It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I know, I’ll work on it. I just really wanted to share this breakdown with you. It has to be the weirdest character description ever.
Bribbo Lurty: | SAG/Non-SAG | Male | 20 – 35 yrs old | Supporting
Role details: Sexy, hunky actor who is the lover of the goddess-like black woman who leads the adventures involving the chicken. Talent must be able to balance objects on his nose.
Yup
Hey! Look at me, back on the blog. Crazy.
So here we are on a wednesday, and you’re just dying to know what’s going on in my life. I know you are. Enough, I give in, I’ll tell you.
So, back in February, I moved to a new place in Weehawken, NJ; a ten minute bus ride from NYC! Yes, no longer a two hour trip, but a ten minute trip. In the words of Kool Aid, Oh Yeah!
So this has been a busy month or two of auditioning. And for the first time in a while, I’ve managed to book my schedule up pretty solidly. I’m doin Comedy of Errors with the Inwood Shakespeare (rehearsals start in May, show in June), I’m shooting a Spec Pilot for FX coming up, as well as a cartoon pilot for which I’ll be doing a voiceover. All good stuff, but now I have a new problem: I have to ease off audition-mode.
I’ve been so gun-ho audition crazy, that I just can’t stop myself from submitting myself to projects. I ignore the production dates compele with the mentality that if I don’t constantly submit to everything, I’ll never get any work.
Breathe Steve, take it easy. This is supposed to be the fun part. I guess the moral of the story is don’t let the act of working take over the goal you’ve been working toward.
So it’s been a while since one of these, huh?
Well, the last Character Corner was on Ben Foster, a Freaks and Geeks Alum, so hey, why not keep the trend goin?
I’ll keep this one short because… well there’s not much out there on him, although I don’t know why. Martin Starr’s interviews and such portray a guy who’s very anti-spotlight, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Marty (yeah, I call him Marty) was born Martin Schienle on July 30, 1982. I wonder why I always start with that, it’s not like it’s really important. Anyway, he was born in Santa Monica, CA to actress Jean St. James and Jim Schienle. His mother ran a small thespian based company called “Act Productions” that created networking events for actors. He started acting at six when his mother (I’m assuming) got him doing commercials here and there. After a move to Florida in his Highschool years, Starr managed to audition for (no doubt with the help of his networking mother) and was cast in Judd Apatow’s “Freaks and Geeks” 1999-2000. There it is, the short lived serio-comedy that was unrighteously axed. If you don’t know that, then you don’t care to have me talk on and on about how sad that is. So I won’t.
Martin played one of the “Geeks”, Bill Haverchuck, a sort of downey-looking geek that was not as smart as stereotype would suggest. I think the real magic of his character was that you never knew what was going on in Bill’s head until you pretty much are up to your ears in feeling. You watch him, and you think nothings happening… nothing’s happening… then all of a sudden you get exactly what he’s feeling, and you are swept away by the sincerity and fullness of his emotion. All before you have any idea what happened.
I have to say Ep 17 contains one of my favorite moments in television history: This is the episode where Mr. Fredericks, the gym teacher, is bangin Bill’s mom, and tries to bond with Bill by taking him and his friends to the go-cart track. Needless to say, it doesn’t work and Bill blows up at him and storms off. Mr. Fredericks comes back, acknowleges that Bill and he are very different and may never get along. He goes on to explain that he genuinly cares for Bills mother and makes her happy. It’s all a lot more involved than that, but it’s not like I’m gonna capture it in a blog. Anyway, Mr. Fredericks leaves, and Bill is left alone to stew in his anger. You watch his determined anger decay like a crumbling castle, and a final but subtle collapse as he torn in two; on one hand he hate Fredericks on principal (he’s bangin his mom, and he’s the hated gym teacher) on the other hand, Fredericks genuinely loves his mother and makes her happy. One tear rolls down his cheek and you watch the unstopable way of the world finally defeat him. Oh my God it’s good!
Anyway, Martinn did happen to have a career after Freaks and Geeks. He has a slew of film credits that include a list of Apatow films, and a few TV appearances. Recently he has appeared in Adventureland (which I haven’t seen so can’t comment, although I’ve heard its good), and he’s had a new show on the Starz Network called Party Down, which I have seen and highly recomend. It’s funny as hell and Martin is a costar in the series. Brilliant, must see it!
And that’s all I have on Martin Starr. Not a lot of info, but a lot of opinion, and I hope I’ve influenced yours.
I have done it! I’ve moved to Weehawken, a stone’s throw from NYC, so that’s nice. I may not have internet quite yet in the new place, but hey, what else are slow days at work for?
So I’ve been considering this Netflicks I keep hearing about. I hear its a good deal, and there are so many movies that I haven’t seen that I pretty much have to as an actor (I know that sounds lame but… shut up). I looked at the website, and I feel like there’s gotta be a catch. $8.99 a month? Do you get like two movies a month or something?
Regardless, I’ll probably be trying it. I’ll let you know my review of what you all probably already know. Happy Wendnesday to you all!
So I had a first rehearsal Monday for the one act I will be appearing in (Strawberry One Act Festival) called “Jimmies”. Disastrous. One of those nights that make you ask yourself “What makes me think I can do this?” The script, or more specifically the character, is a pretty tough one to analyze. I went over it and over it, trying to unlock the meaning, figuring out where it came from, where the character wanted to go, how he got there. I had poured over the text, made decisions, and walked into the first rehearsal ready to go. From the first second we began to block it out, it was embarasing. Nothing was working the way I thought it would. None of the choices I made seemed to fit, every thought I had about the script flew out of my head, and I virtually just spouted syllables from a piece of paper. I had no concept of the character… You get the point. Didn’t go well. So other than feeling miserable and incompetent the rest of the night, what happens next? Don’t give up, try try again, and all that crap. I feel it in my bones that this is what I should be doing, so I’ll have to assume for now that little voice telling me to give it up is wrong. See, being stubborn is a good thing sometimes! What’s left now? Now, I either continue my work based upon the work I’ve already done. Probably not, since my first little session didn’t go over too well. So I guess that narrows it down pretty effectively: Square one, here I come… Damn
So this past week has been quite an eventful one. After almost two months of nothing happening (in my little sheltered acting world), this past week seems like a relative explosion. Again, after two months of nuttin, I get two auditions, two free tickets to two shows in NY (from a producer I’ve worked with), and I got cast in a one act in the NY Strawberry One Act Festival. Ok, that doesn’t sound like a lot when you put it right there, but it’s definitely promising. It’s funny that every time things are getting a bit slow, I forget about this cycle, and it definitely is a cycle. I may not work as much as some people, but things come my way. And they all come my way at once. And then they don’t come my way at all. And then they do. And then… you get the idea. It’s all a cycle. So don’t give up! No matter what you do, things come in waves. Just ride out the slow times and get ready for the fast ones, for they shall come. I tried really hard not to say “It never rains but it pours”… How’d I do?
Happy Post-Christmas Pre-New Years to everyone!
For the past couple weeks, and probably another one to come, castings have virtually come to a stand still, in celebration of the holidays. That means that I’ve had a lot more free time these past few weeks than I normally do. I’ve been thinking, It’s so easy to be either busy or bored, and yet so hard to find that ground in between. And I think it’s that middle ground that we need to be shooting for. I am definitely one that has an affinity towards being busy, so my challenge is to find moments to stop and smell the roses, to be cliché. But that’s what I need to do.
I’m thinking that what’s attractive about staying busy is that constant hum that accompanies it. When there’s a whirlwind of activity about you, that is what you’re focused on, the buzz of everything going on is all you hear, all you listen to. And in moderation, that’s a good thing. It enhances your life and your experience in that life. It takes you in new directions, that activity teaches you. But to move without pausing…. You’re just trampling yourself.
It’s like they say, you don’t know how to laugh unless you know how to cry. How can you keep moving if you don’t know how to be still? What’s the point of always moving on to the next project, the next appointment, the next meeting if you don’t take the time to breathe that experience in? Then you forsake the value of one moment for the value of the next, only to cast that moment away as well. What’s the point of that? Unless it is to keep your mind busy. If that’s the case, then having too much going on is probably not your biggest problem. For this next year: Breathe your life in… that’s what I’ll try to do
Happy holidays dudes
I’ve been watching Freaks and Geeks lately, the absolutely brilliant serio-comedy by Judd Apatow that aired for one season (absolutely ridiculous… one season). It’s gotta be among the best television shows, and one of the most underrated shows that have hit the airwaves. I could go on and tell you how wonderful it is, but that’s not the point of this blog, so let’s stay focused, people!
Ben Foster: This kid plays Eli, a mentally challenged high school student in the 1980 world of Freaks and Geeks. He plays a supporting role, and is phenomenal. Like, really really good. Good like DeCaprio was good in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape… and that’s really good. He plays Eli in such an honest and subtle way that Ben foster avoids the pitfalls of playing the retarded guy. A lot of times, it can become more about the character being retarded than the character being a real person. This man is definitely someone to watch.
Ben was born on October 29th, 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts. At the age of four, his parents made the fairly radical decision to move all the way out to Fairfield, Iowa… a long way away from Boston. Oddly enough, there were four community theaters in the Fairfield area, and Mr. Foster soon (age 8) found himself on the stage anyway. When he was 12, he actually wrote and directed a one act that won a statewide theater competition. He’s 12 and he’s winning awards. Not too shabby sir.
Acting definitely seemed to be a primary focus in Ben’s life as he dropped out of highschool at 16 (One of the few success stories that start like this, huh?) and went straight to LA. Somehow this lucky son of a bitch lands a role, right away, on the new Disney show “Flash Forward” (1996). The show only pumped out 26 episodes, but apparently it became kind of a cult hit during reruns, and was an early manifestation of the many live action Disney shows that would come to manufacture teen stars.
His film career began right after that with a small role in the Indie “Kounterfeit” (1997). So this kid has been in LA for a year and has already landed a major role on a network TV show, and a major film credit. Any one live in LA? Want to tell everyone how ridiculous that is?
In 1999, he continued to move up the totem pole, appearing in “Liberty Heights” alongside Adrien Brody and Joe Mantegna. It was a film set in the 1950s Baltimore, told from the viewpoint of Foster’s character.
And now we come to “Freaks and Geeks”. Of course, I’m biased and I haven’t seen most of his filmography, but the character of Eli has to be one of the biggest jewels in Foster’s crown. It’s such a subtle, relatable character, and yet so distinct and it’s such a huge risk for an actor. It is incredibly easy to overact a mentally disabled role, to make the performance two dimensional and the character flat and boring. But he took such a precarious role and injected it with such humanity and such genuine emotion that you find yourself identifying and commiserating with the retarded kid as much as the main characters. Brilliant.
Foster continued on his Hollywood track until 2002, when he began to steer away from light comedy and dive into more dramatic stories like “Bang Bang You’re Dead” (2002) for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award. He went on to shoot “Northfolk” (2003) and then joined the cast of HBO’s “Six Feet Under” as Russell, a recurring role in the series, which is a great move, because HBO on your resume can only help. He appeared in “The Punisher” (2004) and then “Hostage” (2005). “Alpha Dog” (2006) won him some recognition in the form of a Young Hollywood Award for Best Breakthrough Performance (Breakthrough performance? Have they seen the rest of his resume?). “X Men: The Last Stand” (2006) and “3:10 to Yuma” (2007) saw him moving into the main stream alongside box office titans like Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman.
Foster’s recent films “Birds of America” (2008) and “The Messenger”(2009) have garnered him some critical attention and showed him moving from mainstream blockbusters to character driven Indies. Every genre Foster finds himself in, he adapts to and rises to the top. He has by no means reached his peak, and is only going to be climbing higher and higher on the Hollywood hill. He’s really good, man.
Woohoo, it’s been a busy week, and as we all know, busy is good. Last week I was shooting, and wrapped the short film #3C directed by Mischa Auzins, hence the lack of posting last week. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. Don’t know how my performance will turn out, but everyone was really good to work with, and it was a really nice camera… So cross your fingers and pray I don’t suck! While it was a lot of fun, damn was I tired. After the day that included the day job, driving to the city, shooting, driving the two hours home, I would catch maybe 3 hours of sleep and do it all over again. But that’s what I get for living two hours from NY and having a dayjob. Despite a zombified couple of days, I felt great. I didn’t have time to pay attention to all those “poor little me” thoughts buzzing about my head. I was tired, but I felt light, unfettered, depressurized, all those lame things you would expect me to say right now. Lame, but true. But that was last week, that was the past. We’re gonna be zen about the end of the year here at stephenmedvidick.com, and we’re going to say “there is only now”, so let’s experience the now! Now I have to finish christmas shopping (I know, I know). Now I have to enjoy the lull that the holidays brings to the industry. Now I need to do all those little things to prepare for next year, when things pick up again. I’m going to look into classes and such things, slowly chip away at those things I should be doing, but don’t have to be doing (thank you Chris), maybe get a business card, maybe put together my reel. We’ll see what happens. For now, I’m gonna sit back and enjoy the quiet, and let things get done as quickly or as slowly as they want to be done.
Oh, and Merry Christmas!!!!
So here I am on a saturday afternoon, writing my friday post. I was busy yesterday, but here I am now, so lets live in the moment and make some magic happen! Magic could happen on a blog… Don’t hate
Anyway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt; I love this guy. While he’s clearly famous, he indie-famous, so I feel ok writing a post about him, aren’t you? What’s great about him is that not only is he a great actor, but he seems to be a completely normal and cool person. He was born February 17th, 1981 in San Fernando Valley in LA. He was pretty much raised by hippies (his mom ran for Congress in the 70s for the Peace and Freedom party for God’s sake) and has maintained a liberal viewpoint as he grew. His grandfather, Michael Gordon, was the thespian in the family. Gordon had studied acting with legendary director Elia Kazan in NY in the 50s. He was a quickly rising director with such films under his belt as” Cyranno DeBergerac” and “Pillowtalk”, but his carreer was cut short when he was black-listed as being a communist by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the Red Scare of the 50s.
Levitt began his film carreer at the ripe old age of 6, when he played Tommy Lee Jone’s son in the TV Western “Stranger on My Land” (1988). He got to this position after performing in a play at age 4 and a manager of one of the other kids offered to thrust him into the high energy world of commercials. It was pretty evident that Joseph didn’t take to the commercial industry, but as I’ve mentioned TV and film made a more comfortable home for him.
in 1988, a few appearances on the show “Family Ties” won him a series regular role on the show “Dark Shadows” (1990). He then was on the show “The Powers that Be” (1992) and afterwards quickly made his transition into film. It was a lovely little piece by Robert Redford: “A River Runs Through It” (1992).
Now, I must mention this, as I absolutely loved this movie when I was a kid; 1994′s “Angels in the Outfield” (I know! You remember that movie!) found Levitts playing a foster child who inspires divine intervention for the Anaheim Angels and in the process frees himself of his demons. Touching.
The 1996 role as Demi Moore’s son in “The Juror” turned out to be his “breakout role”, as he was soon after cast in the quirky new comedy series “Third Rock from the Sun”. An absolutely fantastic show about a group of aliens assuming human form to study the ins and outs of humanity day by hilarious day discovering what it means to be human. Gordon-Levitt displayed maturity and skill well beyond his years, playing Tommy Solomon, the eldest and brightest member of the alien crew, but forced to inhabit the body of an average angsty teenager. Hey, if he’s 15 and can keep of with the likes of John Lithgow, kudos to you, sir. The cast was three times nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Ensemble award, and Levitt himself twice won the Young Star Award in ’97 and ’98. Again, kudos to you, sir.
Eventually he began to accumulate a “hearthrob” status, which he was uncomfortable with, but had no problem manipulating it to get himself more film work… which he did. He co-starred in “Sweet Jane” (1998) and then appeared in a leading role alongside Heath Ledger (another phenomenal talent, RIP) and Julia Stiles in 1999′s “10 Things I Hate About You”.
As Third Rock began winding down in 2001, Joseph enrolled himself in NY’s Columbia University to study French Lit and French History (see! I told you he was a normal guy… not that I know him… I could know him).
Around this time is when he really dove into the Indie scene; a hallmark of an actor choosing to act for the work, not the money or fame. In 2004, the film world’s call was too strong to resist, and he left school (no degree) to appear in “Brick” (2005) where he completely shed any image or stigma of a child actor and his previous career, and seamlessly made the transition to serious adult actor. I must take a moment and say that he is the only child actors that I can think of to make that transition so smoothly and with such little collateral damage. How he was able to have the childhood career that he had and still grow into a normal human being is beyond me. For the third time, kudos, sir. He continued along this path with a myriad of quality Indie films including “Mysterious Skin” (2005), “The Lookout” (2007), and “Stop-Loss” (2008).
Recently he was seen in the new GI Joe movie as Dr. Rex Lewis and Cobra Comander (Haven’t seen it, but that is certainly an interesting and different casting choice) and “500 Days of Summer” (2009) which was a surprise hit and got Levitt a lot of well deserved attention.
Joseph Gordon Levitt continues to put out quality work in quality films. He has repeatedly expressed his dislike of the idea of celebrity and in a very normal guy fasion, has avoided the limelight.
Keep kickin ass and takin names Mr. Gordon-Levitt.
