PREPARING FOR SUDDENLY

Last weekend, I attended the opening for the Film Society season at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles.

The film I saw was A Star is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.

The quality of the performances and the story moved me to my core. I literally had to stop myself from sobbing.

Once I forced myself to get past the profanity, I was transported into the depth of the characters and their connection.

(Spoiler Alert) One of the scenes that caused me to catch myself from convulsive sobbing was when Jackson (Bradley Cooper) surprised Ally (Lady Gaga) and called her up on stage to sing.

This was her suddenly moment.

This was the moment that her talent and years of preparation collided with her destiny.

After getting passed the shock, she seized her suddenly moment.

DREAMS RUN DEEP

It was at this moment I started to sob. Witnessing a lifelong dream, a heart’s passion becoming reality struck deep.

It was a personal moment.

After a 22-year marketing career in the beauty industry, I took a big risk and started pursuing my childhood dream of acting.

It was my carpe diem moment. I didn’t plan it; but I took steps of faith and followed my heart.

It’s now 16 years, since I seized that moment in time. There have been wins and losses. There have been ups and downs. It has mostly been a time of preparation.

PREPARING FOR SUDDENLY

I’ve always been someone who prepares to the max. Call it my Type A personality. When I was a marketing executive, I would make sure every I was dotted every T was crossed.

The same is true in my acting career. Only, for me, there’s one big difference.

I discovered that acting is my purpose. Every aspect of it gives me joy.

There are intense moments; but the stress is different. In corporate, the stress drained me physically and emotionally. I finally said NO MORE!

Now, I embrace every aspect of my acting career…even the stress.

I’ve come alive, as I live and breathe my dream and purpose.

The reality of acting is there are two important parts. It’s called show business.

Thankfully, my corporate experience proves itself worthy and enables me to quickly understand and maneuver through the business aspect of my career.

Is it my favorite part? NO; but I approach it with a different attitude than I did before. It’s all part of the process in my journey. I’m able to lay out a plan; and continually evaluate and tweak when necessary.

Now, the acting part is on another level. Put a script in my hand; and I explode with…

Training as an actress is paramount. It’s a major part of my plan; and enables me to be prepared for my suddenly moment.

Recently, I had an audition for a network show. I needed to play a Yiddish woman in her 60’s. Out came the white wig.

That was only a small part of preparing for my same day audition.

I went online and watched an episode of the show to make sure I understood the tone and pacing of the show.

I researched the producers, director and writers to get a sense of their style of work.

I brushed up on my Yiddish accent. Coming from an Italian/Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, it’s in my DNA.

I knew that I was prepared for this role. In my show, It’s Only Lipstick, I portrayed 40 characters, both male and female, with different body poses, attitudes and accents.

I was over the moon with the review in Broadway World referencing my ability acting out each character.

“…As she recounts vibrant tales of more than 40 people in her life at age 10 through adulthood, you will come to understand who each played a significant role in her life. She takes on dysfunctional family members, teachers and bosses, totally morphing into each individual with a change of voice, posture and attitude so completely that you really will feel you have gotten to know each person and how they managed to leave their mark on her life…”

Since I received the audition notice late morning I had very little time to prepare. The audition was scheduled for early afternoon.

This is where all my training came in to play. I was able to absorb the character physically, emotionally and technically. This enabled me to dive into the script and quickly memorize the lines.

Although I didn’t book the role, I wouldn’t change one thing in my audition. When I finished my audition, the assistant running the session said, “That was fantastic.”

I believe hard work pays off. I don’t believe in luck. I do believe in being prepared.

THAT SUDDENLY MOMENT

Every time I think about A Star Is Born, I start to sob.

This movie has so resonated with me that my resolve in pursuing my dream is amplified.

I can feel it!

I can sense it!

I believe…

As I started to think about how important it is to be prepared to fulfill one’s dream, I started to think about the song, A Moment Like This, sung by Kelly Clarkson when she won American Idol.

I believe the excitement and joy coming through as she sang her song punctuates being prepared for suddenly.

Be prepared for your suddenly moment; and remember…it’s never too late to go after your dreams!