July 3, 2025 • 48 mins
Welcome back to the ACTORS! YOU ARE ENOUGH!!! Podcast The go-to space for aspiring and working actors who are ready to level up!
In this unfiltered, no-BS conversation, Amy Lyndon (Celebrity Master Acting Coach & creator of The Lyndon Technique) sits down with Ofelia Habelt (Talent Agent at Johnson Talent Agency) to break down what it really means to do commercials.
💡 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
· The product is the series regular.
· Be seen to be seen.
· Be authentically you.
· You can get a Taft-Hartley.
· Make great money.
…and so much more raw, honest advice for actors.
📅 New episodes drop every Thursday.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hey guys, welcome back to Actors.
You are enough. Ophelia and I are so excited
about all the response. And you know what's great about
having a podcast? It's on there forever so people
can play or or. Bad.
(00:22):
I'm not sure. Here for now, you know, people
can still learn. It's not like it disappears, you
know what I mean? Like I like Audrey does.
Audrey helps actors. I was on her first season of her
podcast. I think it's been going on for
like 5 years. People are still signing up for
(00:45):
my classes because of that. Episode 5 might be 5 or 6 years
ago. That's crazy.
That's awesome. Yeah.
Because they, she's been doing it so long, they get to like,
binge on all of her episodes. And yeah, yeah, it's really
interesting. But anyway, like, there's
nothing like stumbling across a podcast with like these gems of
(01:05):
information, even when they're older and you're like, Oh my
gosh, that's like the wisdom from the ages.
And I just found it. It's it's like the best.
It's awesome. Yeah, I think information is
power and I think that, you know, I didn't have it coming up
and you guys really need to pay attention to it and take
(01:27):
advantage of it. Exactly.
We Oh my gosh, right when you were acting years and years ago
and there's not. Let's just put one years on it.
Years ago. Not years and years, decades and
decades. Ago.
You know, back in the stone ages, you know.
(01:48):
Back in the back in the medievaltimes.
Oh. My God, I'm like a Viking.
I'm a Viking actor. Oh dear.
OK, back in like, you know, likea little bit ago when you know,
and actually honestly, it wasn'tactually that long ago that like
(02:09):
their Internet wasn't a thing. I mean, it wasn't.
It really wasn't at all so. No, it's like a carrier pigeon
had to come to my house to tell me how to.
He'll be like it. Was a very, you know, wagons we
(02:31):
had to take to house to house. It was rough.
It was rough. We had a rough Amy and.
The thing is, you used to have to drive to the studio, right?
And the parking, the parking wasnever next to the to the
(02:51):
audition. And I would walk and I'd be
sweaty, right, walking through the studio in high heels.
And then I would come up to the door and be like, that's a
parking lot set. That's like a parking structure.
They're always, they're always very like, there's like paper
taped to the doors, like like you're like, am I really at the
(03:12):
right place? They're always like hidden and
mysterious. It's it's.
Just annoying. It's like they didn't care about
me. Like didn't care like the
parking structure's like right there.
Like why did I have to walk? I would, I would tag down these
people on their golf carts and be like, I gosh, that's awesome.
(03:37):
Give me a ride. Or even like going, you know,
when you'd go to the studio for a dish.
I remember before COVID taking my son to a studio dish and it
was like, OK, make do we have our IDs?
Do we? And then like, you think you,
you know, put enough time aside to get to where the addition is.
And and then you walk, drive in and it's like, it's like an
(03:57):
optical illusion. Like it looks like, oh, it's
just right there. But we're like, we're like, we
are still walking, OK. We are still walking.
I don't. Are we going to be in Macon in
time? Like it's it's this.
Yeah, yeah. And I like.
I like they go, they give you this map, they used to give you
this map, they go, OK, you are the maps you are here and this
(04:17):
is where more. Confusing.
I'd rather not have the map and try to.
Give me a map. Don't give me a map Listen, this
is what we used to deal with, but we're telling you you have
so much easy accesses for in forall this information now like
utilize it like you. This is a gift so you have you
(04:39):
really like actors have no excuse in this day and age
they've no. I mean, not with YouTube and and
and podcasts and I mean, and there's always people you could
reach out for help. Yes.
You know, like I was coaching a girl yesterday actually on her
(04:59):
commercials, which is what we'retalking about today.
What are we talking about, Ophelia?
You're talking about commercials.
What is the deal with commercials if you are like Long
to be like an A list actor, which should not be your
motivation. And that's the side note I think
we've talked about before. We could talk about it again,
however, that's not what's that's not that's your focus.
(05:21):
You will not be successful most likely.
But all that to say, if that's what you're like, your passion
is and and you're getting irritated because like you know,
you're with an agency that also submits you for commercials and
you get irritated when you get acommercial, that's a problem.
And we're going to talk about why, why you should be excited
(05:42):
to do commercials, why you should do commercials, and why
you're not booking commercials. If you're doing them but you're
not, you're not. You haven't booked them for a
long time. So we're going to get all into
that, into that, into that. But talking about the help
aspect, this girl is I think auditioned for like 25
commercials and then finally she's asking me about them.
(06:05):
I'm like, why didn't you reach out to anybody?
You know, anybody, anybody reached out to me, But why
aren't you reaching out guys? You know, it like, it's like
those people that have, like they're afraid their agents
going to drop them, you know, and like those not the people I
want to be with, but. But I I am there for you anyway.
(06:29):
Yes, Yes. No, I'm frustrated.
Yeah. Right.
You just need to know I'm helping with this, but I'm not
love. I'm not loving this.
No, I'm not loving this 'cause you want me to, like, clean up
the mess, Yeah, you know, But I looked at some of her commercial
tapes, OK 'cause I said, like, let's talk about, like, what
(06:51):
you're doing, you know? And her thing was, I'm not gonna
go through what it was, OK, But she wasn't really there.
Like, she wasn't there. She was acting there.
Uh huh, there's a difference. Yeah, so if you're supposed to
(07:13):
look, drive up to a mountain in your new Kia SUV and then get
out and take stuff out of the trunk and then make a picnic and
then look out at the deep horizon, you better be really in
the truck. That's good.
(07:34):
You better be knowing who's in the truck with you and really be
seeing what you're looking at asyou're driving up the mountain.
Yes, having a feeling about it. Having a feeling about it, but
also at the same time, I'm not thinking that you're in a like a
psychological thriller, waiting in the truck to see what's going
(07:58):
to come. Like you don't want to go the
article, you don't want to go the article on them.
Like you're not going to book iteither.
You have to be there, but you, you can't.
You have to be where you are, right?
But. It has to be like, oh, like
lights are on nobody's home. Yes, yes, exactly.
(08:21):
Beautiful. Oh my God, that's gorgeous.
I mean, like really seeing it, you know, like, and then how
heavy are the things that you'regetting out of your trunk?
Like now, now commercials, they're asking you to be like a
ADP. OK.
That. I mean like, oh, can you have
your friend like go out and likeshoot you running?
(08:45):
Yeah, I know. Do you have any ones?
How many commercials I've given to like have someone, you know,
go out on the hills? Are you a hill runner?
We want to see you running on the So they have to go find like
a mountain, like have someone film them.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. They want to fill them hiking or
repelling or jumping off of something.
(09:07):
It's like, what are you crazy? Like, you know, the commercials
I usually book are the ones in the room.
That's that's the commercials. I book the ones in the room, but
there's not a lot of ones in theroom anymore.
They, there's not, but they theythey're doing a lot commercials
are doing, they're doing some. Yeah, like, and those are the
(09:28):
ones that I love. Yeah, a lot of people do.
A lot of people are like, my gosh, my acting is just
different when I have the energyof the people in the room.
Some people get or not because they started acting after things
went self tape. And so they get they're like get
freaked out by it. They're like I get, I get like I
freeze up, but I think some people really miss that,
(09:50):
especially if they didn't that way before or like I'm just
better and then then like they can give me notes and you know
they also. Have all the props there.
Yeah. They have the they have the fake
steering wheel. They literally have it jimmied
to wood and so it it really sitsup exactly as your car and it
and it moves. So you can literally have like a
(10:13):
steering wheel in the shot, you know what I'm saying?
Yeah, totally. Yeah.
Commercials today, you better dress up.
I mean you better dress up. It is advertising.
Yes, Yep, that's why your commercial headshot.
It needs to be big cheesy smile and you see all your teeth.
We don't want any dramatic looksin it.
(10:34):
We just want to see a big cheesy.
Smile and yes, OK, so you see her smile.
She didn't have bottom teeth. Don't do bottom teeth like.
Please don't do that. Don't do bottom teeth.
Do wasting money just just like a big like?
Yeah. Yeah, like I love my life.
(10:57):
I'm not. I'm not super a super deep
thinker. No.
That's how you need to look and that's how you kind of just show
up with that kind of energy. Yeah, I call it getting to 0.
And you know, especially you dramatic actors that are
wondering why you're not bookingcommercials, it's because you're
not at 0 when you're doing them.You can't be more interesting
(11:17):
than the product. And when you're thinking too
much, it pulls focus from the product.
You guys, this is advertising thing that it's advertising.
You have to look at it from the the product is the series
regular, OK. And you're just basically moving
wallpaper. Yeah.
(11:38):
And so if you go look at yourself moving wallpaper, then
then you'll stop like, I don't know, making it a meal out of a
teeny snack. Like it's just one celery stock.
Yes. Like actually, yes.
And sometimes it's dipped in almond, almond butter.
(12:01):
But for the most part, yeah. But for the most part, you're
just a celery stock. You're just like 1 little
component, especially if the camera is whipping past you.
You're just representing A demographic because then they're
going to go to another ethnicitydemographic doing something
(12:21):
else, some guy doing construction and.
Yeah, exactly. And and come with your own and
and be this, this kind of goes for the optical too.
But don't try to you don't want to try to think about what do
they, what does casting want? What are they wanting?
What are they wanting from this?Don't try to think.
Don't try to be more ethnic. If you're not, don't try to to
(12:44):
come as yourself. Come as yourself from the place
of 0. Don't give them too much sauce
and and then and then you do just think do what you what is
what is coming to you when you look at the script, what is
coming to you, how to do it. That doesn't mean do a bunch of
improv. It just means how what is coming
to you and how to present that. Create, create within the box
(13:08):
that they gave you, you know, and so you could stretch the box
sometimes, like, you know, like I was telling you earlier, you
were feeling the kind of commercials I book.
It's usually just me and the spot and one of the person.
It's not usually the product is in front and I'm behind, you
know, I, I obviously need to getmore closer to 0.
(13:30):
Sure. Right, right, right.
I. Mean it's not like I have
resting bitch face or anything but I've I think I've rested
resting animation face. I can see I would not have
thought that, but now I'm that'swhat I'm going to think about
when I think about you commercials.
That is hilarious. I love that.
OK, but tell us about the Got Milk commercial.
(13:52):
Oh my God. OK, so I haven't heard that.
I haven't even heard this story yet, but you mentioned it and
now I've been I've been waiting until this point.
I've been waiting on the edge ofmy seat until this very point in
our. Podcast, is it going to let you
guys know how the advertising people really don't care about
the actor? OK.
And so it's very important that you just, you just do your
(14:14):
thing, you show up and do that one little thing 'cause he don't
care about you. And I'm, and I'm going to tell
you how that happened. So it was during the strike and
got milk started out union and then it went non union and then
it went back to union. So the people that are were at
the strike thought that it was still non union.
So literally had a driver who itwas a guard at night at my like
(14:41):
overnight with a car and so nobody would harm me.
Ding. Yeah, 'cause there were.
Tents. I know, I know there were people
that were they called scabs, right?
And they since it wasn't like announced to the world that got
(15:02):
milk was now in union again. They would think I was scabbing.
So they would, they hurt me because it was very tense during
that time 'cause it was in the, the big commercial strike, which
they shouldn't have, but that's a whole other one, right?
Anyway, so in the morning they brought me to the set and the
(15:22):
the shot, the spot was with a monkey.
So the main guy spent 12 1/2 hours with the monkey.
I read a whole Daniel Steele book.
Oh well, you were there the whole time.
The whole time. What?
Yeah, for 12 1/2 hours. And they didn't get to me yet in
a trailer in Griffith Park. OK, So by the time it got to me,
(15:45):
it was night out and everybody'stired, right?
And they have the big boom lights.
This is a multimillion dollar spot, meaning rent for a long
time. So the director was like a
football field away. OK.
He was all the way over there and the AD executives were all
the way over there. And I'm thinking to myself, why
(16:08):
aren't they sitting together? So he's screaming to me from a
megaphone. Like he couldn't just come up to
me. Right?
Megaphone. OK now I'm in a like a shack, a
got milk shack in the middle of a park and there's a sign behind
me going milk sign so I couldn'thear him.
(16:35):
Yeah. And he's calling from the
megaphone. OK, And I'm like, I can't hear
you because of the sign. Can we turn off the sign?
He says no. OK, fine.
There's that all all All I had was so the guy was teasing the
(16:56):
monkey with a moon pie bar. And so I end up teasing him with
the milk. OK, so I came down the bars in
my my shack and I tease them with the milk.
I said you looking at this, you looking at this, you.
Looking, yeah. I swear to you I got it on the
first 3 takes take #500 they allcome up to the shack OK.
(17:21):
The advertising executives, the director, and for some reason
they were all really tall or I felt really small, I don't know
which what it was. Or combination.
It was a combination. So I come out from behind my
shack and I go, hey guys, is there anything that I could help
you with? And they look at me like, oh
(17:44):
God, we'll just inhale. Like get back in your shack,
bitch. Like it really was that.
My gosh. Anyway I can?
See it clearly in my eyes. I've seen the.
Look, I have OK, OK, OK, I get back in my shaft and I do like
(18:05):
300 more. Oh my.
Word. Then they send me home with APA
with with cams and wrappers in aPinto.
That's how they sent me home. They were there in a.
Limo protected arm guard limo and sent me home in a Pinto.
(18:27):
Oh my God, that is very interesting.
Oh, they were done with me. They're oh.
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
No, I was thinking about this the other day.
I was thinking about this after we talked about our did our
podcast on the toll you are enough.
And like, how do you get the, the IT factors, the IT factor
and how you have to, you know, you in order to access your own
(18:50):
it factor, which you have, you have to do all this identity
work. And it has to do with like
knowing who you are and feeling really good about yourself and
how, you know, a lot of actors that seem to have that, like a
lot of them, not all of them, but a number of them have grown
up with like parents that are just doting.
And so they kind of grew up feeling like, Oh, I'm amazing.
(19:13):
Now that has other problems withit too.
But for as far as an actor goes,there's like some things about
that that work. But I was thinking like how many
times I've been on set, you know, with an actor and they
they show up and they're treatedlike they're a God.
I mean, they're just, you know, and, and I think part of why
they do that is because they know that that is going to bring
(19:36):
out the best in the actor. Like they're, it's going to make
them feel built up and I'm confident and they're going to
show up and be like. Exactly.
Here. Exactly.
But the truth is they're going with it home in a Pinto.
Yes, the truth. Is when you're.
Done. Remember that when you're done,
they're they're done. They're done.
(19:57):
They're done. I mean, maybe if they if they
liked working with you, they may, you know, remember you and
and maybe you know, CD select you for another commercial it
has. It it has nothing to do with
whether or not they like you. Right, exactly.
It has to do with oh, I liked how they show perform, but it's
but it's not you as a person. No.
(20:18):
No. No, not in that case.
I would say my only greatest experience.
I can't talk about commercials so much about my greatest
experience because I haven't hadany.
But I made a lot of money so I kind of like, OK, I'll get over
it. But when I was on NCIS they they
offered me sushi at 11 AM and that's how I knew no.
(20:44):
I knew. Is Lyndon would you like some
sushi at 11 AM and the and the set was beautiful.
The people, I mean, Mark Harmon,it, it has so much to do with
the people up at top. And.
And the photographers on set, they sent me all the pictures.
It was just so wonderful to me. It's like human.
(21:07):
It's humanized. Yeah, but in commercials, it's
advertising, guys. Yeah.
It's advertising and I need you to think about the corporations.
You don't need to build community and there's not don't
you might not even expect to build community with the people
on set or the director, producerlike the it's, it's a different
animal. So, so here's the thing, a lot
(21:29):
of actors, you know, we so our particular agency and there's
other agencies that functionallythis as well.
They do commercial and theatrical.
We do both you we won't sign youunless you do both.
We do make, we do make some exceptions.
This is why. And the reason why is also why
(21:52):
as an actor you should be doing commercials and you should be
excited about doing them. And the reason is because
commercials are really good money.
You, why would you leave that onthe table?
The other reason is, is because if you're an actor, you are
getting to act and you do commercials, it's not the same
kind of acting and it's not this.
(22:14):
You're not utilizing the same depth of training and and it
might not be something that is like a passion for you.
However, you are still acting. You're still getting on set,
you're still making, you are making connection, getting in
front of directors and producers.
And I realize that most of the time there's not crossover, but
(22:37):
sometimes there is. In fact, the actor that I have
that booked the opening role in a major SAG franchise movie
that's coming out this fall. The the CD who who picked him,
who worked with us and got him in is normally does commercials.
And I've done several clients have been in front of her for
(22:57):
commercial auditions. And she happened to have a
relationship with the director and was asked to help find this
particular role. So there there is crossover
sometimes. So you don't you don't want to
leave it on the table like why would you do that?
And if. You, I think, I think one of the
biggest things is that if you don't have credits and you sign
(23:18):
with an agency, they need to make money from you first so you
can make money in commercials while they're developing you as
a theatrical talent. Exactly.
We're work. Agents are working 24/7 and if
you're just sitting on our roster, it, it's we, we have to
at some point be paid for what we do.
And it's nothing personal. It's just that that's how a
(23:39):
business works. And so you need to be, you know,
when you're developing talent, you need to be doing commercials
because we're not just going to have you sit on a roster.
And so in light of that, and also you can, you, can you pick
SAG commercials, you get SAG credits and so you can become
SAG and cast directors. They do look at that if you're
SAG and this was some good like national commercials, they're
(24:03):
like, oh, OK, if you did it for a background work or something
like that, they're like, they'resad, but like not really.
And so they're going. To visibility too, you know I
mean I know people from junior high and elementary school have
been hitting me up and going is that you one of that matches for
a commercial right yes, exactly.The matter is casting directors
(24:25):
are seeing it too. So and you it's, it's, it's, it
gives you more TV cred, you know, it's visibility.
It shows you as more establishedon TV.
And the next best thing, I remember Hosea Sanchez, who was
in my Class A million years ago,He was doing a lot of
(24:48):
commercials. And when the game came up, he
was so like worked out on the improv and the looseness of
commercials that when he auditioned for the game, he was
he booked it. He was the only one not with
credits at all. Wow in.
The league on the game. Wow.
He had, but he had a lot of commercials.
(25:13):
Yes. Oh yeah.
I don't think people realize howmany a listers started out doing
commercials. Leonardo DiCaprio, he was.
I, I, I have a list right here. You want to hear it?
I know you do. Leonardo DiCaprio, he was in
Max, Matchbox, Cars and Bubble Yum.
Brad Pitt was in Pringles, did Pringles in the late 80s
(25:36):
Jennifer Lawrence did my super Sweet 16 style.
She did and it was an MTV promo and a subway commercial.
This is before, this is before they became known actors.
Morgan Freeman did Listerine. Mila Kunis did Barbie.
Bryan Cranz did Preparation H That's hilarious.
That's. Hilarious.
(25:57):
Did Burger King Joseph, So you get you you you actually
develop, right? You do develop recognition.
And this is how this is how I remember Steve Martin talking
about this once in a master class he did.
He talked about how important itis to to be.
He had a name for it and I'm blanking on it now, but
(26:19):
basically it's to be around the people that you want to be
working with. So he said when he, you know, he
would go, you know, take walks. I don't know if he still does
this. This was years ago.
He would go, you know, take walks and where, you know,
Beverly Hills or in, in, you know, West Hollywood or when
he's in New York, he'll go be around Central Park.
(26:40):
And he would walk down the street and he would, you know,
see people, the same people a few times.
And all of a sudden when he was thinking, he realized when he
was thinking about a part who could be, it would also that
person would come to his mind because he just saw them
crossing the street. It's the same idea that you
know, I remember when I did sales before I became an agent,
(27:02):
that was the whole part of the training was it takes 7 touches
before someone will respond to you.
And so you it's like being in getting in front of being seen
by people who make the decisions, the gatekeepers, you
need to be seen by them repeatedly.
And that means if someone you know, who's doing doing
(27:23):
theatrical stuff is watching a commercial that you're on and
they see it multiple times, likemy son just did a universal
students commercial. And this happens when you do
commercials. You get your friends and family
calling you. Oh my gosh, I just saw you.
That's how you know, it came outhalf the time.
And well, you know, we're just talking.
We saw our friends the other dayand they're like, oh, it's so
(27:44):
fun. I remember when, when it was
airing, we saw him, you know, every night we'd sit down and
watch, you know, Top Chef and we'd see him like 3 or 4 times,
you know, every night. You.
Know my brother my brother just called me from New York he he
says it's playing here and then I haven't heard from a long time
this editor out in Santa Fe hey I just saw your commercial you
(28:05):
know you don't know you don't know I you know I'm.
Taking a show and they're going to see a commercial like, and
then they're going to see your audition be like, Oh my gosh, I
saw him like like 12 times in the last two months, you know?
I I always say, I don't care howyou get on TV, just get on TV.
Yeah, that's. Don't get on TV for murdering
(28:28):
somebody. I literally had a student, I
literally had a student that I that was brought up on charges
and is in prison now and he did a reenactment.
I just have to do a Segway. He did a reenactment in the
courtroom because I was like curious.
I'm like, this guy was like so mild mannered.
There was no way he did the worst acting reenactment of
(28:51):
himself stabbing this girl in the courtroom that you would
ever want to see. I'm like, have I not taught you
anything? Oh my God, haven't I taught you
anything? Murderer.
Like that's crazy. Oh.
My God, he's in prison. He's in prison for a long time.
(29:12):
That's insane. Lived.
But she stabbed her a lot and like took a train to San Diego.
She had broken up with him. I blah.
Blah. I'll tell ya, actors, you need
to get your stuff together. We don't.
We don't want to see nobody. We don't need to nobody doing
something. No, but like I said, get on, get
on TV, but not for the wrong reason.
(29:33):
Not for the wrong reasons. Yeah, it's a thing.
Exposure you get on from your experience.
It is a good way to network for sure because if you're working
with other actors too, it's not like you're in a stability
community because it's like a one or two day thing.
But you can have enough conversation.
I mean, as long as you're not onset, watch your boom mic, your
boom mic's on. Be careful what you say.
(29:54):
They can hear you anywhere they are on set.
Conversations with these commercial actors, they were
just commercial actors. So it was very interesting for
me to be around them 'cause I'm mostly theatrical, right?
So it's really fun to be around just commercial actors.
And they were. One girl was saying, yeah, out
(30:15):
of nowhere I got a renewal from my panty liner commercial and
she got like thousands of dollars out of nowhere.
It was just renewed. Oh yeah, renewals.
That's the biggest reasons to docommercials.
You get all the people, then youforget and all of a sudden or
they decide to air it. We just had this happen, but we
have a big check coming for someone who did a commercial a
(30:36):
year or two ago. Yeah.
And they just like, hey, and we and we get regularly, this is
like the third one. We hey, we're thinking, we're
going to air it again. We're thinking about airing it.
What what are the terms? What do you accept?
And so we negotiate it and and then they get this big check
they weren't expecting. It's amazing.
It's really cool. Yeah, it's really cool.
You, you, you do. Yeah.
(30:58):
You can make enough connection to like you don't.
You never know where other actors that you connect with it,
where they're going to go. I just had someone book book a a
role on ATV series because his friend that he met in the
industry, they become friends, they start hanging out.
He got booked as a in a guest star role and he they were
looking for someone very specific and he's like, wait,
(31:20):
wait a minute, I know someone. And so you know, he ended up.
So connections are really good. It's really good to make
connections with other actors. Again, it can give you union
eligibility to commercials are avery common way to become Taff
Hart lead it curial you you can get I mean depending on the
commercial you can you can add it to your reel if you don't
(31:42):
have good reel. You know what I've done?
Because there's some commercials, like there was one
girl that did this commercial for a hospital and it was done
more dramatically and she had a couple of lines as a nurse.
So I we cut out the front, we cut out the end, and it looked
(32:03):
like it was an episodic show that she played with.
Love that. That's a great example.
You can definitely figure out how to get.
Sometimes it it could, it could satisfy that.
It depends on the commercial, you know, or, or I mean like if
you want a great commercial agent, when you do a bunch of
(32:23):
them, you can put together a commercial reel.
Oh yeah, 100%. If you have a few commercials,
put them together. But yeah, but the biggest thing
that I think everybody needs to understand, it's really
guideline 14 from my 15 guideline map to booking
technique. Why am I in the script?
I might just be moving the storylong.
And so since it's the series regular is the product you have
(32:47):
to figure out like go backwards and go, well, what what is the
product? What are the benefits of the
product? What are they trying to get
across? And how is my character
providing the missing piece to their puzzle?
That's so good. And so like, for instance, if
you are somebody in a grocery store, I don't know, squeezing
(33:14):
grapefruit and maybe it's a Vonscommercial and they're, they're
just blowing by you, you know, and they're going to go to
somebody else at, at another aisle, you know, but like, don't
make a big deal about squeezing that grapefruit.
Yeah, you're, you're just in theaisle and the just pretend the
(33:38):
camera's not there. Yeah.
How would you squeeze a grapefruit?
It's so much easier because you're not playing a character,
you're authentically you, unlessit is something a little
broader, but you're authentically you.
So just ask yourself. Yeah.
What does that mean to me? Yeah.
(34:00):
What am I looking for when I pick up that grapefruit?
Right. Am I looking for brown spots?
Am I looking for being too soft and like just be at one with the
grapefruit? Yeah, that's so good.
And like somebody that was shopping Ralph's, yes.
(34:22):
Like when they have those Home Depot commercials, like not that
you need to look like a guy whose crack is showing in his
butt, but but it needs to look like you're like a he man.
You know, dude, Dude, yes, there's dudes that shop there.
Yeah, they they put that in the breakdown, the description of.
So maybe he's a little, you know, looks a little rough, you
(34:46):
know, like he gets dropped down the street.
Yes, totally. Totally.
So so when you when you go to Home Depot, what is that like
for you? Like, don't make a big deal
about it, guys. Just you, you just be a tree.
You know, I was telling this girl at the coaching yesterday,
(35:06):
I said kids with children, you say you're a tree.
They're like, OK, yeah, boats. You say you're a tree.
They go, oh, well, what kind of tree am I?
I mean. Am I am IA?
Lemon tree Am I an apple tree amI avocado?
You're just a. What does the park look like?
A fucking tree. Just be a tree.
What is the atmosphere in the inthe in the on the mountain I'm
(35:29):
on? What is the?
It's like so extra. Just be a tree.
Just go back to the aunt kid again and told you you're
walking through Home Depot with your husband and you're looking
at lumber. Well, you got to figure out,
well, what? What am I building?
Yeah. Like you can build a story for
(35:52):
yourself. They have that circumstance in
that environment. But if you're not going to be in
a Home Depot and you're not going to know what it is that
you're actually looking for and you're not clear of who your
husband is. Yeah.
Then you don't deserve to get the job every You're going to be
against people that have built agreat story, so then they bring
(36:16):
you into the world that they're creating.
So it's an authentic life. Yeah, that's so good.
Isn't that interesting that you can, you can.
You can do some analyzing about it, and you can also be
authentic without going overly deep and overthinking it.
(36:38):
Yeah, you just keep it basic. Yeah, yeah, you think about it
enough to have a grass, but you don't overthink it and.
Yeah, you give yourself, you give yourself what I call
filling. OK, so you so you fill in the
situation. You're at the yogurt place and
you're you're like at Menchie's and and you're picking toppings.
(37:01):
Well, which toppings are they? Yeah, yeah.
And how do you scoop? Yeah, yeah.
You're not thinking about where exactly is the perfect place to
put the toppings on the yogurt like you're keeping.
You're giving a basic understanding and then also
remembering your part in in the project like you're not the
(37:24):
star, the product is the star. I love that.
I love that. That is such a great minder.
Yeah, I mean, the girl that I was working with, she had like a
backache or something. It's like, and she took pills
before she went to sleep and woke up in the morning and felt
better. But if you don't marinate on
(37:48):
what happened the night before, how are you going to wake up and
feel better? Right.
Yep. Because because look at the
truth of it. OK, If I took Advil, a couple of
Advil before I went to sleep because I had like a backache,
OK, then I would wake up wondering if the back ache was
still there, right. So you'd get out of bed
(38:12):
wondering. It's like, oh, oh.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so you saw, so you saw a
beginning, middle and end. Yeah, right.
That's what you need to do. That's what you need to do what
I just did. That's it, That's it.
(38:33):
End scene. Oh, Oh my gosh, that's so like
simple, but also like so brilliant because people are
spending so much if they're whenthey're doing both there's and
they haven't done a lot of like commercial workshops, like
they're going, they're spending.So they're going about it like
not the right way and they're not booking.
(38:54):
That's really, really good. Keep it real, folks.
Keep it real and keep it grounded.
But not just the idea of real and grounded.
Spend the time marinating on what it would feel like.
And then it translates because you don't have as many lines
that you could express it through the lines.
It needs to be expressed throughyour body and your face, so it
(39:16):
can't be fake. Yeah, you have to be be able to
be expressive even even if they want someone who's like as a dry
sense of humor. Like you still have the the
there's still expression in it. What do you think of like what
is a dry sense? There's a very specific
expression even with a non expressive dry sense of humor.
(39:37):
Like you know, the look, It's like it's it you just look at
someone who's deadpan and it andyou start laughing.
Why? Because that's an actual
expression, even though it's supposed to be non expressive.
It's it's its own. Kind of expression.
Yeah, it's inaugurated. So punishing like.
Yeah, exactly. That's.
(39:59):
Funny, you nailed it. You nailed it totally.
Yes. It's kind of like a whimsical
it's, it's whimsical. It's not like I'm angry at you,
so I'm giving you nothing, you know?
Yeah, totally. Whimsical quality to it.
(40:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
Oh my gosh, I think that is really brilliant advice and I
know a lot of people that need to gain this knowledge.
Yeah. And you know, I, I just really
think that people need to, to realize that commercials is not
(40:43):
the enemy, you know, but if you are burnt out on it, OK.
Because I remember back in the day, I had this 10 year old boy
that was going out on a a ridiculous amount of commercials
that he was so burnt that he wasn't really there for his
theatrical and the theatrical was really the thing we wanted
for him. Right.
(41:03):
So I said to the mom we could just not send him out for
commercials. Yes, yes.
Now in your case, the part of the the contract is they have to
go to commercials. So then don't sign with somebody
who who says part of it's part of your.
(41:27):
Contract yes, if we if you have to think about what you want to
do now, if you're developing A developing actor, it's and I've
seen this happen. If you're if you don't want to
do them because you don't like them, that's fine, but just
consider where that at least consider first where that might
be coming from. I've had a couple actors on my
roster sign thinking, Oh, I can do that too.
(41:48):
And then they they don't have a lot of credits.
They're not even SAG and they get like an attitude like
commercials are beneath them andthat attitude is not does not
carry over into success. Like if actors that have that
attitude it it it comes across somewhere it it's not like a
(42:09):
confidence. It's more like it's more like an
like an air like an inappropriate arrogance.
Not, I don't know if there, I mean, not that there's ever an
appropriate. Like above it.
Like above it. Yeah, like you're like I'm.
Too good for that. Like, I can't do that.
I'm too theatrical. I'm too much of AA dramatic
actor. But don't sign with an agency.
That part of the contract is youhave to do both.
(42:32):
Yeah. Don't nobody's.
Saying that you have to do commercials.
Absolutely. You don't.
It's to your, it's to your advantage if you're developing
because of all the reasons we talked about but it and if you
feel like you're above that, that is totally your choice.
I don't think that attitude's going to help you, but you have
a choice. Yeah.
(42:53):
But don't, don't, don't change your mind midstream because then
then you're going to lose the theatrical agent.
Exactly right, because that's part of your contract.
Absolutely it is. Which is why I usually say like,
I mean, I understand why somebody would sign with
somebody that has commercials and theatrical and sign them
(43:16):
both because otherwise they're working for free to develop them
theatrically, OK. But if you are, if you have a
lot of theatrical credits and a commercial and an agent wants
you to do commercials and theatrical, then then just sign
with an agent that's just theatrical but but or you have a
(43:38):
separate commercial agent but. Yeah, or you or you just
negotiate with the agent. Like the agent can decide do
they have enough credits and watch the material?
Are they good enough? Like and I'm.
Sure, there are people that cometo you that have like a
ridiculous amount of credits that you.
Oh yeah, and we've made exceptions paper.
Yeah. So that we just do the obstacle
for them. Well, it's your benefit.
(43:59):
Yeah, absolutely. Like I want that.
I want this person. So if we, you know, but you have
to be really good and have a pretty substantial amount of
credits if we're going to make that exception, you know what I
mean? Like you can't come in.
You're not alone. You're not alone in that
thinking, though. Oh, no, no, no, no.
That's that's not an unusual line of thought.
(44:22):
But I think talent just need to be aware that like you're it is
a privilege to get a commercial audition, particularly if you're
starting out, particularly if it's a SAG national commercial,
like that's a privilege, so. Even the non union commercials
are paying a lot of money, you know, and it's really.
I just thought I just had one that was paying $20,000 and it
(44:44):
was in the grocery store. Yeah.
I mean, it's like, why would youturn that down?
Like if you're an actor in LA, you are probably struggling.
Like, I almost can guarantee that you're struggling
financially so that it's it's besmart about it, you know, be
smart about this is a yeah. Yeah, I just, you know, stop
(45:08):
being snotty, guys. Don't be.
Yes, you. Thank you, Mama.
Amy. Don't be snotty.
Listen to your Mama, I'm tellingyou.
Yeah. OK, so guys first I want to talk
about my brand new shirt. It's called self love is radical
(45:29):
obsessed. I I actually hired somebody to
design this. You can get it on I am enough
collection.com and I'm having a coupon called summer deals 2
separate words summer deals and you get 20% off at checkout.
(45:50):
So I am enough collection.com and I also just designed one
called Rude so check that one out too.
That one is hilarious and I yeah, mine.
I think. The slate grey is.
A rude circle. Around Rude.
(46:11):
So you guys, thank you for beinghere, right, Ophelia?
Don't we love doing this? We do love doing this.
We love, we love that. It's the way it's helping you
guys from what we're, you know, the feedback we're getting and
it makes us so happy, brings a lot of joy, brings a lot of joy
to see it, you know, something that we're saying impacting, but
(46:34):
this is a tough industry. It's tough mentally, it's tough,
you know, in a lot of different ways, but the joy of it is real
too. You know, that's why, that's why
we do it. Yeah.
And. That's why I want you guys to
subscribe, follow if you're watching on on a, in a podcast,
because now you can watch in thepodcast, yes, but you have to
(46:58):
follow through on all those platforms and then share.
Yeah, somebody this is going to be helpful and I can't think of
1A podcast that we've done that like it wouldn't help someone.
Yeah. Oh, and also guys, if you go to
the Actors toolbox.net, you get a free week and I have, I'm
(47:21):
coaching 50 actors on there. It's a library for actors.
So and then it's only $19.00 a month, 1995 a month.
But there's motivational minuteson there, There's interviews,
but you can watch the technique.You can also learn the technique
on there. And so you get a free week.
(47:44):
And this is ongoing. This isn't just because we're
doing this in this year. So if you're listening to this
podcast and it's like 3 years from this year, it's still going
to be there for you. Yeah, that's that's actually
amazing. That is nothing to be paying per
month. And the stuff that's on there.
I went and look, I've looked through it and I'm like, Oh my,
(48:04):
this is gold. Yeah, every penny.
OK, we love you guys. Have you're You are enough.
You are enough.
Hey guys, welcome back to Actors.
You are enough. Ophelia and I are so excited
about all the response. And you know what's great about
having a podcast? It's on there forever so people
can play or or. Bad.
(00:22):
I'm not sure. Here for now, you know, people
can still learn. It's not like it disappears, you
know what I mean? Like I like Audrey does.
Audrey helps actors. I was on her first season of her
podcast. I think it's been going on for
like 5 years. People are still signing up for
(00:45):
my classes because of that. Episode 5 might be 5 or 6 years
ago. That's crazy.
That's awesome. Yeah.
Because they, she's been doing it so long, they get to like,
binge on all of her episodes. And yeah, yeah, it's really
interesting. But anyway, like, there's
nothing like stumbling across a podcast with like these gems of
(01:05):
information, even when they're older and you're like, Oh my
gosh, that's like the wisdom from the ages.
And I just found it. It's it's like the best.
It's awesome. Yeah, I think information is
power and I think that, you know, I didn't have it coming up
and you guys really need to pay attention to it and take
(01:27):
advantage of it. Exactly.
We Oh my gosh, right when you were acting years and years ago
and there's not. Let's just put one years on it.
Years ago. Not years and years, decades and
decades. Ago.
You know, back in the stone ages, you know.
(01:48):
Back in the back in the medievaltimes.
Oh. My God, I'm like a Viking.
I'm a Viking actor. Oh dear.
OK, back in like, you know, likea little bit ago when you know,
and actually honestly, it wasn'tactually that long ago that like
(02:09):
their Internet wasn't a thing. I mean, it wasn't.
It really wasn't at all so. No, it's like a carrier pigeon
had to come to my house to tell me how to.
He'll be like it. Was a very, you know, wagons we
(02:31):
had to take to house to house. It was rough.
It was rough. We had a rough Amy and.
The thing is, you used to have to drive to the studio, right?
And the parking, the parking wasnever next to the to the
(02:51):
audition. And I would walk and I'd be
sweaty, right, walking through the studio in high heels.
And then I would come up to the door and be like, that's a
parking lot set. That's like a parking structure.
They're always, they're always very like, there's like paper
taped to the doors, like like you're like, am I really at the
(03:12):
right place? They're always like hidden and
mysterious. It's it's.
Just annoying. It's like they didn't care about
me. Like didn't care like the
parking structure's like right there.
Like why did I have to walk? I would, I would tag down these
people on their golf carts and be like, I gosh, that's awesome.
(03:37):
Give me a ride. Or even like going, you know,
when you'd go to the studio for a dish.
I remember before COVID taking my son to a studio dish and it
was like, OK, make do we have our IDs?
Do we? And then like, you think you,
you know, put enough time aside to get to where the addition is.
And and then you walk, drive in and it's like, it's like an
(03:57):
optical illusion. Like it looks like, oh, it's
just right there. But we're like, we're like, we
are still walking, OK. We are still walking.
I don't. Are we going to be in Macon in
time? Like it's it's this.
Yeah, yeah. And I like.
I like they go, they give you this map, they used to give you
this map, they go, OK, you are the maps you are here and this
(04:17):
is where more. Confusing.
I'd rather not have the map and try to.
Give me a map. Don't give me a map Listen, this
is what we used to deal with, but we're telling you you have
so much easy accesses for in forall this information now like
utilize it like you. This is a gift so you have you
(04:39):
really like actors have no excuse in this day and age
they've no. I mean, not with YouTube and and
and podcasts and I mean, and there's always people you could
reach out for help. Yes.
You know, like I was coaching a girl yesterday actually on her
(04:59):
commercials, which is what we'retalking about today.
What are we talking about, Ophelia?
You're talking about commercials.
What is the deal with commercials if you are like Long
to be like an A list actor, which should not be your
motivation. And that's the side note I think
we've talked about before. We could talk about it again,
however, that's not what's that's not that's your focus.
(05:21):
You will not be successful most likely.
But all that to say, if that's what you're like, your passion
is and and you're getting irritated because like you know,
you're with an agency that also submits you for commercials and
you get irritated when you get acommercial, that's a problem.
And we're going to talk about why, why you should be excited
(05:42):
to do commercials, why you should do commercials, and why
you're not booking commercials. If you're doing them but you're
not, you're not. You haven't booked them for a
long time. So we're going to get all into
that, into that, into that. But talking about the help
aspect, this girl is I think auditioned for like 25
commercials and then finally she's asking me about them.
(06:05):
I'm like, why didn't you reach out to anybody?
You know, anybody, anybody reached out to me, But why
aren't you reaching out guys? You know, it like, it's like
those people that have, like they're afraid their agents
going to drop them, you know, and like those not the people I
want to be with, but. But I I am there for you anyway.
(06:29):
Yes, Yes. No, I'm frustrated.
Yeah. Right.
You just need to know I'm helping with this, but I'm not
love. I'm not loving this.
No, I'm not loving this 'cause you want me to, like, clean up
the mess, Yeah, you know, But I looked at some of her commercial
tapes, OK 'cause I said, like, let's talk about, like, what
(06:51):
you're doing, you know? And her thing was, I'm not gonna
go through what it was, OK, But she wasn't really there.
Like, she wasn't there. She was acting there.
Uh huh, there's a difference. Yeah, so if you're supposed to
(07:13):
look, drive up to a mountain in your new Kia SUV and then get
out and take stuff out of the trunk and then make a picnic and
then look out at the deep horizon, you better be really in
the truck. That's good.
(07:34):
You better be knowing who's in the truck with you and really be
seeing what you're looking at asyou're driving up the mountain.
Yes, having a feeling about it. Having a feeling about it, but
also at the same time, I'm not thinking that you're in a like a
psychological thriller, waiting in the truck to see what's going
(07:58):
to come. Like you don't want to go the
article, you don't want to go the article on them.
Like you're not going to book iteither.
You have to be there, but you, you can't.
You have to be where you are, right?
But. It has to be like, oh, like
lights are on nobody's home. Yes, yes, exactly.
(08:21):
Beautiful. Oh my God, that's gorgeous.
I mean, like really seeing it, you know, like, and then how
heavy are the things that you'regetting out of your trunk?
Like now, now commercials, they're asking you to be like a
ADP. OK.
That. I mean like, oh, can you have
your friend like go out and likeshoot you running?
(08:45):
Yeah, I know. Do you have any ones?
How many commercials I've given to like have someone, you know,
go out on the hills? Are you a hill runner?
We want to see you running on the So they have to go find like
a mountain, like have someone film them.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. They want to fill them hiking or
repelling or jumping off of something.
(09:07):
It's like, what are you crazy? Like, you know, the commercials
I usually book are the ones in the room.
That's that's the commercials. I book the ones in the room, but
there's not a lot of ones in theroom anymore.
They, there's not, but they theythey're doing a lot commercials
are doing, they're doing some. Yeah, like, and those are the
(09:28):
ones that I love. Yeah, a lot of people do.
A lot of people are like, my gosh, my acting is just
different when I have the energyof the people in the room.
Some people get or not because they started acting after things
went self tape. And so they get they're like get
freaked out by it. They're like I get, I get like I
freeze up, but I think some people really miss that,
(09:50):
especially if they didn't that way before or like I'm just
better and then then like they can give me notes and you know
they also. Have all the props there.
Yeah. They have the they have the fake
steering wheel. They literally have it jimmied
to wood and so it it really sitsup exactly as your car and it
and it moves. So you can literally have like a
(10:13):
steering wheel in the shot, you know what I'm saying?
Yeah, totally. Yeah.
Commercials today, you better dress up.
I mean you better dress up. It is advertising.
Yes, Yep, that's why your commercial headshot.
It needs to be big cheesy smile and you see all your teeth.
We don't want any dramatic looksin it.
(10:34):
We just want to see a big cheesy.
Smile and yes, OK, so you see her smile.
She didn't have bottom teeth. Don't do bottom teeth like.
Please don't do that. Don't do bottom teeth.
Do wasting money just just like a big like?
Yeah. Yeah, like I love my life.
(10:57):
I'm not. I'm not super a super deep
thinker. No.
That's how you need to look and that's how you kind of just show
up with that kind of energy. Yeah, I call it getting to 0.
And you know, especially you dramatic actors that are
wondering why you're not bookingcommercials, it's because you're
not at 0 when you're doing them.You can't be more interesting
(11:17):
than the product. And when you're thinking too
much, it pulls focus from the product.
You guys, this is advertising thing that it's advertising.
You have to look at it from the the product is the series
regular, OK. And you're just basically moving
wallpaper. Yeah.
(11:38):
And so if you go look at yourself moving wallpaper, then
then you'll stop like, I don't know, making it a meal out of a
teeny snack. Like it's just one celery stock.
Yes. Like actually, yes.
And sometimes it's dipped in almond, almond butter.
(12:01):
But for the most part, yeah. But for the most part, you're
just a celery stock. You're just like 1 little
component, especially if the camera is whipping past you.
You're just representing A demographic because then they're
going to go to another ethnicitydemographic doing something
(12:21):
else, some guy doing construction and.
Yeah, exactly. And and come with your own and
and be this, this kind of goes for the optical too.
But don't try to you don't want to try to think about what do
they, what does casting want? What are they wanting?
What are they wanting from this?Don't try to think.
Don't try to be more ethnic. If you're not, don't try to to
(12:44):
come as yourself. Come as yourself from the place
of 0. Don't give them too much sauce
and and then and then you do just think do what you what is
what is coming to you when you look at the script, what is
coming to you, how to do it. That doesn't mean do a bunch of
improv. It just means how what is coming
to you and how to present that. Create, create within the box
(13:08):
that they gave you, you know, and so you could stretch the box
sometimes, like, you know, like I was telling you earlier, you
were feeling the kind of commercials I book.
It's usually just me and the spot and one of the person.
It's not usually the product is in front and I'm behind, you
know, I, I obviously need to getmore closer to 0.
(13:30):
Sure. Right, right, right.
I. Mean it's not like I have
resting bitch face or anything but I've I think I've rested
resting animation face. I can see I would not have
thought that, but now I'm that'swhat I'm going to think about
when I think about you commercials.
That is hilarious. I love that.
OK, but tell us about the Got Milk commercial.
(13:52):
Oh my God. OK, so I haven't heard that.
I haven't even heard this story yet, but you mentioned it and
now I've been I've been waiting until this point.
I've been waiting on the edge ofmy seat until this very point in
our. Podcast, is it going to let you
guys know how the advertising people really don't care about
the actor? OK.
And so it's very important that you just, you just do your
(14:14):
thing, you show up and do that one little thing 'cause he don't
care about you. And I'm, and I'm going to tell
you how that happened. So it was during the strike and
got milk started out union and then it went non union and then
it went back to union. So the people that are were at
the strike thought that it was still non union.
So literally had a driver who itwas a guard at night at my like
(14:41):
overnight with a car and so nobody would harm me.
Ding. Yeah, 'cause there were.
Tents. I know, I know there were people
that were they called scabs, right?
And they since it wasn't like announced to the world that got
(15:02):
milk was now in union again. They would think I was scabbing.
So they would, they hurt me because it was very tense during
that time 'cause it was in the, the big commercial strike, which
they shouldn't have, but that's a whole other one, right?
Anyway, so in the morning they brought me to the set and the
(15:22):
the shot, the spot was with a monkey.
So the main guy spent 12 1/2 hours with the monkey.
I read a whole Daniel Steele book.
Oh well, you were there the whole time.
The whole time. What?
Yeah, for 12 1/2 hours. And they didn't get to me yet in
a trailer in Griffith Park. OK, So by the time it got to me,
(15:45):
it was night out and everybody'stired, right?
And they have the big boom lights.
This is a multimillion dollar spot, meaning rent for a long
time. So the director was like a
football field away. OK.
He was all the way over there and the AD executives were all
the way over there. And I'm thinking to myself, why
(16:08):
aren't they sitting together? So he's screaming to me from a
megaphone. Like he couldn't just come up to
me. Right?
Megaphone. OK now I'm in a like a shack, a
got milk shack in the middle of a park and there's a sign behind
me going milk sign so I couldn'thear him.
(16:35):
Yeah. And he's calling from the
megaphone. OK, And I'm like, I can't hear
you because of the sign. Can we turn off the sign?
He says no. OK, fine.
There's that all all All I had was so the guy was teasing the
(16:56):
monkey with a moon pie bar. And so I end up teasing him with
the milk. OK, so I came down the bars in
my my shack and I tease them with the milk.
I said you looking at this, you looking at this, you.
Looking, yeah. I swear to you I got it on the
first 3 takes take #500 they allcome up to the shack OK.
(17:21):
The advertising executives, the director, and for some reason
they were all really tall or I felt really small, I don't know
which what it was. Or combination.
It was a combination. So I come out from behind my
shack and I go, hey guys, is there anything that I could help
you with? And they look at me like, oh
(17:44):
God, we'll just inhale. Like get back in your shack,
bitch. Like it really was that.
My gosh. Anyway I can?
See it clearly in my eyes. I've seen the.
Look, I have OK, OK, OK, I get back in my shaft and I do like
(18:05):
300 more. Oh my.
Word. Then they send me home with APA
with with cams and wrappers in aPinto.
That's how they sent me home. They were there in a.
Limo protected arm guard limo and sent me home in a Pinto.
(18:27):
Oh my God, that is very interesting.
Oh, they were done with me. They're oh.
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
No, I was thinking about this the other day.
I was thinking about this after we talked about our did our
podcast on the toll you are enough.
And like, how do you get the, the IT factors, the IT factor
and how you have to, you know, you in order to access your own
(18:50):
it factor, which you have, you have to do all this identity
work. And it has to do with like
knowing who you are and feeling really good about yourself and
how, you know, a lot of actors that seem to have that, like a
lot of them, not all of them, but a number of them have grown
up with like parents that are just doting.
And so they kind of grew up feeling like, Oh, I'm amazing.
(19:13):
Now that has other problems withit too.
But for as far as an actor goes,there's like some things about
that that work. But I was thinking like how many
times I've been on set, you know, with an actor and they
they show up and they're treatedlike they're a God.
I mean, they're just, you know, and, and I think part of why
they do that is because they know that that is going to bring
(19:36):
out the best in the actor. Like they're, it's going to make
them feel built up and I'm confident and they're going to
show up and be like. Exactly.
Here. Exactly.
But the truth is they're going with it home in a Pinto.
Yes, the truth. Is when you're.
Done. Remember that when you're done,
they're they're done. They're done.
(19:57):
They're done. I mean, maybe if they if they
liked working with you, they may, you know, remember you and
and maybe you know, CD select you for another commercial it
has. It it has nothing to do with
whether or not they like you. Right, exactly.
It has to do with oh, I liked how they show perform, but it's
but it's not you as a person. No.
(20:18):
No. No, not in that case.
I would say my only greatest experience.
I can't talk about commercials so much about my greatest
experience because I haven't hadany.
But I made a lot of money so I kind of like, OK, I'll get over
it. But when I was on NCIS they they
offered me sushi at 11 AM and that's how I knew no.
(20:44):
I knew. Is Lyndon would you like some
sushi at 11 AM and the and the set was beautiful.
The people, I mean, Mark Harmon,it, it has so much to do with
the people up at top. And.
And the photographers on set, they sent me all the pictures.
It was just so wonderful to me. It's like human.
(21:07):
It's humanized. Yeah, but in commercials, it's
advertising, guys. Yeah.
It's advertising and I need you to think about the corporations.
You don't need to build community and there's not don't
you might not even expect to build community with the people
on set or the director, producerlike the it's, it's a different
animal. So, so here's the thing, a lot
(21:29):
of actors, you know, we so our particular agency and there's
other agencies that functionallythis as well.
They do commercial and theatrical.
We do both you we won't sign youunless you do both.
We do make, we do make some exceptions.
This is why. And the reason why is also why
(21:52):
as an actor you should be doing commercials and you should be
excited about doing them. And the reason is because
commercials are really good money.
You, why would you leave that onthe table?
The other reason is, is because if you're an actor, you are
getting to act and you do commercials, it's not the same
kind of acting and it's not this.
(22:14):
You're not utilizing the same depth of training and and it
might not be something that is like a passion for you.
However, you are still acting. You're still getting on set,
you're still making, you are making connection, getting in
front of directors and producers.
And I realize that most of the time there's not crossover, but
(22:37):
sometimes there is. In fact, the actor that I have
that booked the opening role in a major SAG franchise movie
that's coming out this fall. The the CD who who picked him,
who worked with us and got him in is normally does commercials.
And I've done several clients have been in front of her for
(22:57):
commercial auditions. And she happened to have a
relationship with the director and was asked to help find this
particular role. So there there is crossover
sometimes. So you don't you don't want to
leave it on the table like why would you do that?
And if. You, I think, I think one of the
biggest things is that if you don't have credits and you sign
(23:18):
with an agency, they need to make money from you first so you
can make money in commercials while they're developing you as
a theatrical talent. Exactly.
We're work. Agents are working 24/7 and if
you're just sitting on our roster, it, it's we, we have to
at some point be paid for what we do.
And it's nothing personal. It's just that that's how a
(23:39):
business works. And so you need to be, you know,
when you're developing talent, you need to be doing commercials
because we're not just going to have you sit on a roster.
And so in light of that, and also you can, you, can you pick
SAG commercials, you get SAG credits and so you can become
SAG and cast directors. They do look at that if you're
SAG and this was some good like national commercials, they're
(24:03):
like, oh, OK, if you did it for a background work or something
like that, they're like, they'resad, but like not really.
And so they're going. To visibility too, you know I
mean I know people from junior high and elementary school have
been hitting me up and going is that you one of that matches for
a commercial right yes, exactly.The matter is casting directors
(24:25):
are seeing it too. So and you it's, it's, it's, it
gives you more TV cred, you know, it's visibility.
It shows you as more establishedon TV.
And the next best thing, I remember Hosea Sanchez, who was
in my Class A million years ago,He was doing a lot of
(24:48):
commercials. And when the game came up, he
was so like worked out on the improv and the looseness of
commercials that when he auditioned for the game, he was
he booked it. He was the only one not with
credits at all. Wow in.
The league on the game. Wow.
He had, but he had a lot of commercials.
(25:13):
Yes. Oh yeah.
I don't think people realize howmany a listers started out doing
commercials. Leonardo DiCaprio, he was.
I, I, I have a list right here. You want to hear it?
I know you do. Leonardo DiCaprio, he was in
Max, Matchbox, Cars and Bubble Yum.
Brad Pitt was in Pringles, did Pringles in the late 80s
(25:36):
Jennifer Lawrence did my super Sweet 16 style.
She did and it was an MTV promo and a subway commercial.
This is before, this is before they became known actors.
Morgan Freeman did Listerine. Mila Kunis did Barbie.
Bryan Cranz did Preparation H That's hilarious.
That's. Hilarious.
(25:57):
Did Burger King Joseph, So you get you you you actually
develop, right? You do develop recognition.
And this is how this is how I remember Steve Martin talking
about this once in a master class he did.
He talked about how important itis to to be.
He had a name for it and I'm blanking on it now, but
(26:19):
basically it's to be around the people that you want to be
working with. So he said when he, you know, he
would go, you know, take walks. I don't know if he still does
this. This was years ago.
He would go, you know, take walks and where, you know,
Beverly Hills or in, in, you know, West Hollywood or when
he's in New York, he'll go be around Central Park.
(26:40):
And he would walk down the street and he would, you know,
see people, the same people a few times.
And all of a sudden when he was thinking, he realized when he
was thinking about a part who could be, it would also that
person would come to his mind because he just saw them
crossing the street. It's the same idea that you
know, I remember when I did sales before I became an agent,
(27:02):
that was the whole part of the training was it takes 7 touches
before someone will respond to you.
And so you it's like being in getting in front of being seen
by people who make the decisions, the gatekeepers, you
need to be seen by them repeatedly.
And that means if someone you know, who's doing doing
(27:23):
theatrical stuff is watching a commercial that you're on and
they see it multiple times, likemy son just did a universal
students commercial. And this happens when you do
commercials. You get your friends and family
calling you. Oh my gosh, I just saw you.
That's how you know, it came outhalf the time.
And well, you know, we're just talking.
We saw our friends the other dayand they're like, oh, it's so
(27:44):
fun. I remember when, when it was
airing, we saw him, you know, every night we'd sit down and
watch, you know, Top Chef and we'd see him like 3 or 4 times,
you know, every night. You.
Know my brother my brother just called me from New York he he
says it's playing here and then I haven't heard from a long time
this editor out in Santa Fe hey I just saw your commercial you
(28:05):
know you don't know you don't know I you know I'm.
Taking a show and they're going to see a commercial like, and
then they're going to see your audition be like, Oh my gosh, I
saw him like like 12 times in the last two months, you know?
I I always say, I don't care howyou get on TV, just get on TV.
Yeah, that's. Don't get on TV for murdering
(28:28):
somebody. I literally had a student, I
literally had a student that I that was brought up on charges
and is in prison now and he did a reenactment.
I just have to do a Segway. He did a reenactment in the
courtroom because I was like curious.
I'm like, this guy was like so mild mannered.
There was no way he did the worst acting reenactment of
(28:51):
himself stabbing this girl in the courtroom that you would
ever want to see. I'm like, have I not taught you
anything? Oh my God, haven't I taught you
anything? Murderer.
Like that's crazy. Oh.
My God, he's in prison. He's in prison for a long time.
(29:12):
That's insane. Lived.
But she stabbed her a lot and like took a train to San Diego.
She had broken up with him. I blah.
Blah. I'll tell ya, actors, you need
to get your stuff together. We don't.
We don't want to see nobody. We don't need to nobody doing
something. No, but like I said, get on, get
on TV, but not for the wrong reason.
(29:33):
Not for the wrong reasons. Yeah, it's a thing.
Exposure you get on from your experience.
It is a good way to network for sure because if you're working
with other actors too, it's not like you're in a stability
community because it's like a one or two day thing.
But you can have enough conversation.
I mean, as long as you're not onset, watch your boom mic, your
boom mic's on. Be careful what you say.
(29:54):
They can hear you anywhere they are on set.
Conversations with these commercial actors, they were
just commercial actors. So it was very interesting for
me to be around them 'cause I'm mostly theatrical, right?
So it's really fun to be around just commercial actors.
And they were. One girl was saying, yeah, out
(30:15):
of nowhere I got a renewal from my panty liner commercial and
she got like thousands of dollars out of nowhere.
It was just renewed. Oh yeah, renewals.
That's the biggest reasons to docommercials.
You get all the people, then youforget and all of a sudden or
they decide to air it. We just had this happen, but we
have a big check coming for someone who did a commercial a
(30:36):
year or two ago. Yeah.
And they just like, hey, and we and we get regularly, this is
like the third one. We hey, we're thinking, we're
going to air it again. We're thinking about airing it.
What what are the terms? What do you accept?
And so we negotiate it and and then they get this big check
they weren't expecting. It's amazing.
It's really cool. Yeah, it's really cool.
You, you, you do. Yeah.
(30:58):
You can make enough connection to like you don't.
You never know where other actors that you connect with it,
where they're going to go. I just had someone book book a a
role on ATV series because his friend that he met in the
industry, they become friends, they start hanging out.
He got booked as a in a guest star role and he they were
looking for someone very specific and he's like, wait,
(31:20):
wait a minute, I know someone. And so you know, he ended up.
So connections are really good. It's really good to make
connections with other actors. Again, it can give you union
eligibility to commercials are avery common way to become Taff
Hart lead it curial you you can get I mean depending on the
commercial you can you can add it to your reel if you don't
(31:42):
have good reel. You know what I've done?
Because there's some commercials, like there was one
girl that did this commercial for a hospital and it was done
more dramatically and she had a couple of lines as a nurse.
So I we cut out the front, we cut out the end, and it looked
(32:03):
like it was an episodic show that she played with.
Love that. That's a great example.
You can definitely figure out how to get.
Sometimes it it could, it could satisfy that.
It depends on the commercial, you know, or, or I mean like if
you want a great commercial agent, when you do a bunch of
(32:23):
them, you can put together a commercial reel.
Oh yeah, 100%. If you have a few commercials,
put them together. But yeah, but the biggest thing
that I think everybody needs to understand, it's really
guideline 14 from my 15 guideline map to booking
technique. Why am I in the script?
I might just be moving the storylong.
And so since it's the series regular is the product you have
(32:47):
to figure out like go backwards and go, well, what what is the
product? What are the benefits of the
product? What are they trying to get
across? And how is my character
providing the missing piece to their puzzle?
That's so good. And so like, for instance, if
you are somebody in a grocery store, I don't know, squeezing
(33:14):
grapefruit and maybe it's a Vonscommercial and they're, they're
just blowing by you, you know, and they're going to go to
somebody else at, at another aisle, you know, but like, don't
make a big deal about squeezing that grapefruit.
Yeah, you're, you're just in theaisle and the just pretend the
(33:38):
camera's not there. Yeah.
How would you squeeze a grapefruit?
It's so much easier because you're not playing a character,
you're authentically you, unlessit is something a little
broader, but you're authentically you.
So just ask yourself. Yeah.
What does that mean to me? Yeah.
(34:00):
What am I looking for when I pick up that grapefruit?
Right. Am I looking for brown spots?
Am I looking for being too soft and like just be at one with the
grapefruit? Yeah, that's so good.
And like somebody that was shopping Ralph's, yes.
(34:22):
Like when they have those Home Depot commercials, like not that
you need to look like a guy whose crack is showing in his
butt, but but it needs to look like you're like a he man.
You know, dude, Dude, yes, there's dudes that shop there.
Yeah, they they put that in the breakdown, the description of.
So maybe he's a little, you know, looks a little rough, you
(34:46):
know, like he gets dropped down the street.
Yes, totally. Totally.
So so when you when you go to Home Depot, what is that like
for you? Like, don't make a big deal
about it, guys. Just you, you just be a tree.
You know, I was telling this girl at the coaching yesterday,
(35:06):
I said kids with children, you say you're a tree.
They're like, OK, yeah, boats. You say you're a tree.
They go, oh, well, what kind of tree am I?
I mean. Am I am IA?
Lemon tree Am I an apple tree amI avocado?
You're just a. What does the park look like?
A fucking tree. Just be a tree.
What is the atmosphere in the inthe in the on the mountain I'm
(35:29):
on? What is the?
It's like so extra. Just be a tree.
Just go back to the aunt kid again and told you you're
walking through Home Depot with your husband and you're looking
at lumber. Well, you got to figure out,
well, what? What am I building?
Yeah. Like you can build a story for
(35:52):
yourself. They have that circumstance in
that environment. But if you're not going to be in
a Home Depot and you're not going to know what it is that
you're actually looking for and you're not clear of who your
husband is. Yeah.
Then you don't deserve to get the job every You're going to be
against people that have built agreat story, so then they bring
(36:16):
you into the world that they're creating.
So it's an authentic life. Yeah, that's so good.
Isn't that interesting that you can, you can.
You can do some analyzing about it, and you can also be
authentic without going overly deep and overthinking it.
(36:38):
Yeah, you just keep it basic. Yeah, yeah, you think about it
enough to have a grass, but you don't overthink it and.
Yeah, you give yourself, you give yourself what I call
filling. OK, so you so you fill in the
situation. You're at the yogurt place and
you're you're like at Menchie's and and you're picking toppings.
(37:01):
Well, which toppings are they? Yeah, yeah.
And how do you scoop? Yeah, yeah.
You're not thinking about where exactly is the perfect place to
put the toppings on the yogurt like you're keeping.
You're giving a basic understanding and then also
remembering your part in in the project like you're not the
(37:24):
star, the product is the star. I love that.
I love that. That is such a great minder.
Yeah, I mean, the girl that I was working with, she had like a
backache or something. It's like, and she took pills
before she went to sleep and woke up in the morning and felt
better. But if you don't marinate on
(37:48):
what happened the night before, how are you going to wake up and
feel better? Right.
Yep. Because because look at the
truth of it. OK, If I took Advil, a couple of
Advil before I went to sleep because I had like a backache,
OK, then I would wake up wondering if the back ache was
still there, right. So you'd get out of bed
(38:12):
wondering. It's like, oh, oh.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so you saw, so you saw a
beginning, middle and end. Yeah, right.
That's what you need to do. That's what you need to do what
I just did. That's it, That's it.
(38:33):
End scene. Oh, Oh my gosh, that's so like
simple, but also like so brilliant because people are
spending so much if they're whenthey're doing both there's and
they haven't done a lot of like commercial workshops, like
they're going, they're spending.So they're going about it like
not the right way and they're not booking.
(38:54):
That's really, really good. Keep it real, folks.
Keep it real and keep it grounded.
But not just the idea of real and grounded.
Spend the time marinating on what it would feel like.
And then it translates because you don't have as many lines
that you could express it through the lines.
It needs to be expressed throughyour body and your face, so it
(39:16):
can't be fake. Yeah, you have to be be able to
be expressive even even if they want someone who's like as a dry
sense of humor. Like you still have the the
there's still expression in it. What do you think of like what
is a dry sense? There's a very specific
expression even with a non expressive dry sense of humor.
(39:37):
Like you know, the look, It's like it's it you just look at
someone who's deadpan and it andyou start laughing.
Why? Because that's an actual
expression, even though it's supposed to be non expressive.
It's it's its own. Kind of expression.
Yeah, it's inaugurated. So punishing like.
Yeah, exactly. That's.
(39:59):
Funny, you nailed it. You nailed it totally.
Yes. It's kind of like a whimsical
it's, it's whimsical. It's not like I'm angry at you,
so I'm giving you nothing, you know?
Yeah, totally. Whimsical quality to it.
(40:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
Oh my gosh, I think that is really brilliant advice and I
know a lot of people that need to gain this knowledge.
Yeah. And you know, I, I just really
think that people need to, to realize that commercials is not
(40:43):
the enemy, you know, but if you are burnt out on it, OK.
Because I remember back in the day, I had this 10 year old boy
that was going out on a a ridiculous amount of commercials
that he was so burnt that he wasn't really there for his
theatrical and the theatrical was really the thing we wanted
for him. Right.
(41:03):
So I said to the mom we could just not send him out for
commercials. Yes, yes.
Now in your case, the part of the the contract is they have to
go to commercials. So then don't sign with somebody
who who says part of it's part of your.
(41:27):
Contract yes, if we if you have to think about what you want to
do now, if you're developing A developing actor, it's and I've
seen this happen. If you're if you don't want to
do them because you don't like them, that's fine, but just
consider where that at least consider first where that might
be coming from. I've had a couple actors on my
roster sign thinking, Oh, I can do that too.
(41:48):
And then they they don't have a lot of credits.
They're not even SAG and they get like an attitude like
commercials are beneath them andthat attitude is not does not
carry over into success. Like if actors that have that
attitude it it it comes across somewhere it it's not like a
(42:09):
confidence. It's more like it's more like an
like an air like an inappropriate arrogance.
Not, I don't know if there, I mean, not that there's ever an
appropriate. Like above it.
Like above it. Yeah, like you're like I'm.
Too good for that. Like, I can't do that.
I'm too theatrical. I'm too much of AA dramatic
actor. But don't sign with an agency.
That part of the contract is youhave to do both.
(42:32):
Yeah. Don't nobody's.
Saying that you have to do commercials.
Absolutely. You don't.
It's to your, it's to your advantage if you're developing
because of all the reasons we talked about but it and if you
feel like you're above that, that is totally your choice.
I don't think that attitude's going to help you, but you have
a choice. Yeah.
(42:53):
But don't, don't, don't change your mind midstream because then
then you're going to lose the theatrical agent.
Exactly right, because that's part of your contract.
Absolutely it is. Which is why I usually say like,
I mean, I understand why somebody would sign with
somebody that has commercials and theatrical and sign them
(43:16):
both because otherwise they're working for free to develop them
theatrically, OK. But if you are, if you have a
lot of theatrical credits and a commercial and an agent wants
you to do commercials and theatrical, then then just sign
with an agent that's just theatrical but but or you have a
(43:38):
separate commercial agent but. Yeah, or you or you just
negotiate with the agent. Like the agent can decide do
they have enough credits and watch the material?
Are they good enough? Like and I'm.
Sure, there are people that cometo you that have like a
ridiculous amount of credits that you.
Oh yeah, and we've made exceptions paper.
Yeah. So that we just do the obstacle
for them. Well, it's your benefit.
(43:59):
Yeah, absolutely. Like I want that.
I want this person. So if we, you know, but you have
to be really good and have a pretty substantial amount of
credits if we're going to make that exception, you know what I
mean? Like you can't come in.
You're not alone. You're not alone in that
thinking, though. Oh, no, no, no, no.
That's that's not an unusual line of thought.
(44:22):
But I think talent just need to be aware that like you're it is
a privilege to get a commercial audition, particularly if you're
starting out, particularly if it's a SAG national commercial,
like that's a privilege, so. Even the non union commercials
are paying a lot of money, you know, and it's really.
I just thought I just had one that was paying $20,000 and it
(44:44):
was in the grocery store. Yeah.
I mean, it's like, why would youturn that down?
Like if you're an actor in LA, you are probably struggling.
Like, I almost can guarantee that you're struggling
financially so that it's it's besmart about it, you know, be
smart about this is a yeah. Yeah, I just, you know, stop
(45:08):
being snotty, guys. Don't be.
Yes, you. Thank you, Mama.
Amy. Don't be snotty.
Listen to your Mama, I'm tellingyou.
Yeah. OK, so guys first I want to talk
about my brand new shirt. It's called self love is radical
(45:29):
obsessed. I I actually hired somebody to
design this. You can get it on I am enough
collection.com and I'm having a coupon called summer deals 2
separate words summer deals and you get 20% off at checkout.
(45:50):
So I am enough collection.com and I also just designed one
called Rude so check that one out too.
That one is hilarious and I yeah, mine.
I think. The slate grey is.
A rude circle. Around Rude.
(46:11):
So you guys, thank you for beinghere, right, Ophelia?
Don't we love doing this? We do love doing this.
We love, we love that. It's the way it's helping you
guys from what we're, you know, the feedback we're getting and
it makes us so happy, brings a lot of joy, brings a lot of joy
to see it, you know, something that we're saying impacting, but
(46:34):
this is a tough industry. It's tough mentally, it's tough,
you know, in a lot of different ways, but the joy of it is real
too. You know, that's why, that's why
we do it. Yeah.
And. That's why I want you guys to
subscribe, follow if you're watching on on a, in a podcast,
because now you can watch in thepodcast, yes, but you have to
(46:58):
follow through on all those platforms and then share.
Yeah, somebody this is going to be helpful and I can't think of
1A podcast that we've done that like it wouldn't help someone.
Yeah. Oh, and also guys, if you go to
the Actors toolbox.net, you get a free week and I have, I'm
(47:21):
coaching 50 actors on there. It's a library for actors.
So and then it's only $19.00 a month, 1995 a month.
But there's motivational minuteson there, There's interviews,
but you can watch the technique.You can also learn the technique
on there. And so you get a free week.
(47:44):
And this is ongoing. This isn't just because we're
doing this in this year. So if you're listening to this
podcast and it's like 3 years from this year, it's still going
to be there for you. Yeah, that's that's actually
amazing. That is nothing to be paying per
month. And the stuff that's on there.
I went and look, I've looked through it and I'm like, Oh my,
(48:04):
this is gold. Yeah, every penny.
OK, we love you guys. Have you're You are enough.
You are enough.
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