I am a cruel jerkface!
I am a cruel jerkface!
I mean just listen to me…
Young me - Jerk Face!
“DO NOT PERFORM SOMETHING UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND IT EVER!...So you clearly regurgitated words that you yourself didn't believe.. I saw no real relationship or opinions or shame or anything but light hearted banter in a hour long dramatic series not a 30 minute sitcom. I give this a 2.5/10”
MONSTER!
Look at him with that smug expression. Thinking he knows it all.
“Meryl Streep..blah blah blah”
If somebody said to me the things I just said to these talented actors at that impressionable age, about my art, my passion - I would probably cry myself to sleep. I would basically believe that this teacher hated me and thinks that I am the worst actor they have ever come across. I would most likely tell my mom that I quit the class and I quit acting. Then I would cry some more. Being a tween is rough.
I SUCK! I QUIT!
Not Young Corey, my hair was way better. I had a rat tail.
Currently at Ingenuity Actor’s Studio I am offering a class that is called “I Don’t Believe You”. It is for Child Actors who are pursuing a career in TV/Film ages 11 and older. The idea behind the class was to teach techniques that help the actor create a performance that doesn’t resemble one. The entire world judges acting by the believability of the actor as the character. And for the most part, these young aspiring actors are hearing positive feedback. And I bet they are deserving of that kind of feedback. But the reality is the callbacks are not coming in as often enough and the bookings are few and far between if ever. What is to be done about that? Apparently for the six actors in my class, they or their parents decided they needed to seek out an opportunity to be held to a higher standard. The marketing material states that only the thick-skinned should sign up.
Holding them to only tell the truth!
“I didn't get you responding to these fundamental layers of want and emotion and circumstances in a way that made me believe you. Then seeing an obvious pretend use of a prop - took me out of the scene.”
An actor theoretically can train their entire lives. The vast complications of existing as a human that has emotions and experiences and relationships with an infinite array of possible scenarios both good and bad that we endure. And the infinite number of ways we can choose to behave in any of these infinite circumstances is well - endless. Add to the fact that we learn, experience, grow and change from minute to minute and year to year. Our world view expands constantly. Our ideology evolves constantly. Our empathy depends hopefully. So that creates another infinite variable here. You can perform the same scene thousands of times and if you choose as an actor to fully live it, it is almost a scientific certainty that your perception and approach will keep evolving. I can guarantee that the moment you think you have experienced the scene in every way possible, something will happen to you that will create the most profound epiphany about the behaviors of the characters in the scene. The scene is alive because we are alive. The scene changes because we change. If the scene is well written and speaks to or challenges your humanity - I know that as an actor you will find it a satisfying, potentially frustrating, yet ultimately a joyful experience every single time you perform it.
“The eyes are dead. The eyes can’t be dead!”
I am not that cliche acting coach.
“Create a deep relationship and respond to the dilemma in an effort to win. You will see that (by) staying at the level of disappointment (you did) is probably one of the least believable roads that character would go down to get to her destination.”
This six week class touches on Meisner and Hagen and Adler, masters of the craft of acting. Every lesson is designed to spoon feed them the answers to their test. The test being a display on self tape that shows realism, while in the moment, attending to a complete knowledge of the character’s backstory and motivations while embodying a character down to their bones with physicality and adding nonverbal subtext with active thought. Oh and did I mention the scenes are audition sides with giant holes in them. A mystery to figure out. Let alone deliver the Oscar worthy performance I am going to demand. Because damn it, I pick on the potential. If you happen to be subpar, I am nice and probably seem disinterested. But show me a glimpse of surprise and natural dialogue and levels of emotions. I turn to Bella ‘What-his-face’ from Romania and crush the souls of the olympic hopefuls. Because they can win.
Click on it.
You can buy it. And I made others.
Let me repeat. I am thrilled at the talent level of these kids. I am a blessed man. They are good. And they each care so much about the craft of acting. All of these kids deserve to be employed on a series. And hopefully they knew that about themselves. Being confident is key to their charisma and success. Until this ass-hat comes in and shreds their technique to confetti. With his pretentious words and run on sentences and snarky comments. How cruel to attack and slice apart one of the most vulnerable things you can ask another human to do, especially a human at that age of development. I would hate me.
How cool is this kid?
Not one of mine. But cool AF!
“Since the conflict barely rose beyond a slight annoyance or attitude then I would say I don't believe it… you need intention”
But hang on a second. Corey, Corey, Corey. You are self projecting again aren’t you? You hate yourself. Because you are a people pleasing big ole softie that hides behind the pen. You hate to make anyone upset because you selfishly want to be adored. Plus you really f**king care. You love and admire those kids. And just like that little boy screamed at his dog Old Yeller to leave while his heart was breaking to see his best friend’s heartbreak - I lay awake at night and fret and pray and worry that I wasn’t too harsh. That the kid I coached will know I care. That they are not wounded. I have literally messaged a mom at 10pm asking them to hug their child and to tell them that I think they are awesome.
A dramatization of (not) me in therapy
Clearly I need it still…
I am basically my dad. He would spank us. Then 20 minutes later he would come into our bedroom with tear filled eyes. He would kneel on the ground and apologize. Like a truly heartfelt apology. And then he would scoop you up in a warm hug and plant a sloppy wet kiss on your lips that scratched your face and needed a napkin and bandaid to survive. Can you believe that guy? Some disciplinarian he was.
And wait, wait a ding dong minute here. Thinking back to my all time favorite theatre directors and acting coaches, the best of the best. They all shared one thing. Each one of them made me cry. Broke me down, crushed my soul. And the next day, if not hours later, I was on cloud nine. I was singing their praises. They got through to me. I thought I knew it all and they dared to say I sucked when I did. And guess what, I got better. I am a hard-headed, stubborn, stubborn guy - all my life lessons are learned the hard way. I am forged in fire, so to speak.
The Craft 22 week intensive is taking applications!
Hand selected, passionate, talented child actors only
“Here is what I didn’t believe and made me realize it was just a kid doing a scene. The conflict was handled too easily. So I saw you portraying an attitude. A sort of blanket idea of a reasonable level to be at. But that made me disbelieve the relationship. It made me disbelieve the wants of your character. And that makes me not invested in this pivotal moment of a person's life that the screenwriter decided was the best example or most important event to tell in their 40 minutes or 120 minutes of airtime. I think you didn’t think.”
So basically I am writing a blog post out of fear that I scarred some precious kids with my searing disdain of their art. I am in a way apologizing before I need to because my empathy is my gift and my disability. And to be honest, I want you all to know that I provide excellent training. That on my best days I feel like a Rockstar. And when one of my clients or a kid I have coached finally books that job and I have it marked on my calendar to watch them on my big 65 inch RokuTv. And I sit there with my popcorn and sob happy tears at every line they deliver. I feel profound pride. I toot their horn as loud as I can. And pat my own back because I was a part of that. And this dopey smile radiates inside of me. A megawatt smile that shines so bright and has such an uplifting energy, that I feel like I am floating. For Days.
