What Doest It Means To Be An Actor?

This is a question I toss around in my mind from time to time. Over the years, the answer has varied. A subtitle could be, "How do I define success as an actor?"

Sure, a young actor's starry eyes are filled with visions of fame and fortune and posing on the red carpet. I know mine were. We all know too that a real actor is passionate about acting, about theatre and film. The other stuff is great, of course, but we all tell ourselves that we would act even if we were only performing in a church basement for free. That's not practical either.

At first, I'd tell every aspiring actor that of course, he or she could become a big star! As I matured, I realized how desirable it is to be a working actor, nevermind the A list. Hard work, study, training, practice, experience, professionalism -- all these things could add up to a satisfying career as an actor. But it isn't quite that easy, is it? It takes a lot of fortitude -- and a lot of love of what you're doing -- to remain a dramatic artist. I think I'm arriving at yet another understanding of what it means to be an actor. I was listening today to Olympia Dukakis on the radio, discussing her life and career as an actor. As I listened another description began to take shape: an actor is not much different than any other working man. Just as painters and poets, sculptors and other artists seek to illuminate what's best in humanity, and just as we reach out to each other just to know we're not alone, the actor can find fulfillment in simply a job well done.

Words are inadequate today, but I'll think on this and take it up again. . . . .

Indian Summer

An Indian summer, to me, is incomparable to any other seasonal phenomenon. Even sweeter than the first hint of spring, an Indian summer is a delicious gift offered by nature before the descent into the deep fall and ultimately, winter. Although technically it's only a true Indian summer if it occurs after the first frost (and I don't think we've had one yet), I would not call the lovely weather we're having by any other name.

For once, we're not rushing to greet the change of colors. During our first film project -- shot over a number of years and with a story and visual theme that takes place in autumn -- we prepared carefully to shoot while the fall colors were at their peak. Now, we were in the opposite situation: rushing to capture a late summer look before the majority of the trees turned. It was a real race; one that we completed successfully. It took ten days of shooting, but we did it. We no longer dread spotting another red or orange tree! Now we're on to the second round of exteriors that do take place during the peak of fall colors and will conclude by our final sequence of exteriors using the late fall look of empty branches.

One place I recently discovered while location scouting: the Clinton River park system in Shelby Township. Did you know Shelby Township has about 1,000 acres of park land, much of it containing wooded natural habitat along the Clinton River? Like my recent discovery of New Baltimore, I was amazed that I've lived in southeastern Michigan just about my whole life and never knew about the Shelby park system. When I called Director of Parks and Recreation Joe Youngblood, he offered to have a park ranger show me some location options for our shoot. A park ranger! Immediately, Ranger Smith of The Yogi Bear Show flashed in my mind. How interesting....was this going to be a real park ranger or just somebody who filled in the title as a formality? Well, after meeting with who has to be the most effervescent park ranger on earth, I can now attest he is the real thing. Ranger Kerry S guided us with enthusiasm, knowledge and wisdom. I felt like a kid on a field trip. I learned to distinguish poison ivy (three leaves) from a natural decoy (five leaves); I saw firsthand the handiwork (or should I say the toothwork) of beavers on trees; I learned how life-giving sap rises and falls in trees. That's a lot for a city dweller/suburbanite to learn in a couple of hours.