Taking the road much traveled by

A couple of months ago, I had a gig interpreting for a Korean director working with Hollywood actors for an animated film. I attended the auditions, the decision-making, and the actual recording of the entire film (which was very entertaining and educational!). On the last day, the casting director paid me a compliment on my interpreting skills, said I had a potential to be a great director, and told me to give her a call if I ever wanted to become an actress. (Sometimes, I had to "act out" the subtle, understated acting of the director so that's probably where she saw the potential.)

So a month later, I sent her my resume and headshot and scheduled a phone meeting. She gave me some advice on how to go about doing things one of which was taking an acting class for TV and film since all of my acting has been on stage. She also gave me some websites to poke around in to start making connections and find an agent. She is also casting for a film in LA soon, and she said we can lunch and chat some more when she's in town (she's based in New York). Having worked with her, I could tell she really cared about the actors she knew and worked with so I felt like I could trust her.

I have been busy applying for a grant for some translation work and editing some chapters of a book, so I have been putting that off. But now that I am all done with it, I have scheduled to audit an acting class by a renowned acting coach in LA.

Frankly, I am scared to death of the entire prospect of forging a career in acting. If I think about it logically, there is nothing to be afraid of--I've got nothing to lose! But Hollywood is such a foreign place and I am scared to go alone. Auditioning for operas is nothing because I am familiar with it. Maybe it's because Hollywood seems so intimidating and I feel like I have to climb Mt. Everest to succeed. Maybe I am scared of the pressure I will put on myself. But I am gonna try. I know I'll regret it if I don't.

I am auditing the class tomorrow, so I will tell you all about it. (If anyone else wants to join me, holler! It would be less nerve-racking to have a nerve-racked buddy. :))