Advice from the Queen herself!

Well, THIS one is about two months too late. During the Toronto Film Festival the Queen came into the store I manage....well, an actress who played the queen.... Helen Mirren.

I got my always excited friend and key holder to ask what advice she would give an aspiring actress (me). And then I ran away. I wish it was because I was nervous due to me being a huge fan, but I really haven't seen many of her movies. She seems like a good actress but the movies she is in don't seem do be my thing. The reason I left (other than the fact it was my break) was because I am shy. Aparently some actors have the same problem, but i have gotten a lot better....except when it really matters. When I am around someone I don't know too well but really value their opinion ... I freeze.

ANYWAY, when I came back after my break I found out the advice she had given was:

Go on as many auditions as possible.

Makes sense.  But getting auditions isn't that easy either.  Well, that isn't entirely true.  Getting auditions that you can be sure aren't sleazy isn't that easy.  But I started to apply to a bunch of postings for student projects on craigslist.  Without any real resume, I am not getting much response unless the casting has been completed............ Imagonnakeepatryin.

Here are some pictures of Helen Mirren, Dame and now close personal friend of mine, that are a little awesomer than the Queen ones:

pretty awesome dress.

this one makes me want to get my jazz hands on.

there was a series of these for a magazine, but I like this one because it seems like a between setups shot.

She was in my store while I was working once before.  It was in the middle of winter but we still managed to have quite a few people in our store some how (we are located on a street, not in a mall so cold/bad weather scares people away to the big mall 10min walk away...).  There was a woman who I thought looked russian, maybe it was me stereotyping because she was wearing a fur trimmed hat and wearing mostly white.  But maybe it was because her father was Russian, so there.  Anyway, this woman had been in our store a while before I realized who it was.  And that her director husband Taylor Hackford was also shopping with us.  Everyone in the store was excited, whether or not they were a fan.  To have a real actor in our store... not one of the actors of this day who can barely speak at all let alone recite scripted words naturally.  She was polite, mentioned she comes into our store anytime she is in town.  THEN, a young customer, probably in her early 20's is talking to her friend about whether or not it is "really her".  She asks an employee who says yes... then the sorta clubbing girl decides it's okay to walk into Helen Mirren's change room to ask her if it's her and greet her.  Helen Mirren handled it so well and just let someone pop way too far into her personal space bubble.  I don't mean just because she is an Oscar winning actress... but who bursts into any strangers change room.  really?!  I can't imagine what would make anyone think doing that to anyone was ok.  Or how I would handle it.  I am just glad she was clothed!