Published on Wednesday May 12, 2004 .
(No I don’t usually speak in the third person, I just thought that was a clever title.)
Could you imagine an asian guy dressed in a 1773 restoration period outfit (think knickers, billowy lace shirt and waistcoat)? Well, that’s gonna be me playing the character of Marlow in “She Stoops to Conquer” for class. Last night was our second table reading and I must say, I am quite taken by the “over-the-top” comedic material filled with sexual innuendo, and how naturally I fit into the character of an “overcompensating ladies man“. It also surprises me how much innuendo there is in this piece that was written 231 years ago!
It is so much fun to speak in a “stylized” english accent while doing these ridiculously comedic gestures. I find this “style” of acting so much easier than most of the work we have done this year trying to be “natural” and feeling/experiencing “real” emotions on-stage. This just means I need to continue to work on tapping into those deep emotions to compliment my “performance” abilities. (that’s a whole lotta quotes.)
Today was pretty hectic. I had to go to Scrubs Unlimited in Westwood to get a real lab coat because the one I bought from Hollywood Toys was poor in quality. The funny thing is the real lab coat cost as much as the “costume” version. The bad news is that I can’t return the “costume” version. After I bought the lab coat I decided to stop by a boba shop and treat myself to a Green Frap Boba before my photoshoot. I also thought the extra caffeine and sugar might give me an extra energy boost. I then headed over to David Laporte’s studio for my photoshoot. The session went really well. We shot a couple of roles and I went through my six different looks: the athlete, the Hawaiian guy, the business professional, the nerd, the lab technician and the blue collar working guy. I hope my commercial agent likes the photos this time. After the shoot I headed up to Hollywood for the commercial print audition. Of course, I had trouble finding parking in the area and had to drive around the block a couple of times to find a space on the street. Then I headed in and stood in line for about a half hour before meeting the photographer and having a couple of pictures taken of me pretending to be riding the metrolink. After the audition I then went into North Hollywood to the reproductions lab to pickup my reproductions and examine my color photo proofs. Then I finally went home to make dinner and go with my wife to the crowded gym. What a day.
(The commercial shoots tomorrow and since I have not heard anything from my agency, I guess I didn’t get it. Oh well.)
I spent today running around Hollywood going to costume shops to get wardrobe for my commercial photoshoot tomorrow. The characters/looks I am going for are: nerd, hawaiian dude, business professional, athlete, doctor and mechanic. When I got home I tried on the costumes and found that the lab coat I got from the costume store basically sucks. So tomorrow before the shoot I’m going to go get a real lab coat. Also, I have a print audition tomorrow afternoon and my photo duplications will be ready for pickup. It’s gonna be another busy day…
Today I went to Reproductions to look at my color proofs and pickup my B&W duplicated headshot. At first glance, the color photos looked great but then as I started to look closer, I noticed pixelation in some of the shadows around my face. I asked them if this was because of the way the photo was printed, or if this is a problem with the digital file. They said that it was probably because the color were a little over-adjusted which caused some of the colors to become “grainy”. They said they would try to retouch the photo and generate a new proof. Ok. That’s fine, but I’m worried. I’ve never had these problems before with printing and reproductions. So next, I asked about my B&W photos. They brought out a box with my pictures and the first thing I noticed was that they spelled my name wrong! They spelled my last name as “CHUI” instead of “CHIU”. Can people not read? Second, the reproductions look grainy and low-quality. The contrast also seems to be off. The reproductions are unusable. So now I’m going to have Heather take a look at the original scans and see if she can fix this.
On another note, I’m still having problems finding a cheap costume for use in my scene for class. I was thinking of just buying a “poet shirt” to start with but I still need nickers, a vest and a hat (don’t laugh). I did however find a complete “Renaissance Festival” costume which would be perfect. Only problem is that it costs $186. I can’t quite justify spending that much money for a costume for class. I might have to go back to the costume shop and ask about renting a couple pieces. The only other problem is that the Renaissance Faire is currently going on and these types of costumes are in high demand.
As my character Marlow would say, “I have scarce a moment’s repose”.
Tonight, along with a million other viewers, we watched the final episode of Friends. I remember the first time I saw the show. I was in college and living in an apartment in Delaware with two of my close friends. The show was very similar to our life at the times - hanging out with friends and discovering life as an adult. Watching this final episode was like reminiscing about the past and saying goodbye to that youthful chapter in life. Friends will be missed, but never forgotten.
“When I was young I though of growing old and what my life would mean to me. Would I have followed down my chosen road, Or only wished what I could be.” - Mr. Mister
Tonight driving home I noticed that there is a full moon again for the third day in a row - wierd, but cool. I wonder if it is a sign? If it is what does this sign mean?
I’ve been crazy busy as usual. So busy I didn’t get a chance to write an entry on this blog last night. The things that are keeping me busy are the usual suspects - my acting class, my day job, freelance projects and business related to acting. For the past couple days I’ve also been a little panicked because I thought I needed to find a restoration era costume for class. I’ve been shopping on the internet and calling costume shops looking for wardrobe only to find that the more authentic clothing is of course, expensive. I am still looking…
As for the scene (She Stoops to Conquer), I really went for it. I put on my best english accent and commited to the comedy of the scene. Well, it worked pretty well. Mary (one of our acting coaches) said I was definitely headed in the right direction with my interpretation. Everything needs to be bigger and more stylized though. Some of the movements I will be doing in the scene are pretty ridiculous but lend itself to the comedy and period of the piece. I had a lot of fun performing the table read tonight. I think that I will do very well with this scene.
Now I must work a couple more hours before I sleep…
This month I will probably spend around $1200 on my acting career. This includes acting classes, photo development, another photoshoot for commercial headshots, photo duplication and placement of photos on LACasting.com. Supporting my acting dreams has been very expensive and so far the ROI has been very minimal. I’m a little discouraged and very frustrated. I’m tired of being stuck in the corporate world waiting for things to happen. Somehow I need to make this all happen. NOW.