I recently received a question from a young actor from the UK, asking me if it was possible to get a Christian Agent, and if it was necessary. Honestly, I don’t really know the answer. I would think that of course you could find a Christian Agent. But I would have no idea where to start, other than Googling, “Christian Acting Agents.” However, honestly, I think you’d be limiting your options by deciding you would only want to work with a Christian agent. That’s like saying you won’t buy food from a shop owner who’s not a Christian, and on and on. Many people in the film industry are not devout Christians, but that doesn’t mean these same folks won’t care for you, or empathize with you, or want to help you find a successful career. …

I’m writing these two part posts, in response to some fabulous comments to follow, but also because I receive so many questions regarding my post Seven Reasons Why Professional Acting Training Programs Are Simply Not Worth It. These are the basic questions I am always asked, and I wanted to explain my thoughts further: “I want to act or at least learn how to become professional actor or actress. Do I need to go to a College or University? If not, should I go to a professional acting program? If I do go to college, should I major in acting, or should I get a BFA in acting? Would that be wasting my time? And what about MFA Acting and Theater programs? What should I do?” Well, this post will try to …

Besides the obvious inspirational religious or faith-based books that most people read, such as the Bible, or the Upanishads, or the Bhagavad Gita, there are so many other books I’ve loved and read dozens of times, which I wanted to post as recommendations, for your reading pleasure! These are my favorite books that truly changed my life! I get so many people writing me asking me for advice about being an actor or artist who’s Christian, or just plain spiritual-minded, and I realize that some of the best advice I can offer, actually comes out of these books. In them is so much of what inspires ME, and I also admit that much of what’s in these books goes even way beyond my own personal faith.

The messages within each of these books are the same. They are …

A great tool I learned about in one of my favorite Method classes was using “substitutions”. Using a substitution isn’t only for creating realistic emotions in a scene (which I have described in another post) – it’s also a simple, easy way, to break yourself out of pre-learned vocal patterns, and keep your lines sounding real and fresh. They can be great too, for delivering lines in classic drama, lines you’ve heard a million times (like the famous Hamlet monologue!)

What’s so fun, and so fascinating about using random substitutions, is that they’ll often give you ideas about how you can deliver lines in ways you’d never even thought. How do you do this? Well, let me try and give you an example.I learned that going back and forth with how I was feeling, in between some boring lines I wasn’t connecting …

The more traditional way to use substitutions to create realistic moments in scenes and monologues is to remember a similar conversation you may have had, from your past, which had the same kinds of emotions and feelings, and then go from that conversation, to your lines.

For example: If I was going to play Hamlet, and had to say the famous, “To be, or not to be” speech, I’d work very hard at trying to find a time in my life when I was wondering what life was all about. I’d try to remember how I, myself, would talk about living and dying, about the possibility that life can be crazy, that maybe it would be better just to end it.It’s important to just totally forget how you’ve heard other famous actors say these words…I’d study the famous speech, and try and not only re-write it …

LA is one of the busiest most overpopulated cities in the world. As such, it’s really hard when you first move there — especially if you don’t know anyone. The first week you arrive in the city, one of the best things you can do for yourself, is to find some groups to join, and create a new family.

Joining an acting, improv, or cold reading class, will immediately help you learn the ins and outs of the LA professional acting scene. In these classes, you will meet folks who’ve lived in LA all their lives as well as actors of all ages and ethnicities, who’ve recently arrived, just like you! Joining an acting class, and maybe auditioning for a local LA theater production, are some of the quickest ways to make new acting friends.

Political Action groups, or …