Acting has become a lifestyle not a job!
Let me just say there is nothing 9-5 about acting! It is not a job you must love; it’s a lifestyle you must love to live.
I was sitting across from my tax man, watching as he flipped through my stack of returns, before bluntly saying, “You’re not just about money, are you?” I asked what he meant. “You always have so many jobs, you don’t seem to need the security of one steady job, like many people.”
I was instantly transported back to my childhood days. I was that girl that said I was going to love what I do and do what I love. It never made sense to me to spend the majority of my days doing something I didn’t want to do. I’m a numbers girl! So, “working” eight to nine hours a day, for a paycheck, only to retire someday so I could have a life, seemed like wasted years, to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I have had to take “jobs” for the paycheck, as all actors do, to pay rent, eat, get headshots and buy a pair of shoes now and then! My friends told me I needed to write a book about all the “jobs” it takes for an actor to act! So, I made a list, then sat in amazement; what I thought was a paycheck, was a payback; each “job” led to an acting gig.
FRAGRANCE MODEL to SOAP OPERA
My first “job” was spraying people at department stores! The money was great, $20 an hour, and I would take on three different fragrances at a time, so I was making $60 an hour. It was not fun, most of the times, I will admit, people ran away from me when they saw the perfume sprayer! However, one person didn’t, he was a very well-known soap opera star. I shared my dream to be on a soap opera and he asked me to send him a headshot. Well, guess what, I was cast on The Bold and the Beautiful!
SELLING JEWELRY, SKIN CARE, TEETH WHITENER & LOVE to HSN HOST
A director once told me I could sell ice to eskimos! I love sales and have sold everything, including memberships for singles who wanted to find love by participating in events, like bowling, hiking, dinner parties, etc. My sales resume was a big factor in getting hired as an HSN host!
TV COMMERCIALS to PRODUCING
If things didn’t slow down for me commercially, I would have never approached my friend who wrote a play, asking if I could produce it into a short film. I opened up my own production company, Hollywood Ending Films and produced two shorts. Both films won numerous awards including, Best Film and I was personally awarded, “Filmmaker of Distinction.” I then produced and wrote a documentary, Questions & Actors, that went behind the scenes of the acting business, which led to this blog!
SPIRITUALITY to TV Show, THE MESSENGERS
I would have never believed sharing my stories of finding pennies everywhere after I lost my father, would lead to being cast on the TV show, The Messengers. I found producing fun and wanted to take it to the next level. When I heard about this positive reality show, I called the production company to see if I could help in any capacity. When I didn’t hear back, I showed up at the audition and waited five hours to get in that room! When I walked in, I told them I wanted to help produce and they asked if I had any inspiring story. I shared how I find pennies everywhere since my father passed, how my faith has grown and life never really ends. Well, I got cast as one of ten messengers!
FLIGHT ATTENDANT to?
My new role is a flight attendant. I wanted to travel more, share my book and be an inspirational speaker to women regarding their childhood hearts. I am not sure where my travels will take me? Maybe I will meet my guy in the sky, I don’t know, but, what I do know is I’m trusting the process; acting is not a job, it’s a lifestyle.
My tax guy was right on, I have never been about the money, not that I don’t enjoy the freedom that comes with it, I do! I have always been more about creating a life I don’t need a vacation from, so I am not counting the days for the weekend to come! My security…well, that has never been in a job, I needed something more steady, so I deposit and withdraw from the Bank of God!
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