Acting... My New Career?

Hi everyone!!

So, I'm really bad at blogging... I just don't keep up with it. But, I figure since I have some new things going on in my life I might as well talk about it. This is somewhat of a diary for me and a way to get out my thoughts!

As most of you know, I'm a stay-at-home mom to almost 4 year old twins. I LOVE my job! It's the best and I feel so lucky that I get to stay home with them. London is on the autism spectrum and goes to preschool, but Lyla won't be starting preschool until August. I had been going to school myself in my "free time" and I just recently graduated with my degree!!

Now that I'm done with school and have one child in preschool and soon to be my other child in preschool, I have been feeling like I have a little more time for ME. A few months back I came across a post on facebook from the Breaking Bad page that they were going to have a casting call to be an extra on the set of Breaking Bad (which films here in Albuquerque). I thought 'how fun would that be to just stand around on a cool set watching all the magic happen?'. Well, I kind of put it out of my mind for a little while. I caught an episode of BB a few weeks later and it reminded me about that post, so I decided on a whim to send an email asking what's involved in being an extra. I got a reply asking if I could send them my head shots. I was like a head what? lol... A little background on me: I've never really sought out the entertainment/hollywood business. I did a lot of plays and skits at church growing up. I was always an angel in the nativity or had some other small role. I did a video monologue for a friend of mine (who is now a big time, award winning director!), and in high school I did drama class and became a thespian. But it was never anything I really saw myself doing. The people in my drama class kind of turned me off about acting - they were very... well for lack of a better word, dramatic! I was always more interested in computers and administration/desk work. I'm also pretty sensitive and thin skinned and I know how hard those auditions probably are and all the rejection that comes with trying to make it as an actor. I also see the celebrities that are pounded down and criticized in the media and I'm just not cut out for that type of life in the limelight. I also have a bit of stage-fright and the thought of auditioning in front of people makes me a little sick!

Anyway, fast forward to today and I think about how fun just kind of being in the background on a TV show would be. They ask if I have head shots and I obviously don't. Well it just so happens I'm about to take a trip to AZ with a bunch of good mommy friends of mine. One of the mom's that is going is a photographer (amazeballs photog) that offered to take fun pics of us if we want them at a discounted price (boudoir style). So I signed up because I knew she's awesome and I really wanted to get some pics of me while I'm still young! The two things literally happened within days of each other, so I asked the photog if she knew anything about head shots. She offered to do those for me as well! So, I went ahead with it and got them done at an amazingly good deal.

I get home from my trip and get my head shots emailed to me and decide to go ahead and send them in to the casting people whose email I originally got asking to be an extra on BB. She tells me that they just wrapped BB (oops, too late!) but that she would love to have me come audition to be a stand in for the new movie Transcendence with Johnny Depp. I'm like, say what?! LOL. I have no knowledge of stand in's. But she tells me about it and I do some googling and figure I could at least try. I thought about not going and blowing the whole thing off but a big part of my curiosity told me to just go for fun and see what it's like. Well, I was so glad I did. Everyone was so nice and the energy was really positive. I got to see where they're filming the movie and all the cameras and lighting and all that fun stuff. It was exciting! I didn't get the stand-in role because the girl, Kate Mara, is 5'3 and I'm 5'6, a good 3 inch difference! Not sure why they even had me come in, but it was fun nonetheless.

Well, things just kept happening from there. I kept getting emails from casting directors to come in for parts. One guy asked if I would come do a part on the show Longmire on A&E which films in Santa Fe. I decided to go, and again had such a blast! I'm part of this debate team and I sit right next to the podium. I got to work with Robert Taylor and Lou Diamond Phillips and Katie Sackoff - all of whom are SO nice! My dad loves that show, so he was very excited. I have since started recording it, and I like it too! I'm excited to see my scenes!



After I did that first job (and got paid! I didn't even know you get paid for these things!), the offers just kept coming. I got another job and another and now I think I've done about 4 scenes on Longmire. It's been SO fun!!! Some of the days are really, really long and tiring with a ton of standing around or walking the same path 100 times in a row. But overall, I have really enjoyed this. I'll be working on it again this Thursday. I've also been getting offers for print ads for casinos or things like that, but I haven't responded to those. I even got an email asking if I'd do a tourism commercial for Ruidoso. I'm just not really looking to be a star or anything, so nothing of that has really caught my fancy... *yet*. And I don't want this to become work. As soon as it stops being fun, I'll be done. But I'm not going to be closed minded about any new opportunities that may come my way, who knows I may end up doing something I'd really enjoy!

I don't really see this being my new career; mostly for the reasons stated above, but I'm really loving the experience in the meantime. I enjoy getting out and working with adults and just doing something fun that is for me. The atmosphere is great and I find the whole process of making a TV show really interesting.

Anyway, so look for me on the show Longmire! I have long bright blonde hair, so I should be somewhat easy to spot! :)

XOXO - Tara