Dr G - This Friday

My episode of Dr G: Medical Examiner will air on the Discovery Health Channel this Friday, July 28th at 9:00pm Eastern. I play the husband of a drug addicted woman who goes missing. Tune in to find out what happens...

Removing The Net

I know I've been quiet over the past few weeks. Part of the reason is that I've stayed fairly busy. The other part is that I haven't had too much to say. Emotionally, I've been going through a transition period... a growth spurt. It's been a roller-coaster ride, with many ups and downs. I'm now ready to explain.

As most of you know, I am taking a scene study acting class with Yvonne Suhor. It's been a tremendous experience, but at the same time, an emotionally demanding one. The more I learn about Meisner and about being in "the moment", the more I am learning about myself. I mean, truly learning about myself... why I have certain tendencies, insecurities, emotional conflicts, etc. It's interesting to realize that things that I thought were resolved years ago were merely hidden down deep. And there are moments in my life that affected me so deeply (and I thought were resolved) that still affect me today - I just never connected the dots to them.

I say all this because it's an important step for me as an artist. As stated in the acclaimed book The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron, this is part of the recovery process, which will allow me to open up to the creative process. The book says:

"There will be many times when we won't look good - to ourselves or anyone else. We need to stop demanding that we do. It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time. Remember that in order to recover as an artist, you must first be willing to be a bad artist."

This has been a hard point for me, since I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist. But art isn't about perfection - rather the opposite. It's about allowing yourself to be free to create. So now, my left side of my brain is conflicting with my right side - and I'm not too sure which one is winning.

Which brings me to my point... About three weeks ago, I was told something that has affected me very deeply. I was told that I was a "safe actor", which means that I have a tendency to play a character the "right" way instead of taking risks. The hardest part about hearing those words is the fact that they are true. I’ve been acting with a safety net.

After much soul searching, it's become so clear to me that the only thing standing in my way at this point... is me. My need to do things the "right way", along with my fear of being wrong. My need to please others, and my fear of letting people down. My need to play it safe, along with my fear of taking a risk and looking foolish.

Every now and then, you reach a turning point in your journey. An epiphany occurs. You realize a moment of truth. This is mine.

Remove the net! Bring it on!

A New Discovery

I completed shooting an episode of Skeleton Stories last night for the Discovery Health Channel. I play a groundskeeper of a graveyard in an 1830's re-enactment, and I'm shown burying three small caskets. You'll have to watch the episode to find out why...

Also, last month I was involved with an episode of Dr. G: Medical Examiner, also for Discovery Health. That episode will be airing in late July - I will announce the official date and time for both episodes once I have them.