way!!) and I'm working to get myself in shape.

Once I've all that completed I'm going to start working on a two-actor piece of theatre and hopefully do it well and travel with it. But as I've said, for now.. it's on the back burner for a while. Perhaps a few short films here and there but lets focus on getting healthy, learning accents, reading plays and screenplays, watching movies and just generally being happy.

So stay happy folks.

Peach out! xx