Day 95. A Mystery Hour Again

May 27, 2011

Today, I had an improv show and a Mystery Hour. It was like old times! The improv show went pretty well, like most other things since I’ve been back, it felt supremely normal. The training I’ve been doing in improv comes from a slightly different perspective, so I could feel that a little bit, but mostly it was fun to be doing it again, I’ve missed doing improv with my longtime friends.

The Mystery Hour went off without a hitch. Just kidding, we were very hitchy and rusty. We had mic problems and music problems, but it was still a good show. In the past, that stuff would have really bugged me, but tonight, I was just happy to be doing it again.

My friend, Catherine, who I met on the plane, that works for Community was my first guest. Then we fooled the audience into thinking a blindfolded man put a mouse in his mouth. My friend, Matt, was the next guest, who had been a guest on the very first show. Then, we did a sketch that wasn’t funny at all. Then we had an amazing band on.

We came home and I interviewed my sister in law’s boyfriend, who I just met, about his intentions with my sister in law.

 

Day 80. My Funny or Die Day

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Today was my day at Funny or Die for my Hollywood modeling debut. I think I can’t say too many specifics about it because it is still in the works, but it is a poster project. I think the best way to explain the day is to do it chronologically.

9:35 I leave my house with the wardrobe items they wanted me to bring. Call time is 10:00, plenty of time to get there, it’s nearby.

9:48. I can’t figure out where the frickin’ place is. It is hidden as well as the LOST island.

9:51. I find it and drive through their small parking lot. There is a sign over one spot saying, “Reserved for W.F.” (Will Ferrell). There is no car there. Later there will be.

9:52. I park in the parking structure across the street. The rate is $2 per 15 minutes, but Funny or Die validates. I’m good.

9:55. I’m leaving the parking structure when I realize I have not parked in the parking garage that Funny or Die validates.

9:58. I’m leaving the correct parking structure further away running to get to Funny or Die on time. No matter what time I leave for places, this always happens.

10:03. I’m sweaty and walk in to the office where we are meeting up. It’s a cool building, by the way. I’m introduced to the other “models.” There is the tall, thin, Weathered Blonde Guy who is loud, an Asian woman named Eugenia, The Buff Black Guy, and the Buff White guy who is talkative.

10:06. They are discussing how much the models look like the parts they are portraying, except me, they don’t think I look like the part. I tell them, “Of course, I’m the guy with the shaved head and the orange goatee.”

10: 29. The Buff Black Guy, and I are eating bananas. I say, “Are you ready to be a badass.” He responds, “Of course. That’s what we do. We’re actors. I’m the nicest guy you can meet, but I can turn it on in a second.” I first take it as actor arrogance and bravado, but later I learn that he served three tours in Iraq, whereas, I’ve gone on vacation to Wisconsin.

10:51. I’m talking to the wardrobe person, Anna. I’m wearing one pair of jeans and brought two others. I have the tight lighter ones, the semi tight dark ones, and the looser light ones.

10:53. Anna has me go downstairs to the bathroom and try on the darker ones.

10:59. Anna has me go downstairs to try on the tighter light ones.

11:07. Anna has me go downstairs to put the darker ones back on.

11:21. The Weathered Blonde Guy and I are on the roof getting makeup dirt put all over our clothes. He’s talking about how much he loves denim.

11:38. It’s my turn for makeup. I’m sitting in the chair while the makeup artists puts alcohol on my goatee area. She then puts spirit gum on, which will bond my skin to the orange goatee. I don’t have orange head hear, but my natural facial hair comes in the exact same color.

11:40. Fake facial hair is falling in my mouth as she trims my goatee

11:42. I close my mouth.

11:43. I’m practicing my bad ass faces as Eugenia, the woman in the shoot gives me feedback. Summary, I’m not intimidating.

12:02. We’re all in our costumes. Mostly black outfits. We’re all dirty. We’re supposed to look like we’re on our way back from a street fight of sorts. I’ve never been in a fight, but my brother kicked me in the shin really hard in second grade. I’m trying to remember that.

12:06. We’re now in the basement where the studio is. There is a black back drop behind us and we’re standing in a group facing the photographer, director, wardrobe designer, and makeup artists.

12:32. Adam McKay, the guy who founded Funny or Die with Will Ferrell walks in to have a look. He seems pleased. The Buff White Guy strikes up an awkward conversation, I just try to intimidate Adam with my stare.

12:48. We’re doing individual shots now. I’m sitting past the photographer with the others. The Buff White Guy is talking about everything he knows about the industry to the Buff Black Guy, who is new to town. Eugenia and I chat.

12:59 My turn for the individual shot. I point my head down below the camera and look up at the camera with just my eyes. I try to open them wide, but not too wide. Too wide would be scared, and I ain’t scared of nothing.

1:03. Makeup is adjusting my goatee as wardrobe is adjusting my hoodie.

1:11. I seem to fool everyone that I can pull off tough.

1:30. I go to the parking lot for my turn getting splattered by “blood” on my face.

1:32. A glob gets in my ear. She says she will get it out. She forgets.

1:38. More individual and group shots. My “intimidating” look is degrading to “concerned father.”

2:10. We wrap.

2:14. I’m getting makeup removed, although my goatee area will still remain sticky for several hours.

2:32. We’re on the roof eating lunch.

2:35-2:53. The Buff White Guy expounds on his knowledge of Hollywood. At one point he says, “There are a lot of things I’m not good at, but I’m an awesome actor.”

2:54. The producer, Rachel, mentions that most people, even celebrities, don’t get paid for doing Funny or Die videos, but we are. I store that away for my resume.

3:11. I’ve arrived at home and I’m in my bathroom noticing the big piece of white fuzz hanging from my chin, stuck to the glue on my face, that must have been there for all of lunch.

3:11. I’m taking a nap.

4:32. I wake up to notice that I have gotten “blood” on the white pillowcase.

7:41. I’m bowling at a birthday party for my friend, Jeremiah.

12:30. I’m falling asleep appreciating a day that begins with makeup and ends with bowling.

Day 77. A Modeling Job? Been There Done That

Monday, May 9, 2011

In college, I worked at a place called the Iowa Hawk Shop, the athletic department store for the University of Iowa. They did a lot of business in the store, but a lot of it was done at football games and through a mail order catalog. Officially, my title was the Receiving/Warehouse Coordinator, unofficially my role was to try my hardest to be a model for the catalog. I had gotten wind that in the past they had used employees as models, but they had gone away from that in recent years. I would have none of that, so I started actively campaigning to be a model.

Eventually, it worked (picture to the right). My boss relented and I ended up a model in the catalog. For one shoot I modeled the 3/4 length parka available in sizes up to XX. The next year it was a sweat suit and pajama pants.

Since I had now decided it was safe to call myself a male model I would freely give copies away to anyone who remotely feigned interest. The most embarrassing instance was when I gave one to a girl I met on the plane on the way to England. She didn’t keep in touch.

So, you can imagine my lack of surprise when I got booked to be a model for this coming Thursday. The 11 years between modeling opportunities seem like a mere day. Models age the opposite of dogs.

I’m not exactly sure what the project is, the woman called me yesterday while I was in the Beautiful Starbucks and it was kind of hard to hear. I know it is for a Funny or Die project because I will be going to their studios. I also know it has something to do with superheroes.

The great reminder that I have yet to arrive as a sex symbol lies in the posting for what they were looking for.

“Simon Pegg look-alike ideal. Blonde, facial hair, thin.”

Simon Pegg is not all that sexy. I’ve actually always thought he looked like my friend, Drew, who is nice, but I don’t consider a sex symbol. I don’t think I look that much like Simon Pegg, but they are going to pay me a hefty $50. It will be my official first paycheck in Los Angeles.

The wardrobe and makeup people are to be contacting me soon.

If you’re wanting to look at me as a sex symbol, you’re going to have to really work at it. If you want to look at me as the look a like for the lead in Run Fat Boy Run, it will be easy.

Day 76. A Case for L.A.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

I used to be able to sleep in, like really sleep in. It has been waning in recent years and about two months before I moved, I lost the ability to sleep in altogether. This morning I was able to do it again, and it felt glorious. The key is to power through your groggy wake up at your normal time without waking up too much. If that involves getting up and going to the bathroom, be sure to shuffle your feet, don’t lift them up. Also, don’t flush, it can be jarring and jarring is bad. Come back to bed and try your hardest to get back into your dream.

I was able to sleep in because I was at my aunt and uncle’s house and it feels so much like home.  Eventually, I left from there and grabbed a drink with my latest friend of a friend meetup. Tonight, I met up with Beth, who is a friend of my friend Joe. She works as a writer’s assistant at Dreamworks. She also just moved to LA recently. One of the things that we discussed is how much we actually like LA.

When I decided to move for acting I was actually bummed that the place you had to move was LA. My impression of LA was crowded freeways and shallow people. Both of those exist for sure, but there is so much more.

I would like to make a case for LA.

-Most of the people I have met are great. Especially, in the acting world. Everyone that has been here for awhile were once in my shoes, and haven’t forgotten what it was like, so they want to help out.

-The variety of people is incredible. From the beautiful Starbucks, to Koreatown, to the large number of immigrants.

-There is history here. This was another misconception. I thought that it was all new strip malls and boring. It turns out there is a historic downtown that is slowly undergoing renovation. There is also a super old area called Olvera Street which was the original plot for LA commissioned by a king from Spain when it was Spanish territory in the late 1700′s. Also, I’m starting to get into the Hollywood history.

-I ride my bike to a lot of places. I never would have guessed that to be possible. The city of Los Angeles is pretty urban, so you can get around. Plus, there is a subway system, which is underutilized, not great, but functional.

-Parking isn’t so bad. That is a lie. It is bad. Very bad.

-To talk about the weather is pretty cliche, but it is pretty fantastic.

-Customer service is pretty darn good. I was expecting no concern for such things, but it has been great.

-There are definitely people in the acting world who are douchy I’m sure, but the vast majority aren’t big ego sort of people. These are people who are okay with being rejected over and over, people who take classes all the time because they are humble enough to realize they can have things they need to work on, and they’re people who are cool with talking about dreaming and encouraging it.

-The weather in the midwest may vary from a high of 28 degrees with snow to a high of  78 degrees and sunny in a week. The high here may vary from 62 and overcast to 78 and sunny in a week, but you’re still supposed to analyze it as though there was a great variance. If it’s 63 you might here someone say, “Ooh, it’s cold today.” If it’s 68 the same person would say, “Wow, beautiful day outside.” I think it’s cute.

-There really is a lot to do, less if you don’t have any money, but it’s out there.

-The guy from the Toyota and Sonic commercials is sitting across from me at the table, as I write this in the Beautiful Starbucks.

Day 72. Letting it Happen

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A few years ago at the Skinny Improv we had a guy named Shad from iO (formerly Improv Olympic) come down to train us for a weekend intensive. It was very informative in a lot of ways. Yet, probably the biggest thing I took from it was his suggestion of a book to read for improv. The book, The Inner Game of Tennis, is not an improv book at all, but actually a book about from the ’70s on the mental side of tennis. I found it second hand on Amazon for cheap.

It is one of my favorite books ever.

The book translates nicely for improv, my dad is a tennis coach, and I grew up playing so the tennis examples made sense too. In tennis, the mental side of things is very apparent as most of a tennis match takes place between points and players tend to wear their mental anguish on their sleeves.

The basic premise of the book is that we have two selves working within us, what Timothy Gallway, the author, calls Self 1 and Self 2. Self 1 is concerned with the mechanics of things, judging if we are doing good or bad, and is mostly critical. Self 2 is more of a natural learner, the side of us that flows more easily, and if we let it, can be much smarter than Self 1. We tend to just trust Self 1 and dismiss Self 2.

Deep, right?

It’s perfect for improv. People have often asked me how we can be so quick on stage and how things just move and happen in an entertaining way. For me, improv is all about silencing the judgmental voice in my head and letting the thing happen. There is this creative, carefree side to underneath if you can silence the judge. Judging is the enemy of doing improv. Gallwey goes on to say that learning to let Self 1 trust Self 2 is what it is all about. They both have a place, but we tend to not trust our natural selves, at all.

When I’m letting and trusting I’m at my best.

Malcom Gladwell’s book, Blink, is talking about a very similar thing, about thinking without thinking. In the book, he talks about how we feel that we need to analyze and over think everything, when really, we can can come to educated better conclusions best when we are trusting our more natural side.

Off stage in my real life, I tend to want to overanalyze things. Every big decision I’ve made has been a practice in flip flopping agony. Reading those books in succession a few years ago was an eye opening thing for me. It rang true for me in real life too. I think we get hung up on judging and being critical of ourselves about a lot of things. In a spiritual sense, whether a person of faith or not, most people tend to think that God exists within the judging Self 1 voice, constantly judging and critiquing what we’re doing wrong, when I think in all actuality he works more in the trusting and letting side of things.

I’ve gotten good at listening to the trusting side of things on stage and in many small ways in my life (In the past, I once nearly had a mental breakdown trying to decide between a brown winter coat and a gray one). The really difficult thing is to make it applicable to real things for me like moving and job searching.

It’s amazing how often I think about these things. It is very applicable to my life. Especially now when I’m auditioning. I’ve practiced enough of getting out of my head, that I don’t get nervous and lost up there when I have to be on. I trust myself in those situations.

Thursday night, I’m doing  a stand up set at The Comedy Store. We’ll see if my theories hold true. Although, for my stand up style, the more nervous I get, the better.

Day 71. “Like the Rapture had Happened and I Was Kirk Cameron”

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Every superhero has to have their one weakness. For Superman, it was kryptonite, while for Batman, it was George Clooney. If I was a superhero, my weakness would be thinking I had enough time to fit in 5 activities, when I only actually have time for 2 of them. I’ve always been that way. If it is 7 pm and I have to meet with friends at 8 pm and I still want to go for a run, shower, eat dinner, watch Glee, and pay some bills, I will assume that I have enough time to do all of them. The sensible person (Michelle) might say, “Jeff, why don’t you just do a couple of them, and save the others for later?” I will usually respond with, “Trust me, I can do this.” At 7:45 I’m a sweaty mess taking a shower that doesn’t stop the sweatiness, with a Lean Pocket in the microwave, trying to sign checks, while trying to listen to Rachel sing Barbra perfectly.

All auditions want you to bring a headshot and a resume. The resume should be stapled to the back of the headshot. Different auditions ask for different things in terms of performance. Some of them give you “sides” ahead of time to practice and then use for the audition. Sides just means a snippet or scene from the overall script. You will learn it as best you can, so during the audition you can perform it with someone else, who is usually off camera. It is often just the casting director or an assistant.

Other auditions won’t want you to use sides, instead they will want you to perform a monologue. A monologue is a part from a film or play where it is mostly one person speaking. A monologue is something you have rehearsed a lot so you can showcase your acting chops in the minute or so that you have. It should be something that shows your your strengths as an actor.

I looked and looked and looked for a good monologue, but I couldn’t find one. I’m best at comedy, but all of them were either too silly, or too iconic to try to emulate. The dramatic ones were too dramatic. It seems to me that when an actor goes into a monologue in a film it means that something overly dramatic just happened, or something overly silly is going on.

So, I wrote my own.

I think you’re probably not supposed to do this. I don’t care. I’ve heard that you don’t want to repeat overused ones. I wanted something that was funny, with some heartfelt feel. If they ask me what film it is from I’ll just say an independent film called the Mystery Year directed by Russell Westbrook (a football player with a director’s name).

Want to see it?

Again, I don’t know if it’s actually any good. It’s not supposed to be super funny. I want it to seem like it’s coming from a longer movie.

“Stop! Listen. Listen to us. What were we even initially arguing about? Something about your sister and her mannish nose. I don’t even care anymore. Maybe you’re right. Maybe noses are gender neutral. But, for the last half hour, we haven’t even been arguing about that.  We blew past that and have been arguing about who can best recall the facts of what the other said in the first part of this argument. That’s it. Well, I haven’t been sitting here taking notes. Maybe I should have been writing it down. 14 minutes ago, my wife, Tina Jenkins claimed her sister had her nose broken at 21.  Or wait, better yet, I could have a stenographer read back what we’ve been saying. Come on out Gloria, yes, yes, it says here that you misremembered what you said, it was a deviated septum at 22. This is asinine. Okay, okay, I’m sorry…I’m sorry for my part in this. Really, I am, but we’re getting nowhere. We’ve got to get off this carousel and talk in the morning. And, I think your nose is very feminine…too soon? Okay.”

After having dinner at a friend’s house in Pasadena, I drove to UCLA to audition for the role of a janitor in a short film. I got there right on time, but then I had to wait forever, so I asked the guy if I had time to plug the meter for my car. There were a lot of guys there already for the audition so he said I had about 2o minutes. Not considering my big weakness, I thought, “Great, I can plug my meter and find a place to print off a resume.” I had forgotten to attach one to the headshot I had. I ran to my car, Yelped a printing place only a mile away and hurried there. I parked in a loading zone and ran in, printed it off, stapled it to the back and ran back to my car.

I got back in a half hour, proud of my escapade. When I opened the door to the hallway I had been waiting in with everyone before, it was empty. Nobody. Just the bottled water. It was like the Rapture had happened and I was Kirk Cameron. I think they were all called in at the same time for a group audition. I missed out completely due to my inability to estimate time.

Disappointed, I looked around, stole  two bottles of water and walked out.

Admiral Albino strikes again!

*Admiral Albino is my superhero name.

Day 70. Tidbits about Tidbits

Monday, May 2, 2011

I’ve had two short posts in a row. So, my power adapter is now working again. I’m back. I’m rocking out in the Beautiful Starbucks. Since my last two posts were short, I’m going to try to make this post especially long, funny, poignant, and informative. Get ready.

Random tidbits

-Sunday, I had an audition for the role of a talk show host for a student’s art project. I know how to do that. I woke up and discovered that the audition I thought was at UCLA, nearby, was actually at UC-Irvine, and hour and a half away. I drove all the way there, walked in, and immediately auditioned, and walked out. I was there for four minutes. I didn’t want to just drive back so quickly, so I stopped in a sports bar to watch the end of the Celtics game. Boo Heat. It was a strangely friendly bar with just regulars sitting at the bar. They all introduced themselves to me and then made fun of me for carrying a hiking book to the bar. I got one guy’s business card, so my platonic flirting was really working.

-I couldn’t find a good place to hike, so I instead I went for a barefoot run on the beach at Laguna Beach, then I sat on the beach and read.

-I’m reading an awesome book that my friend, Sarah, gave me before I left. It’s called I’m Dying Up Here. It’s about the golden age of stand up comedy in LA in the late ’70s, when guys like Jay Leno, David Letterman, Richard Lewis, Richard Pryor, etc were all friends and performing together at The Comedy Store. It is especially fascinating for me because I’m performing there on Thursday night. I had a stressful dream about it last night.

-I found out yesterday, that I got the role of Late Night Talk Show host for the thing I auditioned for at UC-Irvine on Sunday. It’s just a one time art project sort of deal. I’ve gotten two roles so far out of seven auditions. I think that’s pretty good, even if they are both student projects.

-I shaved my neck hairs.

-Last night before I went to bed, I set an alarm for 4:30 a.m. so I could call Michelle before she made it to work. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to say much because my coherence is lacking at that time of day. But, she was excited by it, because it was unexpected. I think I was probably sleep drooling while I talked to her. She has low standards with me.

-I went to a Cubs/Dodgers game last night. I’m a lifelong Cubs fan, so I correctly guessed that they would lose. It is really cool to go about my day and then go to a baseball game. In the past, I’ve always had to drive three hours to get to a game. This felt so casual.

-The roller coaster of this adventure continues. My mood for each post I make depends on the hour. It’s really silly, but true. My situation doesn’t change that much, so it’s mostly about if I’m feeling optimistic or pessimistic about the same situation. It is really creating a lot of self reflection, some of it good and healthy, and some of it is just overanalysis.

-I had improv class yesterday. It is such a bright spot for me. My classmates are great. Most of them are coming to my stand up show on Thursday. Good people. Plus, improv is all about being in the moment, so in the three hour class, all the other worries kind of go away.

-I found a product I had never heard of yesterday. Toasted Bread. This is an example of an industry plum out of ideas. “Guys, we’ve run out of ideas since we started slicing it. What are other things people like to do with bread, that we can do for them?” “Sir, sometimes I leave the bread out for hours and it gets crusty.” “Perfect! We’ll call it ‘Toasted.’” Or, it’s for the Amish who have always wished.

-I ran into a guy I know. This always disorients me here, it’s probably happened three times. It takes me awhile to accept the reality.

-I had a friend ask me if the pictures I post on here are ones that I find on the internet, or ones that I take myself. I take them, baby. I was flattered that she asked. I’ve only ever had one picture that I didn’t take and that was a few days ago when I put up a picture of a fluffy Bichon Frise dog.

-My grandma has a new post on her blog. You should check it out. It’s about technology.

Day 63. Accidental Groping

Monday, April 25, 2011

When Michelle and I were first dating, I lived in a small town in Iowa. I stayed in the top floor of an old building on the main street. It was a great place that I quickly trashed with my inability to clean up after myself. But when Michelle would come up to visit it would be sparkling.

We would spend most of the weekend sitting on my couch cuddling as we kind of paid attention to what was on TV. Sometimes, it would be quiet while Cheers was on in the background and Michelle would say something that you don’t ordinarily hear from two people just dating.

“Jeff, your hand’s on my boob.”

Strange, right? There are only two possible explanations. One, that is a warning for a guy who is getting too assertive. Two, It is a statement of fact alerting they guy of something he didn’t know.

It was the second option.

I can’t feel very well with my left hand. It’s always been this way. It’s hard to explain, my left hand functions pretty normally except for the fact that I can’t feel very well, and I can’t manipulate my fingers individually very well. I can feel pain and heat and tell when I’m touching something, but I can’t feel two things at once, so I can’t feel changes in texture. Basically, this means I am very right hand dominant. I went to a neurologist last year to finally find out what it was. She said I had a small stroke in the womb. Crazy. I don’t remember it.

Practically, it means I can’t go left in basketball, junior high typing class was a nightmare, I keep everything in pockets on the right side of my body, and occasionally I would accidentally feel up my wife when we were first dating.

The other way it can be a disability is in the situation where I apply for a server position at a fancy catering company that follows strict fine dining rules that require dexterity with both hands. As many who have followed my saga chronicling whether I actually had a job with a catering company know, last week I was set to go in for my real Skills Assessment test on Wednesday.

But, I wasn’t sure if I would physically be able to do it. So, last Wednesday afternoon I snuck downstairs and grabbed some plates. I brought them back up to my room to see if I could actually hold two plates in my left hand like the guy had shown at the seminar I had crashed accidentally last week. I put one in my left hand and the other on my left forearm. It was precarious to say the least. If there had been chicken marsala on those plates, there would have been chicken marsala on the bed. I tried telling my left hand what to do to no avail. I’ve waited tables before, but we had trays and didn’t worry about the fancy proper rules. Even if I passed the Skills Assessment, this would have been really stressful for me. It just wouldn’t work.

I e-mailed the Fancy Man at the catering place and told him I wouldn’t make it to the Skills Assessment test.

I didn’t want to eventually spill something expensive on someone expensive.

Nor did I ever want the Fancy Man to say to me, “Jeff, your hand’s on my boob.”

Day 59. The Distance Shrinks

Thursday, April 21, 2011

I woke up this morning with the immediate knowledge that I had overslept. You know the feeling. There is no grogginess, no wiping of the eyes, only a glance to the alarm clock to have a third party confirmation of what you already know. 

I was indeed late picking Michelle up from the airport, so I couldn’t get any cool shot of her coming down the escalator this time.

One thing I learned dating long distance before is that every visit is not going to be magical, and that’s okay. It’s good now, but we had some things to talk out. I’ve wanted to be honest in this blog, so I am.

This is difficult for us. It’s difficult in both similar and different ways.

Here’s the deal. We don’t really have much of a plan. We’re not planning on her moving out here at a certain time and we’re not planning on me coming home at a certain point. It is as open ended as can be. As a result, we both struggle with the uncertainty and the loneliness. I’m realizing the baseline of stress this gives us at most times.

At times we have a tough time relating to the differences of our other struggles. I tend to struggle a lot thinking about the money. This is why I eat very little and am losing weight. Talking to Michelle made me realize just how much I think about it in the back of my mind. Michelle tends to struggle more with the uncertainty and the emptiness of the house when she comes home. At times, we fail to appreciate and understand the other’s struggles. At times we feel distant.

That’s why you talk things out. It doesn’t change the circumstances, but it makes the distance shrink and the understanding grow.

Things are good. We had an amazing nap (I also sleep better with her around). We made dinner last night and watched TV. This felt great and ordinary, except the part where I helped to cook. Long distance makes you do strange things.

Tomorrow I’m going to film the deleted High Fidelity scene I mentioned yesterday. I got the part. This is a student project for a class that will be seen by tens of people in a class. It pays nothing. It may be silly to be excited for such a thing, but I am. Most everything I’ve done before is something I’ve been a part of creating, or something where someone has seen me performing improv before. This one, I just auditioned well. Hopefully, I will be able to add it to my reel (video acting resume), which needs to be beefed up.

Michelle has approved the content of this post.

Day 58. Say Anything in High Fidelity

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I had an audition today on USC’s campus. It was for a student short. It’s not too big of a deal, but I’ve heard people say to do student films because eventually those students will be players in the entertainment industry. The USC campus is beautiful and I spent a lot of time walking around afterwards. The project the student is working on is an assignment for a class where they have to recreate a scene they haven’t seen before from a movie.

He chose a deleted scene from High Fidelity, a classic movie starring John Cusack.

I feel like I have a chance.

I’ve played John Cusack before.

When Michelle first came to visit me before we started dating, I took a chance. We had met at a camp two months earlier and she was visiting from Missouri to Traer, the small town in Iowa I was living in. I asked around and found out that it cost $35 to rent out the movie theater on the main street, so I got it out for us. We had the whole theater to ourselves as we watched Say Anything, another classic John Cusack movie. It was wonderful. It was an empty theater with just the two of us…and a high school kid running the projector.

As I recently mentioned, I was not a ladies man at this point at all. I reference, “at this point” to make you think I was at some other point. Keep that assumption. This was a big deal for me, I had never been bold with a girl before this at all. I don’t know why I chose to do it with Michelle, but there has always been something about her that makes me want to do those things.

Fast forward 4 1/2 years. I’m living in Springfield, MO, having chased Michelle there (another bold move). I’ve decided that I want to marry her and since I’m obsessed with surprises, so she has no idea. We never had the window shopping trips to jewelry stores or had conversations about getting married. Combine that with the fact that we had been dating a long time, I owed her a good proposal.

There was a new independent movie theater in town called the Moxie. I called them up and rented the theater for a night in early December. I got the ring, now I just had to stay quiet until the night came. This proved to be difficult when her best friend got engaged like ten days prior to my proposal. I have still not forgiven the proposer. I had to deal with a crying girlfriend in my kitchen while the ring was four feet away in a drawer.

Eventually, the night came and we watched Say Anything in an empty theater, just the two of us…and two twenty somethings running the projector. The movie is 3/4 of the way through when it gets to the iconic scene where John Cusack is outside the girl’s window holding a boom box that is playing “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel. He’s wearing a trenchcoat, dark t-shirt, dark pants, and white high tops standing in front of a car.

http://movieclips.com/e/rxbG/

Boombox Serenade
Say Anything… at MOVIECLIPS.com

The scene shows him outside, then cuts to her inside, and then cuts back outside, only this time, on this night, in this version of the movie, the person now holding up the boom box in the movie is me wearing the trenchcoat, dark t-shirt, dark pants, and white high tops standing in front of my car.

Right before she looks at me to figure out what is going on, the words, “Michelle will you marry me?” come on the screen. Michelle freaks out screaming running up and down the aisles. I give John Cusack a mental high five and Michelle a kiss.

So, yeah, I can play John Cusack.

I pick that girl up from the airport in the morning.