VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

Persistence and Determination in Acting? Some lowlights of Dustin Hoffman's early career

- was rejected four times at the Actors Studio
- was so nervous at his "The Graduate" audition he blew all his lines
- three weeks into rehearsal for "The Graduate" was under constant threat of being fired
- was paid $17,000 for "The Graduate", but after paying all his debts was back on welfare and relying on money from his parents
- this commentary from the author Arthur Miller :

" observing Dustin Hoffman's awkwardness and his big nose that never seemed to get unstuffy, I wondered how the poor fellow imagined himself a candidate for any kind of acting career". Ouch.

Bill Roberts · Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:03 pm Post subject:

Excellent story. It would be hard to find a successful person who had no obstacles to overcome. We meet with obstacles everyday, we know them as auditions, and I will never give up till I succeed.
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Pam · Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:31 pm Post subject:

Stories like this are so nice to hear and encouraging to everyone. 4 times rejected and not giving up? That's belief in yourself.
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Dayo · Cinquecento Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 544 Location: UK

Can't delve into the book right now, but Mel Blanc was initially rejected on a daily basis by Warners.
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Moe Egan · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:00 am Post subject:

Reminded me of this. Notes from Fred Astaire's first screen test:

"Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little."
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captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

then of course there's Elvis Presley, who was fired after day one at the Grand Ole Opry and told to "go back and drive a truck.".. and Oprah Winfrey, who was fired from one of her first jobs in TV as "unfit for TV"

As far as the Dustin Hoffman story, the "between the lines" of the failures, are of course some successes along the way.. and an unflinching passion for the craft, a crazy belief in himself, and a desire to get better, to keep improving..

I think one of the saddest things to see is people who delude themselves into thinking they are great and keep grinding it out, without the drive and passion to improve and hone their chops..

Lee Gordon · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:32 am Post subject:

captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 12:53 pm Post subject:

i have that meter in a vault here in salt lake city. the other vault.
usually i honor requests to borrow it, if'n you wanna.
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captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:25 pm Post subject:

oh, it can be repaired. i know.
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Bish · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:20 pm Post subject:

bobsouer · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:54 pm Post subject:

Peter,

An exceptionally cogent point. I would add that it does take a while to get the variations to smooth out.
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Bish · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:08 pm Post subject:

... but roller-coasters are fun... especially if there's a big water-splash at the bottom and you scream loudly all the way down Smile

It's a good point though. When building a business, the variations will always be there... there's no "slow, but inexorable" climb to a steady and reliable income. Month-to-month, I finished December down, but had made my January targets by the end of the second week. It's the nature of the beast.
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Frank F · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:48 am Post subject:

Heard while getting fired from a radio station: "... You will never make it in radio... You aren't good enough."

My next gig was in San Francisco at what was called by Radio and Records magazine called "the number one station in the country", at the time.

And the man was correct, I left radio (ten years later) for the world of Voice Over! True story.

Frank F
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