How's this for an against-all-odds scenario? I'm an openly gay actor who, after 15 successful years in San Francisco, moved to Los Angeles in 2004 at 41 – an age when many actors are winding down and beginning to write children's books. But then, I’ve always swum upstream.
Born and raised in Indiana, I never felt more out of place. I was a city boy, it seemed, somehow trapped in someone else’s life. Thank God for books, TV comedy in the 1970s, and my mom’s home-movie camera. I shot a lot of shorts with my best friend and learned some of the basics of filmmaking without realizing it. I knew acting was my destiny pretty early.
I came out in high school, not out of bravery but a sense of honesty. I acted in a lot of high-school and community-theatre productions, briefly attended Indiana University, and then lucked into my first paying show-biz gig: an amateur-night appearance at a nightclub in Indianapolis that led to a six-month gig.
By age 21, San Francisco was my home. Auditioning scared the hell out of me back then, so for years I focused on acting classes and making my own short films. Finally I bit the bullet and started submitting myself for auditions.
Surprisingly to me, it didn’t take long to start getting work. Soon I was averaging three plays a year and almost as many indie films, and became a bit of a big fish in a small pond. I also co-produced a couple of plays, including the hit comedy Carved in Stone, in which I played Quentin Crisp. I remained “must join” with SAG for what felt like decades. Once I joined, it was time to head south.
Work and life in Los Angeles has been quite an adjustment (insert sound of screeching brakes), but one I am still determined to make! Since 2004, I've done three plays and 11 USC shorts, joined (then left) a couple of theatre companies, and gotten an agent (and then another). I recently auditioned for a recurring role on a cable series – which was then shelved due to SAG uncertainty.
I’m told I should work it, but I hate networking. I’d rather watch a film than schmooze a room. On the other hand, I’m a firm believer in not waiting by the phone. I’d rather do meaningful work, even for free, than play Executive No. 2 for big bucks. So I finally realized my game plan here must remain as it was in SF: stay dedicated to the craft, resist the B.S. (not always easy here), and create as much of my own work as possible.
To that end, I'm co-producing a Los Angeles production of Carved in Stone for this summer. We're finalizing the venue as this issue of Back Stage goes to press. Please visit www.CarvedInStoneThePlay.com. It’s not exactly a great time to raise money for a play. But again, swimming against the current isn’t anything new for me!
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