Being a HERO – Interview with Laurett Ellsworth Arenz

Q: What does the HERO’S system represent and how does it help the actors?

A: HERO’S stands for Health, Education, Relationships, Opportunity and Spirituality. My goal is to help people achieve balance in all of those areas. Life is complex and difficult to navigate without the right tools. We can choose to figure it out on our own and learn from our mistakes, or we can find someone to teach us to learn from the successes and failures of others. As a professional coach, I have helped people achieve their goals, and these people include actors and models. Most importantly, you must be happy with the journey you are taking to achieve your goals.

Q: What do you have to say about achieving goals?

A: Achieving a goal is about perseverance and doing it wisely. Are you making decisions based on reliable information? Have you done your research to make sure your goal is realistic for you? Do you work every day to achieve your goal? Are you connecting with the right people? Get the right coaching? Finding people of integrity to work with you until you achieve your dream is really important.

Q: What opportunities are available in this area for an actor to earn a living?

A: Many actors also function as role models to support themselves. But it’s important to be realistic when looking for a job in the modeling field. Physical attributes determine the type of modeling someone can do. An eighty-year-old can be a print model, but not a fashion model. Companies also hire models to promote their products. Fairs, car shows, technology fairs and home shows are held every weekend in this area and these companies hire models to promote their products. Companies want to hire someone with a lively, friendly personality to stand on showroom floors and at trade shows because that draws people to their booth or product. And, as we know, happy people are attractive. But people can’t just walk in and expect to be hired for having a pretty face. They have to be smart. They have to learn scripts, be ambitious and talk to people intelligently about products. The age range for promotional models is generally between 20 and 40 years old, but a good man in his fifties can do it. Promotional models are not paid as much as fashion models, but they can get more work because more work is available. Pay can be as low as $ 25 an hour and as high as $ 100 an hour.

Q: How do you recommend that actors and models be noticed by an agency or casting director?

A: People who prepare as the best package get representation. The field is too competitive to leave things to chance. If you are not doing your best to be the best you can be, you are wasting your time. Get the right training. Attend acting classes and modeling courses. Learn to do makeup yourself. Don’t dismiss these skills thinking, “oh, if I’m pretty enough, they’ll really love me and pay for all my photos.” That is not how it works. On the other hand, you can be the best actor in the world, but if they don’t present you in a way that shows it, they won’t hire you. Something as simple as getting dressed a little, fixing your hair and putting on a little makeup can make the difference between getting the job and not getting it. Success does not happen by chance or luck. Success is a learnable skill.

Q: What are agencies looking for in talent?

A: A model or actor has to display an attractive personality. All of this has to do with commercialism. A movie actor has to sell the film, just like a commercial actor, or a print or promotional model has to sell the product. Someone who is not trained or prepared will not be chosen because that does not make the product look good. You have to prepare and present yourself to meet the requirements to be hired.

Q: Do the actors have the same physical restrictions as the models?

A: Theater actors have fewer physical parameters than chamber actors. There is always room for another good character actor. The types of roles offered to you depend on your appearance, voice, and acting ability. People who look slim, fit, healthy and happy will have more opportunities to work with the camera than those who do not. You also need the right connections. I’m not saying go undercover and get involved with the casting director or the president of the company. You need to use the right channels to meet and spread the word to the right people that you are available for work. So, persevere. You can go to ten auditions and not do one of them, but at the eleventh audition they love you, they love you, you are perfect for the role. Your success is based on the number of times you go out and fail because, in this industry, as in any area of ​​life, you are not going to win every time. The more you try and fail, the closer you will be to success.

Q: In addition to training people for auditions, you also prepare them for their photographs. What is the process

A: When preparing someone to take headshots, the first thing I ask is, “What kind of actor are you? Are you the prim and proper kind of newscaster looking for an industrial and commercial job? Are you an actor? of characters that does creative theater work? ” If you want to work as a model, you need a composite card. What the person wants to achieve determines how they are trained. I also do her makeup and hairstyle and help select outfits. Looking your best is important to success in any field, and especially in the highly visible fields of acting and modeling, where so much depends on appearance.

Q: Is it always necessary to hire a makeup artist and stylist, and is it expensive?

A: Going cheap is not always economical. When you are photographed, you can’t see what the camera sees. You cannot step back and look at yourself through the lens. It is impossible. I look at my subject through the camera lens to see if she has enough blush and if her hair and clothes are correct. I’m not saying that everyone always needs a good makeup artist, but it is an insurance policy that you will get the best pictures the first time.

Q: Do both men and women need makeup artists?

A: I think it is a good idea. Men are generally charged less than women because it is more basic with men. It’s more about applying highlighters and concealers in the right places and making sure the hair is looking good. We don’t get into eyeliners, shadows, and lashes with men.

Q: Do you work with agencies?

A: In the realm of actor and modeling, I do makeup for potential talents derived from many different agencies. Sometimes they ask us: “Was this person good? Was he easy to work with?” They want to know if the person they are hiring has what it takes to do the job. They may be choosing between two people. When we find it difficult to work with someone, I would hesitate to recommend them. When the person is attractive, charismatic, personable, and enthusiastic, that’s something I think an agency would want to know as well. This is especially true for promotional models hired to work with the public. Sometimes I have collected photographs of people and have gone with them to agencies to help them interview. These are agencies that we’ve established mutual respect with, and frankly, the people we refer end up getting jobs because they have that added validation of being someone of character and good to work with.

Q: What advice would you give actors to persevere in disappointment?

A: If you have a dream, don’t let anyone steal it from you. Maybe you go to an audition and the producer or director kills you: “You’re the worst, I can’t imagine you want to be an actor.” Well you know what? That is just an opinion. You go to a different audition and it will be a different story. You have to learn how to become bulletproof and how to get up and move on. If you need to work on the strength of your dream, then work on it. You are responsible for developing your own self-esteem and confidence. Seek the company of supportive friends and family. If you’re having a hard time landing the jobs you want, find people who can help you realistically assess and perhaps redefine your goals, and help you improve yourself as a total package. Get lots of referrals. Ask people in the industry who they think are good teachers. Ask the photographer for recommendations on acting coaches. Ask the agencies who they think can help you put together the best composite card. Ask lots of questions and don’t assume that one person has all the answers. Nobody has that much knowledge.

Q: What is one of our biggest obstacles to reaching our goals?

A: It is often fear. We are all afraid of something. When I am afraid to try something new, I think, how will I feel in five years thinking about the past? “I should have done that, I really missed an opportunity.” We have a limited time and that is finite. We need to be clear about what we want and go for it. If you are not having as much success as you hoped, find a knowledgeable coach or mentor, someone who cares about your success. It is easier to achieve your dream with someone who encourages you.

Laurett Ellsworth has worked in television and in model and actor development, and has worked and traveled the world. She has earned the titles of Mrs. Virginia and Mrs. America and conducts private and corporate coaching through her company, HERO’S Strategies. Within two years of setting her goal of winning a national pageant, she was crowned Mrs. United States in 1997 and won a second national title, that of Mrs. America 2002.