Ever since I was really young, I knew that I wanted to act. I wanted to be in front of crowds and hear the cheers, applause, and know they were for me. I didn’t care if I became famous, all I wanted to do was be on stage.
I can remember when I was about five years old and sitting in my kindergarten class…a performing group came to my school and performed for us. I saw the cool costumes, the dancing, and singing. I HAD to be one of them. I told my mom all about it and after begging, whining, and finally some kissing up, she agreed to let me do it.
I went to the first rehearsal and was really scared because I didn’t know anyone there. I finally got into it with all the rest of the kids and we had a really great time. Learning the choreography had never been really hard for me, and the songs were put on tapes to learn them faster. I was having the time of my life!! We eventually had our first performance at Lagoon in Utah. I was scared out of my wits!! I had never been in front of a crowd before. It didn’t matter…I was ready for it!! I got up there and sang my heart out along with the other kids. I think that was when I first realized that this was for me…
I took a break for a couple of years and focused on sports. Some kids made fun of me for wanting to sing and dance. I tried not to care, but it definitely got to me. It wasn’t until I was in 5th grade that I decided it was time to give it another shot.
I begged my mom to take me to auditions. My first community theatre audition was for “The Sound of Music”. I wanted to be Kurt more than anything in the world. I had watched the movie about a thousand times and had rehearsed the songs. I was ready to go! My number came up at the audition and I walked up on stage and belted out my song. My mom was sitting there shocked because she had no idea that I could sing like that. The director called me over and asked if I could come for a callback! I was SO happy. I had never gotten a call back before, but I hadn’t auditioned for anything before either.
My mom and I showed up at the callback and they had us sing, dance, and act. I think that I did a really good job, and I didn’t notice that it was a competition. I was just happy to be there. A lot of the kids were rude and weren’t very helpful. I remember getting on stage with the other kids being auditioned for Kurt and knowing it was down to me and another kid. We read for the part a couple of times and they later excused us with, “We’ll give you a call”. I sat by the phone for the next two weeks…hoping and praying that I got the part. I didn’t. I was heartbroken and never wanted to do anything like that again.
I then realized that I was determined to make this happen. I made a goal that I would never audition for something that I knew I wouldn’t get the part for. I went into future auditions and blew them away. I was always cast and usually as the part that I wanted. There was no way that I was going to be made a fool of again. I hadn’t realized yet…that’s just the way theatre and acting works. It’s a very subjective business and you are always under a microscope.
I will never forget the moment right before you walk on stage or in front of a camera. You’re adrenaline is pumping, your hands are a little sweaty, and you are bursting with energy. It’s something hard to describe, but you walk out there, just like rehearsed, and you give them a show to remember! That’s why I want to act because it is a feeling that I can’t find anywhere else. I can feel the electricity running through me and it’s almost like a drug. You always need more and you have to keep going. I’m going to be out there acting until I can’t anymore. There is nothing in this world that I could do that would make me happier.
That is why I’m doing all these celebrity interviews, because I want to get some tips and tricks about how to get really started into the business. I also feel it’s important to hone my craft by watching A LOT of movies, and I will be posting some reviews on here about them. Just stay tuned!
I recently was asked by my friend Colin Liddle to “audition” for a short film that he is writing. He just wanted to get a feel for the way the dialogue flowed and what my portrayal of the character would be. He even edited down the screen test for me to post on here!! I hope that you all will give me some feedback and let me know what you think!!
Filed under: Events | Tagged: Acting, Colin Liddle, Dancing, Kade Eriksson, Movies, News, Singing
That’s an interesting approach! You make some interesting choices – but I kind of find myself wondering how much you’ve looked into “shell shock”/”battle fatigue”/post-traumatic stress. How the character presents himself, how much energy he displays, depends a lot on how long (and just plain HOW) he’s been dealing with the condition. To be blunt (without trying to be unkind), I think your performance here was a little big, a bit “unnatural”. As I learned at the Film Actors Lab, you have to remember, especially if you’re a theater-trained actor, on film, you don’t have to be heard/seen in the cheap seats – on a movie or TV screen, you’re going to be huge, and thus your performance will be that much bigger.
Are you willing to try some advice? Try underplaying it – shy, quiet, tentative, a bit nervous and fragile. There’s certainly room for an element of playfulness in the character, but I think a low-key interpretation will combine very nicely with the dialog. Of course, your director might have completely different ideas – but try it on him and see how it works!