Unknowns bide their time working “day jobs,” until they can land the acting roles of their dreams.
By Ryan O’Quinn / Special to The Malibu Times
To quote the movie “Pretty Woman:” “Welcome to Hollywood. What’s your dream? Everybody comes here. This is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don’t, but keep on dreamin’. This is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin’.”
Every year thousands of people flock to Los Angeles from all over the planet to fulfill their goal of making it big in the entertainment industry. The hard truth is, people also get on a bus or a plane every day to go back to wherever it is they came from because, for whatever reason, it just didn’t work out.
For most actors, a supplemental job (or the dreaded term, “day job”) is a must just to pay the bills. Nearly as difficult as landing an agent or getting an audition is the quest for an employer who understands the nuances of an actor’s schedule and life.
It’s almost cliché now to refer to restaurant waiters or waitresses as actors, but many servers find comfort in the flexible schedules and the tips that allow them to continue to pursue their dreams.
For one local waitress, being successful is a state of mind. Jency Griffin is chasing her dream while working at a Malibu restaurant an average of eight hours a day, then writing, producing and performing almost every other waking hour.
“I’m obsessed. I’m working all the time,” Griffin said. “I’m either driving into Hollywood for an audition or working on submitting myself [for a role]. I’m finishing my first screenplay. It’s about three-quarters complete.”
Griffin is from Baton Rouge, La. and moved to Los Angeles in 2001. She has had numerous jobs since arriving, including working as a horse trainer, a movie extra, a caterer, working at Starbucks and working at an all-female valet company. During one period, she had four jobs at the same time. She decided to move to Malibu with the hopes of securing a job as a hostess or server in a local eatery.
“It just makes sense to move where people are successful,” Griffin said. “You want to be where people do it right and are the best.”
Her first job in Malibu was as a hostess at Geoffrey’s. She said she loved the ocean and to surf, and it didn’t make sense to come all the way to California and not be close to the beach.
“I was like ‘why live in the Valley’ when I moved to California to be close to the beach?” Griffin said. “I live with five other artists in a house but it’s worth the sacrifice just to stay here.”
Griffin said she encounters industry executives and celebrities on a daily basis, but doesn’t bother telling anyone she is an actress.
“They’re having breakfast with their kids and the last thing they want to see is another actress’ face,” Griffin said. “But my favorite part about Malibu is that it is so small town-oriented. I’ve worked here for four years and have seen babies be born and grow up in this community.”
The Screen Actor’s Guild minimum daily rate for a television or film performer is $716 per day. If they are hired on a weekly rate, the figure is $2,483.
Actors who work a required number of weeks per year or earn the minimum eligibility are covered by a union health, welfare and pension fund, including hospitalization insurance, to which producers contribute. Needless to say, not all SAG members earn that much every day or even every month. According to estimates, the average salary for guild members is about $5,000 per year for work in film and television.
The SAG Website even warns about the industry, citing: “It may take several years for a beginner to earn a living as a performer. You must either have a substantial cushion of savings to fund your quest and/or secure consistent alternate work to support you during the early stages of your career.” The site goes on to say in a recent year, one-quarter of the entire union’s membership received no earnings under SAG contracts.
Griffin says the statistics do not affect her. She continues to put in the necessary hours to create her own projects and look for the big break; even if it’s at a restaurant in Malibu.
“I just feel like there’s a place for me in the business,” Griffin said. “You kind of have to believe that with your whole heart. Otherwise, why even try? It’s really up to my higher power. He has a plan bigger than I could ever dream. You can’t look at the numbers. It would scare somebody who did. I watched five movies when I was younger that changed my life. If I could do that for just one little girl, I would do it.”
Griffin is currently performing in a monologue play with nine other actors that she is producing. She says it is her proudest work to date and credits director Adriana Garza for her vision. “The Art of Being” is a show about how actors see the world from their point of view.
Performances run through Sunday at the Empire Amusement Hall Theatre located at 6470 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. More information and tickets can be obtained by calling 323.270.2518.