No One Cares

There's something you should know about being an actor:  no one cares how you feel.  True, feelings and emotions are our bread and butter, but only in the sense that we bring what is needed to a scene.  No one really cares how you are feeling on this particular day.  Depressed?  Bummed?  Who cares, jump in and do that birthday scene.  Or in my case, a head cold that has you feeling like you want to crawl under the covers and die?  No one cares, get your butt to that audition and kick some ass.

And to tell you the truth, I don't care either.  If I can stand, and sometimes even when I can't, I'll get my ass to an audition or a set and love it.  I've got plenty of time to lay down when I'm dead.

Comedy? Hell Yeah!

I don't get to do a lot of comedy.  Usually I get the dramatic stuff, so when I got the chance to self-tape a comedic scene I thought, "Hell yeah!"


JHaughton Janey from Joanna Haughton on Vimeo.

A Recent Audition

When time came to go to a recent audition, I decided to stop stressing over what to wear and how I look and just went as me.  It's also the audition I took my boot off in the middle off.  And "impressed" the auditioners.

Yup, it was a comedy audition.  A fun scene where my character is a bit tipsy and not exactly at their best.  It was fun and quirky, and I was really excited to have a chance to showcase that as opposed to all the dramatic roles I've been cast in.

And yes, I took my boot off.  Just one.  And finished the scene waving it around wildly.  I felt good about my performance and about the role.  The feedback was wonderful, and I was told they wanted to cast me.

Unfortunately, technicalities got in the way and the role went to someone else.  But hopefully, I made an impression and there's something else just waiting for me.

It's A Mad, Mad World

Being an actor is such a weird job really, especially a film and tv actor.  Take this recent day for example.  I have an audition, and the breakdown says to wear running gear so I think, "Yay!  I get to wear chill clothing!"  But then reality comes to bear on the situation.  They don't want to see me as I truly run - stained sweatpants, ratty tank top, and hair pulled up tightly with clips off my face - they want to see glamour running Joanna, meaning cute Lulu top and hair perfectly dishevelled just so, and make-up fully done to look "make-up free."

It's such a weird world I live in!

Updates On This Busy Bird

Hey guys, it's been a while.  Sometimes when I'm silent it's 'cause not much is happening, and sometimes when I'm silent it's because so much is happening.  Here's what I've been up to recently:

I shot a crazy *pun totally intended* scene on the subway of Toronto.  So hey, if you were riding the Bloor-Danforth line on Sunday morning maybe you saw me?  I was the girl talking to myself...more like screaming but poh-tay-toe po-tat-to. 

Had a kick ass commercial audition on Monday, and now have a callback for same this coming Monday.   I play a bored suburbanite...who knew? 

Then had a killer callback for a lead in a feature film.  I play a recovering suicide attempee.  Kind of hope I get it 'cause it sounds like a fun shoot.  And the people I met and would be working with are funny and sarcastic - just my kind!

Went to a film screening/premiere for a short that I was a lead in.  It looked so good on screen. Congrats to the entire cast and crew!

Then Tuesday I've got a meet-and-greet and table read for the comedy web series I was cast in a bit back.  I'm quite looking forward to that.  It's been a while since I've been able to stretch my Second City muscles. I miss that part of me.  So many dark and serious roles lately take their toll, time to have some laughs.

Oh and did I mention that I'm also helping to producer the new premiere episode of Posthuman?  Just 'cause, you know, it's not like I have anything else to do right?

I'm one busy bird I tell ya! 

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better

Sometimes things are slow and silent and sometimes there are weeks like this. 

I've booked one lead in a comedy web series which I can't tell you how excited I am about.  I haven't done a good comedy in a long while and I've been itching to use my funny bone.  All that time spent at Second City has to come to some good.  Who knew I was funny! Personally, I think it was my rambling about BSG  - "bitch stole my ride" - and Twilight Imperium  - if you don't know, don't ask - that sealed the deal. 

Then I had an amazing audition.  It was for another show and I was playing a sexual torture victim.  I did the audition and afterwards the director came to sit down beside me, looked at me really intensely and sincerely said, "Wow, thank you for sharing that.  Thank you for doing that."  Even if I don't get the role, I know he'll remember me.  And frankly, I kicked ass!

And now, I just got some fan mail via hearsay.  That sounds very convoluted but I swear it's not.  Basically, someone went out of their way to say how much they liked me in "Recidivist" and how they played that scene over and over.  How charming!

And finally, a short of mine is screening at the TIFF Lightbox next week.  I get to dress up and go to a premiere with me as a lead.

Honestly,  some weeks are so incredible you don't want to pinch yourself just in case you wake up!

All over the place

I'm not sure what to make of things.  I've had an audition to play a geek and an audition to play a torture victim.  I'm just all over the place, but whatever, I'll take it! 
What's next, a geek who gets tortured maybe?

Anticipation

Oh I know it's been a while since I've updated you with what I've been doing, and it's not that I haven't been doing anything, it's just that it's all been low-key and a lot of minute detail stuff.  I've had some photo shoots, some film shoots for pick-up shots, and I've been doing a lot of emailing and organizing for the Posthuman auditions next week.  I've got a couple of callbacks, as well as some events, and just recently I updated my Casting Workbook account with a demo reel.  So you see, I've been busy with a lot of behind the scenes work - just nothing amazing to share with you guys per se.  But the fun thing with all the behind-the-scenes prep work is that it all eventually comes to the forefront in terms of projects, pictures, and footage I can share with you. 

So I guess I'll leave you with that anticipation - there will be much and more to see soon!

Commercial Kismet

I had a callback today for one commercial, and a wardrobe fitting for another.  Let me tell you a funny story...

At the callback for the commercial I had the fitting for, it was a crowded room and I sat in one of the only empty places available.  They were running an hour behind schedule, and me and the guy next to me started chatting about that and eventually other things.  Just before he went in to audition he said, "I don't know why they're even having callbacks when the two people they're going to cast are sitting right here."  It was a joke and perhaps a way to boost our confidence.  But I'm sitting at the fitting and who should round the corner, but this guy - Josh.  We looked at each other, gave a big grin and both said, "No way!!"  

How awesome was that??

Hit The Ground Running

New year and a fabulous new agent, Amy Hines!  So far, I've had two auditions, and have booked one and have a callback for the other. Good stuff is happening, and I'm glad to be hitting the ground running in 2012!  Let's keep this momentum going! 

On another front, the auditions for Posthuman are being booked.  It's so interesting to be on the other side and be scheduling people etc.  So far this has been fun, and the OCD part of me really enjoys having everyone and everything neatly arranged and organized.  Don't worry,  I know it won't be that way on the day of the auditions, but it is one the paper right now. 

Keep you posted on all the fun stuff!

Crazy

Okay, so I'm a Mama, writer, budding photographer, actor, tv host, and just recently I've started adding the 'producer' to the title. So clearly, I'm insane! Now that I've realized and accepted the fact that I'm totally and utterly nuts, I can relax. It's given me a new perspective on things.

I started work on a web series called Posthuman about a year ago. To date, we've filmed lots of episodes, but only aired a few. And only aired one in which I'm really actively present - though we've shot several. it just happens that my character really comes onto the screen much later. I'm that person everyone talks about but that doesn't actually show up until much further into the story. But I digress. As I said I got involved int his series, and since it's low budget we all beg, borrow, and steal whatever we can. So when I ran across the perfect location for a shoot on another shoot, I immediately started the process of securing the location for an episode. Enter the 'associate producer' credit for finding and securing the location. And guess what? That episode won first place in a film festival! And it's one I also acted in!  Double bonus, right?

Now, we're on the look out for a talented actress to play well, me, my character, but in a different embodiment. It's a sci-fi series in case you were interested. And again, I've decided to don the producer label - or is it the casting director label - or both. I'm so confused! I'm arranging the auditions, securing the location for the auditions and managing the applicants. On top of everything else I do. Crazy!

To be honest, I'm both nervous and excited by tackling the business of being on the other side of the table. I've auditioned A LOT, but I've never been on the other side of the auditioning table in this way. It'll be a new experience. I'm hoping to gain more insight into that side. Often, I'll get the feedback that I was wonderful but just 'not right' for the part. I want to know what they mean. I want to see what is meant by wonderful but not right.

But the truth is, I have a vested interest in this series now. It's a character I really love and one I'm having a romp playing. It's rare that I get to play the darker person, the 'bad guy' so to speak. I'm always the ingenue, the sweet thing, the love interest. This time, I'm a strong independent woman whom people are afraid of, someone with power and darkness in her. And I want this series to succeed. I want the woman who plays 'me' to be brilliant! So, yeah, I'll do this. Hello, my name is Joanna and I'm crazy.

New Demo Reel

  My new Demo Reel is up and ready for viewing!

Joanna Haughton Demo Reel from Joanna Haughton on Vimeo.

Perfection Is Overrated

Hey everyone!  I've been doing lots of auditions in the last few days.  Some I've hit out of the park, others went a little' "Meh."  But overall, I'm satisified.  You can't nail every single thing every single time, you know?  And you shouldn't expect to either...we're not cylons after all.

So far, I've heard back just from the first one, and I got it.  So I'm shooting a music video in early May.  The others said they wouldn't make their decisions until the end of this week, so let's see what happens.  But 1 out of 4 ain't bad.

Two Auditions...

Hey, so I had two auditions today...

Yeah, the first one was a bust.  I got in there and they asked me some questions, which isn't a big deal...except that they obviously thought I was much younger than I actually am, which is great....except that I threw them for a loop when I started answering.  It was kind of funny, but probably didn't help my chances at all. 

Second audition went much better.  I felt I nailed the scene how I wanted to play it.  And I felt I took direction well and incorporated what he said to change in my preformance.  We played with the scene basically.  But - and here I'm not being hard on myself or fishing for compliments -  when I came out I looked at the room for the first time and there were many stunning women in there.  Yeah, I felt underwhelming...and a little out of my league.  I left thinking, "Well, let's hope I'm a better actress then them."

Two productions meetings tomorrow and another audition in a few days...I'll keep you posted!

So Close

Had an audition for a short film today.  Had to play a bitch (keep your comments to yourself please).  You know you give it your all, but the truth of the matter is that I leave that audition room plagued by doubts no matter how I did.  Sometimes, if I did really bad I can let it go easier than if I did okay but not great. 

Because if I stank, well that's that.  It's over and there's no way I got it.  But if I did okay, but not great, then the things I could've done differently plague me because I was "So Close."

"So Close" is the bane of an actor's existence, because it's the staus quo of our lives.  "You were this close." "It was down to you and someone else."  "You were almost exactly what we were looking for" - I love that one especially since it reduces you to an object. 

So today, I did okay - not great.  I could've done better if...

I'm Baaaack!

 Monday night was my first day back at Movieola after 4 months away.  It was great to be back! 

I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to do the job as well; that I'd be rusty.  But it was like riding a bike.  I just fell back into it like no time had passed at all.  Further, it was great to sit and watch films and do my thing.  It's been a while.

More than that, it was really great to see my colleagues.  I didn't realize how much I missed interacting with adults! 

 So I'm back and hanging out with you all on Mondays.  Make sure you tune in.  And I swear I'll have more than just baby stories.  I promise!!

First Audition

So I went on my first audition since having the baby.  I had earlier gone for an audition to be a spokesperson, but that was really more of an interview.  This was the first one where I had to read a scene with someone. 

So I walk into the room to meet the guys making it, and I realize they're children.  They're probably only 20 years AT MOST.  And here I am hitting the later part of...well you don't need to know.  Anyway, I started chatting to them and it was clear from the way they addressed me that they thought I was around their age, probably in my early 20s.  Thank You for that by the way. Anyway, they were asking me what I have done recently, etc.  I thought of little things I have done in the recent past, and talked about that a lot.  But I just knew that if I said, "I had a baby" I would scare the life out of them.  So, the entire time I held an internal smirk at the image I was projecting versus the reality that would totally shock them.