Headshots, Casting and Chance meetings

So after somehow finding myself auditioning in front of a casting director to become an extra in movies the other day, I surprised myself by actually being rather good at it, thus got told I had to call a number and ask for a Teresa at 9.20am the following day. I honestly had no idea what the hell was going on, all I wanted was to be put on some 'extras in waiting' list or something, and the next time extras are required I'd simply get a call or email.

Teresa answers my call "Ah Aaron, yes thanks for calling. Ok well yesterday went well so let's get you signed up shall we? What I need from you is some printed professional headshots and a resume' detailing your acting experience, background, and any skills you might have"

... seriously?

Speaking to Teresa just presented more questions than it answered... I am now more lost than ever. But whatever, I'll roll with it. I inform her that I have none of those things, so she gives me directions on how to get some professional headshots done and acting resume's made. Headshots... really? I hate photographs as it is, now I get to hate professionally taken ones also? Yay.

I manage to do all that in the morning (yes... I actually went and got professional headshots taken ha!), then go meet with Teresa in the afternoon. She's unavailable, instead I meet the manager of the casting place. The guy was hilarious! Although he wasn't trying to be funny in the slightest, I just found him to be so in general, he depicted the pinnacle of what a movie producer is all about. 45 years old, silver suit, silver shaved hair, talked extremely fast and was constantly distracted. During our interview he cracked me up when his phone rang, he looks at who's calling, sighs and says to himself "I don't have time for this right now" and just lets it ring out ha!

The guy loved me for some reason, I don't know why, and took one of my headshots for himself. That was a few days ago now and since then I have been to a few more interviews and have heard 'your information has been passed onto the producers' a few times also. I know it's extremely likely that nothing will come out of it all, but I love to take risks so I guess we shall see.

Foolishly optimistic perhaps? Probably!

We shall see!

So all this job searching and casting auditions and interviews have happened in the last five days since my failed attempt to get to San Francisco, and I have been staying in a hostel in the heart of Downtown L.A (since my old hostel was completely booked for the week, but I am really loving Downtown surprisingly!). I haven't seen anyone I know the entire time, nor have I made any new friends either (was having too much fun on my own strangely), so you can imagine my surprise however when I return back from the interview with the casting manager I just talked about above where, against all odds, I run into Julia (whom you will recall as one of my first and best L.A friends) and another good friend Pedro, both of whom just happened to be staying in my hostel that night, despite the fact that Pedro has his own house to stay at, and Julia was meant to have had flown out of America already!

"What are you guys doing here! Julia, you are meant to be back home in Germany by now!"

I just couldn't believe that after saying goodbye to Julia last week when I was leaving for San Francisco, that somehow we have managed to meet up yet again. So easily I could have arrived literally only 10 seconds earlier or later and I would have completely missed them.

Julia was in the most depressing of states, she'd just spent literally the last 24 hours at the airport, unable to fly out due to trouble with her credit card... yep she slept, ate, cried and stressed at the airport for an entire day and night! She was now due to fly out tomorrow instead. And Pedro was there helping her out.

I on the other hand was in amazing spirits because after five days of complete solitude I realized I was getting pretty antsy for some social interaction.

"Guys, let's grab some dinner!" I screamed too loudly suggested coolly.

We then spent the next four hours chatting away, having the absolute best time, and it was awesome to get Julia's spirits up after her ordeal.

Julia in much better spirits

Me and Pedro

So with that we got to give Julia a final happy moment to remember for her last day on her world trip, something she did not expect to have! And I got to have some completely unexpected fun instead of sitting quietly on my own for the night, amazing.

Then the next morning they were gone, and I was in solitude in a hostel in Downtown Los Angeles looking for jobs once more. They are already missed.