The actor, Vincent Price, was also an accomplished painter. Atop the favorites of his own work was a canvas depicting a beautiful garden awash in sunlight and filled with thousands of beautiful flowers. The garden is seen from inside a darkened room where a man stands in the shadows, his hand hovering expectantly over a telephone. The painting is titled -- "The Actor".
It's the perfect representation of how much of life an actor sacrifices for their art.
I was a professional actor for 15 years before I transitioned to writing and producing. I worked a lot in the trade and became relatively well known. So, after the switch, people frequently asked if I missed it.
Well, to some extent I did. But more often I felt that my new efforts were creating work for a lot of actors instead of just one.
And there were a lot of things I didn't miss. The constant waiting for something to happen or somebody to make a decision. The endless casting calls, occasionally to audition for people without a clue about either the craft or how to create a marketable product by harnessing it. The constant financial insecurity that didn't allow for any rest between gigs. Continually dealing with those who thought the characters you played were who you were in real life.
All of that is captured perfectly in a short film entitled "Luvvie" by Canadian actress, writer and director Annie Briggs.
Captured as well is the love of the work that gives most actors the desire to keep going no matter the disappointments, no matter the odds, no matter the hardships.
If you want to know what an actor's life is really like -- this is it.
Enjoy Your Sunday...
LUVVIE from Annie Briggs on Vimeo.
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