Category Archives: The Film Set

Crowdsourcing For Dummies

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crowdsourcingfordummiesIf you are a relatively social and have a social media account, or even an email address you will probably know what crowdsourcing is. Not only has it now become popular, but it also has helped business and films. No longer are people with a great idea a slave to a bank or a PR company. What better way to find out how to improve your business than from people who want you to succeed, an audience and customer base who are already built in? What is not to like? Well, there are negatives I am sure but let’s find out more about Crowdsourcing For Dummies. Could this book help?

Crowdsourcing For Dummies by David Alan Grier has a wealth of information. Did you know that Netflix uses crowdsourcing to improve its ability to predict customers movie ratings and L’Oreal used it to create a television advert for a fraction of the usual cost? It really is all about the crowd now. You can use them to build your brand up, marketing, solving problems and to boost your profits.

One of my favourite things about this book is that is goes through all of the different variations of crowdsourcing, including crowdcontests, crowdfunding (very popular), macrotasking, microtasking and self organised crowds. The opportunities out there are vast with the right knowledge.

From the basics to joining the crowdforce and raising money with crowdfunding; I can’t think of anything that is not covered in this well researched book. Part 3 is all about building your skills and I really like the chapter on crowdsourcing with social media. At the very end is the part of tens, and I really liked the Ten Success Stories and  Crowdsourcing blunders to avoid.

This is a very good book. I would definitely buy it if you are even slightly interested in crowdsourcing.

 

Submissions open for Britain’s first Web Fest

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raindanceRaindance London Web Fest
Raindance hosts Britain’s first Web Fest in London
September 28/29, 2013

What do The Guild, Anyone But Me and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have in common?

They were all started by independent writers who rejected the traditional broadcast commissioning process to create their own shows their own way… and were rewarded with loyal fans worldwide and millions of views of their web series.

And they are making money.

Britain’s first Web Fest has been created to celebrate the best independent online content from around the world in a 2 day feast of screenings, panels and special events that takes place during the 21st Annual Raindance Film Festival in the heart of London’s West End.

“It was only natural for Raindance to create a showcase for web series. Online content is becoming the place for filmmakers and creators to be discovered. Web series creators are the perfect example of independent filmmakers who have plugged into the social media landscape.” said Raindance founder Elliot Grove.

Raindance WebFest is currently open for submissions until July 15th.

For details: http://www.raindance.org/festival-2013/raindance-london-web-fest/

Interview with May I Kill U? Star Hayley-Marie Axe

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What did you think when you read the script?

I was intrigued and I couldn’t put it down. I did the nervous laugh thing that a lot of
people do when they first watch it, because you want to laugh at certain bits that you
really think you shouldn’t.

What made you take the role?

I really like Val’s character because on the outside she comes across as tough, but she
is vulnerable at the same time, which I can relate to. I thought she would be a very
interesting character to play and I could see myself playing her as soon as I read the
script.

Miku-Hayley-MarieAxe-LR1.jpg
Any great on set stories?

We had to go out and practice riding our bikes whilst being supervised and Kevin got
told off quite a bit, I don’t think he did his cycling proficiency at school.

Do you have a favourite genre of film?

Action or comedy….depending on my mood.

How long did the film take to shoot?

About five weeks. Went very quickly though.
What was it like working with Kevin Bishop?

Entertaining.

How do you prepare for doing a film?

I always do lots of research on the team involved so I have an idea of the style, and
even more research on the characters and the story. For ‘May I kill U?’ I read up
on serial killers, rode my bike a lot and chatted up the rather attractive policemen at
Sloane Square station on the way to my audition to ask them questions, and I also had
several conversations with a female officer from my local police station, who was
very helpful.

Do you think horror and comedy naturally work well together?

Yes I think horror and comedy can work really well together-particularly dark
comedy, and there is a place in the market for it.

Do you think that the roles for women in film are improving?

Yes, I think roles for women are improving, but there are still many more roles for
men than there are for women.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently playing Katia in the action web-series ‘Next Global Crisis’, and Delilah
Crunch in the spin off ‘The Fail-Safe Sisters’.

 

Actz Acting Workshops: Kickstart Your Career

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Acting Agency Actz are doing a series of workshops to help actors succeed in the most competitive industry in the world. Ranging from day workshops to a full weekend workshop with accommodation and breakfast, Actz really know what they are talking about and do great workshops. Take a look and see if any are for you. They are based in Yorkshire so are perfect for actors who are not in London. Details of their weekend workshop is below.

2d2173_271e7aac3454e791d23d9f1b9b1a2027.jpg_srz_275_223_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz 2d2173_e5722b53f6f051c12ca8dc4f7e099f2c.jpg_srz_165_213_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz

FULL WEEKEND WORKSHOP
Starts Friday 20th September at 7 pm – Sunday 22nd at 2 pm

Other dates: 18th Oct, 2013,  24th Jan 2014, 14th March 2014 plus further dates tbc.

Combine a stay in a beautiful fishing village (Staithes, North Yorkshire)

with a weekend packed full of interesting wokshops.

Meet professionals and learn how to become more successful as an actor.

Most of all there will be lots of fun as you learn!

Food and accommodation provided.

[Disclaimer: Actz are one of my acting agents. I am on their books. I obviously have not been paid for this article but did it as I can personally vouch for them]

Tweaking The Dream By Clea Myers | Book Review

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cleamyersMany people have landed in the city of dreams with high hopes of making it big, and in return Los Angeles has chewed them up and spit them out. There are over 100,000 actors in LA and not everyone gets to live their dream. This book by Clea Myers is a cautionary tale. One that should be read by every wannabe. Clea is from a good background, went to Brown University and landed a job with a top producer. Then everything went wrong and she became addicted to crystal meth.

First of all I will point out that Clea is a friend. She is a very lovely person and incredibly talented. She now lives in London and is a writer and casting associate. She even gave an amazing performance in my film Prose & Cons. As I read the book I found it hard not to only to picture this drug addicted young woman with the Clea I know, but I also found it hard to read about her suffering. It is quite a story, and a testament to how strong Clea is, and how far she has come. Clea is heartbreakingly honest and holds nothing back. Her nightmare descent is told in vivid glory. It is a story that was brave to tell and she should be commended for it.

The book is well written. Clea is obviously a writer of note. The tale of her descent into crystal meth addiction should be read by everyone from drug addicts to school children. It is the most anti-drug book I have ever read. In fact, the most anti-drug thing I have every come across. For this reason it should be widely read. If it stops just one person from becoming addicted to drugs then it will have served it’s purpose.

Tweaking The Dream is an excellent read. Even if, like me, you don’t know anything about drugs. The story is partly an epic struggle of survival and another side of Hollywood. An excellent book.

Tweaking the Dream: A Crystal Meth True Story

58th London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, in association with Burberry

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Cate Blanchett, Anne-Marie Duff, Rupert Everett, Adrian Lester, Eddie Redmayne, Joely Richardson, Michael Sheen, Sheridan Smith and David Suchet are among the stage stars tipped

 

 

The London Evening Standard today unveils the longlist for its 2012 Theatre Awards, presented for the first time this year in association with Burberry.

 

·       In a remarkable year for Nicholas Hytner’s National Theatre, it leads the longlist with 22 entries; followed by the Royal Court with 13.

 

·       With four nods, the most longlistedplay this year is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel about a boy with Asperger’s.

 

·       Olympic Closing Ceremony set designer Es Devlin is longlisted in the Design category for The Master and the Margarita, at the Complicite at the Barbican.

 

·       Eddie Redmayne, Simon Paisley Day and Michael Sheen battle it out for Best Actor with their leading Shakespeare roles in Richard II, Taming of the Shrew and Hamlet.

 

·       It is a good year for women, with inaugural productions from new female artistic directors recognised and a host of stellar performances in strong female roles.

 

·       This year a new award has been announced with the Burberry Award for Emerging Director. The award celebrates a young director who is set to be a star of tomorrow’s London stage.

From Hollywood A-listers to Britain’s most celebrated playwrights, the longlist for the 2012 London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, in association with Burberry, puts an array of big names – and rising stars – in the running for a statuette. All are recognised for contributing to a stellar year in the capital’s theatres.

This year’s winners will be revealed at an evening dinner and Awards ceremony, presented by One Man, Two Guvnors star James Corden at the Savoy Hotel on Sunday 25th November 2012.

The event is co-hosted by London Evening Standard Owner Evgeny Lebedev, Burberry Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey and American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour.

 

The longlist reflects a heavy-weight year for women, with the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress category featuring some of the biggest female roles for the stage. Three Ibsen plays provided meaty roles for: Sheridan Smith, thrilling as the capricious Hedda in Hedda Gabler; Hattie Morahan, moving as the trapped housewife Nora in A Doll’s House; and Joely Richardson, luminous as Ellida in Lady from the Sea. In this role, Richardson follows her mother Vanessa Redgrave’s 1979 portrayal and the 2009 performance of her late sister, Natasha, in whose memory this award is given.

 

Cate Blanchett’s sellout performance as Lotte in the translation of German play Big and Small is also recognised, along with Imelda Staunton’s Mrs Lovett in the hit West End production of Sweeney Todd.

 

It is a good year for women behind the scenes too, with two new artistic directors hitting the mark with their inaugural productions. New Donmar chief Josie Rourke is up for Best Director for her exciting staging of The Recruiting Officer. At the Tricycle, Indhu Rubasingham’s opening production, new play Red Velvet, wins a longlist place for its first-time author, Lolita Chakrabarti, in The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright category. Red Velvet also offers Adrian Lesterthe chance to pick up the award for Best Actor, as real-life 19th century black actor Ira Aldridge, who was hounded off the London stage.

 

Also featuring on the longlist is Es Devlin, the Olympic Closing Ceremony set designer whose work for Master and the Margarita puts her in the Best Design category.

 

Battling it out with Lester and others for Best Actor are Eddie Redmayne, Simon Paisley Day and Michael Sheen – all for their leading roles in Shakespeare productions, with Redmayne playing Richard II at the Donmar Warehouse, Paisley Day playing Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew and Sheen in the Young Vic’s production of Hamlet.

 

The most longlisted play this year is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel about a boy with Asperger’s. The National Theatre production, in the Cottesloe space, is mentioned in four categories:  Best Director, Best Play, Best Actor and Best Design.

 

Two musical productions that originated at the Chichester Theatre and transferred to the West End are rivals for the Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical: Sweeney Todd and Singin’ in the Rain. The consistently strong fringe venue Southwark Playhouse also fields two shows in this category: Floyd Collins (directed by Derek Bond) and Mack & Mabel (directed by Thom Southerland).  Swallows and Amazons, which features the music and lyrics from Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon, is also in the running.

 

The National Theatre leads the longlist, with 22 entries across its three stages. Next, the Royal Court, home of new writing, has 13.

 

This year’s awards has eight categories: with Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Design, Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress, Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical, Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer and Charles Wintour Award for Most PromisingPlaywright – an award named in memory of the former Editor of the Evening Standard and Anna Wintour’s father.

 

In addition to eight longlisted awards, which are decided by a panel of theatre critics and London Evening Standard’s editor, Sarah Sands, five other special awards will be presented on the night. These are the Burberry Award for Emerging Director (new for this year), the Lebedev Special Award, the Editor’s Award, Beyond Theatre and the Moscow Art Theatre’s Golden Seagull.

 

The shortlist will be announced in the London Evening Standard on 12 November.

 

The London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2012 in association with Burberry.

 

BEST PLAY

 

Choir Boy  by Tarell Alvin McCraney,  (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Constellations by Nick Payne (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Jumpy by April De Angelis (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

The Last of the Duchess by Nicholas Wright (Hampstead)

 

Love and Information by Caryl Churchill  (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

Love Love Love by Mike Bartlett (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

Reasons to Be Pretty by Neil LaBute (Almeida)

 

South Downs by David Hare (Chichester Minerva)

 

This House by James Graham (National’s Cottesloe)

 

The Witness  by Vivienne Franzmann (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

 

BEST DIRECTOR

 

Benedict Andrews for Three Sisters (Young Vic)

 

Lucy Bailey for Uncle Vanya (The Print Room)

 

Tom Cairns for Scenes from an Execution (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Carrie Cracknell for A Doll’s House (Young Vic)

 

Marianne Elliott for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Polly Findlay for Antigone (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Sean Foley for The Ladykillers (Gielgud)

 

Jeremy Herrin for This House (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Nicholas Hytner for Timon of Athens (National’s Olivier)

 

Jonathan Kent for Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival and Adelphi)

 

James Macdonald for Love and Information (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

Roger Michell for Farewell to the Theatre (Hampstead)

 

Lindsay Posner for Noises Off  (Old Vic)

 

Ian Rickson for Hamlet (Young Vic)

 

Josie Rourke for The Recruiting Officer (DonmarWarehouse)

 

Lyndsey Turner for Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Donmar Warehouse)

 

 

BEST ACTOR

 

Simon Russell Beale, Collaborators (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Charles Edwards, The King’s Speech (Wyndham’s) and This House  (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Rupert Everett, The Judas Kiss (Hampstead)

 

Laurence Fox, Our Boys (Duchess)

 

David Haig, The Madness of George III (Theatre Royal Bath and Apollo)

 

Douglas Hodge, Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Alex Jennings, Collaborators (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Rory Kinnear, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Adrian Lester, Red Velvet (Tricycle Theatre)

 

Simon Paisley Day,  The Taming of  the Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe)

 

Eddie Redmayne, Richard II (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Adrian Scarborough, Hedda Gabler (Old Vic)

 

Michael Sheen, Hamlet (Young Vic)

 

Scott Shepherd, Gatz (Elevator Repair Service at Noel Coward)

 

David Suchet, Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Apollo)

 

Luke Treadaway, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, (National Theatre’s Cottesloe)

 

 

NATASHA RICHARDSON AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS

 

Eileen Atkins, All That Fall (Jermyn Street)

 

Pippa Bennett Warner, The Witness (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Eve Best, The Duchess of Malfi (Old Vic)

 

Cate Blanchett, Big and Small (Sydney Theatre Company for Barbican)

 

Anna Chancellor, The Last of the Duchess (Hampstead)

 

Anne-Marie Duff, Berenice (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Mariah Gale, Three Sisters (Young Vic)

 

Tamsin Greig, Jumpy (Royal Court Downstairs andDuke of York’s)

 

Sally Hawkins, Constellations (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Martina Laird, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (National’sCottesloe)

 

Helen McCrory, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Laurie Metcalf, Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Apollo)

 

Hattie Morahan, A Doll’s House (Young Vic)

 

Joely Richardson, The Lady from the Sea (Kingston’s Rose Theatre)

 

Sheridan Smith, Hedda Gabler (Old Vic)

 

Imelda Staunton, Sweeney Todd (Chichester and Adelphi)

 


NED SHERRIN AWARD FOR BEST MUSICAL

 

Floyd Collins (Southwark Playhouse)

Directed by Derek Bond

 

Mack & Mabel (Southwark Playhouse)

Directed by Thom Southerland

 

Singin’ In the Rain (Chichester Festival and Palace Theatre)

Directed by Jonathan Church

 

Swallows and Amazons (presented by the National Theatre in association with The Children’s Touring Partnership at the Vaudeville Theatre)

Music and lyrics by Neil Hannon

Script by Helen Edmundson

Directed by Tom Morris

 

Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival and Adelphi)

Directed by Jonathan Kent

 

Top Hat (Aldwych)

Directed by Matthew White

Adaptation for Stage: Howard Jacques and Matthew White

 

 

BEST DESIGN

 

Hildegard Bechtler, Top Hat ( Aldwych)

 

Miriam Buether, Wild Swans (A Young Vic/American Repertory Theatre/Actors Touring Company co-production)

 

Bunny Christie, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Kevin Depinet, Detroit (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Es Devlin, The Master and Margarita (Complicite at Barbican)

 

Soutra Gilmour, Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar Warehouse ) and Antigone (National’s Olivier)

 

Richard Kent, Richard II (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Ian MacNeil, A Doll’s House (Young Vic)

 

Peter McKintosh, Noises Off (Old Vic)

 

Vicki Mortimer, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Lucy Osborne, The Recruiting Officer (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Michael Taylor, The Ladykillers (Gielgud)

 

Jamie Vartan, Misterman (National’s Lyttelton)

 

 

 

CHARLES WINTOUR AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT

 

Stephen Beresford, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Lolita Chakrabarti, Red Velvet (Tricycle)

 

Ishy Din, Snookered (Bush)

 

Vickie Donoghue, Mudlarks (Bush)

 

Nancy Harris, Our New Girl (Bush)

 

John Hodge, Collaborators (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Luke Norris, Goodbye to All That (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Nicholas Pierpan, You Can Still Make a Killing (Southwark Playhouse)

 

Tim Price, Salt, Root and Roe (Trafalgar Studios)

 

Hayley Squires, Vera Vera Vera (Royal Court Upstairs andTheatre Local Peckham)

 

Tom Wells, The Kitchen Sink (Bush)

 

 

THE MILTON SHULMAN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING NEWCOMER

 

Jonathan Bailey, South Downs (Chichester Minerva and Harold Pinter)

 

Denise Gough, Our New Girl (Bush) and Desire Under the Elms (Lyric Hammersmith)

 

David Fynn, She Stoops to Conquer (National’s Olivier)

 

Cush Jumbo, She Stoops to Conquer (National’s Olivier)

 

Abby Rakic-Platt, Vera Vera Vera (Royal Court Upstairs and Theatre Local Peckham)

 

Matthew Tennyson, Making Noise Quietly (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Joshua Williams, Shivered (Southwark Playhouse)and  Love and Information (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Emi Wokoma, Soul Sister (Hackney Empire and Savoy)

 

Interview with Homeland Actor David Harewood

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David Harewood is the British actor who plays David Estes, the director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Centre, the the brilliant Channel 4 drama Homeland. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Harewood has been a fixture on the London stage for many years, earning praise for his work in such plays as Sam Mendes’ Othello at the National Theatre, which later went to Broadway.

Harewood appeared in Separate Lies, written and directed by Julian Fellowes; the 2004 screen version of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons; and Blood Diamond, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly.

On British television, Harewood was a regular on such series as The Vice, Robin Hood and Babyfather. He was also seen as Mandela in the television movie Mrs. Mandela. Harewood also guest stars in a number of series including Doctor Who, Strikeback and Criminal Justice.

 

A surprising number of fans of Homeland don’t realise that you’re a Brit. Explain where you’re from…

I’m from Small Heath in Birmingham. It’s hilarious to me. I’ve been acting for 26 years, in everything from Casualty to The Bill to The Vice, I’ve played Othello at The National Theatre – it’s taken me 26 years to be an overnight success, as the old gag goes, and it’s hilarious that all these Brits think that I’m American. And here in America, whenever I turn up on the red carpet, they’re all stunned to find out that I’m British.

 

That’s particularly impressive that the Americans themselves are stunned. That clearly shows that you’re doing something right.

Well, yeah. It’s always something I try to do. I’ve always tried to put character ahead of personality. I’m really glad that, even today, people kind of recognise me, they kind of know where I’m from, but no-one’s able to place me. I think that’s because I’ve done so much stuff, and hopefully it’s a testament to my ability to act.

 

Growing up in Birmingham, you were a very useful goalkeeper, weren’t you?

Very useful – The Cat, I was once known as. [Laughs] I used to play a lot as a kid, and I had trials as an All England Schoolboy. But I was never going to do it too seriously. Whenever it rained, on a wet, windy Saturday morning, I’d stand there thinking “What on earth am I doing here?” My heart was never really in it. But I played with some fantastic footballers, and it was a huge part of my life.

 

You went to RADA at the age of 18. Did that open up a whole new world for you?

Completely! I’d never really paid much attention at school – I was always a bit of a clown, really – that’s why I started acting. I wasn’t particularly attractive, and I wasn’t particularly academic, so the only way I could really get any attention was to mess about and be a bit of an idiot. At the time it was fantastic, but I suppose it was to the detriment of my education. Then I turned up at RADA, and went in on my first day, and they’re all talking about Brecht and Moliere and Dostoyevsky, and I’m thinking “Who the hell are they?” It was a real eye-opener. I really started to appreciate literature, and it was a wonderful journey. I was very lucky, I had a wonderful few years there.

 

Did you struggle to find work after you left?

I was very lucky, I came straight out and got a job. I played Romeo for Temba Theatre Company, which was the biggest black theatre company at the time. I’ve always been really, really busy, I’ve been very lucky. I think I spent the first five or six years just not stopping. I didn’t have any difficulty – the difficulty came much later on, when I got older and started to play roles with more authority on stage, that there were fewer and fewer roles for me on screen to do. That’s when I started to struggle, because of the frustration of playing really authoritative, strong roles at The National, but really struggling to match that on screen. I’ve been really, really fortunate to fall into this role [in Homeland].

 

Landing the role must have been a great thrill – acting opposite actors of the calibre of Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin.

I hadn’t worked for a year when I got the gig – partly for personal reasons, and partly because I just couldn’t get a gig, and then suddenly to find that I was sharing a screen with them was just extraordinary. I’ve just had a wonderful year. I suppose it’s like football – you play with better footballers, you get better. I’ve really found that just by watching them and working closely with them, seeing how they prepare and how they execute, has been a real joy, and I can only hope that there are more roles for me of this calibre, working with this calibre of actor. It’s been an absolute pleasure, it really has.

 

When you’re filming something like Homeland, do you get a real sense that you’re making something that’s going to be really, really good, or can you never tell?

A bit of both. I think everybody was very surprised by the immediacy of the success of the show – we were still filming the show when it became a massive hit in America. It’s kind of a goldfish bowl filming here in Charlotte, North Carolina – I think people do watch it here, but I was really surprised when I went to New York how many people were coming up to me and saying they enjoyed the show. I think in LA it’s such a huge show – it’s on posters and billboards everywhere, and this isn’t that kind of town, where there are billboards for TV shows.

 

David Estes is a fairly ambitious character, intent on climbing the greasy pole. What are your feelings towards him?

To be honest with you, I really struggled with him during the first season – I just didn’t know who he was. I told that to the writers at the end of the season, and they’ve done a fantastic job of really filling him out this year and giving him much more of a personality. Last year he was just the authority figure in the background who was always anti-Carrie. That was difficult, because I didn’t know why he had such antagonism towards her, and I didn’t know who he was. I only really discovered that when I played a scene right at the end of the season, when I played a scene with Mandy Patinkin, when you realise that actually he is implicated, and inextricably linked to this whole bomb attack on Abu Nazir, and how much he’d buried all of that information, and how much he was linked to the Vice President. I didn’t know any of that until the very last couple of episodes. It was a huge revelation to me that the reason why I’d been so antagonistic about Carrie finding out about Abu Nazir was because I’d been responsible for this drone strike. It was a huge piece of the jigsaw for me, when I read those scenes, and it’s been like taking a cork out of a bottle. This season has been fantastic for me, because now I know who he is, I understand him, I like him. Yes, okay, he may have sold his soul to a certain extent to get where he wants to, but who wouldn’t? A lot of us, to get where we want to be, would do what we can. It’s fascinating being out here in the world of American politics during an election. You see the real dirty side of politics, with the ads they’re running. If you want to get where you want to get to, you might have to do things that are seemingly unpalatable.

 

Why do you think they went for two Brits in key roles in the series?

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? It’s what everybody’s been asking. And we’ve got a third Brit – we’ve got Rupert Friend joining in this series. The director just says that they were the most interesting tapes that he saw.

 

When you’re on set, between scenes, or when you break for lunch, do you keep talking in an American accent, or do you revert back?

It’s quite extraordinary – all three of the British actors have almost an unspoken rule that nobody’s ever mentioned – we nearly always stay in our American accents when we’re at work. Damian’ll come to work and I’ll be like [puts on American accent] “Hey, man, how’s it goin’?” And he doesn’t look at me and say “What the f*** are you talking like that for?” It’s just unspoken. Every now and again one might drop out of accent and talk about the Olympics, or about something political that happens in the country, like the riots last year, when you have to get out of the accent. But most of the time you just forget, it becomes second nature.

 

You’ve mentioned that it’s election year in America. I hear that Homeland is Barack Obama’s favourite show. Is that a great thrill?

Oh it is. He’s metnioned it several times in interviews – it’s a fantastic thrill. It’s unfortunate that we were on hiatus when he was here for the Democratic convention. I’m sure he knows that we film the show here in Charlotte. Apparently, because his big speech was moved from the stadium to indoors because of the weather, he might be coming back to the state just to do something for the volunteers. Wouldn’t it be amazing to get a visit from the President?

 

Dare I say that it probably wouldn’t be as much of a thrill to have Mitt Romney visit?

Not really! I am astonished it’s so close, to be honest with you. It’s just beyond me that people are even considering him. But there are a lot of people who aren’t convinced by Obama. A lot of people are saying they’re not even going to bother voting this time. That’s bad, that people feel that politics doesn’t mean anything to them. That’s the scary part, that he’s going to lose because the people who voted for him last time just can’t be bothered this time.

 

Season 2 is about to Premiere in the US. Are you excited?

I’m really genuinely excited. From a personal point of view, it’s great because Estes has been given a lot more to do in this series. But it’s just such a fantastic show, I think people are going to be really, really excited to see it. I’ve read so many tweets and blogs where people have said it’s just a one season show which they can’t take any further, but these writers are fantastic. They’ve managed not only to recreate the same amount if tension, but to ratchet it up again. I think fans of the show are going to be very, very pleased.

 

Are you allowed to give us any hints about what we can expect from the series?

I can tell you that the second season begins in Israel. And I can tell you that Carrie will be back in the CIA in some capacity, and that, from what I hear, though I still don’t know, the mole will be revealed. You’re all going to be very surprised.

 

You were awarded an MBE at the beginning of the year. How did that feel?

Absolutely tremendous. It remains, and always will be, one of the proudest days of my life. To have gone there and got that pinned on, and had my daughter and mum be at the palace watching me get that award, it’s one of the proudest things that ever happened to me. I’m really, really chuffed about it.

 

Series 2 of Homeland will be on Channel 4 in October.

Miki Yamashita On Acting | Frost Interviews

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What made you go into acting?

I think I was interested in the arts and performing even before I was aware
of it. My mother says that as a child, I danced and sang around the house so
much that she put me in lessons as soon as I was old enough, because she
wanted me to learn how to do it right. My parents are both teachers, so their
solution for everything is education. It’s actually a pretty good philosophy.
As I grew conscious of my passions in life, I consistently made life
decisions that propelled me towards a life as a performing artist. Let’s just
say I never gravitated towards coal-mining.

Could you ever do anything else?

I guess the right answer is that I actually do many other things. Having
spent my life around many other actors, I have observed that I may be a
slightly different breed than most. I have a group of actor friends that I
started out with performing improv and sketch comedy with at Walt Disney
World, who are still doing only that; I have another group who I did a lot of
musical theatre with, who are still focusing only on Broadway; same with
opera people and comedy writers and commercial actors and episodic
television actors. I am really lucky in that I am actively able to book work in
all of these areas, and I consider that huge spectrum of interests to be my
pursuit as a whole, so if my universe is that huge, understandably there
really isn’t an “anything else” for me.

You famously said: ‘If this business kills me, it will be after everyone in it has my
headshot.’ That’s a go-getting attitude that can be missing in a lot of
performers. Do you agree?

My dear friend Bonnie Gillespie was kind enough to include that in her
brilliant book, “Self-Management for Actors.” When a newer edition came
out, she asked if she could include it again, and I said of course, except that
I didn’t want to imply that manically blanketing an acting market with
headshots was the technique I was espousing. I believe in being fiercely
motivated, but in a very focused and strategic manner. There’s a young actor
in LA, I haven’t seen him in a while, but this crazy kid literally plastered the
exterior of his car with his headshots. I swear! He drives around in this car
all day long hoping for, I don’t know, to get pulled over by a casting
director and get asked to do a monologue by the side of the road?? I don’t
know! But it’s pretty delusional and highly misguided. I guess what I meant
to say is that “If this business kills me, it will be after everyone in it whom I
have researched and targeted as potential buyers for my product has my headshot.”

Over the years, I have met so many actors; some have almost zero
motivation and ambition to do the basic work that is necessary to even have
a chance at success; others are rabidly foaming at the mouth and doing
everything they can desperately and inefficiently so that they can get ahead.
What I’ve learned from these actors is that there is a better way, there is a
sweet spot, where you have a calm, cool, focused energy that propels you
forward slowly, steadily, and intelligently. Wow, I think this is officially the
most Asian thing I have ever said!

I find you incredibly funny, has your sense of humour helped you survive in
showbusiness? Is it possible to do this without one?

Thank you! I think it’s literally impossible not to develop a sense of humor
as a professional actor. I was once asked to sing opera while running full
speed on a treadmill in a sequined gown. I was once told to continue
reciting my monologue while the casting director got on her cell phone and
ordered a chicken salad. I was once physically threatened by a male chorus
dancer. I mean, as actors, this is daily life, okay? And I think if you don’t
find it hilarious, you become seriously mentally damaged in a way that
prevents you from functioning in society as a normal adult. And then it
becomes this wonderful tool to help you consistently cope with the vast
array of indignities that actors face all the time.

What’s the hardest thing about being an actor?

The hardest thing about being an actor is when Chanel sends you so much
free couture from their latest collection that you run out of assistants to re-
gift them to. JUST KIDDING!!! That’s what most people think actors’
problems are. The general public is fed nothing but lies about our
profession, and they are only provided with the success narrative. It’s part
of the machine that allows the industry to maintain its operations, so you
have to accept that civilians are not ever going to get what most of us go
through. The most difficult thing is really how seldom we are actually able
to do our work, and that we must spend an inordinate amount of time doing
work that has nothing to do with performing in order to bankroll the pursuit
of our REAL work.

And the best?

The best thing about being an actor is getting to crash your car into an 18-
wheeler, blaming it all on your assistant, and showing up 4 hours late to set
where they will still tell you you’re the perfect choice to play Liz Taylor. HA
HA HAAA. Seriously, the best thing about this profession is that we are
constantly challenged to imagine what is possible. Every time I get an audition,
whatever it is, a commercial where I’m a pretty Asian mom, or an
opera where I’m a flying ghost bird-spirit, or a daytime drama where I’m the
secretary to the family patriarch, I get to make decisions about these
characters based on my imagination, my life experience, and what is on the
page. And no one else is going to make the same set of choices that I will.
Even if I don’t get the part, for a brief moment, for the duration of that
audition, my humanity was merged with that character, and I find great
fulfillment in my ability to execute that with consistency and quality.

What is your favourite thing that you have worked on?

My favorite thing that I have worked on is an original new work in which I
sang a principal role, with Los Angeles Opera. The piece was called “The
White Bird of Poston,” and it was newly commissioned specifically for the
purposes of educational and community outreach in the city of Los Angeles.
The opera is about the Japanese American Internment during World War II, a
very dark part of American history. The music and the story are so
beautifully written, I felt so honored to be a part of it, and I felt like it used
so many of my skills simultaneously—my classically trained voice, my
acting training, my dance training, and even a little bit of my abilities as a
comedienne. And on top of that, it had such profound cultural significance
to me as a Japanese American.

You have a great niche as an actress: you studied opera, has this greatly helped
your acting career or is it separate thing?

As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of people that I started out with,
training and performing professionally as serious classical or musical
theatre singers, who are still completely focused on only that sector of
performance. For me, singing eventually became something glamorous and
glorious that I could just keep hidden in my back pocket, and whip it out
suddenly and just stun people with it as needed. This evolution mostly took
place because I moved from the New York acting market which is very
heavily theatre-based, to Los Angeles, which of course focuses much more
on, well, speaking and not singing. But even without the move, I think I was
really adamant about transcending musical theatre; I felt that I had more to
accomplish in other areas, and my interests had a much wider span than just
singing in musicals until I was dead.

Advice for actors?

My advice for actors is pretty depressing, but realistic. If at all possible, get
a degree in a subject that has nothing to do with drama or music. I’ve made
a lot of hideous mistakes in life, but the one thing I did right was to earn a
college degree in English literature instead of acting or vocal performance.
Even though many would say a degree in English is almost as useless, I
would have to argue otherwise. The acting business becomes more and
more competitive every day, and what sets me apart from many others is my
relentless desire to articulate my own experience. As a writer, I have a
heightened sense of power because for the most part, words on a page
cannot be refused or rejected because the writer isn’t blond or skinny. I am
shut out of thousands of performing job opportunities a day simply because
of my physical appearance, something that cannot be transformed by
“working hard.” Trust me, I’ve tried. Exercising cannot change your race!

So my advice is to find tangible skills that will enable you to support your
pursuit of acting for a very very long time.

But ultimately, have faith that you are answering a divine calling by being an
artist. And know that you are in control of what you choose to sacrifice for
this calling.

What’s next for you?

I’m about to make big changes to my online presence; a fellow LA actress,
Sarah Sido, taught me a lot about building websites, so I’m going to use
those skills to rebrand my personal page, as well as start a blog about
acting. Wow, now I’ve said it so I better do it!

FAVORITE ACTORS/ACTRESSES – I think my favorite male actor is Jim
Carrey. A lot of my earlier sketch comedy and improvisational work I did at
Walt Disney World was heavily influenced by him, and I have deep respect
for his significant capabilities as a dramatic actor. He is so interesting to
watch doing anything! Let’s say if, starting tomorrow, he stopped making
studio feature films and decided to just host a vegan cooking show on
HGTV, I would watch that.

For female actresses, I would rather be executed than name just one. Meryl
Streep seems to literally becomes other human beings, to the point where it
actually scares me. Meryl is a frightening example of sheer mastery of the
craft. I would like to see her play some kind of deep sea creature or
something, because that lady would seriously prepare for the role by eating
paramecium and withstanding 500 bars of atmospheric pressure. And that’s
entertainment, my friends.

I love Julianne Moore’s work, because I find that no matter who she plays,
her characterization is so detailed and complete that I feel like I actually
live out the movie in real time as her role. The performance is so intimate
and honest and infused with inner life that I feel like I AM her character.
Believe me, it takes skill to convince a short Asian girl that she is a white
1950’s housewife.

Photo credit: David Muller