Positively Celebrity Spotlight: John Sarno3 Comments

Ask someone in Los Angeles what they do for a living, and they’ll most likely respond, “I’m an actor”.

In fact, many of those people have traveled across town, across the country, or even across the world to pursue a dream. A dream, that at one point in their lives was an independent, far-fetched, even outrageous goal, has now become an idea shared by the majority…So how do they make themselves stand out in a saturated industry? And what does it take to turn that common dream into a reality?

In comes John Sarno, top Hollywood acting coach and mentor.

An established actor himself, John has been featured in many projects including roles in the television series, Kojak, and the motion picture, The Seven Minutes, which he received a Golden Globe nomination for.

Though successful, John’s journey has not been easy. That’s why he has now focused his attention on teaching others how to achieve their goals, in the simplest, most efficient way possible.

For over 35 years, John has taught hundreds of students everything they need to know about acting — including many of the celebrities we know and love today. In his workshops, John encourages his students to find their full ability, rather than focusing on a specific talent. And believe it or not, he says it can be done in as little as two hours!

I got an exclusive interview with John to talk about his love of acting, advice for aspiring actors, and the secret to success.

What can students get out of taking your workshops, as opposed to the others offered all around Los Angeles?

I focus on getting people ready quickly with a rock bottom technique. It took a lot of years of studying myself, and as I got older I could see the progression of how students wanted to learn. I realized that they want to learn really fast because they have a very good sense of images.

So in the workshops, I give them exercises to strengthen that so they get out of their critic. They get out of their judgmental side.  I find lately that it’s really becoming necessary to give people the information real quick… and I’ve seen people come for a two hour lesson and go and get booked.

I teach them that the first four to seven seconds, that’s your audition. Everything is fast.  I teach people a lot of exercises to get in touch with themselves so that they can fuse together themselves with the character. I find that rather than stretch it out level number one…level number two…level number three…people learn real quick.   If they want to stay on with me over long periods of time, fine, but I don’t hook them that way, I’m not a chiropractor.

Basically my dream was that everybody could study acting and that it could be available for people who didn’t really have a lot of money. I’m about helping you get where you need to be as soon as possible, and since I have thought this way, the results are wonderful.

What is your technique?

You have to know where your fear is, you have to know where your hopes and dreams are, you have to know your secrets. Once you know those three things, and you break the script down like a pie, you don’t have to interpret the script…you have to execute it.

And once you show them the reference points, once you show them the images, once you show the person how to look at the material and not get blown away because they see a monologue — they see all those words and they freak out. The average person freaks out.  The first thing a person thinks of is ‘I have to memorize.’ And then when they memorize, they look and feel like they’re not really being there, they’re not themselves.

So I start with them slating their name, and most people slate their name like they have a gun in their hand, like ‘My name is, and I’m eight years old’ and its horrible! So I try to get them to relate on a relationship level. I think it really focuses on getting people to be themselves, and learning the structures of the script…learning how to focus, and learning how to remember that it’s not about them, it’s about the other person. It’s about the audience, it’s about what you’re delivering, what you’re sending out there. And also try to understand that you are enough.

Some people work for years until they finally get their big break, or even just a break in general….but you make it all sound so easy. At what part in your career did you realize this formula to success?

Well, I had a lot of trouble even though I was nominated twice and I worked from 1964 — back when I started out in Hollywood, auditioning and auditioning and auditioning. When I started to see the audition process change…when I started to see that it was really about slating your name and that the producers knew right away, the casting people knew right away what they wanted.

I realized, even with all of my co-star credits – I walked in there with a nice resume and all – that sometimes they only wanted to hear one line. Or I’d go in and there was every kind of person in the room, none of them looking like me and I thought why am I here?  I started to realize that if a person comes to show business, the first thing they have to realize is the word audition doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s a job interview, and they have to be ready to do the job.

Realize that you’re not going to get a lot of feedback. People do not have time, and now they don’t have the money or the time. Everything is on tape, and this thing is really changing, fast.

So it sounds like you’ve struggled a lot with typecasting, and I’m sure a lot of actors in the industry can relate to this problem. Have you ever had to take that extra step in order to stand out?

I kind of begged the casting director for [a role in] Zodiac, I said “Please, please let me audition.” [The casting director] said, “You’re wrong for it. You have dark hair”. I said “I’ll make my hair light.” So I put toothpaste all over my hair and I went there and she said, “What is it with you?” And I said, “I want to work with David Fincher. He’s a great director, I want to do Zodiac.”

So she said “Its one little part”, and I said, “Let me do it”.

I auditioned twice. And I realized wow, to get two lines, three lines, I’m going have to really, really be there. She told me, “Mr. Sarno, we don’t have a lot of money.” So I told her I’m not here for money. She said, “Let’s read it one more time.” Then… she told me I got it.

That’s when I started to realize, I may have to go in and do one line on a commercial, and not get it.  I realized that the audition…that was it. Not the call back, not the job, not the feedback, none of that stuff that actors think when they come to Hollywood or wherever they live. Its about, you were called in to show what you can do and that’s it. That’s it.

The casting director of The Guiding Light once told you, “Unfortunately, talent guarantees nothing in this business now”. I’ve also been informed that casting directors already know what they want before they even send out the breakdown. So for example, even if they write “all ethnicities”, they may have it in their head that they want a blonde hair, blue eyed model-type…so my headshot wouldn’t even get a second glance. Is this true? And if so, should all talented people give up hope?

No. This woman just told me, “…But my daughter is so talented.” And I said to her, “Please listen to me for a moment. Talent is not what’s going to get her there. You cannot walk around thinking that your daughter is talented. Think about what your daughter needs to learn in order to get the job. And then after she gets the job, she’s talented.”

I’ve done it. People would say to me, “Oh you’re so talented you’re so creative.” That never got me a job. I got the job because I put toothpaste in my hair and I went in and did it two times. People are walking around thinking they have talent.  They may have talent. But if you go in that room, and you’re not yourself, and you’re not showing your ability, and you’re relying on your talent…well, I translate talent to the word instinct. You have to have great instinct.

For other struggling actors out there who are determined to make it in this business, even after numerous years with not a whole lot to show for it, what would be your advice?

I think it’s important to have a good manager or agent, and I think they’re hard to find. You need to have a manager or an agent who will just calm the pavements for you and start the buzz and build a resume. And of course be willing to go in there and audition and maybe not get it. Commercials are a great way in because then everybody sees you.

So you say it takes just two hours of training. Do your students ever have a hard time processing all of this valuable information in just two hours?

Yes. And I don’t want to be judgmental, but if they have the critic in their head controlling their life, it’s going be very difficult. Unless they realize that that’s what’s going on and they have to learn to balance that negative voice, because that critic is never satisfied and the critic knows everything about you.

No matter what you do, the critic is going to tell you no — you’re too short, you’re too old, you’re too this, you’re too that. So I would say that it’s very important to deal with that part of the anatomy. Also if people are very ego’ed out, I think they’re motivated for the wrong reason. The greatest people that ever performed, whether it’s music or modeling, do it for a reason having to do with helping the public in a way.

Everybody needs money and everybody wants success, we know that. But if it gets to be just me, me, me, those people can’t process things.

You’ve taught countless aspiring actors who are successful in the business right now. Who are some of those people and what are their success stories?

Margaret Avery from The Color Purple and I have been friends for 30 years. I showed Margaret the heat exercise, and she got an Academy Award nomination. And she’ll brag about it, and it was simple. That simple.

I got a call yesterday from Mark Kerry who won three gold medals in the Olympics. He did 250 commercials with me, and his daughter Maddy just landed a series. He’s flying in next week so she could take a two hour lesson.

And Rick Springfield has done really well with me the past two years.

So what does it really take? What is the secret to success in this crazy town we call Hollywood?

I would say passion. An incredible sense of the truth. A tremendous respect for other people that are truthful. And appreciation for other people working instead of jealousy and envy.

Not thinking in terms of competition, but thinking in terms of giving. Either you were given a gift or not. A person has to come to the realization that I was given a gift and I have a responsibility. Somewhere along the line you need the discipline to go out and fight.  Nobody’s going to hand you anything.

For more information on how to sign up for classes with John Sarno, visit http://www.johnsarnostudio.com.  You can also purchase his new DVD “Learn to Act in Two Hours” at http://www.hollywoodacting.com.

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