Will Gets His Star

So the other day I was driving through the grubby wasteland that is Hollywood and came across a crowd of camera waving fans. Fans of what, I wondered. Was it a premiere? No, in fact it was a Star ceremony on the Walk of Fame. The recipient - Will Smith.

Will had yet to arrive, so I pulled into a rare parking spot and stood amongst the excited throng, waiting across the street from Graumann's Chinese Theatre, to catch a glimpse of a true A-list star. After 30 minutes of jostling (and curses thrown at drivers who chose to stop and block our view), Will Smith arrived looking remarkably like Will Smith. He gave a sweet little speech about his meeting with Mandela and how the former President of South Africa shared an experience from his 27 years in captivity.

The prisoners saw one movie a year, and it so happened that they screened "In the Heat of the Night" that particular year. Mandela noticed an edit where something had been cut out by the censors, and asked through his channels what that might be. He discovered it was the scene where Sydney Poitier slapped Rod Steiger. At that moment, he said, he discovered the true power of film for change. If a Black man could be shown to strike a White man in an American film, then film was a powerful force.

Whether or not that made Will feel better about making $20m a picture, I do not know. I do know that Will always delivers. And even Elvis (albeit an Elvis impersonator on Hollywood Blvd), was captivated by the man of the hour. I managed to take this snap of him without him asking me for the customary 5 bucks. So we all went home happy, I guess. Some of us are just on a different list. The "no-one's really heard of me yet but they might one day" list. And that's promising.

"Yet" is a powerful thing, too.

You can throw the word at the end of any task or goal you've yet to complete or accomplish, and turn the whole thing around. Make it a positive.

Eg: I haven't started my diet..yet.

Or: I haven't done the dishes...yet.

You haven't done them yet, but the implication is that you will, sometime in the not-too-distant future. You WILL get to them. You WILL get it done.

So may I bid you a fond and festive farewell and wish that all your "yets" become yesses in the not-too-distant future!

Happy Holidays!

Lights On

Well we're there finally. My episode of Moonlight airs tonight at 9pm Pacific on CBS. Here's this week's storyline:

When a cult target a young woman based on their belief that she was responsible for their leader's death, Mick offers to help her.

I get to play the cult's leader, Donovan Shepherd, whose death may be a little less final than everyone would like to believe. (And whose most terrifying weapon is his hair) I couldn't resist but give a little snap of just how creepy this guy is. Definitely a departure from my Mr Nice Guy.

I don't think I'll be booking any baby sitter roles after this one...

I Saw the Moonlight

Great news. I get to play two of my longtime character dreams in one role. Can't go into detail (as usual), except to say I'm a guest star on new TV show Moonlighting, which follows vampire investigator (or investigating vampire) Mick as he solves crimes and battles evil. The show was Number 1 in it's Friday night slot last week, so a good episodic to get on!

I also read for a feature called The Human Contract, written and directed by Jada Pinkett Smith. Got to meet Jada, too, which was a treat. She was really warm and engaging and yes - she is gorgeous.

Moonlight airs Friday nights on CBS. Look out for a very different, follicly enhanced Gideon five weeks from now.

You won't be inviting this character over to babysit the kids...

Greetings from Temecula

Indie coming-of-age feature Greetings From the Shore opens the Temecula film festival today and I'm off to check it out. It's my first film festival (I know - you'd think I go to these all the time), so I'm keen to see what's what. I played a supporting role of a Russian sailor who's a migrant laborer on the Jersey shore.

Leads Kim Shaw and David Fumero are great as the unlikely couple who hook up one summer. It was a great opportunity working in the picture postcard town of Lavalette and to play with the gang, which included good buds Lars Arentz-Hansen and Ron Geren - and our intrepid leader, Greg Chwerchak.

For more info, you can visit the Temecula Film Fest website.
There's also a great review of the film HERE.

Apparently we get ferried to the red carpet in vintage cars! I can see the puzzled expressions on people's faces now, as I cruise by in my open-top MG: "Who the %&$# is that?!"

Hehehe.

Not a bad way to spend your birthday...

Hair

Not the musical. Real hair. Folicles. I'm talking about that dead tissue that collects and gathers round the neck. Mine is clearly growing out of control, thanks in part to recent movie role that required me not to touch it. 8 weeks after that request I have a mop that no-one would touch - not even me. The Malawian government even has a phrase for it: "Hair falling in bulk to the collar". It's illegal!

I blame Armenia. Or at least one of it's flock; my hairdresser Marta, who decided to "retire" and not tell me. Quite why a woman in her 30s feels the need to retire from hair dressing is beyond me. Maybe she grew tired of looking at scalps all day. Maybe there's a breaking point at around 10,000 heads. Or maybe it's just me.

In any event (and this really IS an event) I have no stylist. I'm not shy to say it, but I like my stylist. She cuts my hair well. Very well. Better in fact than any of her predecessors. She's also the only person to touch my hair since I moved to the States 4 years ago. And now she's gone. And I do not want to jump on just anyone's stool. I've done that before and it's not a happy place - I am always the guinea pig for some new style that has yet to (and will probably never) catch on. It doesn't matter if I say "Just a little off the front please". I'll get a short back 'n sides. It's inevitable.

So in the meantime, I have a mullet in training. And at the risk of this sounding awfully similar to a, well, similar post I made a couple years ago, I am in sore need of a snip. It's not easy, people. If they get carried away, I need to get new headshots. And headshots in LA don't come cheap. So it's really a critical business decision. (He said hastily, to avoid casting assertions on his own sexuality)

That said, business is good. I've booked a couple of video game voices since being back home. No acting work - only 2 castings. No callbacks. Maybe that's cos the voices are off-camera.

Hmmmm...

I might have a point there...

Back to Work

..or looking for work. Yes, I'm back in LA at last. Haven't missed not driving for 5 weeks - it's convenient having a driver. Very convenient. Reduced stress. You can drink without the fear of being pulled over. Funnily, most taxi drivers in Bulgaria drive with a little plastic cup - of espresso. Love it. They'll come to a traffic light and have a little sip. I could be a taxi driver too, if the coffee's good. I would need a sound proof partition for my passengers, though - I can't stand back seat drivers. Nor do I enjoy laughter. From anyone. I always think they're laughing at me. Which makes me rather angry. And potentially violent. And if I kill or maim a client, I may lose my taxi license and there goes my dream gig right there.

Also my neck's a little stiff today. Not sure if I could handle all the craning around to look at Jeff and Janet as they dig for their change in oversized leather bags. While they giggle and snort. I hate snorting. I snort too, on occasion. That's not good. I've grown less and less fond of Jeff the more I think about him. Janet's a little better. But not much.

Speaking of soundproofing, here's a snap of my home studio. Because I clearly have nothing of any import to impart. I like my mic. I like it more than Jeff.

He sounds almost life-like!

So I'm finally on the home stretch of the Train shoot. Only a few days left. Tomorrow I film my death scene. Buckets of blood, I tell you. In the meantime, a telephonic interview I did for South African website TVSA just posted online, to coincide with the SA screening of the 24 episode I'm in. It's a playable or downloadable podcast, which means you can just click on the pic of me and enjoy 10 minutes of my warbling on about life in LA and how I got the gig opposite Jack Bauer. Strictly for the committed fans I imagine, but nevertheless here's the link to the TVSA interview.

I sound more South African in this soundbite than I ever did back home. Strange that, but I think that's what LA-LA land does to a foreigner - makes him/her desperately try to assert some sense of identity. Funny.

That's all from Sofia. More news soon...

Just another bloody day at the office

Shooting is coming along nicely here in Sofia, despite a heatwave that has seen temperatures soar up to the mid 40sC (>110F). It's made a few members of the crew a little light headed and giggly. Which is probably preferable to violent outbursts with heavy metal piping.

This is me near my trailer. No, not the crate in the background, although it does look somewhat similar. My bloody look is just the start of what happens. There are some truly horrific moments in the film which, being a horror, there should be. Equally scary is some of the food we have encountered. The perennially popular "shopska salad" seems like a safe bet, until it arrives; a mountain of grated white cheese smothering (one hopes) a few tired lettuce leaves.

Doing my best to embrace the culture, I have also partaken of a popular local drink of sour milk/yoghurt with a delicate sprinkling of dill. It's definitely an acquired taste served, as it is, at room temperature (read: warm). The people are great, but one would do well to learn some Bulgarian, as few locals speak English. I've learned enough to order a cheese and tomato sandwich, coffee, ice for my soda (which doesn't come unless requested), and the obligatory bill please, thank you, good day and good night.

And with that I shall bid you leka nosht!

Goodbye to a Legend

Renowned South African actor, Bill Flynn, passed away suddenly wednesday, after suffering what appears to be a heart attack. He was only 58. Bill was instrumental in my getting started in the business. My first professional production was the annual panto, and Bill was playing the Dame. He was excruciatingly funny and brought the house down every night. I played a few characters and had a little stand-up bit during a set change. Bill was kind enough to introduce me to his agent after a performance and I was on my way.

I had the pleasure of working with him on two more occasions - in Paul Slab's rugby farce "Heel Against the Head" and as Bernard opposite his Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman". In Heel, Bill could be a terror; whispering something that only I could hear, trying to corpse me. He got me the first time (and a few more) - you were putty in his hands. It took every fiber of my being not to get caught again. I was so furious I was determined to get him back and, for the rest of the run, devised all manner of plans to break him onstage in revenge.

I finally settled on a comment on a business card that my character handed him. I was so excited for my corpse I could barely contain myself. When the moment came to hand him the thing, Bill merely looked at it, dryly (and only audible to me, of course) read my "clever" comment back to me - and I cracked up. He corpsed me with my own damn corpse! Brilliant.

His Willy Loman, on the other hand, showed how he could blow a dramatic role out the park. The production won pretty much every award going. There's a scene where Willy sees how far Bernard has come, in stark contrast to his own son. When Bill turned to go, he looked upstage at me with such sadness and loss I nearly cried every night. I felt so privileged - no-one ever saw that look but me.

Bill was one of the warmest people I've ever met. A comic genius, a dramatic powerhouse, a talented singer (even though he tended always towards the spoof) and an inspiration to other actors, generous on stage and off. I will miss his voice, his ever-expanding monologues, his business, his passion, his love, his Dr Spock death grip (damn he was strong) and his multitude of characters. Nearly 200 plays, dozens of films and TV credits, numerous best actor awards, thousands of voice-overs and millions of memories for all of us.

Thank you, my friend. Thank you for everything. I love you. I am standing with you and Paul at the Baxter now. We've finished the show, taken off our make-up, you've had a drag of my cigarette. We've said good-bye to the last of the people at the bar and climbed the long staircase after the show. We stop at the top, just before the exit and gaze upward at the orange domes. We shift slightly, to position ourselves perfectly in the middle, to maximize the acoustics. Perfect. Then, with as much conviction as possible (ie: milking it), we deliver that movie trailer guy's voice...

"It has been buried for thousands of years. A mystery, a secret, a key to our past, and maybe... our future"

Gonna miss you.

The Train is at the Station

I find myself in Sofia, Bulgaria, about to shoot a movie called Train. It's a horror set in Bulgaria (funny that), that centers around a college wrestling team who inadvertently board the wrong train. A train to hell. Or something like that. I play the coach's assistant, who knows nothing about wrestling. Quite fitting really, as I know absolutely nothing about wrestling, too.

It's a beautiful country to fly over, and as charming and gritty as Prague or Slovenia. Can't say much more, as I've only been here a couple hours. But will report more when it happens.

Oh yeah - that's the view from my bedroom. Not half bad...

And He made Man (-ish)

As a part of my ongoing mission to bring you the latest grammar maladies, I present to you the following casting breakdown, posted earlier today:

Mr Earth USA Candidates

Lead / Male / All Ethnicities / 18 - 35 /
Were looking for a male candidate who are intrested in having the title of MR. EARTH USA 2007. He will symbolyses the masculinity of man at any angle of ethnicity, and to show the flexibility of man towards different issues in life.

The Candidates chosen to become the next Mr. Earth - USA Pageant 2007 should have the characteristic of attaining their own individualism, intelligence, talent and leadership. By this, he’ll create a once in a lifetime experience; his life will be forever change and will make a difference in touching the life of others.

I don't know about you, but Mr Earth isn't bad. I'd put it somewhere between Mr America and Mr Universe. Also, I think I've attained my own intelligence and I've been looking for a forever change.

Cool. Interested? Check.

Next step: to symbolyses the masculinity of man...got the equipment...check.

Now the hard part. To do that at any angle of ethnicity!

Hmmm... Tricky one, kids. Tricky.

I guess one could be masculine from most angles but, in all fairness, even the most butch guy can look a little girly when he's sleeping in fetal position, walking a very small fluffy dog, or delicately picking at a Caesar salad. Wait a second - he's gotta be masculine at any angle of ethnicity! Whether black, white, asian or mixed race, sporting dreads, crewcut, afro or bald - he must be masculine from any angle and, presumably, all of the above SIMULTANEOUSLY!

Think of the layering, the make-up, the dizzying choreography...

It's a tall order. No wonder they're offering a first prize of $1000 for the ultimate multi-ethnic macho man. Oh- and the "possibility" of a 6 month modeling contract. I'm in! I'm gonna have a Chinese face, mixed race legs, white arms and a black torso (all the way down). Waaaaait - what's this?

Audition Note
Please bring a beach wear for proper screening of candidates

Oh man, I just KNEW there'd be a catch. I don't have a beach wear. And why do I have to screen candidates? Is this for the position of judge? Why can't I wear an office wear? Maybe this isn't the competition for me. I could do with the $1000, but let's get real here. I'll never win.

I can spell.

The costmer is always right?

Its sad when you have to say goodye to a loved one. I love my car, but not so much after my local mechanic, Sam, quoted me $890 for repairs. I said I didn't have 890 bucks to spend - what was most urgent? "well, it's all urgent". Wonderful, I said. What's the MOST urgent? I can pay you for the most urgent part of that yummy lumpsum, or go somewhere else. I'm sure you can find one thing to fix. Sam gave it some thought, and managed to russle up $188 for 2 radiator hoses, antifreeze and labor.

Nice.

I just knew he could rise to the challenge.

Best of all, I now have a concise report of what repairs are outstanding:

"ECT sensore is foulty. Engine mount are came af part advise. The costmer."

I kid you not. Now, I don't know what to be more concerned about - Sam's grammar or his scare tactics. The engine mounts "are came af part"? Pretty scary stuff. Also, that's past tense, isn't it? This already happened, so my engine must be lying on a stretch of tarmac on Ventura Blvd somewhere. Meanwhile, my car is still driving. Not bad. No engine = no emissions, right? I may have the first inadvertant hybrid. Shoot, I'm beyond hybrid. I don't need ANY gas to power a car with no engine. Think of the money I'm going to save. Cool! I'm feeling pretty darn peachy now.

On a side note, last week AT&T offered Emery Gidoen the oportunity to switch to their new improved telephone service. Sounds great. If I come across Mr Gidoen, I'll certainly pass the info along...

The Battle Begins

Well, our little 4min mini-episode of Battlestar Gallactica is up online, as the featured video on scifi.com's
Battlestar Gallactica page.

Or you can access the movie directly here. Please drop in and take a look and if you like it, post a comment. We had a blast shooting it and, with some luck, may get to see it on the TV one day...

I would post an image here, except Blogger seems to be having issues with uploaded photos. I tried repeatedly to upload a jpeg and comes up with an error message saying "only jpeg" format. Huh? I'll upload when I can.

Thanks for reading and thanks for watching!

EDIT: Lindsey - thanks for letting me know about the problem link!

Gid.

Revelation

Thanks for the comments on my last post! Great to know you're out there!

It's been a little quiet, so I thought I'd be productive. I stumbled across a challenge on scifi.com, to come up with your own mini episode of Battlestar Gallactica. Basically you have a max of 4 min to showcase your creative effort, which can be enhanced with actual sound and video clips from the show. When you're done, upload it and, if approved, they post it online. Best part is, producer David Eick will choose one entry to be aired during an episode of the show!

So I turned off the computer and wrote a piece. Buddy Phil Miller lit and shot it for me, and talented actors James Babson and Ana Alexander jumped on board. We filmed in an oil change bay, essentially, which could have been deep inside Gallactica, for all anyone knows. I think it turned out pretty well. Lemme know what you think. The premise is deliberately absurd, but the goal was to treat it seriously. I can't post the vid here or anywhere else for that matter, as the rules stipulate that all entries exclusively belong to scifi. However, I can give you the link to where it will (hopefully) appear.

This will take you to the sci-fi Battlestar Gallactica page. The videos appear as thumbnails. Look out for our one called REVELATION. If you like it, please post a comment on the site. You could help us get on the air!

Thanks again and have a great weekend! Gid.

Back from the Dead

Well I'm finally back to blogging. Sorry for the long delay, but my Mac's demise set off a creative drought. So what's news? Well, for one thing, a little short I acted in, called Sex Drive (family friendly - no, really!) is a finalist in the New York Minute Film Festival. Dunno when they announce the winner/s, but here it is.

My episode of 24 aired a few weeks back and I was happy to see nearly everything made the cut - except for Keifer's turn and look to me with a "thank you". So I guess that shoulder wound proved lethal... Dammit. That'll teach me for helping Jack Bauer. When will we learn? If you're interested, you can see my Russian character on my updated showreel.

I shot 2 episodes of Passions recently. Played a prisoner who is part of a rather elaborate gender-bending misidentification plotline. Don't ask - it confused me, too. Good fun though - a great bunch of people and a REALLY fast shooting machine. We did 6 scenes in under 2 hours - that's really fast.

I aaaaaalmost filmed an episode of Greys Anatomy this week. Was on hold and then released. But good to come close - and what a show to be on! Guess I'll have to meet Izzy another time...

Oh - and I read for the role of Larry Birkhead in the Anna Nicole movie that's swung into production. They waste no time, those Hollywood producers.

And that's about it. Except to say that summer has made a triumphant return and I'm desperate to move out the Valley's heat. If I stay here much longer only 2 fates await: the outward transition to Jack Palance or porn star fluffer. Neither are terribly appealing...

Interview Unearthed

I was trawling the net, as I often do, and discovered this interview clip which I'd all but forgotten giving. So here it is, for you to have a peek at me doing my best at Q+A. Damn, actors are boring when they're not acting...

Primeval hits theaters this Friday!

The adventure thriller I worked on last year gets a Jan 12 release, bumped up from its original April date. I play the English scientist Matt Collins. Do I make it out alive? You'll have to see it to find out... Hehehe. Once it's going, it's a helluva ride that doesn't let up. And it's shot in beautiful South Africa, so come on - check it out when it hits your town.

There are a few trailers running around, not to mention a billboard and poster blitz in LA. Here's a taste...

FOX for Christmas

After a looong downtime, I have finally returned to my blog. Sorry blog, sorry blog readers. The reason is thanks to a busy end to the year and a long overdue getaway. Visited San Francisco which is such a beautiful city. Had a wonderful holiday; walked miles of hilly streets, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, visited Alcatraz, had the best pasta of my life in North Beach and ate enough clam chowder for future generations. Oh - and I bought a beret. Nicole convinced me to try one on and now I have an alternative to the grubby old baseball cap. I'd like to think I look sauve and Euro-chic in the thing. I may just look creepy. The jury is out...

Last year tailed off nicely as I got to voice the character of Dr Doom for the upcoming game Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XII continues to impress me, as the mails keep coming. Thank you so much to all of you who wrote in with your kind words. I have attempted to respond to each message personally, but if a few slipped thru the cracks, please know I am touched. Great to know that other people enjoy what you enjoy doing!

Now to the title of this post. I was blown away by the opportunity to work on 24 for FOX. I play a character called Leon, which is as much as I'm allowed to say. But I got to work with the outstanding Kiefer Sutherland, who, like his father, is a consummate pro. Look out for me in Episode 13 ("6pm - 7pm") of the new series (6).

Hope you all had a great holiday, whomever and wherever you are. Here's to a rewarding 2007, full of love, laughter, joy and fulfilment!