Nescafe Big Break ~ Pro Advice.

Many people want to be an actor, but not many ever make it. So what does it take to become successful in the cut throat world of acting? Well known star of Australian theatre and television, Peter Mochrie, lets us in on a few secrets.

Peter Mochrie started his acting career in 1979 as Ric Moran in The Restless Years. He followed this with more TV roles including Neighbours, Sons and Daughters, Holiday Island, Home and Away, Butterfly Island and Rooted for the ABC. He appeared on stage in The Shifting Heart, The Shrew, Maids of the Mill, The Bear, Fool For Love and in the film Winter of Our Dreams. Wishing to further his development Peter studied at NIDA graduating in 1989. He has appeared in many plays including Too Young for Ghosts, Joking Apart, Twelfth Night and for the NIDA Company - Pesthouse. His film roles have included Frauds, Power Rangers and The Resting Place. TV roles have included Blue Heelers, GP, Time Trax and Water Rats and he appeared as the male lead Steve Hayden in Channel Nines mystery series Murder Call. In 2001 Peter played Rick Fontaine in Network Tens Cybergirl. In 2002 Peter played the male lead in the Ensembles production of Spinning into Butter. In 2003 Peter performed in CBS biopic Red Head The Real Story of Lucille Ball. This year also saw him MC Australia Day for the Australia Day Council. Peter also works as a regular NIDA tutor.

SO YOU WANT TO BE ACTOR?

You have a burning desire deep down inside your soul that you cant explain and nobody else seems to understand. The more you try to share it, the worse it becomes welcome to acting! When you are up there in the space you feel so alive and free that everything else seems to fade into insignificance. You watch Australian T.V. drama scornfully and think you could do so much better. SO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM OF BEING THE GREATEST ACTOR KNOWN TO MAN? You have to have some form of training in this day and age.

You dont have to have attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) Acting course, the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) or Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) but it sure does help. Even if you get a long running part on Home & Away what happens after your contract expires and you dont really know how to play another character other than yourself. I know this, it happened to me and that is why I attended NIDA for three years at the age of twenty-seven after I had worked in the industry for ten years getting my big break at the age of seventeen.

Ok, so you have this burning passion to act. You want to express yourself, stop wars, put a mirror up to society and say folks this is what we are like lets change and make it a better world and enlighten people but what have you done about learning the CRAFT OF ACTING? Have you auditioned for the big drama schools, taken classes at Australian Theatre for Young People or drop in classes at the Actors Centre or NIDA Open Program? Does your burning, passionate ambition drive you to see every theatrical production staged in your capital city?

Have you read any of the classics written by Chekov, Strindberg or Shakespeare what parts do you want to play? What is your goal, your target remembering that without a target you will never hit anything (Russell Crowe, at an early age said I want to win an Oscar and guess what target he hit).

Have you watched the classic films like Streetcar Named Desire that introduced a young actor named Marlon Brando and whose acting technique was a new revolutionary style under Elia Kazans direction the method. Acting that made people sit up and say what is this this is real and makes me feel something. Have you watched Rebel Without A Cause, Giant, Blackboard Jungle, The Last Temptation of Christ, Age of Innocence? Do you now why Apocalypse Now is regarded by many as a top ten film? What do you know of the history of cinema? Whats your favourite film and why? Who is your favourite director? Have you seen any of Renoirs films? Did you see City of God and think Wow! this is extraordinary, the acting was so good, the kids were brilliant and all the shots are hand held and he used only available light Do you know what Lars Von Triers Dogme 95 is? FIND OUT!!

Why do you want to act? What do you know of the craft? Did you warm your voice up this morning? Meryl Streep probably did as did Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman. They probably did a yoga class or at the very least stretched their bodies, went for a run and at least once thought about what they wanted (Objective), why they wanted it (Motivation) and how they were going to get it (Actions). This is Action-Objective Theory and everybody uses it.

Do you want to act just to be famous? Everybody says theyd like to be famous A word of warning: Make sure you know why you want to act because although the highs are incredibly high, the lows can be excruciatingly painful and fame should be your last consideration.

What do you know of the Meisner technique? What do you know of the method? Or do you scoff at such antiquated methods of expression.

Can you relate to this quote? Lee Strasbergs belief was that internalisation - the use of effective memory, held the answer with the actor drawing from within to find the key that would unlock his character and endow his interpretation with a prior existence beyond the boundaries of its time span on stage.

What do you know of life the drama of life to act is to live observe the poetry of life so you might better be able to express it.

Use your imagination think of a good idea, write it down, pursue it and follow it through make your own work. See as many productions as you can watch and as many films as you can bear. Read as much associated literature as you can. Never give up and follow your passion.

Blade Runner is one of my favourite films Ive just read Future Noir the making of Blade Runner. It gave me such a new insight into director Ridley Scotts process that when I walked onto a film set last month I felt so inspired it helped my performance immeasurably.

When was the last time you went to the library and picked up a biography of a hot actor? Do you know Renee Zellweggers or Johnny Depps journey to becoming successful? NEVER GIVE UP.

Do you have a speech learned in your memory that you can perform with only a moments notice? All the actors I know and work with do.

Did you see the Bell Shakespeares Hamlet or Gale Edwards The Way of the World at the Sydney Theatre Co. Why not? Ok, so you cant see everything but you can see and observe a lot more than you have been. Please find something to admire. Most people look down at things, it makes them feel better. Change the world, find something to look up at, find something to inspire you to enrich your understanding of the human condition so you may be better able to perform it.

Watch DeNiro in anything, Nicole Kidman in the Hours, Deborah Messing in Will & Grace, Brando or Al Pacino in the Godfather. They are the best. Watch, learn and be inspired. Its a tough profession, many are called, few are chosen and NEVER GIVE UP.

You may or may not get a lot of work but you will definitely become a better person and thats what its all about Isnt it?

So, in conclusion observe everything and try not to judge. Read everything you can associate with acting, watch films and plays. Please do a class interact with people a yoga class, a voice class, a text class, a screen acting class, a Shakespeare class, a movement class and maybe eventually after a lot of hard work you may be able to say yes mum, now Im an actor and Im very proud of it.

OK, so lets get practical!

Do you really want to follow your heart and do you really have the true grit and determination to get things moving for yourself?

Get out there and take a class get information from all these places.