By: Jess Canty
Been a minute since I have touched base but I am looking forward to getting back in the swing of posting more often as the business really does get on its feet again.
Because it has been so long this post is going to be a collection of thoughts acquired over the last couple of months.
CINTERRA GEMS
If you have been watching our Instagram recently you may have seen that we are doing some regular weekly posts - among them the "Cinterra Gems" which is a book/podcast/article etc... that we think will help you - and anyone following us - on their journey through the business.
I do want to call out one of these gems because it is just so incredible at demystifying the casting process. It is called A Star Is Found by Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins. If you don't yet know of them you absolutely know the films they cast - do yourself a jaw-dropping favor and check them out on IMDb. What I love about this book is that it is completely "inside baseball" in a way that every actor should enjoy. It also really lays out for anyone reading what we say all the time - that there are a million and one things that are outside of being a great actor that go into a booking. It is great for the mindset.
MINDSET
Speaking of mindset - one of the things that has come up frequently in the Clubhouse Rooms I have been participating in over the last couple of months is my new favorite mantra for every actor "What is meant for you cannot pass you by." I think this is an incredibly important thing for any creative person to remember. Do great work. Know the business. Know your craft. And then believe down to your toes that what is meant for you cannot pass you by - and so just have fun with the rest of it.
CLUBHOUSE
Speaking of Clubhouse - it is now open to Android users! So - for all of the Cinterra peeps that have not yet joined due to having an Android phone - let's get the invite-chain going again. We have been waiting with bated breath for when the app would be open to everyone and have been waiting to have our first Cinterra Clubhouse private room until everyone could participate who wanted to! SO... please feel free to reply to this newsletter if you are not yet on Clubhouse (either Android or otherwise) and would like to join and we will get you an invite link.
Of course this is not mandatory - but Bay and I have found it to be a fantastic networking engine and we have even met and signed some clients just from getting to know them on the app. And have made some great relationships with casting, agents and other creatives that we may not have otherwise that we cannot wait to deepen our connections with IRL.
ARE YOU IMPRESSION-ABLE?
CH has been interesting too from the perspective of spending a lot of time in rooms with actors and writers and other creators. I have had the pleasure of getting to know a couple of very well-seasoned actors who have been kind enough to spend their free time in our room. And I was chatting with Phillip Wilburn recently about one of them and sure enough Phillip launched into a spot-on impersonation of this person.
And it got me thinking - the actors that rise from "unknown" (as Jane and Janet) put it to Name or A-List status tend to make an impression. And thus they are able to be easily impersonated.
So I will ask you all to consider this question: what makes you impression-able? What about you is so unique, so YOU, that you are bringing to the table that ultimately Phillip could impersonate? Because THAT is the thing that is going to get a job booked. That is the thing that is going to be memorable. That is the thing that is going to allow you to rise from co-star to guest-star and beyond.
What are you bringing that nobody else on the planet could possibly bring? Angela Basset's diction. Julia Roberts' laugh. Gary Oldman's disappearing act into every character he plays. Meryl Streep's disappearing act into every character she plays. Hugh Grant's adorable bumbling. James Earl Jones' voice. Anna Kendrick's musical comedy chops. I could go on and on. They are who they are because they know what it is about them that makes them special and they lean way into it.
So - what is it inside of you that you bring that nobody else does? Cultivate it. Learn how to use it in an audition. Learn how to vulnerably let us see it.
Don't be afraid to make an impression.