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Elite Fan
Joined: Jul 2005
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You've heard about starving artists in Hollywood. If you're an acting hopeful, it's the same story: Don't expect to make a living in Tinseltown. Get a real job.
Not necessarily true, says actor Kurtwood Smith, aka Reginald "Red" Forman on television's "That '70s Show."
There are all kinds of opportunities for success in the world of film and TV, Smith told Pescadero High School students Thursday.
In many niches in that world, he said, "It's a job you can make a living doing."
Smith's visit to Pescadero High came about through his longtime friend Bruce Krempetz, now part-time drama teacher there.
It is part of a new program Krempetz is introducing to the school through the elective drama classes. He wants to bring a wide range of speakers who are stage or film professionals to speak to the students. Smith was the first.
Besides actors, Krempetz, who also has taught drama at La Honda Elementary and the Pescadero middle school, has a range of speakers in mind: directors, costume and set designers, lighting and sound technicians.
"I want to get kids ready," he said. "There are a lot of opportunities in the business."
On Thursday, the students seemed jazzed by the opportunity to see and hear Smith, who has appeared regularly with "That '70s Show," "Star Trek" and "The Zeta Project," as well as in films including "RoboCop," and the "Dead Poets Society."
"I thought it was pretty cool that he would speak to a small school," said junior Julie Silva.
Smith began his talk in the school's theater packed with students and a few teachers, with a brief biographical sketch. Born in Wisconsin, he attended Santa Clara University and got his MFA at Stanford University and taught college briefly. While he always liked film, he had not considered a career in it until he joined an actors' union and tried it.
His talk covered aspects of a film and television actor's career and life, from the business of acting to minutiae like work hours. He spoke of getting his break with a film featuring Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams, and about actors he had worked with including Sylvester Stallone and Robin Williams.
He highlighted the importance of networking in the industry. He sketched the difference between an agent, who basically alerts an actor to possible roles, and a manager, who takes a more personal and interactive role in the actor's developing career.
His presentation was sprinkled with laughter and students' questions. What was Williams like, one asked.
"Robin makes everyone laugh," Smith answered. "He's a good-hearted, great guy."
Was it weird working with Stallone, another asked.
"Sometimes," Smith replied, getting laughs.
He spoke at length about the differences between acting for stage, television and film. With plays, he said, you rehearse for several weeks, giving time to build your character and interact with the others. You perform in a run that goes from a few weeks to "unlimited" if it's in New York.
In TV, you rehearse an episode for about a week, and the performance is shot on single to multiple cameras which capture several angles and perspectives.
In TV, he said, "It's a show a week, in-depth rehearsal for a few hours" with revision from directors and writers. "There are four cameras looking at you, who move when you do."
Films are generally shot with one camera, with multiple takes (there are fewer in television.) The work day on a film set, he said, can run 12 hours, longer on Saturdays.
"There are tradeoffs," he said.
Successful actors become small corporations, he said. "Once you get going in this, the more successful you become, the larger you are, you're a corporation," he said. "You have a manager, agents, publicity people, personal assistant, accountants" and more.
What happens if your project goes sour, someone asked.
That fortunately hadn't been his experience, Smith said. Some films can turn out "not bad enough to be enjoyable, just bad." He cited only one he'd had, in which the director was inept and chaos ensued.
"Most of the time, that doesn't happen," he said.
He urged the students when next they attended a movie, to sit and watch the credits with their lists of the film's tech and support people.
"All those people worked on that movie and got paid for working on that movie," he remarked.
Asked about reality television, Smith remarked that, "Reality shows go in cycles, but people always come back to stories," he said. "Reality shows are interesting and there will probably always be a place for them."
What's it like, someone asked, playing the bad guy, which Smith often has? "You get all the great lines," he said with a laugh.
Is there improvisation in comedy shows? No, Smith said, unless they feature proven stars of the stature of a Robin Williams. "By and large, comedy is built," he said.
Smith left quickly after the presentation, which earned hearty applause from the students, but felt it had been a success. He'd covered many opportunities in the business. "These aren't things kids think about until later," he said.
"It inspired me to act more," said eighth-grader Jose Resendiz, who says acting will be a part of his future life. "He talked about (becoming an actor) but he didn't find out until he tried it. That really inspired me."
"He realized in college he wanted to act, and look where he is now," said junior Kelsey Harrison.
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