Reel Love, Part Deux

Hi Hi Hi!

Updates, updates, updates! I know that's why you're here, right? Because you're somehow invested in my career? Maybe we're related, maybe we met once, maybe you hate me, I don't know. Maybs you're just bored. I just want to give you what you want! Let's face it, I'm not writing about the election or offering witty advice (who wants self-help tips from a 24-year-old anyway? Apparently a lot of people, according to Random House/Lena Dunham, but still).

It's been a fun month in my work world and life. I turned 24 (yikes! Only one more year to get famous!!), and I wrapped shooting If We Were Adults, which was a pretty stellar experience...stellar rehearsals, great cast and crew -- it all went so smoothly and reminded me why I love being on set. How does that cheesy but true quote go? "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life," by some guy named Confucius or something? Well that guy was right, I must confess. Waking up at dawn to drive to set rarely feels like the negative connotation of "work" (especially if said set has a Nespresso machine at crafty. That's on my wish list, if anyone wants to buy me a belated Birthday present or a "just because" gift!!). I'm excited to see the movie once it's finished! Here are a couple stills from the shoot:

I know I said earlier that I wouldn't be engaging in any political commentary, but I have to mention that I was involved in making an internet PSA for the Obama campaign, thanks to my voice teacher/mentor/dear friend Beth. Hanging out with like-minded artists who were donating their time for this cause last Sunday was kinda magical, and there wasn't much "acting" involved. We were given the freedom to talk about anything that we were passionate about that Obama had accomplished during his first term. Here is a sneak-peek still from that shoot, and I'll post the video as soon as it's up:

And last but certainly not least, the Hasbro Game Night commercials I shot over the summer have been airing, and you lovely people have been seeing them and telling me! Thank you so much for giving me a shout out when you see my face on screen for 15 seconds! This makes me feel loved and let's me know that you've been watching reruns of Friends on TBS and The Today Show and tons of reality television on Bravo and E! since that's when these commercials tend to run. I want to thank you for your support and commend you for your excellent taste in television!

This commercial campaign in conjunction with a super cool/futuristic spot for Toyota (in which I get to buy a brand new candy-apple-red Camry and am extremely jealous of my commercial alter-ego/character, and for which I had a 3:30 am call time and when we broke for lunch at 8:30 am and the caterer asked if I would like a slice of prime rib I nearly lost the lunch I had already ingested) has allowed me to cut a commercial reel, which I'm excited to share with you. Sure, it may be short, but it sure is sweet, and represents a lot of hard work. Enjoy!!!!!

An Endsummer Night's Dream

Hey Honey Boo Boo Children,

So Labor Day sort of marks the end of the summer season, socially speaking. Sure, "summer" ends on September 21st or what not, but truly, tomorrow (September 4th) for most people means a lot less play and a lot more work -- I can tell by the number of emails that started rolling in from tutoring clients around 5 pm today that were ridden with back to school anxiety. If you live in LA you can continue to wear white (or at least I will, and I carry the authority to give you permission to as well because I am a proud Vogue subscriber who purchased said subscription through Groupon on a whim), and though I've painted my nails a gorgeous shade of onyx in preparation for autumn, my favorite season (cute hats, scarves, pumpkin spice lattes, my birthday, a general feeling of productiveness, September issue of Vogue, etc.), for tonight, we can still revel in the fact that it is summer!!

This has been quite a roller coaster of a summer for yours truly. My travel plans kept changing due to bookings and on-avails and on-holds (this is a good thing -- note: I am in no way, shape, or form complaining), I was far away from my boyfriend and dogs, my sister went off to college, my 20-year-old cat passed away, I learned how to ride a bike at 23 (seriously), invested in some permanent wearable art, got an awesome traffic ticket, got realllly into Game of Thrones (and this takes up a lot of mental and emotional energy) -- in short, there were very few dull moments. Mainly, this was the first period of time when I was really pursuing acting full time without a regular day job, meaning that I had to live off ye olde actor wages (that is not a saying, I just made it up). I have to say, it was very fulfilling to prove to myself -- and the naysayers, be they who they will be! -- that I could do it! 

Normally I wait to post on this blog until I have adequate footage and fun pictures to give you a visceral  sense of what I'm up to, but I'm just gonna go with a list right now because I don't want anyone getting antsy. That way, you can already be in-the-know whenever I post the footage and pictures later on, ya know? Also, just because something doesn't have pictures doesn't mean it isn't cool. Don't you remember how exciting it was to move on to chapter books from picture books (sorry I've been tutoring elementary school students lately). Plus, whenever I click on a blog post it tends to have a list included, you know, like "25 Things to do Before You Turn 25" or "How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days" or "10 Things I Hate About You" -- oh wait, the last two aren't blog posts but spectacular films. But you get the point. 

In college, my curriculum was molded around Barnard College's "Nine Ways of Knowing." In honor of my sister starting her first day of classes as a first year there tomorrow, here are the "Nine Booking Highlights of Gilli's Summer" (by the way, if you're a grammar freak who is like, why is she writing some numbers as digits and others as words, just know that any number greater than or equal to 10 should be written as a digit -- 10 not ten -- and anything below as a word -- hence nine not 9. Just letting you know that I self-edit these posts in case you were worried).

Nine Booking Highlights of Gilli's Summer

1. Filmed four national commercial spots for Hasbro with Neil Patrick Harris -- watch as they start to air!! You can see behind-the-scenes stuff HERE
2. Shot an industrial for Toyota in which my character buys a brand-new candy apple red 2012 Camry -- how I wish life could imitate art
3. Did some print work for Sketchers and the amazing photographer Mark Scott
4. Acted as a 1920's flapper girl named "Doll Face" in a kick starter campaign for the new children's series Buddy Bear
5. Continued my saga as a video girl and acted in Tegan and Sara's latest music video for the song "Closer." My friend Jett had to cut me a music video reel because I'm just so into being in music videos. Oh ya, that reminds me that in the beginning of the summer I did a music video for the band Lawson. Okay, #5 on this list is officially the stream of consciousness bullet point about music videos.
6. Auditioned for and was cast in the film If We Were Adults  which shoots in late September
7. Update my website with my mom-ager Chana Messer
8. Auditioned and passed into the first level of Groundlings...now I need to sign up for class!
9. Last but not least, had some great close calls. Being on hold for roles is always a win in my book, and I had a lot of little wins this summer

Well, it's almost midnight, so drink up those last summer hours!

Until next time,

Gilli

Keepin' it Class-y!

Happy Friday, world! TGIF! What are you up to tonight?

In reality, I can't really revel in Fridays as much as I once did. But maybe I can...I'll get to that later. Graduating from college means a lot of things, but specifically in regards to this post, it means that my life is no longer broken up into tangible pieces of time like semesters, summers, winter and spring breaks, and school-nights and weekends. Well, maybe pilot/episodic seasons, but not entirely. But I mean, what really is "time" anyway? It's merely a construct once dictated by the rhythm of the seasons and then by religion. It's an abstract concept that we've attempted to compartmentalize into pieces, and each culture does so on its own terms...oh wait, hold the phone -- graduating from college also means I can no longer talk like that and have it be socially acceptable or be assured that anyone is even listening. I'm no longer taking out loans to pay for a professor and my peers to argue with me and listen to me philosophize about this in a seminar setting around a round table meant to symbolically eliminate any inclination that hierarchy exists within academia. Oops.

When I first left my 9 to 5 (or let's be real, my "9 to whenever we're done and by the way we're working through lunch" job) to pursue acting full time, I didn't really treat it like a job or like running my own business, and after all, this is called show business. Rather than structuring my career in a balanced way, I felt like I should be working all the time. Instead of strategically allocating my energy where it needed to go, I wanted to be spinning my wheels all the time. Somewhere along the line, that changed -- well, not completely; it's a work in progress -- for the better. It changed when I started taking acting class again.

When I first moved home to LA, I confess that I somewhat subconsciously resisted taking acting class for the usual reasons -- I had already taken so many scene study classes in college and in conservatory, I wanted to spend time auditioning -- not in class, it was expensive, etc. etc. and so forth. But somewhere along the line, I caved in. I'm a lifelong student -- I love being in school. I am actually shocked that I'm surviving without being in school. Plus, the "business" side of show business was taking over, and the time I that I was actually "acting" paled in comparison to the amount of time I was spending on the other necessary aspects of my career (note: doing theatre also helps this feeling).

The time I now spend in class keeps me fresh and "in shape" for auditions and you know, those times when I'm actually doing what I want to be doing -- acting on set/stage/in front of a camera! Lawyers have to attend seminars and learn about new laws, right? Would you trust a surgeon to cut you open if they weren't constantly learning about the latest OR technologies? Ok, I'm not comparing myself to a surgeon. I don't save lives -- in fact, I had a 20-minute long completely serious conversation with a fellow actor the other day about how much commercial work he books when he has his full beard versus when he shaves it, at which point he was like, "somewhere in the world at this very a moment a surgeon is having a conversation with his nurses about saving a patient who is having open-heart surgery and this is what we're talking about?!" True, but, I mean, still. You get the picture. If I don't take myself seriously, who will?? And for the record, we both booked the commercial we were auditioning for together last week and they made him shave his beard. Surgeons/Actors? Pota-toe/Pot-ah-to!

Anyhow, being back in class has helped me allocate my energy where it needs to go, and has helped me restructure my life and time into as feasible of a work week as I can create. As an actor and freelancer, this has improved my quality of life immensely. It also gives me somewhere to go and something to rehearse for on those days when I don't have auditions. I've met some amazing people in class and feel like I'm finally a member of a community of actors, and that has really been the missing piece in the puzzle for me.

In April and May, I took a fantastic comedy intensive with the amazing Mary Lou Belli. A veteran sitcom director, Mary Lou's class will equip you with unbelievably valuable tools to act for the multi or single-cam sitcom. Plus, she brings in knowledgeable guests from the industry each and every class. Actors, writers, directors -- you must take this class! Like her on Facebook HERE to stay up to date on when she's teaching, because she is a prolific director and does not always have time to teach! Her book, The Sitcom Career Book, is literally the only one of its kind and is an asset to the aspiring actor, writer, director, script supervisor, art director -- basically anyone who wants to work on a sitcom in any capacity. You can buy it HERE.

I am also absolutely obsessingly in love with my classes at Lesly Kahn & Co. but I cannot give away any of the brilliant secrets that make it soooo good on the inter-web so if you're an actor, check it and see for yourself, if you know what's good for you!

Speaking of strict no-social-media policies -- which totally make sense and I completely understand; I used to work in PR, after all -- I may or may not have been working on a super exciting commercial campaign with this guy last week:

But I'm not officially saying anything here so we're all good, capiche?

In the meantime, check out this commercial SPOT I was in for Official.fm directed by Danny Lee.

I guess I should go enjoy my Friday night, now that I've preached about having normal work week...it just gets hard to delineate between what's work and what's play!

- Gilli

Model Behavior

Hi Friends!

I just looked at my blog and realized that it is now JULY and my last post was from way back in April. Time flies when you're busy! But being busy is also bad, says the Times. I've had a great mixture of busyness and well-deserved (at least that's what I tell myself) idleness over the past few months. One of the things that has kept me busy is modeling. So, like, if I told you that I was a model, would you believe me? Would you think I was flattering myself?

No, I don't look like this:

Or like this:

And I don't normally walk like this:

But when I say "model," I'm not talking Blue Steel or smizing for Tyra or being Karl Lagerfeld's muse or the new face of Chanel (though I'd be up for that. Just putting that energy out there.). I'm talking print/lifestyle modeling. Like, you know, "real." Don't us "real" people/consumers (as opposed to the fake Michael Fassbender Promotheus robots out there) want to look at other "real" people on billboards, in magazines, and online? Come on, who would you rather sell you your tampons --  your trusty cute neighbor, or an intimidatingly thin 16-year-old waif from from an unusual Eastern European country? I doubt she even needs tampons. Who is more approachable?

It's like I have the word "approachable" stamped on my forehead. When I lived in New York, crazy people would talk to me (and attack me) on the subway nonstop. When I lived in Moscow, people would rush up to me on the street and ask me for directions several times a day (regardless of the fact that my Russian vocabulary was less than perfect, shall we say). I guess I just always seem like a safe option. I make friends on airplanes. I don't know why, but people always talk to me. I thought maybe I should capitalize on this facet of my personality (or face?) by doing some print modeling. I have been working hard over the last few months to do just that. I shot some lifestyle pictures with Guy Viau , and signed with a great print agency.

Though print modeling isn't like doing Lady Macbeth at the Globe or Hedda on Broadway, I must confess, it is not easy! Looking natural in still photographs takes a lot of craft and care. You know how they say a photograph can steal your soul, or whatever? Well, I think even the "realest" of "real" people can tell when someone isn't believable in a picture. So it really is like playing a role.

A few months ago I shot a job for a big electronics company (that shall remain nameless here) where I played the role of a young mom. Yes, 23 may be a little young to play the young mom if you ask me, but hey, short hair in the commercial world often means either "young mom" or "girl with dragon tattoo," as I've often said, and hey, I'll take what I can get! Plus, who doesn't love working with babies? Especially this particularly adorable one that played my daughter:

It brought me back to the good 'ole days when I was a toddler working on my very own first print modeling job in this catalog:

So, I'm saying it here: I'm a model. Do you believe me now?

See you on a billboard!

Gilli

all things gilli Sartorial Edition: What (Not) to Wear to an Audition

For some time now, my dear friend/blogger/fashionista Chic Little Poor Girl has encouraged me to "guest blog" on her site. What an honor this is, as my teeny little "acting career blog" pales in comparison to her amazing creation of a blog/website/brand. Chic Little Poor Girl or CLPG, for you abbreviators out there, is your fashion blog (and Tumblr and Twitter and Facebook, et. al) dream come true. This being my first guest posting written expressly for any blog other than my own (unless you count my failed submissions to some large, well known outlets that shall not be named here), I am now realizing how self-referential and strange this introduction will sound when posted on her site (feel free to edit out, CLP!).

I've been discovering my own fashion secrets, little by little. My main rules? Less is more...having a smaller wardrobe of nicer things beats a huge assortment of sub par options, am I right? I also always try and add a small splash of color -- whether it's a scarf or a bag or a ring -- to my outfits as I tend to wear neutrals (pastels AND neons are in this season -- I should know -- I bought a subscription to Vogue for $8 on Groupon a few months ago). I always dress for my body type, no matter how much I yearn to wear that flowy, flowery Free People dress that only looks good on waify Twiggy types. Luckily, real waistlines and retro cuts are in. Thanks, Mad Men.

I try not to take tooooo long to get ready, because, no one likes a high maintenance person, and again, back to rule number 1, "less is more." Plus, I'll let you in on a little secret -- bars and restaurants (where I'm assuming you're dressing up to go to) are more often than not dimly lit. No one's gonna notice all of your fine craftsmanship in primping yourself as much as you think they are in the mood lighting.

Hmm...what else? Comfortable and attractive are not mutually exclusive...like why are some "comfortable" clothes actually just ugly clothes? I've always pondered this uncanny phenomenon while at amusement parks. Not to be unpatriotic, but it's pretty embarrassing to be American when you see the way your fellow countrymen and women dress to feel comfortable all day at Disneyland. Somehow the Japanese tourists there always look so put together and fresh and seem to be just as comfortable as that mom wearing a Member's Only Jacket un-ironically.

Okay, last thing -- I'm pretty thrifty...I have expensive taste but I'll manage to find less expensive versions of things I like (fun fact: the Laboutin store is actually just a museum -- nothing in it is for sale, you're just supposed to look at all the beautiful art I mean shoes I mean this is what I tell myself when in the face of beautiful objects that I want but cannot afford nor ever justify affording).

Basically, I'm no Chic Little Poor Girl, as you can tell. My fashion advice is pretty primitive and doesn't sound like it came from the fingertips of a hip 23-year-old (I have been known to wear clogs and was single handedly attempting to bring both corduroy and fanny packs back last year. I still haven't given up). I justify all of this because most of the time, I'm not really dressing as "me" anyway. Let me re-phrase: I'm always myself, but dressing with some other objective in mind. I'm either in head to toe yoga apparel, as I work in a yoga apparel store (or am on my way to or from yoga at some point in the day), or am "dressing the part" for an audition. There are so many things to worry about before an audition besides, you know, the acting part -- what time should I leave? Where should I park? Will they need a headshot? Can I make it to the Valley on a quarter tank of gas? Am I hungry? I should have gone to the bathroom. And of course, WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

I'm here to tell you what (well, mainly what not) to wear! Actually, I have no authority to do that whatsoever. There are no rules in this business. If there were, I would have followed them and passed Go and collected my $200. So let me just tell you what I wear (or don't wear) to auditions (wow this post is turning into quite the vanity project, my bad!):

1. Do Not Overdress the Part

Your clothing choices should hint at the role. You probably shouldn't go all out though. Casting Directors are creative and have imaginations, don't they? You're not auditioning to be the costume designer. Plus you don't want them to be distracted -- you want them to see YOU, not the outfit. You know that first or second episode of Smash (before I lost interest/it became soapy and weird, whichever came first) when Katherine McPhee is auditioning for the role of Marilyn Monroe and she's literally the only one not dressed in the complete 7-Year-Itch white dress/iconic Marilyn garb, and casting is like, "oh that's so refreshing" or something? That's what I mean. If you would feel uncomfortable arriving at work after your audition in it, don't wear it. (caveat: all of those oddly specific commercial auditions that are like -- "we need a clown! Must own/wear full clown costume" are obviously exceptions to this rule, as are all of those anecdotes like "I booked the role because I came in full Elizabethan era costume!").

2. Wear Your Anybody Shoes

One of my favorite acting professors had a pair of shoes that she loved wearing at auditions and rehearsals because she felt like she could be "anybody" in them. It's hard to play a low brow character in high heels...almost as difficult as it is to take yourself seriously and feel grounded in flip flops. And I'm not a Casting Director but I'll venture a guess that it might be kind of gross if you walk in barefoot (in most cases). And most of all, make sure you can walk in whatever footwear you choose...I've seen so many girls walk (well, kind of Michael Jackson Thriller-dance-walk) into audition waiting rooms in giant heels in such a way that it makes me question whether these girls ever learned to walk properly in them at all at like, you know, cotillion (okay maybe that was just me who went to cotillion...well, I was the only Jewish girl there, that's for sure!).

3. Make Your Outfit Car Friendly

In Los Angeles, being an actor means driving a lot. Unless you have an attractive, Irish chauffeur/anarchist to drive you around the countryside like Lady Sybil, chances are you are going to be driving yourself to auditions. Make sure the fabric of your pants or skirt does not stick to the seat. And not to keep harping on shoes, but might I suggest bringing some flip flops to drive in if you're planning to wear heels...no matter how many times I think I've perfected driving in them, the heel of my pumps somehow always gets caught under that weird carpet thing next to the pedals to give me and Betty (my PT Cruiser) quite a fright! Oh ya, and don't text and drive (that was a public service announcement from my Dad).

4. Be Camera-Ready

For film, television, and commercials, your audition will be taped. Avoid wearing crazy patterns that don't read well on camera. Sweep your hair out of your face (unless you're auditioning to play Justin Bieber in a biopic about his life and career) and tone down the accessories (i.e. dangly earrings, hats, glasses if you don't usually wear them)...you've made all this effort to study your part and show up -- you might as well let casting have the best glimpse of you.

5. There Are No Rules!

Just be yourself! I have no clue what I'm talking about, really.

In true "fashion blogger" fashion, I've got to show some pictures now that hopefully you will find somewhat Pinteresting (ha!):

Nice BCBG heels that are treacherous to drive in:

Some anybody shoes **see rule number 2:

My "getting ready" vanity station:

What I wore (an organic cotton maxi dress by lululemon):

When I auditioned for and booked this job:

I sincerely hope these rules have been helpful, and if not, somewhat entertaining.

Adieu, and thanks to Chic Little Poor Girl for the inspiration!

Gilli

Monday Fun-Day!

Hello World!

Don't be miffed by the title of this post (and don't ask me what "miffed" means either) -- I am aware that today is not, in fact, Monday. It's Tuesday! But yesterday was Monday, and it marked the first of three consecutive Monday performances of a fun show I've been working on over the past few weeks called "RANT!" If you live in Los Angeles and want to come see me perform, here are the deets in the oh-so-effective bullet-point format:

• Who: The Theatricians (and me)

• What: RANT! A night of monologues and music

• Where: The Ruby Theatre at The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood CA

• When: 3 upcoming Mondays: March 19th (oops, you missed that one! It was yesterday!), March 26th, and April 2nd. Doors open at 7:30 pm; show begins at 8 pm

• Why: because you love me? Or tolerate me? Also, there will be beer and wine (on a school night!!), so that's an incentive, right? This show is short and sweet! None of this "come-see-me-in-a-four-hour-Chekhov-play-and-my-character-only-appears-in-the-final-act" business

• How: do you get tickets, you ask? Reserve online: http://www.theatricians.com/home.html -- tickets are $15 at the door, $10 if you reserve online and mention the discount code "Email. You can check out the Facebook event if you prefer that means of invitation:http://www.facebook.com/events/339408639429751/

Here is a picture for all you visual learners out there:

Last night's performance was a success, if I may say so myself! So if you're serious about coming (and if you're not, I won't take it personally), do yourself a favor and reserve a seat asap! This sh*t's gonna sell out!

I even performed with a lovely case of Pink Eye -- ohhh the beauty of live theatre! (note -- if you've ever wondered what it's like to be a leper, with people terrified of coming into contact with you, let me know and I'll give you a butterfly kiss! Seriously, if you're looking for an avenue to make people to stay away from you, Pink Eye is one of the most effective).

In other recent news, I just shot a commercial for Official.fm. I shan't disclose the details before it airs, but I'll be sure to post it when I can see it! You can also look for me on the walls of any Microsoft store (they have those now -- in LA we have one at the Century City Mall) as a result of my latest print job. It was my first role as the "young mom" (short hair = "edgy girl with dragon tattoo" or "young soccer mom" in the commercial world, most of the time). I'm posing with an adorable little baby.

Finally, if you're craving some musical theatre, check-a-me-out singin' one of my favorite show tunes:

Hope to see you one of these Mondays!

Gilli

Dear Feminists, Count Me In!

With all of the woman-bashing in the media lately, I've thought more about acting roles written for women my age. Now, I won't even begin to open the Rush Limbaugh can of worms here, because, well, if I exude more angry feelings on that topic, I think I will just burst. I'll let the more political bloggers handle that one. All I'm putting out there is that the Los Angeles acting scene is a particularly interesting sphere to navigate as a woman in her early twenties who is an "unknown." An "unknown" has less power than a "name" in stipulating what she will or will not do on screen (and offscreen, for that matter). It's essential to be mindful and careful in this territory, and to stick up for yourself.

More often than not, I see roles that casting websites have deemed appropriate for me to submit for who are described in less than flattering ways and asked to bare a lot of skin on camera.

Don't get me wrong -- I am no prude in the artistic sense. I've watched me some Bertolucci and I've seen me some artistic nudity that is beautiful, inspiring, and necessary to move a narrative along and succeeds in adding an atmospheric quality and edge that could not have been achieved otherwise. But when I read a breakdown for a character who dies in a degrading fashion in a no-budget indie horror flick, I am less than enthused. I wonder about the actresses who are compelled to submit for these kinds of roles. I am not judging -- I am more inquisitive about how actors can justify certain things and where they draw a line for themselves.

At the Oscars this year, I was inspired by the meaty roles there had been for women this year, both nominated and not -- from Meryl Streep's filterless performance in The Iron Lady, to the female ensemble of The Help, to the fearlessly funny comediennes of Bridesmaids. I must concede, however, that I still haven't watched Rooney Mara as the infamous Salander in Dragon Tattoo. I realize that the characters in the film are trying to annihilate a killer of women, but since watching Swedish version, I haven't felt the need to see more of what I know will be disturbing displays of violence. Plus, I know how it ends!

I guess I am a walking contradiction -- I am a summa cum laude/Phi Beta Kappa graduate of what I will argue is the best women's college in the country, whose seal is Athena, goddess of wisdom. There, I learned that women can be powerful, smart, strong, and still beautiful. But at the same time, I am an actress, and I understand that I may need to portray characters who aren't this self-assured and passionate about society's perception of women.

Several years ago, I worked on a music video for a popular band called All Time Low. The video now has nearly 29 million views. I play a character in it that is far from who I am and how I would normally see myself. However, being the oxymoron that I am, I find it empowering. I felt comfortable on set, had a good time, and felt confident and attractive. Would I do this job again if it were offered to me today? That is beside the point. Besides, it's 29 million views too late to even think about that now.

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcNiKCmWdYE&ob=av3e

Until next post,

G