Back in June I mentioned that I had gotten to work on an amazing acting job. At the time I wasn't allowed to say anything about it. The commercial was released a couple days ago but unfortunately my little scene (shot with two other actors) didn't make the final cut. I'm disappointed that that happened but it's an unfortunate reality of the industry. I am still thrilled to have been a part of the project and to have gotten to work with the incredible director of the commercial, Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel). He auditioned hundreds of people in four cities so it means a lot to me just to have been selected for the project in the first place. The ad spot is for Facebook and it would have been amazing to have been in it but it's just one of those acting industry things. The commercial is below...
acting
Our Trip to California
Gigi and I had a wonderful trip to California. G makes a great little travel companion and I really loved this time with her.
The main thing I discovered on this trip was that we really have some wonderful friends in California. It is really amazing when your friends open their homes up to you and your silly, squirrelly, sometimes-tantrum-throwing, one year old. It meant so much to me to be welcomed into our friends' houses for a night, a week, a cup of coffee, or a shared meal. Everyone was so excited to meet Gigi and loved her so much. We are very happy to be home but are already missing all of our wonderful CA friends.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from our trip...
Gigi with Hadley and Deborah. G and I went over to visit Deborah and Co. twice, once to cook dinner for them and once for coffee. I wish we could have spent even more time with this lovely family.
We met up with Whitney of Eat Sleep Cuddle for lunch on our way from San Diego back to LA. I really love her blog and it was so nice getting to meet her, I only wished we lived closer so we could cook and eat together all the time!
We spent almost a whole week in San Diego with Steph and Andy and their kiddos, Harrison and Lucia. Steph and I are so similar and every time I get to see her I just feel completely understood, fulfilled, and loved. She's a great friend.
There's also this little blossoming romance.
We spent a great day with Steph and Co. at the San Diego Zoo. I have wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo ever since I was a little girl. I wanted to either be a zoologist or an actress and was obsessed with a promotional CD/game from the San Diego Zoo. It was a blast with the kids. It was one of those perfect days where not one of them cried and everyone was happy. 
(In case you were wondering, Gigi is licking the flamingo fence in the photo on the right. It's good for her immune system, right?)
We stayed with Tara and Cole for the majority of our time in LA. They were so welcoming, accommodating, and loving. Gwyneth loved playing with them, and I loved having helping hands. They were amazing. They even babysat for me while I went and visited the film set of one of my favorite directors for half a day.
We did a lot together: trip to Venice beach, lunches and dinners out, a morning at The Getty Center to see the Herb Ritts exhibition, and Tara and Cole took the time to put together a sweet Easter basket for G too!
We also got to visit with our lovely friend Romi Dames (a very talented actress), my wonderful agent Carlyne and her daughter Joell, our friend/casting director Rene, our friend Karman, and our friend Darren. It was two weeks packed full of friends.
We had so much fun together on this trip. Gigi is a total California baby!
Bucksville: A Feature Film by Chel White
Bucksville is a dark, intruiging film directed by Chel White. It tells the story of Presley who has spent his young adulthood involved in a secret militia called The Lodge, which was started by his father. The Lodge is a small, self-appointed, secret society whose mission is to provide for their community by following through where the justice system has failed. Presley and his friends are commited to this group for life. When Presley's father dies, he begins to question the new direction the new leadership is taking, and he starts to dream for himself of a life free of judgement, violence and fear.
Chel White and his wife, Laura McGie, wrote Bucksville together. The result of their hard work and dedication is a well balanced, captivating, poised and eerie tale of self discovery and bravery under very high stakes. I was lucky enough to have the oppurtunity to play a small role in this artistic, powerful drama. There is nothing more fun than working on a independent film with a cast and crew who are dedicated to telling a great story, and who love what they are doing. I know how much work went into this film, and I'm so proud to be a part of it.
Photos by Tatiana Wills.
Photos by David Hume Kennerly.
Movie stills.
Bucksville has played at some great festivals this year, including New Hampshire Film Festival, The Bend Film Festival and will be showing at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival.
Bucksville is showing this next Sunday, November 20th, at The Northwest Film Fest at 6:00pm in Portland, Oregon. I will be attending with my friend, Lauren, and I can't wait to see the movie again. The last time I saw it, we snuck G into the theater and she was only one month old! If you are in Portland, you should buy your tickets and come support this fabulous film.
For updates on screenings and more inforation you can follow Bucksville on Facebook.
You can view the complete cast and crew info on the IMDB page for Bucksville.
You can also view the trailer and more info here on the Official Bucksville Website.
Arthur: A Short Film by John Jacobsen
I little while back I attended the private screening of Arthur, a short film directed by John Jacobsen. First, a couple words about John... John is an elegant, inspiring, humorous, hardworking, lovely, creative man who's "always live well" motto in life has inspired me in my life and travels. He was my acting coach from the time I was 18 until I moved to Los Angeles at 22. He really taught me the foundation of my acting technique that I use for every audition, scene and role I encounter. When I saw that John had directed a short film and was holding a screening, I was excited to see what he had put together. Here are the notes I jotted down during the nine minute short film: saturated, gorgeous depth of field, magical, Where the Wild Things Are, threatening, lonliness filled by imagination, complex, surprising. That's a lot of adjectives for one lil' movie! I don't want to say much about the film itself because it would be easy to give it all away. Arthur is screnning this weekend at the Seattle International Film Festival. If you're in Seattle you really should attend! It will be showing on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 1:30pm as a part of In Extremis, a collection of six short films about "life on-or over-the edge". If you attend, please come back and tell me what you thought!
Aaron Hart as Arthur. John working with Bhama Roget who plays Arthur's Mom.
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arthur/244741180399
So far, Arthur has been chosen as an official selection to the 2011 Sedona International Film Festival in Arizona and has recieved two Accolade Awards.
Credits:
Director: John Jacobsen Producer: Chris OliverEditor: Travis SternerScreenwriter: Joshua BourlandCinematographer: Eliot Rockett
Music: Charles-Henri AvelangePrincipal Cast: James Tobin, Sarah-Eve Gazitt, Bhama Roget, Ryan Winfield, J.P. Giuliotti, Aaron Hart
Me and G Do PDX.
Whew! Yesterday was cah-ray-zay! I had my first post-pregnancy audition so it was me and the babe on the town in Portland (locals refer to it as PDX) all day. It was a little hectic getting everything ready and together for our big day but somehow I managed and we had a fantastically busy day being girls on the town. I took pictures every hour throughout the day...
9am
A little embarrassing but this is what I looked like after attempting to put in curlers while breastfeeding.
10am
Drivin'.
11am
Eryn (casting director) holding G after my audition. Maybe this will help me get jobs? ;-)
12pm
Next up was a trip to REI where I considered getting this very responsible rain jacket that was on clearance. But... then I figured, I've made it 28 years in the Pacific NW without a rain jacket and I'd rather buy something less logical... like shoes!
2pm
Time for lunch at the Daily Cafe. I got this delicious salad which was very healthy and satisfying. However, the girl next to me got a big plate of fries and a cappuccino... I was jealous that I didn't think of it first.
3pm
A quick trip to Trader Joe's and a stop in to pick up my shoes from the repair shop!
4pm
Back at the casting office for a callback! Gigi needed a quick change of clothes after she peed all over the first set! Thank goodness I came prepared!
5pm
Back in the car after the callback ready to head home! We spent a bit of time sitting at stop lights. I knew I was going to be an hour late for class because the audition time went over. I was feeling a little stressed until I got a call that class was canceled! Woohoo!
6pm
Since I didn't have class and since the day had been so long, we decided to grab beer and burgers for dinner! I got the incredible XXX burger which has pickles and peanut butter on it with sweet potato fries. I know it sounds gross, but trust me, it's sooooooooo good. It's the only thing that keeps me from being a vegetarian.
7pm
Finally home.
Interview with Romi Dames
So...I think we've established that I'm passionate about quite a few things. But this blog isn't all about me, it's about the pursuit of passions. When I was in L.A. recently I spent some time with actress Romi Dames. I've gotten to know Romi little by little over the past several years because we share an agent. Romi has spent the past four years playing Traci on Hannah Montana. I chose to interview her for my blog because, not only is she passionate about acting, but she is kind, sweet and incredibly genuine.
Romi Dames
Kacie: Why did you start acting and what is it about acting that has kept you passionate about this career?
Romi: I started when I was nine in a community theater production of "Annie". I was a totally driven little kid. When I moved to Seattle, the first thing I did was flip open the Yellow Pages and call every theater in town, hunting down auditions. I've never given up, acting is my passion, my obsession. It's all I've ever wanted to do.
Kacie: With Hannah Montana ending, what are your hopes for your career moving forward?
You know, there's so much I want to do, it's overwhelming--every time I watch a really great performance I think, "I wish I was in that!". I want to do television and have a steady income, I want to have the excitement and variety of doing films. But you know, right now I'd settle for just being a steadily working actor. Acting is a scary career, there's no stability--once you wrap a production, there's no guarantee that there will ever be another job in the future. But I suppose that's also part of the rush each time I land a role.
Kacie: Do you have any encouraging advice for young fans?
Romi: Set small goals for yourself. Most people don't achieve their dreams overnight. Success comes in stages. Take classes, study your favorite actors, audition for plays.
Kacie: Finally, I know you’ve been doing a lot of charity events lately...what is the cause you are most passionate about?
Romi: Youth. I works with several organizations that specifically target youth. Covenant House (housing homeless youth and getting them back on their feet), Let Them Play (giving underprivileged kids a chance to participate in team sports), and the Starlight Foundation (supporting youth with serious illnesses) are a few of my favorites.
Me and Romi at an event in Hollywood.
Romi's link on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1689615/
Days 4, 5, and 6 in L.A.
Sorry it's taken me so long (a week actually) to finalize my L.A. Trip blog. I was so exhausted after coming home that I needed a while to reboot.
Thursday:
The morning was pretty quiet. I was possibly going to meet up briefly with my entertainment lawyer but it fell through so I spent the day relaxing and in the evening I got ready to go to a PR event with Romi Dames (Hannah Montana). I got dressed up a bit and then met her at her apartment before we headed into Hollywood to the Hollywood Museum for a dress unveiling. It was pretty interesting to say the least. The highlights were meeting Florence Henderson and Edith Shain, seeing the jail cell that housed Anthony Hopkins during the filming of Silence of the Lambs, and just having some time to spend with Romi.
Dress (Anthropologie), clutch (Tano), shoes (Corso Como)
(Me and Romi with Florence Henderson)
(Me with Edith Shain...Edith Shain on the cover of Life magazine)
(Me and Romi)
(The cell from Silence of the Lambs)
Friday:
I got up early and hopped on the 134W, then the 101N, then 405S and made my way slowly to into Santa Monica. The sun was warm and at 9:30 I had all the windows down so I didn’t even mind the traffic. I had a quick meeting with Rufus Sam Williams who directed Butterfly Dreaming. I had tea and a fresh waffle and enjoyed the company of his daughter Cleo. Then I headed over to meet with the very talented David Kennerly (Prod. Bucksville) who is a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer...he even snapped a few photos of me.
(Photo by David Hume Kennerly)
(Relaxing on Karman's patio... Dress (Jean Paul Gaultier for Target), Gladiator sandals (Frye))
After stopping at Cafe Luxxe for an Americano and a chocolate/almond crossiant, I started back for “home”. Once there I quickly decompressed before getting ready to take Karman’s headshots. By the end of the day I was truly exhausted!
(A quick example of Karman's headshot. Photo by me.)
(Cafe Luxxe 925 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403...the coffee is great and the people working there are fantastic.)
(Right across the street from Caffe Luxxe is an awesome little place called Father's Office that has a great beer and wine selection and the best burger I've ever had. Kyle and I used to frequent this spot when we lived in L.A. There's always a line when they're open but it's worth the wait...1018 Montana Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90403)
Saturday:
My last day in L.A....I got up early and headed into Los Feliz to Fred 62 to meet Ray Angelic (Prod. The Burning Plain) for breakfast. It was really fun to see him and our hour breakfast was over too quickly. I made my way back to Karman’s and we had coffee and I put my hair in pin curls while she set her hair in hot rollers. Puttering around the house with scarves tied around our heads we looked like to girls who belonged in a dorm in the 1950’s. For the rest of the day we took period-style headshots of each other. Then we headed for dinner at Prizzi’s Piazza (5923 Franklin Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90028)
(Example of our "Mad Men" style headshots.)
(Fred 62 1850 North Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90027)
So there it is....my whole week of fun and meetings and sunshine in L.A. I’m so glad to be back home but it was a great trip.
Days 2 and 3 in L.A.
Tuesday:
Tuesday was a pretty quite day, I spent the morning doing homework and then my agent and I headed for coffee to talk about my goals for the future. Then, I packed up my bags and headed over to my friend Karman’s house for an evening of girl talk and catching up. Karman is an extremely talented headshot photographer. I looked at hundreds of headshot photographer's pages in the LA Headshot Guidebook and booked her, flew down and had her take my first adult headshots when I was 18 or 19! We’ve remained friends ever since and she is so kind and lets me stay with her whenever I come to town. Now that I’m a professional photographer as well, she and I trade doing each others headshots. (www.kruschkephoto.com) She cleared me out a lovely little room of my own including an empty closet to hang my clothes and a queen-size Aerobed! Between the room, her big, sunny backyard and her natural joy, I am so happy to be here with her.
(My room at Karman's house)
(Me and Karman)
Wednesday:
I got up yesterday and we had a bit of coffee out back in the sun (I LOVE LA!) and then we started to get ready to do the first two (out of three looks) of my headshots. Although it’s a lot of work, we had so much fun! I'm so excited because we got exactly what I had in mind!
(Previews of the first two looks)
After wrapping up the shoot for the day I zipped off for a nice long walk around Los Feliz with Deborah Dion who is a wonderful casting director and a great mentor. We walked and talked and, despite a brief pause to poach some tape from an L.A. County Notice to cover the blisters forming on my heels (Note to self: Always wear socks.), we had a very nice time. Deborah’s advice to me is always invaluable and clarifying and the snippets of time I get to spend with her are always the cherry on top of my L.A. trips. This week is going by so quickly and in a couple of days I’ll be home. Sometimes I can’t wait to leave and get back to my little life knowing that I invested in something that’s important to me, but this time I’m already feeling a little sad about leaving.
Day 1 in LA
Sunday:
I arrived in LA, picked up my rental car and zoomed out of the parking lot with the windows down. As I drove along the peculiar concrete of the LA freeway I felt truly happy to be back down here. It seemed like so long since I’d been here in LA and I was excited for my week to start. I went to Trader Joe’s to pick up some healthy snacks and got settled in at my agent’s apartment in Glendale...somehow Glendale seems much nicer than when I lived here before....maybe it’s the fact that her neighbors aren’t drug dealers...just a thought.
Monday:
I didn’t fall asleep until late on Sunday night and I must have been exhausted from my weekend in Portland and my flight because I didn’t wake up until 10:15! I showered and got ready for my first meeting and headed out to The Aroma Cafe in Studio City. It’s a fantastic place and one of my favorite spots in LA . There's always a line out the door but it's worth it! They’ve got great food (the Cobb salad is my favorite) and in the back there’s shaded seating, sparrows chirping and lots of lovely people sipping cappuccinos. I met Rene Haynes (Eclipse, New Moon, Butterfly Dreaming, The New World) there for a coffee which quickly turned into a three-hour lunch before we realized it. I met Rene working on Butterfly Dreaming and although my scene was ultimately cut from the film, I have remained in contact with Rene and see her whenever I’m here. I really value her advice, her sense of humor and her honesty and she’s a joy to spend time with. By the time I left Aroma it was five o’clock and I came back here to my agent’s place to relax and do some homework. I swung by Anthropolgie at the gorgeous outdoor mall (which was definitely not here when I lived here before) to pick out some blouses for my headshot shoot on Wednesday. So far I don’t have any big plans for tomorrow besides a morning meeting with my agent to talk about my acting goals!
(The Aroma Cafe 4360 Tujunga Ave. Studio City, CA 91604)
Hollywood Bound
I will be heading to Los Angeles for the first week of May to spend some time catching up on all the things I miss about being a L.A. based aspiring actress. There’s catching up with my agent who is letting me stay with her... (My agent doesn't look like this.) Meeting up with a few incredible casting directors who, in many ways have acted as my Fairy-God-Mothers in the industry, helping me stay sane, confident and occasionally having me audition for wonderful projects... Having new headshots taken by my friend and photographer... (Photo by Karman Kruschke www.kruschkephoto.com) Hopefully getting a good and much needed dose of Vitamin D... and having a bit of time there always makes me feel more connected to an important part of myself. It’s a week of non-stop acting work. So in a few days I’ll be hopping on board a plane with my ingenue wardrobe packed and headed to LA LA Land. It’s always fun to embrace my “alter-ego” and have opportunities to dedicate myself to acting. While there are no guarantees about meetings, auditions and other such things, it’s a great opportunity for me to have a break from the day to day. As far as I’m concerned the best way for me to see what my life really looks like, and therefore the best way for me to make decisions about my life, is to step back from it for a moment. Where better to go for a reality check than LA... right??? I’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the adventure highlights. Hmmm....