 The
Flick Chick
Judy Thorburn
Las Vegas Tribune
http://www.lasvegastribune.com
Las Vegas Round The Clock
http://www.lasvegasroundheclock.com
The Women Film Critics Circle
http://www.wfcc.wordpress.com
judyt@theflickchicks.com
kreatia@aol.com
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS
VEGAS FIRST EVER "ACTORS EXPO"
ACTING HOPEFULS LEARN
FROM THE PROS AT FIRST EVER “ACTORS EXPO”
Photos by Stephen Thorburn
Hollywood actors, a famous director and a movie producer were the featured
speakers at the first ever Actors Expo held Saturday, July 15 at Marjorie
Barrick Museum located on the campus the University of Las Vegas. Young acting
hopefuls looking to succeed in the entertainment industry heard first hand, in
up close and personal discussions, what it takes to stand out from the rest in a
very demanding and tough business. Afterwards there was an open period with the
speakers addressing questions from the audience.
Victor Webster and Mario Lopez - Photo by Stephen Thorburn
Handsome actors Mario Lopez,
whose resume includes TV shows Saved By The Bell, Pacific Blue and ESPN
Hollywood, and Victor Webster who has appeared in such shows as Sex in the City,
Mutant X, and The Lot, spoke about how they got started and the need to fine
tune your craft with lots of hard work and study. An emphasis was on taking
advantage of what your local community has to offer, going on open, or cattle
calls and letting struggling up and comers know that there will be plenty of
rejection and doors slammed in their face. Needed is an agent who will get on
the phone, fight and hustle for you. “If you have the talent and have a thick
enough skin you need the opportunity to find someone who believes in you. Be
persistent and never give up,” they said.
Although both are extremely
good looking, these busy actors made a point of saying that “there is room in
the business for all types of looks, a place for everybody”. But, the one thing
both actors agreed is most important is having the “passion”. In other words,
“acting must be something you must do and cannot live without. It must be in
your heart,” they said. “You must be honest with yourself. There is a big
difference between actors who are driven by their craft and celebrities who are
famous and have a big house on the hills”.
Finland born Director Renny Harlin, the man at the helm of such movies as Die
Hard 2, Cliffhanger and Driven, and Kia Jam, producer of The Jacket and one of
this year’s best movies, Lucky Number Slevin added additional insight from a
filmmaker’s point of view.
Kia Jam
Renny Harlin
First, these two bigwigs
wanted to make it clear that they are examples of people who did not come from a
legacy of entertainers. They had a dream they needed to fulfill and went at it
full force, telling details of their background, how they started and what led
to becoming a success. They went on to discuss the casting process, as well as
giving some hard facts about money being the bottom line and how Hollywood is
enamored with youth as the driving forces behind the movie-making machine. For
instance, it is different for men when it comes to a lasting career. The perfect
example is an aging Sean Connery (they joked that he is probably 112 years old)
who can act besides an actress young enough to be his granddaughter and no one
bats an eye. But for women there are three age groups with roles that fit- 15-25
mistress, 25-35 mother, and 35 up district attorney. Only a few female stars
such as Meryl Streep, have been able to keep their star power and longevity in
movies at her age.
A strong point was made that whatever you are doing; make sure it is the best,
even if it is Xeroxing, because you never know where it will lead. Kia said the
business is designed to keep you out, but you can’t be discouraged.
 
Kia Jam and Renny Harlin
  
Judy Thorburn, Kia Jam, Renny Harlin
and filmmaker Jeremy Settles of
www.gotfilms.com
Harlin mentioned that he found
Viggo Mortenson by chance sitting outside an office and cast him in his first
starring role. When it comes to casting, the filmmaker wants to stay true to
their vision, but must be open to something fresh and listening to casting ideas
that might sound off the wall. Harlin brought up the issue of casting unknowns
in a major film and realizing sometimes it is better to cast unknown faces
rather than a star in a film so that it is story driven and audiences won’t be
distracted by their celebrity image.
In just a few hours I am sure the audience, consisting of wide-eyed acting
students, were educated in a way that would leave a valuable and lasting
impression. But, like they all said, the key is having the passion and THAT
cannot be taught.
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