My Hope. My Faith.

I have now moved this blog too. Last week, I moved my other blog and today is the day for this one. Again, there is a bit of sadness because I got used to this little sucker being at this address. But, what can you do when you splurge for your own domain name?

Find My Hope. My Faith here now. HERE HERE HERE HERE

Hope the two of you follow me.

That would be grand.

I got this quote from AADA last summer. I will admit, I just glanced over it and filed it away. Recently, I came accross it again. It really speaks to me, especially at the point I am in my progress as an actor. Because in many, many ways, I am not a risk taker.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.



To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.



To reach for another is to risk involvement.



To expose your feelings is to risk exposing your true self.



To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.



To love is to risk not being loved in return.



To live is to risk dying.



To believe is to risk despair.



To try is to risk failure.



But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.



The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.



They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.



Chained by their attitudes they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom.



Only a person who risks is free.

I am loving my classes at the Actor's Foundry.

I love good quotes.

Today, two of these loves converged.

The above quotes describes exactly what I am learning in my classes. It may seem like simple, common sense, but you would be surprised how it is sometimes hard to think positively about oneself.

In future posts, I will provide more in depth descriptions of my classes.

In the meantime...

...enjoy the quote.

My acting career is advancing slowly (very slowly), but I think surely. I do not have an agent yet and I have not been in any productions as of recently, but I am taking a mini step back. I think I'll focus on training for a little bit.

A lot of people think that acting is a piece of cake and that anybody can do it. Well, I suppose I agree that anybody can do it, but not everybody can do it well. When people hear that I'm taking classes, they ask, "haven't you had enough of school? Why not just go out there and do it?" Would you tell an aspiring doctor to "go out and do it" after his first year of medical school? If you would, that's kinda weird, but come on.

I was searching online for good places to train and at the time, I was specifically looking for something that will help me with my acting business plan (more on that later). As a result, I discovered The Actor's Foundry. The first class that I attended was the Business of Acting Q&A with Matthew Harrison. Immediately, I was hooked. As a teacher, Harrison is incredible and I found that out after three hours of business teaching! As a man, he is also great because he truly cares for his actors and wants to help them with their careers in any way he can. A big thing he teaches is that we as actors need to support each other and not compete. Those who compete will not make it far.

Anyway, the school offers a chance to audit classes for free. In fact, they encourage it. As many as you can and on any day. So, I have taken advantage of that and have been auditing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I am also taking a class on Sundays with Jeb Beach, another teacher at The Foundry. I had my first class this last Sunday, and let me tell you, without even knowing me, Jeb has chosen a scene that is bound to stretch me as an actor.

I'm scared. And excited. At the same time.

The scene is from Sleepless in Seattle. And I have to cry. Those who know me, know that I do not cry too often. At all. And next Sunday is emotional preparation week. Like I said. I'm scared.

Randomness about me and The Actor's Foundry:

1. Found out that Matthew Harrison was in "Night at the Museum" and "Romeo Must Die." I was an extra in both.
2. Found out that Matthew Harrison's wife, Michelle Harrison was in "Paycheck" and "The Invisible." I was an extra in both as well.
3. Matthew Harrison is connected with TWU (my uni) in that he created a four and a half hour acting documentary directed by one of my professors, Ned Vankevich. He has also guest taught at the university, although not when I was attending. Sadly.

I'll keep you posted.

A little while ago, I submitted my headshot and resume to a craigslist posting asking for athletic men and women to play military on a new TV show. And then I promptly forgot about.

Early yesterady afternoon, I get a call from casting at the new Stargate series. Apparently...there will be a new Stargate show taping here in Vancouver and they wanted me to come in for a fitting, tomorrow, which is really today, February 11, 2009.

Funny thing is, the casting guy was like, I have a few questions, "What's your dress size?" I said, I had no idea. He asked, "Well, two (baaahahahha), four (hahahaha), six (hmmm...)?"

"Perhaps six to eight??" I ventured.

And, let me tell you, I could see his eyes pop out of his skull over the phone line.

"Eight?!" he exclaimed.

I back tracked, "Well, I don't really know. I think probably six?"

He said, "Well, you know, we're looking for people who are in shape." (Or something like that. I don't quite remember the exact words).

I said, "Yeah, I have an athletic body."

"That's what we're looking for. Can you come in for a costume fitting tomorrow at ten o'clock?"

I said, yes. Later it was switched to ten-thirty.

So, I walk into the studio and let me tell you, the wardrobe people were so nice! Ok, then a lady walked up to me and whisked me into a change room. There was another name pinned on the wardrobe and she wondered why they had the wrong name. It was another "R" name. Yeah, couldn't tell her.

Anyway, she said, "Try these two looks on and we will come back and take pictures." I said ok.

Pants were size 1/2 (ahahahahahahahahaha) and the shoes were size five. I wore a size five when I was seven years old.

So I waited for her to return.

She came back and said, "Oh, sorry, your name was on another list. This is not your wardrobe."

Yep, thought so.

So, she brought me to the area of the room where they were fitting the military people.

Please, keep in mind, that all the rest of the people getting fitted were in and out of the studio right quick. They got their sizes, got their picture taken and left. All the rest of the people, except for me.

The lady said, "What's your size?"

I said, "I'm not sure."

She put her hands around my waist and she said, "We'll put you in a four."

I just looked at her. But she missed said look because she scurried away so quickly.

I sat for a little while waiting, and another wardrobe person came by and asked, "What's your size again?" I told her that the first lady said I was a size four.

Second wardrobe lady looked at me. I silently agreed.

A few minutes later, I was led to a back room. I told second wardrobe lady that I don't think I'm a four, due to my booty.

She nodded and said, "I brought a four and a six. Just humour her (her being first wardrobe lady) and try the four first."

Hmmm... did the four even fit over my ankles?

Next, I tried the six and it fit better, except it was tight, on account of, that's right, the booty.

So, when first wardrobe lady came to check on me, I told her, and she looked, surprised and said, "Oh you have a booty."

Uh huh. Yeah.

So she went to work adding a little extra material. Too bad she had to butcher those pants, because apprently, they were really well made.

Annnnyway, about 45 mintues after I arrived at the studio, I was fit into the pants, shirt, jacket and boots. They took a picture and I was on my way.

When I was younger, this very experience would have traumatized me. I would have felt so fat. Growing up surrounded by a lot of white and asian people who typically do not have booties. Yep, that will do something to the self esteem of a bootylicious black girl.

Now, I'm proud of my booty. And I do not think I am fat.

Yes, I have a booty.

And for that, I can thank my Mama.

Thank you Mama.

Take a look gander --> at this...

I'm changing the layout of my blog again. And with change comes fixing and tweaking. So, if something is not working correctly, please forgive me.

Meanwhile, connect here for my Nigeria stories (when I get them up).