Acting with Heart: Bill Harris's Journey

Voiced by Brian Plaideau

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Transcript

Introduction to Bill Harris

Speaker 1 0:03

Hello friend, my name is William E Harris, sometimes known as Bill Harris or Billy Harris. I am really, really excited to be on the NOLA film scene. It just seems to get better and better. Thanks for inviting me. I really appreciate to be here.

Speaker 2 0:17

Welcome to NOLA film scene with TJ Plato. I'm TJ and, as always, I'm Plato.

Speaker 3 0:23

Bill, thanks for the kind words and thanks for joining us. I'm really glad you're here. We've talked about it for a while now and had a few chances to work together, and I say it's been a long time coming.

Speaker 1 0:34

You know I could feel that way, but I don't, and I've enjoyed the guests you've had prior to this, and sometimes it's better to be later than earlier, because you watch the program evolve and you gain an audience. So I hope to just give your viewers something to nibble on through this conversation.

Speaker 3 0:52

So thanks for having me. Yeah, I always enjoy being on set with you. You bring a level of experience and just kindness, wisdom.

Speaker 1 1:00

Well, thank you for that. I find I just try to be me, you know. I just try to be who I am and work from the heart and respect everybody on set and just have a good time. That's the main thing have a good time. Things don't always go smoothly, as you know, when you're on certain projects, but that's part of the game. Man, I just love acting. Acting is a passion to me. I have several passions in life, but it's one of them that I had the stroke to about I don't know 12, 13 years ago, I guess Not that long ago. I wasn't in theater or anything. In high school I did. I was a musician actually. So about 12, 13 years ago I started getting involved with it and it's become a nice passion. And every so often when I get to do a project, especially with friends like you two- it's always a great lifetime memory that you keep forever.

Working with Sir Anthony Hopkins

Speaker 3 1:56

I know Brian's going to ask you to dig into how you got started and what inspired you to start later in life. He and I both started acting later in life. Before we get there, I want to ask you to tell us one of the stories that you told me on set one time and your interaction, sir Anthony Hopkins. On one of your film projects. You showed me a picture with him and that was just amazing. First, what film was it and how did that interaction come about?

Speaker 1 2:17

Right, great question. I'm glad you asked that because by far out of all the celebrities that I've worked with, either as a featured background or in some kind of capacity on a show or something like that, he was definitely the most down to earth and humble, intelligent gentleman that I've ever met and there's been others, obviously. You know we work with some great people in the industry, and this was a movie was the kidnapping of Freddie Heineken, which was a true story. Now, I have not seen the movie so I don't even know if I made the cut, but I was a featured background. I did have a line or two, but it was mostly background. It was just one or two scenes and I was called the businessman or something, so I didn't even have a name, but I was going to be a business associate that had come to visit him from Sweden, I believe. So it was just me, sir Anthony, and this guy named Tom. We got together and we were just going to do this nice scene together where we're coming up to his residence and opening the door and talking to him. I knew that I might have a chance to work with him, but I wasn't sure. I just knew that. I was told that I was maybe working with a celebrity or a star of the show, and they didn't tell me who. But I thought, okay, it's probably. If it is, I want to be prepared.

Speaker 1 3:33

So I remember looking in a magazine maybe a People magazine, about an article that he was written up on, and I remember reading the article and saying Sir Anthony Hopkins, known by his friends as Tony, and of course I was not going to use Tony. You know, when I first met him and it was right away, we'd met each other and I just felt this calmness, you know, I didn't feel like this shyness around him. You know, it was unbelievable that there's Sir Anthony, but I did, you know, refer to him as a nice to meet you, sir Anthony, and call me Tony. I mean that that just broke the ice right there. We were friends right away, I guess based on that magazine article that I'd read, and we got to spend about three hours together on it and talked about all kinds of things and I guess a funny story about that was I remember also preparing for that it might be him and I went ahead and watched Silence of the Lambs once again, which ultimately was probably one of his breakout scenes, even though he's done so many movies. So we started talking about that and he gave me little tidbits about his work on Silence of the Lambs while we were chatting, you know, between takes, and he was just down to earth, just really cool dude.

Speaker 1 4:41

And I got to work with him one movie later and I showed him a picture of us that he had asked. He said do you want to take pictures? Cause I never bothered these people. You know they're focused and you know our job is not to bother them If they come to you. Different story. But he was so kind with his time and, uh, he asked me if I wanted to take a picture. I said, yeah, okay, I'll, I'll charge you, no. Um, I showed him that picture for that second movie, some kind of art collectors movie I can't remember the name of that one and again, he was humble and down to earth. I don't think he remembered, but he remembered the movie and you know it was opening in Australia at that time.

Speaker 2 5:14

So just a cool, cool person Really nice guy Speaking of picture, you were present for one of my pictures in life On the set of Bill and Ted Face the Music you played. George Washington and I was death's photo double. Have I mentioned that, tj? Have I mentioned I was death's photo double ever? What, what?

Speaker 3 5:30

film. Was that Brian?

Speaker 1 5:32

I wore this shirt because I knew that we were going to be talking to actually put this on for you. I remember that was the first time I saw Brian and I thought it might be, you know, bill Sadler, cause I saw them. I was in my little tent or whatever they had us in in the studio there and I was already dressed up, you know, as George, as you said, uh, general Washington at that time, and I saw the. Here comes this bald head guy with, you know, getting white makeup all over, and I said, oh, it looks like go Sadler, william Sadler, but it's not. And I I didn't know you at the time, I don't think Brian's. So I got to see you get made up, maybe the first time. I don't know what they were doing it inside the warehouse area, if you remember.

Bill and Ted Face the Music Stories

Speaker 2 6:11

Yeah yeah, my first day was a Thursday and he had fallen down in the hopscotch, but I really wanted the picture of both of us in makeup and this was on the second Friday, so I worked for like a week Wait time out.

Speaker 3 6:22

Brian wanted a picture with somebody. Can you imagine that?

Speaker 2 6:26

And asked for it. No, actually I was scared to ask for it because they drill that in your head, so don't bug the stars. And so I was asking the makeup lady on my and Bill's last day when I said do you think I could ask? Now we were at a place called the Ranch in Chalmette, louisiana, ranch Studios, and the parking lot was made to look like a freeway. It was amazing, with an overpass, and it was also later the French quarter for the show interview with the vampire, amazing things.

Speaker 2 6:48

Where I was getting made up was near Crafty, so it's in the kind of the warehouse, very far from and I'm talking to Bill, and I had my five inch platform boots on. So I was about eye level with you. The night before no one had put me in makeup and then they called me to set and then they weren't able to use me. So now, cut to that Friday I'm talking to is on the set of Bill and Ted. You had to make sure which bill you were talking to, right, there was a few. Here comes Bill William Sadler in his makeup but no boots, and he goes.

Speaker 3 7:16

Hey, brian you got a phone and.

Speaker 2 7:16

I was like yeah, and my brain went oh, he's going to want to call me to make me run the set. Why, I thought I'd let myself go and went yes, fantastic, he's a nice guy.

Speaker 3 7:31

Super sweet, yeah, very, very nice and he talks about that picture.

Speaker 2 7:34

We've talked to him on the podcast, have him a few other times and he's like I took that great selfie. The caveat to that is the girl who was making me up, and I always say just to let her be. I asked her you think we can take a selfie that I can ask him? And she said well, because it was August in New Orleans, 2019. He gets kind of cranky when he's hot, so you probably should. And the reason he came back and asked it's because she went and asked him to come. One of my prized possessions, that's really sweet.

Speaker 1 7:55

Yeah, that was just a fun movie. I don't remember who was doing your makeup. I know Bill Corso.

Speaker 1 8:01

Yeah yeah, who's an award winning? I remember going in the trailer the first time and then Keanu was sitting to my left and Alex was to my left and Tommy Lee came in but he ended up not doing the movie. I don't remember that story. He was going to do a cameo, but I just remember the director and the producers coming in to say hello to me and tell me how much they had loved the audition I had done for that, which was really kind of different kind of audition that you don't usually do. Usually we do it in our studio and everything.

Speaker 1 8:32

But I had been doing a vampire movie in North Carolina and I got the audition and I didn't have a studio set up or lights or anything. And we ended up working all night on this vampire movie and a friend that, one of the DPs that was there. I told him about what was going on. He goes well, why don't we go ahead and film it in the morning after we get off? I said, well, okay, so we actually went out to some river which had some fog going on and had a floating dock and I was pretending like I was on the boat, you know, crossing the Delaware River, and then I all of a sudden got transported in time and you know, out of time, and I was all of a sudden on the boat and somewhere else and I planned on going to some gas station and maybe pumping gas or something like that. Well, I got to the.

Speaker 1 9:14

This was a small town, we were doing this vampire movie and the gas station was very full with people in the morning. I didn't want to bother anybody. And right next door was a store and it was a dollar general. I said, okay, well, let's just go over there, and I wasn't thinking, I wasn't making the connection at the time. Things work out. And we used his car and I got on top of the car and all of a sudden I'm on a car instead of a boat and I'm looking back and it didn't dawn on me dollar general, I was General Washington, who's on a dollar bill.

Speaker 1 9:41

That was just serendipity, I guess. Yeah, that's funny. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you know, maybe that won it for me, but it certainly wasn't planned exactly that way. But it was just a fun shoot. And, brian, I think you can agree that Aaron Hayes and Jillian Bell, beck Bennett, everybody was just so cool on it, you know, just from the top down, from Dean Perriott to you know, everybody was just so cool, nice atmosphere all the way around. I had a lot of fun. I had about six days and it would take 45 minutes to an hour and a half to do my makeup for George Washington. I think Bill got better and better at it. But before the fifth or sixth day I think I'd gone to the lake and I did what actors should not do. I didn't put enough sunscreen on, so my tone changed my skin tone no-transcript.

Speaker 2 10:54

take your wedding ring off. What? Because this is nickel plated tungsten steel. Get the butter out. And so I was like I'm never taking this off. And I hadn't. And when I got home, since I was going to be there for a week and a half, I'm going to leave it at home. She goes, I don't care. The other thing one day at lunch I had the makeup on. Oh, I'm going to tell you two things and then I'll talk about myself. No, no, that's all right oh lunch and I wiped my mouth Is this interview for me or for?

Speaker 1 11:19

him. No, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 2 11:20

No, I love hearing your story.

Speaker 1 11:22

I'm just teasing you.

Speaker 2 11:23

I was in the full makeup. I'm eating lunch, trying to be careful, forgot and wiped my mouth. It looks so crazy.

Speaker 1 11:28

Yeah, oh, the white makeup came oh yeah, and they had whatever they had on my lip. How did you take? Was that soap and water or did you have to use like some kind of solvent, just like baby wipes?

Speaker 2 11:38

Alcohol, yeah, no, no, not, not serious. On the last day, because I had to leave and go clean a bar, I brought my own baby wipes. So while Bill was getting his makeup off, they didn't let me get in the next seat. I'm outside just doing it. And when he finished he goes oh my God, you're almost done. I'm like, yeah, because the first time they put it on me I go to take off my five inch platform boots. Okay, I got to sign my paperwork. And the guy walks by a PA goes okay, once you get your makeup off, come sign your paperwork, take the makeup off. I would have gone cleaning bars in full death makeup.

Speaker 2 12:12

Now we're sitting in this cafeteria which was also holding they had kind of the stars in the beginning and then crew, and then, well, even though I was photo double maybe that's a bit higher All my friends were background. So like one time I got an impossible burger because that was in the cast and crew line. I sit down next to somebody and they go where'd you get that? Cause it didn't matter to me. Give me chicken and vegetables. I don't care about the food, you know what I mean and I didn't want to make him feel bad.

Speaker 2 12:32

But as I'm talking, holland Taylor walks up to me. You know what I mean Bosom buddies, you know all these great shows, and you know and she starts talking to me hey, how you doing. I just got in, oh, cool, very cool. And I turned back and she keeps talking and I realized she thinks I'm Bill. So I stood up and I listened to her and I said I just want to stop you because I'm the photo double. I don't think you're going to say anything me. Let me bring you over to where the stars are.

Speaker 1 12:58

That's funny. You know, one of the interesting things I remember about that is that the outfit that I was wearing as George Washington came from the UK, and I'm thinking you know why did it come from the UK? You know, don't we have enough George Washington outfits here? I mean, it was very nice, very warm, wool, leather. Then I learned that Kelsey Grammer had worn that outfit when he did a George Washington portrayal. So I went back afterward and watched some of that and, yeah, man, it was the exact outfit, but it was so hot and, if you remember, it was in August, right.

Speaker 2 13:29

August 2019.

Speaker 1 13:30

And I remember almost passing out with that outfit at the wedding scene which I know you were in as well, and I had to do some stunt work that day on the wedding scene out in some golf course or country club or something.

Speaker 2 13:41

Yeah, I always forget the names On the West Bank and man.

Speaker 1 13:43

They had five, six people with these bands on me after between takes and just fanning me off, but I still I almost passed out on that time because I wasn't under the tent like you were. Yeah, I was out, you know, in the field doing a stunt. I was just a wedding guest.

Speaker 2 13:57

I was just a wedding guest.

Speaker 1 13:57

I was just background.

Speaker 2 13:58

Yes, I remember that, like I say, august and they wanted spring suits, and because at that time I had lost a lot of weight and I really don't use or wear suits, I had to go shopping and try to thrift, but I couldn't find anything spring. So I went and bought me some suits, returned some that I didn't use, but one of the jackets was tan with these translucent skulls and I almost bought it. Skulls and I almost bought it. Can you imagine if this one guy at the wedding has got skulls and then he becomes dead? It would have been great, but I chickened out.

Speaker 1 14:23

Well, you know, who knows, probably the right thing you probably made the right decision, and I wasn't deaf yet. Yeah, I remember my outfit fit real well, except for the shoes, the boots sorry, george Washington boots and the reason I mentioned that is when we were doing the crossing, the Delaware scene in the studio the shoes were probably two sizes big for me. I actually ended up falling over in the boat into somebody's lap or something.

Speaker 1 14:47

Of course they loved it, they were laughing they didn't use it as a blooper, but it's because of those damn shoes, man. So, but otherwise it was just a fun time. So thanks for bringing it up, though, but I wore the shirt for you because I knew that I appreciate it, it was a fun movie.

Speaker 2 15:01

When I say it's one of the greatest moments of my life, my mother-in-law says other than other than my marriage. Yes, this is number two. Kevin Smith, jay and Silent Bob might have dropped down to three.

Speaker 3 15:10

Sorry, kevin, you can come on the show and we can discuss it.

Speaker 2 15:14

Beautiful. Since that, I can't even call that a tangent, but like TJ said, we like to talk about what was your inspiration?

Speaker 3 15:20

Yeah.

Starting Acting Later in Life

Speaker 1 15:21

I really wasn't an actor or a theater person. In my upbringing my Midwestern upbringing, through school I was a trumpet player actually and did some sports. It was probably 13, 14, 15 years ago. I remember listening to Bud McConnell actually actor Bud McConnell and he had a program on WWL, I believe, radio and on every Friday he would have a movie critic and he would talk about how the movie industry was going in New Orleans and how you could sign up. At that time they had all kinds of databases to get to be a background actor. So I signed up for I don't know at that time it wasn't just my casting file, it was like multiple ones. You had to do all the information and I just did it for curiosity.

Speaker 1 16:02

It was really just, you know, a curious thing that I mean I always loved movies but I never thought of myself as an actor, although I'll have to say that once in a while. I would kind of you know, if I'd see a scene that I really liked Cary Grant doing, I might go ahead and try to do it in myself, only when I'm the only one in the room, maybe in a closet. You know, judy, judy, judy, yeah right, he was one of my inspirations, by the way. So it was just mainly from curiosity. And once I did it several times and I was very fortunate I was being chosen for a bunch of featured background roles where it's a smaller group, and I saw how movies were being made and you know, I just saw the whole complexity of it. And then I was watching really good actors I don't know, geez, so many great ones. I just thought, you know what? I wonder what I can do. So that's when I decided to enroll in one of the acting teachers in town here, jim Gleason's Foundations class.

Speaker 1 16:56

And that kind of said, okay, it perked my curiosity even further and I thought, well, let me see where I can go with this. And it just spiraled. And you know God, since then I've probably taken from I don't know 10 or 12 different acting teachers. I don't know if you agree, I know some people don't, but they all have a certain niche, a certain part that they teach you. And I'm like a sponge. When I get into something I have to know why and how. And you know I just I'm like a sponge, I have to absorb it. You know it doesn't mean that it makes me a great actor, but I feel like the little pieces of the puzzle combination from different people at all, they accumulate and they give you this great foundation of developing your character and developing your style and improving what you've done in the past. And I'll tell you what you know.

Speaker 1 17:42

I'm fortunate to be able to take different acting classes. You know have a separate income, separate profession, so you know money out. Not only is it the education that I grasp from these, but every class I go to it's networking. You meet people, and almost all the independent jobs have come from networking and meeting people or people talking about you or them seeing you on something. I mean I'm not big at the marketing thing personally on social media. When I put something on social media I'm trying to okay, yeah, me, but it's also my team and everybody and trying to help. You know, filmmakers, you know, get their word out and all that. I'm not very good about self-promoting, but when I'm in person with some of these people, whether it's teachers or fellow students, they get to know your personality and maybe that you know you're easy to work with, or maybe that you have a certain look or you have a certain capability, you know, and that is just so rewarding. So I tell people out there, man, anytime you can take classes or an intensive or do a student film or a 48 hour competition which I know you guys are heavy into as well never to be looked at as amateur.

Speaker 1 18:49

I think Nicole Kidman said do everything, do everything. Of course, when you're a younger actor or more inexperienced, I don't think Nicole would do a lot of 48 hours now, but who knows. But I think that everything you do, you take something from it and you learn about yourself and for me it's gratification. So all those rejections we get as actors auditioning, when it hits once in a while. It just puts it all into a positive spin again and say I can do this. And then you do. You go to what's, let's say, an intensive with Ryan Glorioso and you get this you know, glowing report back and everything, and boy, it just feeds your ego, but it also just, it strengthens your confidence. Right, and that's more important is strengthening your confidence in this field, because it's easy to get shaken off that confident level by rejection or by bad experiences.

Speaker 2 19:36

It feeds your ego because all the and it's not even full rejection just not being accepted attacks your ego all the time.

Speaker 3 19:43

That's what I was just getting ready to say. James DeMont says it all the time it's I've never been rejected, I just wasn't selected, and that kind of helped my state of mind a little bit. If I don't get picked for something, there's more to it than just how you did in the audition. I mean that helps.

Speaker 1 20:05

I've even heard, your hair color or your height didn't match up with your co-star. That's right. But even doing the audition gives you experience and it gives you something to work on. There's no replacement for doing an audition than seeing yourself on tape and realizing how much better you could have done and improving the next time around. And I'm giving credit to all my instructors, from the James Dumont to Lance Nichols, to Jim Gleason, to the Dean West, larry Moss I got to do Zoom lessons with the great Larry Moss during COVID Billy Slaughter, just one after another man, they all, jeremy London, they all just gave a piece of that puzzle.

Speaker 1 20:35

And I'm not there yet, man, and I don't have these. You know, I don't have these like grand aspirations of being red carpet or, you know, I'm in my twilight years, if they want to call it that, my golden years. All I want to do, man, is have fun and improve. And again, self-gratification Did I do a good job? Did I bring that vision to the filmmaker, to the producer?

The Value of Acting Classes

Speaker 1 20:55

And I love diversity of characters. By the way, I don't know about you guys, but I love being a bad man or a good man, a lawyer or a demon. I love changing it, although sometimes when I'm playing a more of a demonic type dark role, I'm still learning how to cope with my own emotions Once I get into character. I did a murder mystery on television some time back where I had to kill my spouse, strangle her, throw her into Bayou St John, and I've done a few of those. I just remember shaking afterwards. I'm still trying to learn how to cope with those dark scenes. Maybe I'm throwing too much of myself into it, but it really scares me when I see some of these celebrities that have taken their own lives after major roles as dark characters. Now some of them had obviously predisposing character flaws, maybe before they became big, but it always concerns me about that too. But I love diversity though. I love changing up and doing things a little differently and trying different characters.

Speaker 2 21:56

But also because you touch that part of your core, because we all have some bad sides to our core, it did freak you out, so that's a good thing.

Speaker 2 22:03

Yeah, maybe it's healthy, right the coping comes after the other thing I was going to say I thought about it before getting into this industry that you go see an acting teacher, you learn to act, learn to cry and you're done. And it's not that and it's not the same road for everybody. The puzzle you're trying to put together is you. What you do will not work for me. Some of it might might learn the same lessons from other teachers. I guess I say that so that maybe actors who are coming up I don't want to say underneath us, but we have a bit of experience ourselves.

Speaker 2 22:30

Give yourself some grace, it's going to be okay. I know, when I was a student and I still am, but it was like, oh, I got to do it and I was so nervous and then I got a job. You know, I booked Wheel of Heaven again. I got some auditions. So I went from feeling like a student to feeling like an actor and I can say I'm an actor, even though that's not my career. I have it. Once I was able to relax a little bit. It's that next step and everything's a step. My next step will be trying to become SAG eligible, relax and to get there. It'll come when it comes. I feel like this is a calling rather than a job, and there's a lot of grace from me and from I'm going to say God, some people might say universe, but you're where you're meant to be and I'll get off my soapbox.

Speaker 1 23:06

Yeah, I love that outlook. One thing you said and I thought about too is try not to compare yourself to other actors. Absolutely Be yourself. Be who you are. You can always improve yourself. You almost can never be like somebody else exactly.

Speaker 3 23:21

And you shouldn't be.

Speaker 1 23:22

I think one of my treasures, one of my fortunes, is that in all of us really the three of us we started later is we have life experiences.

Speaker 1 23:31

I know TJ, military and Brian, you know you've been around, I certainly have been in the medical profession we have life experience to draw upon and I know that sounds kind of trite, but it's so true. I don't know where young, youngest actors get that Sometimes I feel like they may have a more difficult time to draw on a life experience, to bring it into your character. It's so easy for me to look to find misery, sadness, happiness, joy. You know all those different genres, all those different characteristics that we are asked to do, sometimes with different characters, and I truly believe in the imagery aspect of acting. I don't think you can bring that exact experience, but you can definitely bring that experience and I try to bring that experience into my mind, to get my mind there and get back to my listening to the other actors and then responding, but be in that mode. It helps me tremendously to be able to draw on life experiences of my past.

Speaker 2 24:28

That's something you can only get with age and evolving, I guess I understand what you mean there, plus the student doing it in class doing an audition, versus being on set with everything there the props, location, the people. I can't say it's a totally different thing, but it's so much easier. Did I go Italian? It's so much easier, you're living it. My point there is just like oh yeah, let's get on set.

Speaker 3 24:52

Yeah, you're trying to make the point that when you're on set it's easier to visualize and do imaginative things. When you're doing an audition, you've got a camera and a reader and a blank wall and you have to picture that whole world and build that whole scene out in your head. When you're on set, everything's there, it's easier to do A good example. In the military training sometimes they do scenarios. We did it a lot when I was in the medical field. We'd have mass casualty training events and there would be role players simulating somebody that's injured or somebody that's being violent or whatever. And you do these role playing scenarios and it was always more difficult to interact when you know it's a scenario versus how you would do it in the real world. It becomes second nature when it's really happening. It was always harder they call it you know it was a training scenario versus the real thing.

Speaker 1 25:50

And I think it's kind of a similar concept to what the or apply their teachings to like I said get noticed and the lighting and the camera and all that, but I'm just so much better on set. So if people are willing to take a chance on me from an audition, I know I can give it to them on set. But I wish that it was some other way to show people how good you are on set, rather than doing video auditions, live auditions, where you have to do a whole different science. So I share that belief with you and that experience with. So you have to work harder on your auditions to make it to use the formula that casting directors are going to qualify to decide whether or not you could be somebody that they would push to the director and producers to get where you need to be. But I don't think it's always a reflection of what you can do on set.

Speaker 2 26:52

I just don't feel that it's what it is right it is what it is.

Auditions vs. Being on Set

Speaker 2 26:55

And auditions. You're saying the formula, you have the style, you do it, you do your prep and then, like I just had one and they said we're okay with where some aren't. So I was able to go a little prop heavier and I had a lot of fun with it and I never let the prop take over the scene. Yeah, and I booked that one. I can say now I booked it. That is so gratifying because it's been a few months since I booked something. We've made things, we've done the international 48, all three of us Y'all two just did the same 48 and I did one on a different team. That's fun to do. But when you're not booking those voices, the negativity starts creeping in, you know. And then, okay, I book. It's such a weight off my shoulders, even though I know it's not a true thing.

Speaker 1 28:12

And I think you're exactly right. I think you have to identify that some of these feelings, these negative feelings you have, it's not forever. If you're putting the work in Now, if you just say, okay, I'm just not going to do it, and you give up, all right, that's a different story. No one's going to call you, knock on doors. But if you just stay in the game and you do a workshop or you do a class or you do a 48 or you do a student film, it perks itself back up again and that negativity that thinks, well, no one wants me anymore. I mean, that happens with a-list celebrities. I think that's why a lot of them go on drugs, because they're washed up. But then you have certain people that have just made incredible comebacks. You know celebrities, a-list celebrities, that have made incredible comebacks in their older age and have done quite well. So we have to flush that negativity away. If you're absolutely not putting any work into it and you think they're going to come to you.

Speaker 3 29:01

It's not happening.

Speaker 1 29:02

It's not going to happen. Man, you've got to get out there. You've got to do the marketing to a certain point. You've got to do the marketing to a certain point. You've got to do the promotion. You've got to get out there, knock on doors. You've got to talk to people. And one thing you said, ryan, which I think is so wise, is if you're starting to audition and you're auditioning with an agent to a casting director, find out from other actors what does that casting director or what do they approve of? Some don't approve of any props, like you were saying, some don't mind it. Some don't approve of any props, like you were saying, some don't mind it, some don't want certain props. But get to know, through other actors that have done auditioning with these casting directors, what their idiosyncrasies are and these little quirks of the different acting directors, especially if they're in your region, so that people have worked with them before. Knowledge is power, knowledge is power. So if one, I I can think of one. She does not want any props, you know.

Speaker 2 29:50

And if you bring one in, hang on, I know you're talking about not only props, but like, if you're a doctor, don't wear the doctor's coat, which?

Speaker 1 29:57

I was always thought that was a great thing, man. Yep, you know I want in fact I don't do it for them, as sometimes I do it for me yeah, I, I've worn medical coats and been around lots of medical people. So if I have the stethoscope and you know, don't go overboard, I have that then I'm feeling like a doctor. But if you know that casting director just doesn't like that, I don't know what to say. I guess you just have to play by their rules.

Speaker 3 30:19

Then you just kind of dress to suggest the character and keep it mild so you don't break their rules, because they'll turn it off. They'll turn the audition off. If you do something, especially that they specifically say don't do, they're going to stop it.

Speaker 2 30:32

I agree, I always read the notes.

Speaker 1 30:34

Don't go in. I did make this one mistake once Don't go in extending your hand to shake their hand. So, yeah, I think that one thing I've learned, though follow the directions of the casting director. If they want one take, that's it Fine. If they want two takes, take advantage of it, man, because the one take should be doing it the way you know, doing it based on that character, and the second take should be a whole different aspect of it. I never really understood that. But again, those great acting teachers, judd Lorman from SEAL Team I took a workshop from him and he really nailed that for me and what he meant, you know, because he'd say, okay, do it this way. Lance Nichols did too, and do it this way.

Speaker 1 31:15

And I love I don't know about you guys, but I love directorial adjustment. Yeah, I love being able to, on the fly, change and please the director on a film, but you got to do a very good first take to make them interested. But definitely, if you want to do a second take to show your capability of being diverse and changing your character and sometimes I've had this happen on very few but a few films they took that second take. Oh, I like that character better. I think we're going to go with that and change the whole storyline or your character, at least your persona, based on what you showed them. So keep it relatively short. They're busy.

Speaker 1 31:50

I also remember being taught try to capture it within the first 30 seconds, man, you know. If it's a 90 second or whatever it is, you know. Get through your script, but capture them. Do something in the beginning that captures them, whether it's a look, I mean, use your eyes, you know. Learn how to use your eyes. That feel, james DeMond Great. You, you know, learn how to use your eyes. That field, james DeMond Great. You know where's the field? We're not in theater, we're not out here, we're out here.

Speaker 3 32:11

You've only got this much room to make your build your world and anything past 45 degrees.

Overcoming Negativity in Acting

Speaker 1 32:16

One way or another, you're taking the audience out of it. There's so much. I can't stress enough that if you want to get in the industry, you just take and when you can do them. And I prefer taking from different people, changing it up because, like I said, I think that each one of them is a piece of the puzzle and I've improved so much and I can tell you, if we had time, I would name each instructor I have and tell you what they taught me, and it wouldn't fill all the coffers but it would really give a colorful picture of how I have improved, in my opinion, because I was able to go to the different instructors across the board and grasp and absorb that information. I like that.

Final Thoughts and Social Media

Speaker 2 32:53

What you could do. You can make your own video like you just described, and then ask for a little nominal fee. Make a little side care. It's not acting tips, but here's my act Make a video of your acting journey and then, you know, sell it for $9.95. Yeah, good idea good idea.

Speaker 1 33:10

Good idea. It's a great field man. I've learned so much from it. And one thing that I'm really happy about is when I get in front of the camera. If I know my lines, I come prepared, which you try to do. You know, I'd never want to lay an egg. I totally forget the cameras there. I really do. I'll look at Brian or I'll look at TJ or my actor, you know, and I'll just forget the cameras there. I'm so into my thing and luckily I do do that once or twice. Maybe I've looked at the camera, but I've learned to just ignore the camera, be in the moment and listen.

Speaker 1 33:41

Listen is more important than speaking when you're doing acting, because we have so many cues on our face with our eyes and our cheeks and our smiles and all that. If you're reacting to somebody else talking by listening, that just puts you a step above everybody else that may not be using those kinds of techniques. When I watch movies, I'll look for that. I know we all probably watch movies and I watch them with a lot more. How do I want to say it?

Speaker 1 34:04

Under a microscope? Yes, that's a great way of putting it, and some of the best actors. Sometimes it's not there or I'll watch some of the streaming. So I'm thinking how the hell? And they're terrible, and who am I to say that they're on my streaming, which we all have been on streaming. But you can tell a good actor and a bad actor. I mean, it's just something you feel, but I learned from those people as well, you know, and I would hope they would be critical of me to my face so that I could learn from them as well. You don't always have that luxury. It's nice to get that feedback.

Speaker 2 34:32

Could be a good actor in a bad moment, not living the life Precisely. You know a good place to end the show it is yeah, wow, this has been.

Speaker 3 34:39

This has been a lot of fun. I knew it would be.

Speaker 2 34:41

I don't know if I knew it would be. I was dubious Cause I know.

Speaker 1 34:44

Yeah, just kidding, I have a reputation.

Speaker 2 34:47

Bill do you have any socials you'd like to share.

Speaker 1 34:49

Yeah, you know, I'm just on Facebook. I have a personal page and an acting page and it goes by William E Harris. The reason I did that is, I think when I first signed up for Facebook way back, I thought you were supposed to put all your names in there, and then, when I put William Harris on IMDb, I was Roman numeral 46, but I put William E Harris, like I had on Meta, facebook and Instagram. Then I shot up to the top so Instagram, facebook, that's pretty much what I do, and then, of course, the IMDb it's under William E Harris again, so I don't have Roman numeral 46 after my name.

Speaker 3 35:24

Don't forget the.

Speaker 1 35:25

E for Eugene, by the way, it's not Edward.

Speaker 3 35:28

That's my middle name as well.

Speaker 2 35:30

Eugene Mine's. Alan, sorry to ruin the yeah, boom, boom, wah. Can't you change that? No, I can't fully change that. My initials are B-A-P.

Speaker 1 35:40

Bap, whatever that means, yeah.

Speaker 2 35:43

I was in the Batman show. Oh, okay, I got you in the Batman show.

Speaker 3 35:46

Oh, okay, I got you. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 35:48

Well, guys, I want to thank you so much for having me. You've had so many wonderful guests in the past and I really like going to listen and learn from your guests, and you guys are just great at making people feel comfortable. Oh, thank you Asking the right questions, thank you, and hopefully with this interview, I didn't disappoint and maybe it helps a few of our colleagues and our fellow people out there.

Speaker 2 36:14

So thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Yeah, of course, pleasure for us too. Have a good one.