I'm Just A Broadway Baby!

All through high school and college I was obsessed with musical theater.  I listened to every single musical there was out there.  I imitated voices on cast recordings, I took dance lesson, voice lessons, diction lessons, acting lessons, and studied my little tooshie off!  I was--well--I am what you call a theater geek.  I still love and live for the theater.  I can't live without it actually, whether, I am in a production, listening to my theater mix on my iPad, or at the theater being entertained, I crave it.  I always need to be close to it's touch.  My dream was to do a national tour and broadway shows.  I reached those dreams, and have had quite a career in the theater.  The  burning question is "Are you done with theater, now that you are focused on a t.v. and film career"?  Even my agent wrote me saying "I would love to see you on Broadway again".  The honest answer to this question is I would love to see me on Broadway again too.  Broadway is my first love, and I will never let it go.  However, there are some major rules to me and my love affair with the theater.  I can't be in the chorus anymore, those chorus boy days are over.  I also don't want to be a professional understudy, just like my resume makes me out to be.  I will go home to Broadway if there is a role, a featured role, the lead calling my name.  Until then, I am not interested.  I would rather spend my time here in Los Angeles, being a starving artist, and going after my TV/Film dreams, then be in the background singing and dancing.  I don't knock chorus members, it is a great job, and when I was there I loved it.  No show is complete without a good chorus. I am just in a different place in my life. This might sound cocky to some, and it feels a little arrogant coming out of my mouth.  Who am I to not want a job that people would die for?  I ask myself that all the time.  Honestly, it is the truth!!!!  This blog is a space where I can tell the truth... right?.  I believe if I am worthy enough to understudy people on broadway and save the show, as I have done many of times.  I am worthy to play the role, and get out of my understudy trap.  That is where I am in my career.  Random Aside: I would love to do a non-musical play that is a dream that I have burning deep in my heart.  Just throwing that into the universe, so GOD can hear!   Deep down I am a broadway baby, who is in LA trying to make more dreams come true.  As an actor, whether it's film, Television or Theater I simply love my profession.  I am a person who is not chasing fame.  I DON'T DO WHAT I DO FOR FAME AND FORTUNE!  At the end of the day, I do it for love.

Manager/ Reel/ New Headshots

I am here in Los Angeles California, and I am living in a very cute area called North Hollywood.  I love my area as it is full of lots of theaters, cafes, restaurants, and trendy people.  I can walk to grocery store, and any little essentials I need I can get to by foot.  As a New Yorker I love to walk, to not have to drive everywhere makes me happy.  However, LA you have to have a car, so I leased a cute little 2013 Toyota Yaris!  My apartment is pretty empty, but I do have all my essential furniture, it is the extras that make it more "homey",  that I need to buy.  You also need money to buy those extras, but I spent so much on my car, furniture, headshots, etc. That the cute pictures and paintings, wine rack, and things I want-- but don't need--will have to wait.

My career is important to me, and I prayed to GOD when I had meetings with Managers--to manager my non existent acting career--that I would have a sign from him (GOD).  I chose the manager route because I felt at this point in my career, I need someone who is going to push for me.  Not just an agent where I am just another number.  I met with some people, and actually some management teams that sounded interested flaked out on me.  What?  Flaky Manager?  No Thanks! Wow, this L.A. scene is sure different then New York.  These people are way more relaxed, but in a weird way.  Maybe New York City, has me too strong, with non relaxed all business, and no play mentality.  As I attempt to get more relaxed and go with the flow to fit in with this L.A. crowd.  I realized that I need to learn to adapt to this new lifestyle, while staying true to myself.  J.R. breathe for a moment, get back on track. The manager who showed the most interest was a man named Marcus Fishman, he works for Advanced Talent Management in Glendale CA.  He was very cool, a little head strong for my taste, but as I sat in his office, I waited for my sign from GOD.  He said "This is weird but I am going to do something that I wouldn't usually do on first meeting".  He called General Hospital and said "Hey you guys are looking for an African American boy, and I have one here in my office that you should see".  This man Marcus Fishman didn't even see my work, and he was pushing for me on instinct.  This was my sign from GOD, and I signed with Marcus shortly after that.

Now the work begins,  I needed a new headshot, as  all my old headshots make me look like a sexy model.  This is not who I am going to play on t.v.  Headshots in NYC became unimportant to me, cause all the casting people there know me, and respected my work.  Here in LA, I need that shot that will get me through the door, and that shot which would portray me in the light I want to be portrayed. "You gotta have a gimmick if you wanna get ahead" from the musical Gypsy.  This song rang true to my life, in search of doing honest work, I knew that I had to portray myself and play myself in the begin of my career just to get into the door.  Who am I?  A very well dressed, intellectual black male, with a big heart, but can be mysterious and dark at times. How do I put this in a photo?  Where do I see myself?  The WB would love me, shows like Gossip Girl perfect.  I believe Shonda Rhimes would love me as well, Scandal and Greys Anatomy are not only my dream shows, but they are actually places that I would really fit in, with my style of acting and my look. I also think I can be the nerdy yet cute, (LOL) CSI tech guy.  And where I truly fit in is a soap opera or lifetime movie (hey they are frowned upon, but I will take the gig)!  Knowing all this was a big help with me picking my pictures.

My reel is done, but I am not happy with it, as it comes off very one sided and little over acted.  Hey I am learning the film medium.  Everyday, I am figuring out that on stage you have to be big to reach all these people at the top balcony.  The film medium is completely different, as I have to play it minimally. The technique and, the true core of the work is still the same.  I am a very trained actor, and I have studied many techniques.  Meisner is my favorite at the moment, but I take from many different techniques to come up with my own that works for me.  I guess as time goes by and when I book stuff.... I can add it to my reel, maybe one day I will have a reel I like... But I am a work in progress...

The End For Now Blog World!