To Tell the Truth

Remain natural. Be yourself. Don’t go for it.

The toughest assignment for an actor is to remain natural.

As a young director, I was warned by my mentors to try to stay away from asking an actor to be themselves. I was told that many actors haven’t a clue to who or what they really are. In fact I was also told that many actors think they know but are under a misguided conception of what their truth really is. Others might not want to know.

So here’s a very broad statement to chew on. If you don’t want to discover and practice your own individual truth, your chances of becoming successful as a professional actor will be unmercifully diminished. It may not make you happy to discover your truth as a human being, but knowing your truth will definitely give you a tremendous leg up as an actor.

There are times in my travels when an encounter with an actor in an everyday situation is disappointing at best. I'm referring to a chance meeting at some sort of function or during a casual coffee shop conversation. Coming away from the encounter with the feeling that this guy or gal came across as being rather shallow; they didn’t have the ability to share their true feelings with me. And then to meet that same person in the actor/director environment, only to be elated as well as surprised by their total ability to tell the truth through the eyes of another. That other person that I refer to is the character they happen to be portraying. What they don’t want to give into is the fact that, whatever they may think of it as, playacting is still a way of telling the truth.

Perhaps one of the greatest actors of all time said it as succinctly as any actor I’ve ever heard when he responded when asked during an interview what his acting method was:

“Well I just look the other actor right in the eye and tell them the truth. The truth was always evident in any role portrayed by that actor.” - James Cagney

Many actors who had the opportunity to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock usually were in for a big surprise when they discovered how little direction he offered in the way of acting. One day, when Carey Grant asked Hitchcock for some advice on how to interpret the meaning of a particular scene, Hitchcock responded with: “You’re here because you’re right for it.”

In his own way he was telling Carey Grant to be himself. That was the end of the acting direction. Hitchcock sought the truth and that’s what his actors gave him. During another incident involving Mr. Hitchcock, a visitor to the set had the guts (or the stupidity) to endanger his life by, without warning, asking Hitchcock to explain why he wasn’t looking at his actors during a rehearsal of the scene. Mr. Hitchcock’s reply: “I can hear what they look like.”

That response has become a major part of my professional career. For many years, I have earned my living listening to actors. As your audience, if you tell me the truth, I will buy from you, and I will allow you to influence my life.

Just as a reminder, the Kalmenson Method was derived by the means of close study of the most successful actors in our industry during the course of more years than I desire to call attention to.

Many of the attributes the foremost talents have in common became apparent to me. By and large these weren’t the actors that the general public described or held in esteem as celebrities. These were and are the journeyman actors.

John Houseman expounded on his credo for success. He advised us to be journeyman actors, to practice and study our craft, to search for a way to grow everyday, to be an observer with our eyes and with our ears, and to find a way to tell someone, anyone, a story that they might believe.

The Competitive Life: A Precept for Living

Don’t compete! It isn’t necessary or required. Being well schooled or being in the habit of practicing your craft is your requirement in order for success to happen; that is to say… if it ever happens. For what we do or contrive to do as actors is our addiction to nothing more than a personal dream. Ultimately, we may or may not reach fruition because of the hard work I profess to be our most necessary ingredient for even a chance at success. The fallacy of it all, simply stated, is society's assessment of the meaning of success.

For the masses, success has as its equivalent only one descriptive word: money.

The other day a well-known actor very succinctly summed up our world in a nutshell. When I asked him how things were going he responded with, "It’s time for me to hit the lottery again.” The actor I’m referring to was coming off a tremendous run in a network television series. In the past, I had heard him thank God for his luck to have experienced such great success. Yes, he’s a good actor, by no means a great one. As John Houseman might say, our actor is a journeyman. He recognizes the frailty of our profession. Some of our strongest brethren never experience acclaim or monetary rewards comparable to their strenuous efforts at reaching for the stars. In other words…the expertise you develop is absolutely a necessity in order to maintain your own sanity. You are the one who must be satisfied your attempts at success are at least well founded.

Pet Peeves

Many of the subjects I write about are generated from the literally thousands of questions I’ve had to deal with in our world of the commercial voice over.

While commercial voice over is definitely an acting craft, there is a certain amount of difference between how the actors relate during the commercial VO audition and the theatrical audition.

The nature of the business is such that the journeyman VO actor is involved with many more auditions than that of his counterparts in TV, film, or theater.

With volume (a great number of auditions) comes a serious condition: it’s called complacency. It kind of sounds like vacancy, doesn’t it? If you happen to be looking for an apartment to rent, look for a complacent actor. If you have the time to wait, you will be rewarded. The complacent actor (unless they're rich by way of inheritance) will soon find himself or herself (usually it’s a him) looking for a cheaper place to live.

And so here is my first peeve: The VO actor who says, “It's all a numbers game.” I see this guy or gal often. They take things for granted and make statements which exemplify failure. Yes… I did say I see this often, but not from the same actors. You see, complacency by anyone is a pet peeve of mine. An actor displaying this aggravating syndrome usually doesn’t make it back for another crack with da harv.

“The very best work I’ve ever done during my professional career, I did for free.”
HK

Another complacent VO actor quote: “Oh they’ll know what they want when they hear it.”

I don’t necessarily disagree with this premise. What peeves me is who is making the statement. During a given audition, before telling the actor I felt they were missing the mark with their indifference to following the directions we go to the trouble of providing, I try not to be complacent. I’ll redirect and give them a take two, or what I refer to as "another day in court." If it happens to be a young actor, or an individual new to our business, I take the liberty of providing that actor with an unsolicited lecture. Much of this particular lecture (yes, I do have many of them) is brought to you thanks to the efforts of John Houseman, and every athletic coach I’ve experienced while growing up.

Attributable to John Houseman is one of my favorite quotes: “Complacency should be used as your condition during the portrayal of the part you’re playing. Complacency should never be a display of who you are, or might be, as a human being!”

Without exception, the baseball coaches all have this credo: “You always go all out to win. You always run out every ground ball and pop fly. If you go through the motions, you’re gone.”

It's an interesting phenomena; the vast majority of show business people and successful athletes in every sport have in common the one thing they're not: Complacent.

I’ve experienced firsthand some of the biggest names in our profession display tireless enthusiasm over projects not worthy of their stage presence.

And athletes who show up long before their call time and leave later than anyone else on the team become the stars that manage to maintain their consistent glow.

Of the actors and athletes who early on were advised they didn’t have what it takes, but ignored the advice to quit while the quitting was good, they were the ones who remained and persevered. None were complacent.

Many think the term “The show must go on,” was originated by a producer who didn't have a worthwhile understudy ready to go on. Others claim it was the understudy who fed rancid food to the star and then pronounced they were ready to go on despite the depression they were feeling over the loss of the very same thespian they had poisoned. In any event, none showed complacency. I guess that’s the point.

Truth be told, enthusiasm and poisoning don’t go hand in hand.

Being Gracious

Not to worry, I have no intention of explaining graciousness. If you don’t know now, you probably won’t ever get it. Like always, some of you are already saying, “What in the name of hell has graciousness got to do with voiceover?”

Well, when it comes to reading for this director, graciousness is what I expect. If you come in to audition or perform for the Kalmensons you are expected to play according to our ground rules. Succinctly stated, being a celebrity or a "wanna be" has nothing to do with our team treating you as anything less than our guest. We’re not going to behave like we’re doing you a favor bringing you in to audition. As a matter of fact, almost all talented and successful actors and actresses practice the Golden Rule. Here are three folks you might recognize. All are at the top of their respective games, and all three are really a societal treasure for all of us who’ve had the pleasure of being their working colleagues.


Jane Lynch
Tall, slim, and gracious. Always early, she comes in, finds the script she will be reading, and quietly complies with whatever may be asked of her. Working with and for Jane is always a learning experience. She was a star before she became a star. When Jane asks you how you’re feeling, she is interested in the answer.


Sarah Chalke

What a delight!! I’ve only directed her once. But in that one experience we worked as if we had done so dozens of times before. I was fortunate enough to get the assignment to direct Sarah performing the role of narrator on a TV mini-series (Maneater) she was also starring in. Of course she was punctual, and as we exchanged our initial salutations it became an instant comfort zone for each of us. A marvelous actress, doing her best to create a working comfort zone for her director.

The star of a feature film or TV mini-series can usually dictate who will be added to the team. Though this wasn't the case with me, our working relationship made me feel as though I had been Sarah's first choice. Graciousness personified.


Hector Elizondo

Hector is a star that exemplifies what it means to carry yourself as a working actor. As an example of what I’m getting at, I’d like to take you into an acting class being helmed by the noted actor John Houseman, at the University of Southern California. It was John’s practice to oftentimes get in the face of a student when they responded less than professionally to one of his questions.

“What in the world are you attempting?” he asked in a rather demeaning fashion. “I’m taking a Hector Elizondo approach,” the student replied. “You are dreaming,” replied the great Houseman. “Mr. Elizondo is a gracious gentleman. He’s the genuine article who travels and purports himself as just a journeyman actor.”

I was darn near giddy when I found out I was to direct Hector. At our first meeting of many to take place, I instantly discovered what John Houseman was talking about. Here was a living acting icon, asking da harv what I would like him to do.


If you happen to run into Jane, Sarah, or Hector during your acting travels, and they ask you how you’re feeling; they will be listening to your answer...

Closely, or from a distance
Like, love, or disapprove my tone if you will
Be in agreement, or tune out my theories
Be moved into a mirthful state
Dissolve passionless from my efforts to create
Your choice in listening to me be only yours

I well may be a deceiver
Not nurturing any human’s bigoted ways
Not helping, or encouraging to cipher
Who I am, or what regions were the origin of my start

For when you are in my listening mode
I, have found your ear
Perhaps betrayed by what you hear
I am a voice bearing no skin color with my sound
My frame is both short and tall
My gender reflects all
And age becomes ageless as my messages abound
I grow stronger as experience allows
No human being, or will exerted may govern who I become

I am free from those who may choose by my color
I am race less, in all I profess or say
I am a voice actor, among many

The world would be a better place, were they bound to do it my way.
Our Voice Actor by da harv