As we all know Michael was a part of the huge hit MTV2 show "The Best Tears" back when it began in 2007 and after leaving when the first season was over his film career took off. One could say he owes the show a great deal. Well, after two seasons the building where the show was filmed actually decided to turn itself into an actual Meisner acting school titled SFT, just like it was in the show. The staff have been trying to get Michael to come back and speak to the acting students there since last year and Michael finally found the time in his schedule to do so, although I hardly doubt they could have anticipated what he would say to the students. Basically his message was "Do whatever it takes to be successful, even the wrong thing. Because this industry is so competitive and shady that's the only way to get ahead. You also need to have some deep issues and crave fame in the worst way because if acting is just something you WANT to do because you kinda like to do it, all the obstacles that get in your way will make you quit. Those who NEED it never even consider quitting." Read the transcript or WATCH the video of it for yourself and tell us if you think what he said was wrong, true but not something you tell young aspiring actors, or right on the money.
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MRM: Hey. Hows you guys doing? I'm not going to sit up here and pretend to know anything about giving speeches or inspiring other people. They asked me to give you guys advice and tips on how to make it so that's what I'm going to do. First of all I can't inspire anyone or any of you to want to make it. You have to be inspired on your own. And second, when people come here and talk to you about how to make it, they tend to always give real weak, generic bullshit answers like TRY HARD and NETWORK and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. And coming from someone who has now been in the business for over a decade, that makes me laugh, and even more so, it makes me angry. Because they are lying to you. Anyone, other than me of course, when giving you advice on how to make it in Hollywood, is usually lying to you. Why would they want to help you? You are they're competition! Your success could mean their failure. There is way too much money and fame at stake. But I promise I won't do that here today. I will give you guys concrete things to do, names and phone numbers to call, on how to make it. Shit I know that works. Why? Because I want you guys to succeed.
Now let me quickly add, speaking of money and fame, a distinction here. When I was here one was made too. And I'm sure it's the same here and at every other acting school. Half of you here don't give a shit about money and fame. So my speech will be useless to you. Others here do care. That's who I'm here to help. The biggest difference between New York and L.A. is trying to be an actor in New York is much easier. It's still super difficult don't get me wrong but at least your talent matters. If you wanna do stage or theater then great. Good for you. New York is the place for you and you can struggle here for a long time and it's okay. L.A. is a different beast. L.A. is all about "whose your agent?"..."Who are you dating?"..."How much money your last film made?"..."What parties have you been to?"..."How good you look?". All that shit. Most of you probably won't be able to handle L.A.
Now the school might not like the next thing I'm about to tell you but that's okay. I'm here for you, not them. I will say this: If acting is just something you like or even love, something you find fun, but you can still see yourself being happy doing something else....then quit now. Acting is not for you. I mean that. Here's why I say that. This industry, especially for actors, is so competitive, so hard, so much rejection, losing auditions, people telling you that you suck, you aren't good looking enough, aren't funny enough, etc. It will weigh on your ego. And the human ego can only handle so much before it goes, you know what? I don't need this crap. Let me go do something else. But for someone who cannot eat or sleep or breath without acting, someone who NEEDS IT like the body needs oxygen, that thought never crosses their mind. Let me ask you something, when it hurts to touch fire you pull your hand away. Why? Because it HURTS! It burns. And you don't NEED to touch that fire. So you pull your hand away. But when you're sick with the flu and you have some sort of sore throat or chest cold or something and it hurts to breath, do you just stop breathing? No. Why? Why? (A student says: "Because you HAVE to breath") THANK YOU! You HAVE TO! Well look at acting that way. There are going to be times where it gets so hard you will ask yourself do I HAVE to do this? Is this worth sacrificing friendships, relationships, etc. And you have to be able to answer: Yes. Everyone has a different reason for wanting fame or success. I have one. Each of you in this room has one. We don't have to go into it. We're all different. Most of the time, if you do your research in a celebrity's life, there is someone who left. A guy or girl who broke their heart. A parent, usually the father, who didn't love them enough. Someone who you wanted to love you didn't love you and you feel, IF I BECOME FAMOUS, it will SHOW THEM! I don't know. Not every situation is like this but from what I've seen most of the time, that's how it is. But whatever it is, search within yourself and know the answer. Know why you need this so bad, and whenever shit gets hard and you even CONTEMPLATE the thought of quitting, remind yourself why you're doing this. Who you wanna impress. Who you are trying to show up. Maybe you feel if you don't become what you told everyone you will become you will feel like a failure. We all have our reasons. Just know yours. OK? That will give you the strength to fight the many many obstacles and challenges that will come your way. Obstacles are going to come at you and come at you and come at you and you gotta swing at those obstacles like ... (makes punching moves). Wassup? Wassup now bitch? Yes you got nothing to say now because your jaw is fuckin' broke! Make those obstacles your bitch.
Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. You have to crave this. Like I was saying before, this has to be your LIFE for you to go this path or you won't make it. When friends are partying, you're rehearsing. Memorizing lines. Boyfriend or girlfriend wants to hang out, sorry no time. Family hasn't seen you in 6 months? Oh well. That's what it takes. Obsession. Obsession. Dedication isn't good enough. If you guys only knew. If you guys only fucking knew what your competition was up to while you sleep in bed at night. I swear to God you'd quit now. You wanna know the real truth about Hollywood. You want the dirt. The horror stories. Most of you will fly out to L.A. at some point with this dream and within a year or less I promise you will be back home where ever that is for you broke and in tears because it wasn't this helpful friendly place you thought it was. I have been to industry parties with people doing coke and girls taking a producer or casting agent or director upstairs to blow him for a part. I have been in casting offices waiting to speak to someone and his intern comes in, goes to his desk, she looks at his pile of headshots and takes someone who just walked in and puts their headshot at the top of the pile. I'm like, Hey walk ins head shots go at the bottom. She says to me, No this girl's mother knows the agent. She gets first look. I'm like WHAT? Haha. Yes. That's how it goes. Who do you know? Who are you fucking? Yes. So guess what? That girl at the top of the pile gets the first offer for the part. That's how it is sometimes folks. I know and even have dated some girls who have got on their knees for roles. I won't say who, haha. But it happens. You'd be shocked the number of A list actresses out there who have done it. Whatever it takes.
You think your competition gives a fuck about you and your problems and your rent? Nope. I always tell people, outside things are gonna get in your ear and steer you away from your dream. That 9 to 5 job that needs you Friday at 3 but you have an audition. Friends who wanna hang out that weekend but you have to rehearse. Family or a boyfriend or girlfriend who miss you but you gotta head somewhere to film something. Your life will be full of moments like these. Choices like these. Do I go see them or do I continue to work on my craft? You have choose your craft. Because while you go party or while you go to your stupid job and be someone else's 9 to 5 slave, another actor is working, hustling, networking, paying off agents, sleeping with someone, to get ahead. While you wait tables. Like a fucking loser. You need to ignore these everyday stresses that can get in your ear like a bee or insect and fight them off (makes more punching moves). Get away! Get away! That's how you get distracted off the path. These people, parents, co-workers, bosses, friends, who live the 9 to 5 life, will never understand you. They live inside a box. They think the famous are cut from another cloth. They see these people on TV and movies and magazines and billboards and it might as well be another world to them. And they see you everyday and assume you are one of them. They can't see it yet. That you belong to THAT world, not theirs. You see it, but they don't. So they won't support or truly believe in your dream. They live in a box and go to work everyday and live in a circle. They wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed. Wake up, go to work, come home go to bed. Ever think about that. If you took a map and drew a line of the shit you do everyday, it's like one big circle. Everyday like a rat in a cage, you do the same thing over and over again. I would kill myself if I had to do that. Just the thought of that makes me sick.
You guys aren't like them. So there's gonna come a time, where you start to see the divide. You will get some success, maybe land a small walk on part in a Leonardo DiCaprio movie. Then you have to fly back to Kentucky or where ever you're from and go to work that next week. You will have a moment. Your boss will be like, 'I need you to work an extra shift on Sunday' and come at you with all these 'problems'. Your friends will be like 'my boyfriend did this or that and I'm confused'. All her 'problems'. You will be at family for thanksgiving and hear people talk about their bills or mortgage or whatever. Replacing something that is broke in the house. And you will have nothing to say to these people who you were once so close to. Because they have '9 to 5' problems. You now have 'Leonardo DiCaprio' problems. Meaning, you just did a scene with him and hope it went well. Your agent is working on a deal with his agent. You just got back from Cannes or TriBeca or Sundance film festival hanging out with DeNiro and Clooney. You are now in a mindframe of getting yourself on the level of these people. 24 hours ago you were joking around with millionaire producers in their mansion while famous people walk about and now you are in Ohio with grandma and grandpa talking about what time the next morning they want to take out the garbage. You will be like, what the fuck am I even doing here? I'm wasting time. Ya know?
So here's what it takes. I want you guys to do these following steps. Because honestly this school, they just want your money. They live off your tuition. They will tell you all the cookie cutter things you wanna hear, tomorrow, and from here on out after I leave, but they won't tell you how fucked up and harsh it really it out there. I've been there. I will. Here's what you do. Write this down (waits for students to get out pen and paper). Ok. In this order. One: You study your craft. Get good. Live life. Harness your pain. Use it for your acting. Two: Get a job, a good job and save up your money. Borrow money if you have to. Steal it. I don't care. Save up to 5 to 10 grand. Three: Go online and audition for any type of acting jobs you can get. Local. Small. Student films. I don't care. This is just so you can get a reel of your work and have stuff on your resume. You're gonna get nowhere without a reel. A good one. Put together your reel and have someone professional edit it for you so it's done the right way. You have no idea how fucking stupid Hollywood is about shit like that. They won't even LOOK at your reel if it's not done in the standard way a reel should be done. The way the scenes are titled, at what point your name comes up. No music, just your scenes, with black screen separating each one. Name at the end. Stuff like that. Look it up. People will show you. In the same way a resume or a screenplay has to be in a certain format, so does a reel. So get it right or you're screwed. I mean that. You gotta have your shit looking professional. Four: Go online and find an agent. Contact the ones that are legit and set up a meeting. Even if they are in L.A. Get your ass on a place and fly out here. Even for a weekend. Motels are cheap. Meet with this agent. Many agents. Here's where that money you saved up comes in. YOU PAY THEM to represent you. You may ask 'why would I do that? agents work for free and get a commission of your pay'. Yes that is true...BUT...if you go to an agency that has established working actors there already, why would they push you? They will meet you, take your resume and reel, throw it at the bottom of a pile. Tell you that they will be in touch. They will get on the phone with DiCaprio or some actor they have working on soap operas and make million dollar deals with them, pay their Ferrari bill, and they will never ever call you. You have to give them an incentive to pay attention to you. Once you pay them, you have a binding verbal contract for them to push you. That's industry talk it means they are talking about you to clients and at industry parties. They are actively recommending you for roles and trying hard to get you work. Trust me it works. Now sometimes money won't work but in the case of a pretty girl, haha, hey, do whatever it takes. That's where girls have advantages over guys. Notice how so many young actresses are 'discovered' in Hollywood almost every month...but with young male actors it's only once every couple years? Huh? Haha. Yea.
Now from there you are on your own. But at least you have your foot in the door. Ya know this school, and most schools, they teach you HOW to act in order to get good and learn a technique, a craft. They teach you HOW to prepare once you get a role and how to behave and work on set to execute your performance once you are filming. But there is a HUGE journey between leaving this school with your skills you've been taught...and the day you land an agent and start working. There is a whole WORLD in between no one is preparing you for and that world is called getting your foot in the door. So that's what I hope I can clarify for you guys here today. I hope I was of some use. Yea, this was fun. Thanks guys! Best of luck!
