People in this country are raised watching actors on TV and in movies and lose sight of one fact: for every actor you see on TV, there were hundreds (or thousands) who sought the same part. To get a party it requires, yes, some luck but massive quantities of focus, concentration, and application of theatrical arts which are not simply intuitive.

Actor Wil Wheaton whose many credits include a still-haunting role in Stand By Me and his role as teen cast member of Start Trek: The Next Generation is also one of the Internet's top bloggers (and an author: I just got two of his books from Amazon yesterday and I'm going to read them and review them on Amazon). His blog, by the way, is an essential....and he does it all without generally indulging in politics and the usual predictable political blog cliches.

In a post today Wheaton writes about his most recent audition — you can see for yourself all of the prepartion it took for him to do it. Note that he had to prepare before he went in. Note his focus. And note that since he has done this enough times, on this one he was serene and cool.

PERSONAL NOTE: In my everyday incarnation I've done many auditions. The one I finally got was to be on NBC'S Spy TV in an oft-rerun stunt where I left the room and my dummy (then controlled by a guy hiding in back of a specially designed couch) came "alive" and asked a four year old to run away from me. It was one of the few of that cutting-edge series' sentimental pieces. They re-ran it here and abroad and I still get an occasional residual check (and prospective clients who've seen it wind up booking me).

My favorite auditions:
--An agent who called me and excitedly said: "I have an audition for you tomorrow at 9 am. You look JUST like the murderer they're profiling on America's Most Wanted!" "Thank you....I think..."
--An agent who called me and said I had to get up to LA immediately for an audition where they were looking for puppeteers for a big commercial. I left four hours travel time due to traffic and needed every second of it. I walked in right on time. The guy said: "We just want to see your fingers. Make a peace sign." I did. "Thank you!" he said. I left, trying to control the impulse to give him HALF a peace sign.