Like most actresses, I’ve been one my entire life… sing-songing in front of family members and putting on plays, while dreaming of one day being on Broadway. Our little girl dreams and expectations of, “Life upon the wicked stage”, are in fact, “never what a girl supposes…” to quote the song from Showboat.
I never did make it to Broadway, but I started working on indies over a dozen years ago and have worked on many different budget levels… from “the bag of Doritos for lunch” level, to the “lamb chops” level. I’ve noticed one common denominator on set that I wanted to address in this article. From the lowest level to the highest level, I come across actors and actresses who don’t want to be there. Even for the lamb chops? Yes, even for the lamb chops.
Okay ladies; let’s break this down. I started off from the very bottom. I had no connections in Hollywood and I started acting in movies while still in Boston. At first, acting was a weekend hobby. I was cast in several horror movies in the area. We spent our free time doing this, not because it was glamorous, or going to make us rich and famous, but because we were having fun. My weekends on set became what I looked forward to, what drove me, and made me happy, so I decided I wanted to make a try as a full-time actress.
After moving to Los Angeles, I realized how truly hard it is to be an actor, especially if you’re doing it as a career, and not a hobby. For me, every casting and part I am given is a wonderful gift. There are so many talented and beautiful actresses in Los Angeles, all competing for the same thing… so when I’m cast; I know how special it is. Time and time again, I will be on set and run into, the actor who doesn’t want to be there, and it always amazes me. Now many of you may be thinking, “who wants to work on no budget movies…”? I promise you, I have seen this behavior on all different levels… from the lowest to the highest. I’ve seen fledgling actors and well-known actors, who simply didn’t want to be there, and made sure everyone knew how miserable they were. I’ve given it a lot of thought and here is what I came up with.
If you don’t enjoy acting at the “Doritos” level, you will not enjoy doing it at the “Lamb Chop” level. As I said before, “Life upon the wicked stage, aint ever what a girl supposes…” That song hits it on the head. If you are trying to become an actress for the glitz, glamor, money and fame… you may find yourself miserable on set, even if you do become a well-known, successful actress. I have definitely had my moments on set, for one reason or another, when I think, “this really stinks… I’m cold, hot, hungry, underpaid, etc.….” BUT, I would say over 90% of the time, I am absolutely thrilled to be on set, whatever the budget. I love what I do, and this is what I signed up for. Trust me here, as I mentioned before, I have worked on all different sets… and just because a production has a lot of money, doesn’t mean you are going to enjoy the long hours of being hot, cold, sitting in hair and make up for hours, being fitted, tucked, un-tucked, poked and prodded… and then expected to perform your little heart out. It may make it a little easier, if you’re cashing a big paycheck… but even that fades away.
We could think about this for any career choice. Why are you doing what you’re doing, and does it truly make you happy? Choosing to be an actress as a career may seem like a glamorous idea, but I assure you, it’s not. It’s hard, demanding work at any budget. So I would suggest looking into yourself and making sure you’d be happy being an actress, no matter the budget level. After doing a low budget indie in the middle of the winter, pretending it’s summer, working for 15 plus hours, if you’re still smiling because you’re having the time of your life…I assure you, you’ve picked the right career path.
About Jessica Sonneborn
Jessica Sonneborn grew up in Connecticut and earned a BA in Anthropology from Wheaton College and a graduate teaching degree from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. After teaching in Boston for a couple of years she turned her attention to acting in Independent movies, eventually deciding to make a serious try in the film industry by moving to Los Angeles in 2005. Jessica has had leads in a variety of genres from thrillers: "Lure", which she also wrote and produced, Sci-Fi: "The Witches of Oz" (Christopher Lloyd, Billy Boyd, Sean Astin), comedy: Kevin Smith’s Movie Club presents: "Money Shot" (Jason Mewes), which she also wrote and produced, Horror: "Alice D." (Kane Hodder, Al Snow), which she also wrote and directed, "Bloody Bloody Bible Camp" (Reggie Bannister and Tim Sullivan) and just released: Leigh Scott's, "Piranha Sharks" (Kevin Sorbo). She is in numerous other independent productions including: "American Girls" (Bai Ling), "Rabid Love", "Alpha House", "Never Open the Door", "Red Sleep", "Love Squared" and also had guest stars on Stephen Merchants', "Hello Ladies", Diablo Cody's, "United States of Tara", and Charles Shyers, "Him and Us" (pilot). Most recently she plays the lead in dramatic thrillers, "Silence", written and directed by Nelson Reis and produced by Carlyne Fournier, and "The House Across the Street", surrounded by Eric Roberts, Alex Rocco, Ethan Embry, and Courtney Gains, directed by Arthur Luhn and in the up coming Leigh Scott comedy, "Extra Curricular Activities". Jessica has several movies lined up for 2014 and early 2015, including the horror remake: Psycho a Go Go, mutant horror, Contaminated, and was just cast in the military drama, based on a true story: "Light Wounds" and horror: "One Night of Fear".