The child selling hotdogs in The Wizard of Oz is speaking
I’ve done the unthinkable. After years of going back and forth between sharing my journey or going at it alone, I’ve turned thirty and decided: Fuck it. Nothing about being a poor, striving actress is easy. In fact, it’s a solid 1/10—would not recommend to a regular human. This business is full of rejection and hearing the word “no.” It’s easy to feel like you’re not good enough or that you aren’t meant to be doing this.
But I’m here to tell you: you’re meant to do it.
If you wake up in the morning thinking about acting, if you watch a film and are blown away by the subtle facial movements, the vocal choices, and the magic happening behind the camera, you’re meant for this. I personally can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. Acting is the love of my life. Besides my wonderful partner, Will, it’s the most important thing in my world.
I’ve been obsessed with acting since I was little. Born on August 8th (yes, a Leo—how shocking), I started doing plays in elementary school. I was so bad that they created a part for me in The Wizard of Oz just so I could participate. When I got to high school, I joined the theatre program, and, again, I was… not great. I auditioned for the community production of Beauty and the Beast with an overly sexual rendition of “Roxie” from Chicago.“The name on everybody’s lips is gonna be…”
Not me.
I didn’t even land a background role.
But something changed during my junior year. I don’t know what sparked it, but we had auditions for Steel Magnolias, and I went for M’Lynn. I felt something so deeply during that (admittedly overdone) monologue. By the end, I was sobbing:
I could jog all the way to Texas and back, but my daughter can’t! She never could!
Oh, Sally Field, how we love you.
I got the role—and every lead role after that.
After graduating, I moved to Wilmington because of the film industry here. One year later, the entire industry moved to Atlanta, where I had just left. Fast forward ten years: I have an agent, I’m SAG-eligible, and I’m still the same 15-year-old belting “Roxie” at a Beauty and the Beast audition.
With this blog, I’m going to share updates on my auditions (with video proof of the atrocities). I’ll share tips on at-home audition setups, techniques, acting books, colleges, and the actors I’m currently obsessed with. I hope you enjoy this journey with me—and that I crush it, just like North Gwinnett High School’s 2009 Steel Magnolias performance!
just let me have that one okay?
Laina
