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Of Office Emmy Cheers and Acting Careers
Have you heard the good news? We got five Emmy nominations!!! The Office [Thursdays at 8:30 pm/ET on NBC] is nominated for outstanding comedy and for lead actor (Steve Carell); Mike Schur is nominated for writing "Christmas Party"; and our editors Dean Holland and Dave Rogers are nominated for their work on "Booze Cruise" and "Christmas Party," respectively. My head is still spinning. The day the nominations were announced, Brian [Baumgartner, Kevin], Kate [Flannery, Meredith] and I went to lunch with Dean and his wife to celebrate. What an exciting day.
I've received tons of letters from people asking advice about the entertainment industry and, in particular, pursuing a life as an actor. People have also asked me how I got to be on The Office. This blog, I hope, will address some of those questions.
I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. I always wanted to be an actor but when you grow up in a place like St. Louis that is sort of like saying, "I want to be a superhero when I grow up." It hardly seems real. The world of "Hollywood" is mysterious. You hear stories of girls being discovered at ball games. Success is about having "it," or being pretty, or some other intangible magic. You have no model for how to succeed. Everyone's story is different. One person does stand-up for 15 years and then gets a TV show, while someone else finances their own movie and it takes off at a festival and suddenly they are the hottest thing. But for each of those people there are thousands of stand-up comics and filmmakers who never got their "break." How do you know what to do?
I thought being an actor meant being famous. But most actors aren't recognizable. It's funny — I watch TV in a whole new way now. Like, I watch a show and I see the person who has three lines on Law & Order and I think, "Their family is gathered around the TV flipping out right now. I bet that was a huge deal for that person!" There are so many actors who make a living by doing support work on shows. I was that person for many years. For me to stay in this business, it had to be OK if I was never recognized. I learned that I loved the craft of acting more than the idea of being famous.
My first piece of advice to someone who is serious about being a professional television or film actor is this: Move to Los Angeles. Moving to Los Angeles can be difficult, but it is the only city that doesn't put a ceiling on where you can go with your career. New York is the place to go if you want to do theater, but if you want to be in film and television, move to L.A.
I had a college professor who said, "If you can think of anything else you are passionate about besides acting, do that. Your life will be better for it." I actually think that might be good advice. I couldn't come up with anything so, after graduation, I moved to L.A.
I fully expected to be working in movies within a year of moving here. That was not my reality, and it is not the reality of most people who move to L.A. to pursue acting. It can take a very, very, very long time to succeed in this business, and my best piece of advice is to not give up. You have to motivate yourself and just keep going. Create projects for yourself. Don't whine. The first year is the hardest, followed by every anniversary up to about Year 5, when you're so beaten down you don't notice the years passing any more. I have a friend who is so incredibly talented it is a crime that after 10 years in L.A. he still has to wait tables to make a living. He gets acting work here and there, but he can't hold down an agent. This business is not fair. It is not like other businesses where if you show up and work above and beyond everyone's expectations, you are pretty much guaranteed to move up the ladder. I don't know why it works out for some and not for others. When you move here, you have no idea which camp you are going to fall into.
It isn't "who you know." It just doesn't work that way. I didn't know anyone when I moved to L.A. Most people don't. I shared an apartment with an old college buddy who had a commercial agent, and I was sure that by knowing him, this agent would take me on. She didn't.
Here is how I got "discovered." I had been living in L.A. for about two years when a friend wrote a TV script and wanted to do a live stage version as a way of attracting TV producers. He asked me to play a small role. It meant lots of rehearsal for very little stage time and no pay. Along the way I questioned why I had agreed to do it, but it was very funny and he was a friend, so I agreed. After our third performance, his manager approached me and asked if I had representation. I said no. She offered to represent me, saying she thought I had a real future in television comedy. Naomi is still my manager today.
A month later, I was doing a very strange play — a musical adaptation of the movie Nosferatu — at a small theater in Los Angeles. I was doing it because I loved the commedia dell'arte style of the show, and because I loved the people involved. I worked all day as a temp doing mind-numbing data entry for a medical company, and then went to rehearsals for five hours a night, often getting home past midnight. One night an agent came to see the play and left his card at the box office asking to meet me. He became my first agent.
Now that sounds easy, right? Well, that was after two years of working as a temp, doing every acting gig I could find for free, borrowing money to buy a new engine for my car, and wearing a pair of shoes with a hole in them because I couldn't afford anything else. Did I mention my living-room curtain was made from a torn bedsheet? It was another three years before I got my first speaking part on a TV show. That show was Spin City. (I played a waitress in a scene where the girl playing Charlie Sheen's crazy date threw bread at me.)
Every year I did a little more than the year before. For my first five years, I probably earned between $100 and $2,000 a year from acting. Year 6 brought me some of my biggest success — and I only made $8,000 from acting. But I put a lot more money into my career than that. Headshots are expensive — the photo session and getting prints can run anywhere from $500 to $800. Classes range from $150 to $500 a month. It costs $1,200 to join SAG once you are eligible. And apartments are crazy expensive — $700 to $1,000 for a crappy apartment that you share with at least one roommate. It's no wonder my living-room curtain was a bedsheet.
So, how did I get The Office? Spin City was cast by Allison Jones, who now casts The Office. She became a fan of mine through a series of auditions. I kept going into her office year after year, auditioning for different things. I got some and not others, but she kept bringing me back. I developed a relationship with her — not because I met her at a party and we "schmoozed," but because I had proven to her over the course of many years that I was a reliable and serious actor capable of providing a consistent body of work. That is what this business is all about, from a real working actor's perspective. When it was time to cast The Office, Allison remembered me, called me to audition, and I finally got the part.
Most actors think their first priority after moving to L.A. is to get an agent. I disagree. I think the first priority should be to build a body of work — become a pro so that you are valuable to an agent. No agent wants to sign a nonunion newbie. It's not their job to get you ready. Join NowCasting.com or LACasting.com and submit yourself for nonunion work. These websites require you to pay a monthly fee for their service. I would normally warn you about places that charge you a fee, but NowCasting and LACasting are legit. You post your photo and résumé, and they post casting notices for student films, short films, nonunion work and some commercials. You are able to submit yourself for work and hope you get a request to audition. I have friends who work all the time doing this. It is a great way to get commercial work. I think LACasting.com submits their nonunion members to commercial agents as part of their service. (You need to live in L.A. to participate.)
Another bit of advice: work as an extra. If you are new in town, this is a very good way to learn how a movie or television set operates. I did this my first year, and I'm glad I did. No one gets treated worse than an extra (or as they are called now, background artists), but since I went through it myself I know how to be gracious now that I'm more successful. It's a great boot camp. The top extras-casting agency is Central Casting. If you work enough, you can earn your SAG card. That's how I did it.
You need your SAG card to be taken seriously by an agent. You cannot work on a TV show or a studio movie without belonging to the Screen Actors Guild. You can do some extra work if you are not in the union, but you cannot have a speaking role in a major production. There are nonunion productions that hire nonunion actors (e.g., student films, low-budget features), and that is another great way to get practice in front of a camera.
When you are ready to get an agent you should know a few things. Legitimate agents only take 10 percent and they should never charge you a monthly fee or startup fee. Nor should they force you to use a certain photographer to take your headshots. If they do, they are probably just signing you up so that you'll hire the photographer and then the agent gets a kickback. Agents should only make money if you make money. Now, an agent may ask you to sign a contract — this is normal. A standard contract is for one to two years. I would not sign a contract for more than three years. And read the contract. A friend of mine met with an agent who tried to write a clause into the contract that made it so that, at the agent's discretion, the contract never ended. If you are unsure, contact SAG and ask them for a standard agent/client agreement. Also ask if the agent you are thinking of going with is SAG-certified.
If you are good at comedy, take classes from the Groundlings or I.O. (formerly known as Improv Olympic); Second City in Chicago is also great. These are the most-recognized improv-comedy places. It's a great place to meet people when you are new to town. Classes are expensive, so that can be hard when you are just starting out. I didn't do this, but I wish I had. Almost every actor on The Office has studied with one of these three places.
There is a book you can get at the L.A. bookstore Samuel French called The Working Actor's Guide to Los Angeles. It is a spiral-bound book that is updated every year and lists all the extras-casting agencies, casting directors, agents, photographers, etc. This is a great resource for the new actor. I also suggest reading Backstage West, which has casting notices and articles for actors.
Finally, there is an amazing book you can get called The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Guide to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron. I highly recommend it. It is a 12-week, self-led creativity seminar in the form of a book. It's brilliant, and you don't have to move to L.A. to do it. In fact, it would be a good thing to do if you are thinking of moving to L.A., as it might give you the answers you need. It was through doing The Artist's Way that I was inspired to make my movie LolliLove. I completely credit this book with giving me the tools and courage I needed to complete that project — a project that took over four years to finish. And I credit LolliLove with giving me the confidence and practice with the mockumentary style that lead me to land my job on The Office.
Yes, you will meet some scumbags if you move to L.A. — people who prey on newcomers. I can tell you with absolute certainty that those people have no power in the grand scheme of things.
For example, it was my first year in town and I was part of a theater group. At a party for a new play opening, the playwright came up to me and asked me if I was an actress. I said yes. He asked if I was interested in doing a part in his new movie. I was kind of floored. How did he know I was any good? I said, "What is it about?" And he said, "Well, you'd have to do a raunchy sex scene with nudity. Would that bother you?" I laughed and said, "I wouldn't do anything I wouldn't be proud to show my parents." He then said, "That was a test. You aren't a real actress. A real actress would never say that. A real actress would piss herself on stage if the part called for it. You aren't going to make it in this town. You should go home." And then he walked away. I went back to my apartment and cried. Why was that guy such a d---? I have no idea. Stuff like that will happen to you if you decide to become an actor. You have to develop a thick skin — without becoming jaded, guarded or cynical. That's a tall order.
I have a great acting coach who says that success in Hollywood is based on one thing: opportunity meets readiness. You cannot always control the opportunities, but you can control the readiness. So study your craft, take it seriously. Do every play, every showcase, every short film, every student film you can get. Swallow your pride. Be willing to work for nothing in things you think are stupid. Make work for yourself. Make your own luck. Don't complain. Hopefully, the work will find you if you are ready.
I know how hard it can be when you first get out here. Go out and meet as many people as you can. Create a family for yourself, one made up of creative, supportive people. And don't stop your personal life for your career. I know a lot of people who wait to do things — visit family or friends, have relationships, get married — because they are waiting until they "make it." Or, they don't go to a friend's wedding because they might "miss something." Life is too short, and it's not worth it in the end. I always took off and did that stuff, and it turned out fine. I was often anxious and worried in the process, but I did it. I believe that in order for my professional life to move forward, I have to keep my personal life moving forward as well.
I wouldn't be where I am today if not for my husband James [Gunn]. He is the one who convinced me to quit my job as a secretary (ironically) and focus full-time on acting. I didn't totally believe I could make it, but he did. He supported us financially and supported me emotionally. He ran lines with me and coached me before countless auditions. He put up with my highs and lows. He was, and still is, my biggest cheerleader. And you need that out here.
It will be hard to explain your first milestones to friends and family back home. They are waiting to see you on TV or on the big screen. It is hard to explain how a second callback for a job you didn't land was the highlight of your month and a very valid reason to celebrate. I remember one year my proudest moment was at an audition for the role of a really slutty barmaid on a new TV show. It was written for a Pam Anderson type. I thought, "I can never pull this off. I just don't have the sex appeal. I feel stupid. No one is going to take me seriously." But I committed to the role and gave the best audition I could. I didn't get the job — I didn't get a callback — but I conquered my rambling, fear-driven brain and went balls-out on the audition anyway. That was a huge milestone for me, but hard to explain at Christmas. A year later, I booked the role of a trashy prostitute in a little indie movie called Employee of the Month. In the past I would have turned down the audition thinking that I would embarrass myself. But after that earlier breakthrough, I felt confident. The success is not always in getting the part but in the seed that is planted.
This spring marked my 10-year anniversary in Los Angeles. I'm hardly an overnight success. Likewise, Rainn Wilson toured the country doing theater and was one of those working but unrecognized actors for over 10 years. Steve Carell has been kicking around for close to 20 years. Most of us on The Office have a story like that. The restaurant where we ate lunch after the Emmy nominations was a place where Kate waited tables for six and a half years as a struggling actress. I think that is one of the reasons why we are all so very, very grateful to have landed such a wonderful job. Slow and steady wins the race.
So I hope I answered your questions about the biz. Good luck! And I hope you continue to have a great summer. We start shooting Season 3 of The Office on July 18. The show will premiere in September, and that is also when you can expect the release of the Season 2 DVD. I'm sorry I don't know the exact dates.
In the meantime, check out NBC.com for The Office webisodes, mini-episodes starting today, July 13. You won't see any Pam and Jim; we are a little preoccupied dealing with you-know-what. The webisodes star the accounting department, and Brian Baumgartner, who plays Kevin, has started his own TVGuide.com blog to give you the inside scoop. Enjoy!
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Jul 13, 2006 11:08 AM
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Just wanted to say congratulations on your hard earned success!
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Jul 13, 2006 11:18 AM
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Jenna,
You seriously rock. It's so great how nice you are to us fans. You are a true Midwesterner at heart - still down to earth and sweet. (I've lived in Illinois all my life so I know what I'm talking about here!) I treasure my autographed picture that you sent me and look forward to seeing more of you in the future, both on "The Office" and in other projects. Best of luck to you and the gang at the Emmys. Take care!
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Jul 13, 2006 12:21 PM
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Jenna,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this. It was truly engrossing. We've all heard the sob stories about how tough it is to make it in the TV business, but you've given us practically every detail and it really helps round out and ground the story well.
I watched the two webisodes prior to reading this post - they were a bit cheesy, but addictive all the same. I only wish that there had been more than two to watch!
Congrats and good luck to you and the rest of The Office gang, hope you guys take home a few Emmys 
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Jul 13, 2006 1:09 PM
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Jenna,
We don't 'know what'. And it's killing us 
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Jul 13, 2006 5:10 PM
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I respect you so much more doing this. You are a role model to anyone out there trying to accomplish the same thing. I myself, am trying to be more of a behind the scenes guy (sort of what Dean and Dave do, I respect them equally among the people in front of the screen).
One thing though, 10 years?!?!?! You don't look a day over 25!
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Jul 13, 2006 7:45 PM
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Jenna - I never wanted to be an actor, but really enjoyed this blog. Your advice is relevant in just about any field one would tackle. Seems that you have a good head on your shoulders. Your parents are probably as proud of that as all your acting success. Congratulations!
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Jul 13, 2006 7:52 PM
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Thank you so much for writing this! I have a lot of theater major friends who have graduated from college in the past few years and most of us are trying to figure out what to do with our lives. I am going to print copies of your blog to give to them because so much of it applies to what they are going through.
Congrats on your well-deserved success and the fact that you have remained such a nice, generous, humble, down-to-earth person despite your fame. You should be very proud and I'm sure your family and friends are proud of you. I love the show and I am looking forward to the webisodes and I can't wait for the season premiere!
Congrats also on your new movie and the Emmy nominations for the show. Next year I'm betting you will have your own Best Actress Emmy! Thanks again and best of luck with everything!
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Jul 13, 2006 11:11 PM
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Holy cow, Jenna. That's a neat story. It's neat to hear of new blood. Of actors that made it for reasons other than it being the "family business". I am a native of San Diego, but have not made it to LA in almost 20 years. You make me want to go. I know it's not the automatic glitz and glamor that folks expect, but I do find it interesting that acting is such a diverse profession. From sit coms down to infomercials. From occasional to full time plus. There are actors of all breeds, and you're honest that it's good to pursue acting with an open mind to the various opportinuties before you, even if they seem weird or dull.
Good on you. Keep it going. I wish the show could last forever, but if this show provides a template for the balance of your career, you'll have a career to be proud of.
And my aunt and uncle live in Webster Groves, MO. I was just there. They have cool ambulances, and nice paramedics. Stay away from Sonic.
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Jul 13, 2006 11:15 PM
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Jenna, you are part of the greatest network sitcom since Seinfeld. It is wonderful to see the show get its highly-deserved recognition. Enjoy it!
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Jul 14, 2006 1:38 AM
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You are a good person. And so remarkably... I can't even find the adjective. I had yet to read such a comprehensive, practical guide to acting, until this blog entry.
Whether you ever read this reply or not, I hope the world realizes how much of a true inspiration you've been to all of us, even those who had given up on acting long ago (like me).
I'd been close to a pity party about my own self-worth, doing something else, until this. You've reminded me of what matters, and it isn't necessarily the marquee.
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Jul 14, 2006 5:05 PM
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Hi Jenna...
I agree with my fellow blogger that your advice is valuable for any career. Congratulations to you on your current success!
Just wanted to tell you personally that the "Pam and Jim Moment" in this season's final scene was wonderful. "The Office" always has me short of breath laughing and then all sentinmental at the end of each episode. There are some of us watching who can relate...I once was flat on my face for a co-worker, in spite of the fact that he was engaged. Fortunately, his fiancee didn't work with us, too!
I am SOOO looking foward to seeing what happens next fall!
-Cheryl in Sacramento
PS - ...must be *such* a tough gig getting to kiss Krasinski...
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Jul 15, 2006 3:47 PM
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Hey, Jenna, congratulations!
I think your remarks apply to any artistic field, not just acting. "The Artist's Way" swept through my graphic design department a few years ago, and it caused a HUGE bump in creativity. Most of us are much more grounded in our lives now.
We St. Louisans are rooting for you!
Garricks
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Jul 16, 2006 10:50 AM
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It's great to see you back posting blogs here! Looking forward to the ones to come this season!
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Jul 16, 2006 11:07 AM
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So wait... I thought you get your SAG card when you get a speaking role in a TV series or something like that. But if it's near impossible to get a speaking role without a SAG card, how do you get the card in the first place?
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Jul 16, 2006 2:51 PM
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