Pending For A Bending

Looking back on my iCal, I've had as many auditions in the past week as I had in the entire month of July. Listen folks, it's slow, it's been slow and it remains slow. "It'll pick-up" is the mantra of my and many other agents, and has been for the past five months or so. Can't begrudge them for positive thinking.

I've been reading more often for the Casting Directors in North Vancouver, due to the fact that one of the girls who reads for them (from my agency, no less) is gone for the entire month of August. It's a great honour just to be asked, and to become a "regular" is even better. I hate to use the word "job" where acting is concerned, but I consider this my second job. Today I found out that I am "the guy" for a feature they're casting called "Tooth Fairy".

Basically it stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who takes a "The Santa Clause"-esque turn (it's directed by the same guy as TSC 2 & 3) as a nocturnal collector of ejected juvenile enamel. Once I found out about Mr. Johnson's involvement, my excitement regarding the project went from a 7/10 to around 70/10. I'm that pumped that FINALLY, THE ROCK HAS COME BACK ... TO VANCOUVER! I'm a wresting geek and I make no apologies for my tastes whatsoever.

I was given an audition for the project last week, as a guy who trains The Rock in the ways of the 'Fairies. I had an acting coach offer to coach me at 7:30am the morning of the audition, and though hella early, I could not refuse the offer.

"Just be good," he said, "I've had a lot of crappy coachings."

I thought I'd bond with him on that level by mentioning one of the guys who I read for in the audition room, who I felt was not auditioning at the level needed (read: I thought he sucked).

"Quit the job before you get mean."

Wow. That hit hard.

"Quit the job before you get mean, because it'll make your work small. I've just seen a lot readeritis happen, I can recognize the cycle."

I certainly don't want this reading thing to hurt my career in any way. Tonight he explained to me, after I defended myself saying that I am impressed more often than I am unimpressed in the room:

"You're not there to be impressed, you're there to get them the job." Guess I gotta know my role, and shut my mouth ... until I have a line, then I gotta read it.

After the Tooth Fairy audition, I had my agent call about a project called "The Last Airbender", which sounded familiar to me, especially after my agent's comment that it was an "interesting script". Also, the audition was on a Saturday afternoon, which is uncommon.

Here's the deal: it's the live-action version of the Nick cartoon "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (an "Avatar" is a being that can "bend" earth, air, fire wand water, but also it's the title of a James Cameron movie coming out in 2009, so this one has to drop it and stick to "The Last Airbender"). This will also be directed my M. Night Shyamalan whom, whether you've lost all faith in him or not, is an interesting choice to helm a trilogy based on a cartoon. A cartoon with martial arts and cool effects (basically "bending" = controlling the element).

My character was a fire bender, which is the most awesomest of elements to bend ("airbending" is what I do after a hearty bowl chili, "waterbending" is what I do after I "break the seal" at the bar, and earthbending ... you don't wanna KNOW earthbending.) After the audition they asked about any martial arts or dance background that I may have, to which I responded: not much. Sometimes the truth hurts ... your chances of booking the part. I don't want to sound like a defeatist, but I have snowball's chance in the fire province of bending this part, as they're casting a broad net across North America for this one.

Monday I had an audition for a Casting Director that I've tried to see twice, but couldn't due to other commitments (i.e: reading). This one was for an Movie-of-the-Week called "The Boy Next Door", a formulaic murder-mystery that was enjoyable to work on, if only to have fun with genre. This detective stuff is kind of my bag, and certain people should certainly know why.

I just wish I had my trench-coat.