It was a surprise opportunity for a young guy who felt he could do anything in the entertainment field, and of course that included great acting. I was making day trips to Allentown Pennsylvania from Mountaintop and one summer day stumbled on an ad in the local town newspaper which basically said "Actors Wanted".
I drove over to the indicated address and found a large well kept old house that was converted into office suites. When I knocked on the door of Lois Miller & Associates a girl Friday answered and showed me into the well appointed office proper. Ms. Miller was there and explained the job. They were going to film a crime scene based on one that really happened for a tv series. And she said it was good money.
The plot went like this: A woman was stranded on the highway with a flat tire. I drive up, stop, and offer to help. While helping I was supposed to pick up the tire iron and beat her to death.....(ah wait a minute).
I was driving back to Mountaintop and thinking. I wasn't that kind of person. I wasn't that kind of guy.
So I stopped and called Lois from a phone booth and backed out. They never contacted me again.
That was 40 yrs. ago. I sometimes wonder where I'd be today if I took the job.
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Hi, Michael Stair. Great to meet you. Thanks for sharing the story. You did the right thing in my opinion. It's a lesson for actors, writers, directors, etc. We don't have to take jobs if they involve doing things outside of our character or things we aren't comfortable with.
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Wow, what a crisis of conscious you went through, but if the artistic expression of the story didn't resonate with you you should feel confident in the choice you made. Now that just means it opens you up for another terrific role more in your wheelhouse!
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Or it means I didn't go to acting school. I now realize that portraying a character is just a job. You
step into a role and become that character. Then at the end of the day you step out of the role.
People do it all the time in their every day living. We pretend, we become "imposters and fakirs"
Do we really know who we are?
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I totally disagree Maurice Vaughan For me, acting is about getting to do things I, Suzanne wouldn't do, and be people I am not. I love playing a villain. Would I in real life plot the murder of my husband's rival so he could become king? No, but I love playing Lady MacBeth. The whole point of acting is doing things outside of your comfort zone, that's how you grow as an artist and as a person. (Nude and sex scenes that's different.)
It's one thing to turn down the role and say that's not for you. But accepting the job and then backing out Michael Stair , that was why they didn't call you again. I guess for you, acting wasn't your path. However, since you are still thinking about it, I would say that's a sign to do something about it.
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Thanks for the advice Suzanne Bronson, and I totally agree with your thoughts. I've matured considerably since then, and now believe I can professionally explore vistas of the performing arts while still maintaining my comfort zone. I guess I'm just a ham entertainer! By the way if you have any original C O P Y R I G H T E D scripts you'd like someone to read, please send one to me. (michaelmstair@gmail.com).