tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111490392012-02-16T19:06:28.461ZThe Glamorous Road to Being Fabulously SuccessfulStep inside one woman's world as she climbs to the top (in kitten heels). Aspiring actress Lucy McGinn shares her adventures in a new chapter every couple of weeks. Season 3 is now underway!
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New readers, please start at the beginning by clicking the links on the right.Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-81712462747997146002007-06-02T14:42:00.000+01:002007-06-02T14:44:46.621+01:00City of IndustryThe second out-of-town audition I had was in Manchester. Marcus said not to bother going, but I had recently been (gently) encouraging my agent to send me on more auditions, so I had to go. Besides, what was so bad about Manchester? Everyone seemed to love their soccer – err football – team, so it couldn’t be that bad.Despite my best efforts to look imposing and in need of space, the Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-61843802800267266002007-05-27T17:26:00.000+01:002007-05-27T23:07:35.356+01:00A Dirty ShameWhen your agent calls and says “you have an audition tomorrow,” you say “great – what time?” You don’t say “What’s the part? Where’s the audition? What kind of character will I be playing?” or heaven forbid ask “What’s my character’s motivation?” If the audition is for a commercial, you don’t get to evaluate the product to determine whether it’s really something you want to promote. You simply Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-27620803674929259912007-05-12T14:59:00.000+01:002007-05-27T16:43:19.926+01:00Cut OffOnce I had some presenting experience, the doors were opened for more presenting auditions – corporate gigs, internet “TV shows”, etc. I tried imaging my career taking the trajectory of Greg Kinnear’s – working my way up to presenting on E! and then landing a career-defining role like his portrayal of a gay artist in As Good as it Gets.I got a job doing some “man on the street” interviews, or voxDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1153238734939895302006-07-21T11:02:00.000+01:002007-05-27T23:42:32.001+01:00Bee Season“There’s more to London’s nightlife than musicals and plays. After you see a show in the West End, why not step into Soho, where you’ll find some of the trendiest hotspots in London. Just around the corner from The Palace Theatre, you’ll find Kettners where you can enjoy some bubbly at the champagne bar or relax and listen to the pianist in this lavish lounge…”I had a paid gig for the London Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1152804743387863472006-07-14T09:48:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.443+01:00Reality BitesOn my first paid acting gig, I earned £50 for a full day working on a “TV pilot”. It sounded exciting – six characters living in trendy Hoxton. We’d be filming all day. Sure £50 wasn’t a lot, but there was the hope that future work, at Equity rates, would be forthcoming.Unfortunately, when I turned up I realized we were being paid to do the writer/director’s work for him. He had no script, no Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1152550583642817682006-07-10T17:50:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.444+01:00Back to SchoolEvery few months, an actor needs to put something new on her résumé to show she’s been active, engaged in the industry and is thus employable, i.e. not a lazy couch-surfing wannabe who’s hoping for her big break to fly through the window. I was well overdue for a résumé refresh, but short on time, so I signed up for a few one-day courses at City Lit. An interview was required to get a space so I Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1149863095199524402006-06-16T09:30:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.444+01:00Six Days Seven NightsEveryone knows the only way to get a tan without causing wrinkles is to use self tanner. So being in an ageist industry and having a Nicole-Kidman-like pallor, I naturally chose this route to becoming a bronzed summer beauty (as advertised on the bottle). Shortly after the first appearance of the British sun, when most of the population had pink-tinged skin from their annual Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1149840156782937102006-06-09T09:01:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.444+01:00SplashWhen London’s summer finally arrives, a shared joy spreads across the city. Moods are improved and people are friendlier and less hurried. Bars and pubs from Angel to Soho to Clapham have people spilling out of them onto the sidewalks and streets, taking the rare opportunity to enjoy a pint in the great outdoors. When it gets too hot however, trouble begins. Bus rides become sticky and getting onDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1147877428570349452006-05-17T15:46:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.445+01:00The Singing NunHaving an American accent in London can be a positive or a negative for an actor: there are fewer parts for Americans, but fewer people competing for them. So I always keep my eye out for castings requesting “native American speakers” (presumably they don’t mean American Indians). My agent sent me on an audition for a low budget musical. I’m really not sure how she got the idea that I’m a singer,Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1146222125372125892006-04-28T11:59:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.445+01:00The Naked TruthI had tried avoiding him, I postponed our meeting twice, but after bumping into him at BAFTA I could avoid him no more. I had to give Marcus an answer about the Marilyn movie. I had to decide whether or not to do nude scenes. This could be a turning point in my career – for the better, or for the worse. Who could forget what Showgirls did for Elizabeth Berkley (or didn’t do, rather)? But there Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1145545158378402932006-04-20T15:52:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.445+01:00Flirting with DisasterA few text messages, a couple of exchanged voice mails, and Dean finally asked me out on a date. Or was it a date? You never know with these industry things. I didn’t care – we were going to see a movie. Not just any movie – a premiere. It wasn’t at just any old cinema either. It turns out Dean is a card-carrying member of BAFTA. I couldn’t resist calling Olivia to gloat. “Olivia, guess where I Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1144422203769254742006-04-07T15:58:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.446+01:00Fever PitchAt certain times of the year, the entertainment business in this town seems to snap into gear. No one plans to get much done over summer (particularly in August) or over the Christmas period. Then there’s a scramble to get things on the move. January seems to be the month during which all the behind-the-scenes action takes place. So after a seemingly endless dry spell, I now have audition noticesDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1135000387733333622005-12-19T13:48:00.000Z2007-05-12T15:11:03.446+01:00Naked LunchFollowing the clothes-changing debacle, I thought I’d never hear from Marcus again. Instead, I got a text message the next week.“New script. Call me.”He must be paying by the letter.The inevitable message-decoding attempts ensued. Does he just want to share some good news about a project? Does he need actors for a read-through (unpaid, no doubt)? Or could it be that there’s a part for me? More Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1134353247637120472005-12-12T02:04:00.000Z2007-05-12T15:11:03.446+01:00Planes, Trains and AutomobilesSometimes the need for glamour at one’s destination exceeds the needs for dignity on the journey there. It’s the Machiavellian principle applied to glamour: the trends justify the means.I have, on occasion, been known to put my make up on while on the tube (not known exactly, as I wouldn’t do this in the company of anyone I know). Although I have gotten my daily make-up routine down to 4 ½ Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1132320038966882802005-11-18T13:09:00.000Z2007-05-12T15:11:03.447+01:00Soul FoodWalking into the waiting room for an audition is often like walking into some strange hall of mirrors. The Casting Director has a brief to fill and, until you are a known actor, you fit the brief based on height/weight/ hair color/looks. So you walk into a room and see 15 versions of yourself. It can be surreal.I got an audition for a KFC commercial. Not exactly the product I’d like to be known Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1131746330689108022005-11-11T21:25:00.000Z2007-05-12T15:11:03.447+01:00To Die ForBeing glamorous is easy when you have a personal assistant, a chef, a stylist, a hair and make-up team and time to work out two hours a day. Unfortunately, I have none of the above. It has been an indulgence, however, to go to a top London hair salon every six to eight weeks for highlights, a cut and blow dry. When I told Cheri how much it was costing me, she immediately whisked me to the nearestDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1130603929560185932005-10-29T17:35:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.447+01:00One Hour PhotoNow that I have an agent, I only have two more of my stated goals to achieve: get paid acting work and become Fabulously Successful. Getting an agent can be a key to the former, if not the latter. But first I had to tell her what I was and wasn’t interested in doing. Theatre – yes; theatre in education – no. Feature films – yes; student films – no. Indies – yes; undies – no. Towards the objectiveDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1129288882925769762005-10-14T12:19:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.448+01:00MethodAlthough short of being controversial, “The Method” is still a much-discussed and debated technique (and not only on Inside the Actors Studio.) To boil down The Method technique, the actor calls upon his/her own past emotional experiences to create the character’s emotions. So when your character’s child gets run over by a train, you think about when you had to put your dog to sleep. Does The Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1128644959637499922005-10-07T01:18:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.448+01:00L.A. StoryINT.PRESENTERLucy McGinn’s meteoric rise from “quirky neighbor” to A-list celebrity was a Cinderella affair. This is her story. This is the E! True Hollywood Story.SCENE 1: GROWING UPPRESENTERLucy grew up in a small Midwestern town where she caught the acting bug at an early age. Along with her childhood friend Betty, she used her tape recorder to make her own radio dramas. In high school, she Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1127562707656464962005-09-24T12:49:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.448+01:00Gone in Sixty SecondsThere are so many reasons not to date actors: they’re flakes, they don’t have steady jobs, they’re short. But when the only people you meet are actors, sometimes it’s unavoidable. I knew Rich was a rising star when I first met him. Objectively, he was attractive enough. He had black hair, green eyes and a killer smile. He did that grungy “I don’t care”/hair slightly greasy look to T.But the thingDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1126876595808113262005-09-16T09:10:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.449+01:00The Crying GameThe completion of a major project is inevitably followed by a period of “now what”. The Fringe wasn’t exactly the big break I need but at least it’s a good résumé builder. The end of the Fringe was a big party. The whole thing is supposed to be actually – if you’re not developing a slight hunch from 30 pounds of flyers strapped to your back. At least I made some good contacts. But it’s too soon Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1125674737632431682005-09-02T16:22:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.449+01:00BraveheartThursday10 a.m.After several hours of flyering yesterday with 30 pounds of flyers in my backpack (not an exaggeration), we only had a dozen people in the audience. I’m feeling pretty beat up but I have to get back out there and pass them out again today.11:30 a.m.Did I mention I'm covered in mosquito bites? I don't even know how I could possibly get so many on my butt – I’ve been wearing jeans Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1124977215683584802005-08-19T14:34:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.449+01:00Dirty Pretty ThingsThere are 1700 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and five of them are productions of Twelfth Night: one youth performance troupe (£7), one traditional performance (£9.50), us (£9) and not one but two musical adaptations (£10 and £12). With start times ranging from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., you could literally watch Twelfth Night all day long.Bobby has ordered even more flyers and we’re all on Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1124717057506497352005-08-12T14:21:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.450+01:00The CloserGetting ready for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been a whirlwind. Somehow, when I met up with Bobby at Patisserie Valerie two weeks ago, I accepted the part, agreed to help promote the show and signed a contract all before our cappuccinos arrived. He must have worked in sales – he knows his stuff: Always Be Closing.The production is a modern interpretation of Twelfth Night; I’m playing Viola.Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1123250081432234962005-08-05T14:52:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.450+01:00Working GirlLooking for work in this industry is more difficult than most, and not just because there are more actors than jobs. A lot of it is who you know, and if you don’t know anyone, chances are you don’t get much work.In most industries, a company can get sued for discriminating against you based on gender, race, age or simply based on your looks. In acting you can only get jobs if you are the right Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1122637938723962062005-07-29T12:50:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.450+01:00Fifty First DatesI have a no-fail first-date skirt. It’s a red pencil skirt that I bought a few years ago at a surf shop. I love surf shops, and not just because being there means I’m on a sunny beach vacation. They just make me think of my alternate universe, the one in which I own a glam beauty shop by the beach instead of trudging to auditions in a smog-filled city.When I wear the red skirt on a first date, I Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1121330720432674222005-07-22T10:49:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.451+01:00Pretty in PinkAcross from me on the bus this morning sat an attractive girl, probably mid-twenties, brown hair, big brown eyes: the picture of summer in head-to-toe pink.Now as an actor, you’re meant to be an observer of people and what with her directly across from me, and having no reading material, I had no choice but to observe. I noticed her pointy-toed pink shoes, her sparkling earrings, the striped Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1121330668871516332005-07-15T11:52:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.451+01:00Prêt-à-PorterI went to a short film festival with Olivia where I met Gail, a stylist with an office on Harley Street. She agreed to meet with me, which I was hoping was not just a tacit indictment of the black and white Urban Outfitters mini dress, circa 2003, that I was wearing.She painstakingly helped me go through my closet, where I learned that1) I should not wear turtlenecks2) I have too much black3) I Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1121271127024624672005-07-13T17:11:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.451+01:00Eyes Wide ShutRehearsals with Kevin steadily improved and we felt we were ready to showcase our scene from Eyes Wide Shut. (Despite the fact that Tom and Nicole shot this very scene for three weeks straight to get it right – a luxury we did’t have.)We changed the kissing so that he’d be kissing my neck – only for a few seconds until I interrupted him with a question. One thing I should have considered earlier Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1120219104152375662005-07-01T12:57:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.452+01:00Head in the CloudsThe last time I got headshots done, the photographer decided to do some “artistic” cropping. Unfortunately for me, this meant that the top of the photo was cropped across my forehead, leaving me looking as if, beyond the borders of the photo, I had a giant conehead extending into infinity. Needless to say, I decided to look for a different photographer when I needed new headshots for the Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1119027069813685572005-06-17T17:45:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.452+01:00One False MoveI’ve been rehearsing with Kevin, my scene partner for the showcase. We met at The Actors’ Centre to discuss scripts and drink some Rustoleum disguised as coffee, then read through some scenes to get a feel for how we might work together.We had to pick something that was five minutes long with enough range in each character to showcase each person’s talent (or what we hoped would pass as talent). Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1118701799159480522005-06-10T22:39:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.453+01:00House of WaxTwins. I never bothered much with my eyebrows until years ago when I read that un-groomed brows are wasted potential. Not wanting to let the potential of my only facial hair go to waste, I made an appointment at a local salon.“Your eyebrows grow in two different directions,” I was informed by the beautician, “don’t worry, eyebrows aren’t twins, they’re sisters.” So she waxed and tweezed away, Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1117900602379936962005-06-03T16:54:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.453+01:00Short CutsDealing with rejection is a part of this business. You can’t take it personally. When you go into an audition as an unknown, 90% of getting the part is looking the part. No one wants to be stereotyped, but let’s face it – I’m probably not going to get cast as a sun-drenched native Caribbean beauty, no matter how far spray-tan technology advances. You just don’t get to play against type until you’Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1117196200951315952005-05-27T13:13:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.453+01:00The CameramanCamera crews have a way of making you feel important, although in Cannes it seems Ferraris and De Loreans work pretty well, too. Tip: if you want attention, hire five guys in matching red t-shirts to follow you around with a camera. Suddenly everyone wants to know what’s going on, who’s being filmed and how they can get in on the action.Unfortunately, I don’t quite have the budget to hire a posseDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1116598367713486542005-05-20T15:08:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.454+01:00The PlayerAs far as I can tell, all routes that lead to being fabulously successful have at least one stopover in “the playground of the rich and famous” – Cannes. I decided that I must check out the film festival scene so I’ll know what to expect in the future. Besides, I needed to get away from the unseasonably cold London weather.My friend Cheri, or Cher as we’ve decided to call her this week to up-glamDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1116000953165041832005-05-13T17:13:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.454+01:00Practical MagicI’m at a fashion crossroads. I’ve been travelling down The Gap Street and I’m afraid it’s come to an abrupt end where it meets The Glam Road. Becoming fabulously successful is hard work, and you have to dress the part. To prepare for some serious shopping, I consulted every glam girl’s trend bible: In Style magazine. After perusing a few pictorial spreads showing how to replicate celebrity stylesDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1115392879600270532005-05-06T15:46:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.454+01:00Two-Weeks' NoticeBy now I should have learned to plan on an hour to get anywhere in London. I went to an audition near Spitalfields market – only three tube stops away – so I figured half an hour was plenty of time. The rehearsal room was only a few doors down, they said. I left according to schedule and all was fine. I had even factored in the five-minute wait at Angel tube and the three-minute wait to change Devon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11149039.post-1114266213794106972005-04-29T08:15:00.000+01:002007-05-12T15:11:03.455+01:00Boogie NightsToday I had an audition and a meeting.The audition was at a castle-like building and I read a scene from Proof. The character I played talked about her hair during the scene. Yes, I am having a fabulous hair day! Rock.I’m auditioning for a showcase which would be put on in front of agents, casting directors, etc. No guarantees as to who will be there, and you have to pay to be in it. I thought “IDevon Dudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762024025149729019noreply@blogger.com