It’s funny. When you get started in acting, you aren’t dreaming about your first commercial gig—I know I wasn’t—but honestly, it was a great experience. The best part was that I didn’t even audition. My agent called me and asked me to show up at a studio, and I went to work. Turns out, they were in a bind; talent dropped at the last minute or something, and my agent sent them over a few headshots, and they picked mine.
Overall it was a lot of fun, and I learned a few things from the experience:
- While not auditioning seems great, you also have no idea what you’re doing on set; this didn’t turn out to be a problem but I had to pick it all up quickly
- Never be so grateful for an opportunity that you show up unaware of what you are doing. I had no idea who the client was, that I would need to eat something, etc.
- Hurry up and wait is real and I love it. Being paid to wait is such a gift to a person like me. I loved sitting and working, or reading, or crocheting. I honestly have no problem waiting.
I still can’t believe I got paid to act, and this is only a few months after finishing conservatory training.
