Okay, so it isn’t MY awkward sexual adventure. It’s the title of Sean and Jonas’ new film. Remember that read I did for “Kosher Sexy” back in 2009? Well, it turns out the title has changed and I GOT THE PART. I was originally going in to read for one role but found a way to read for the “Bank Manager” (no not sexual favours, get your head out of the gutter). I got the part and we shot it in November. The title of the film is now “My Awkward Sexual Adventure.”

Director Sean Garrity, Writer and lead Jonas Chernick, actor Emily Hampshire and all the crew were amazing to work with. I love professional people that are willing to hire local Winnipeg actors. There are so many talented people in this city that are in the movie. Emily even asked me to come out and coach her for a day. It was such a great experience.

I’ve attached some picks from the day. They sat me in the middle of the bank and allowed me to wear my slick business glasses: “I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to use your condo as collateral on a line of credit.”

I played Bank Manager Melvin Fleener who makes customer service his number one priority.  This just goes to show that nice guys don’t just finish last. Especially if there’s money involved. Wink Wink.

Posted: on Jan 26 2012

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A crazy thing happened to me on the way to the gym…

I wish more stories happened this way although I don’t go to the gym as often as I would like. So, on the morning I decide to get my but to the gym I figured I should check my messages first. GOOD THING!! It was Manitoba Theatre Centre!!! I was asked to come to a call back. IN AN HOUR!!! WHAT!!?? I was preparing for a separate audition later that day for the docu-drama film “We Were Children” so MTC was out my head already. “That was yesterday!” I replied as I scrambled to find my “old” script.

The MTC audition was quite a task. Ten pages of dialogue for the british speaking artist, Leonard Irving. It took an intensive 3 days of study to get it to flow and even then I was only getting started, so it was a real joy to do it again, although I still wish I had more time to prep. The director (Rick Ross) gave me a few notes and then let me do my thang. He was very gracious and seemed to like it yet I know that a few extra hours in the morning would have helped me “kill” it. Lesson learned. I’m checking my messages as we speak and every hour on the hour from now on. Of course a call like that will still come when I’m in the shower or shoveling the driveway or framing a door in my basement with the saw a blazing.

That’s right I also framed and installed a door yesterday. I’ll get to that.

The ‘We Were Children’ audition with the fantastic Shelly Anthis went quite well. Shelly is newer to the casting scene but I love how she gives the time and assurance that allows actors to do their best. She also fills in any story direction that might be helpful. I wish her well. At any rate a film script like this was so much easier to prepare than the MTC script as long as I didn’t slip back into british. Not saying I don’t put my time in. Not saying that.

Off to framing the door.

We’ve been finishing our basement for the past 2 months and hey, it’s not finished but it’s a great switch from acting because it offers a tangible reward for ones efforts. You get to see your accomplishment everyday. I do recommend it. Although I am a bit of a perfectionist as my wife will attest. The door wouldn’t close strait. It was baffling. I took off the hinge and banged it around. I lifted one side jam so that the door was level because the floor was not. I took out nails because the frame wasn’t strait. We removed frame, added smaller spacers, added shims, hated the shims. Needless to say Rose-Anne was not having a good time. She’s put a lot of work into the project and is great at the drywall but the game of inches with the door was something she was not interested in at the days end. So we parted ways at 10:30 and I gladly finished a smooth closing door at 12:05.

I couldn’t stop. I hate stopping in the middle. I hate sleeping like that. Grraah it makes me agitated thinking about it. Not at Rose-Anne, let’s be clear, just an unfinished half swinging door that is impossible to close and causes problems for 10 years. I will not die with that on my conscious. I refuse. I will not have you come to my house, open my lazy ass door while I’m dead and say, “There, this goes to show how much Dean Harder was obviously a sluggish lackadaisical sloth man. The door doesn’t even close. Cremation it is.”

No. There is nothing like ending a fantastic day, than to have a tangible accomplishment staring you in the face. It was icing on the cake. I am very proud of our work together. I am proud of where I’ve come in the past year as an actor, as a makeshift carpenter, as a fake british painter and I am excited for the future. A future where I can invite people to a party in my basement with my angled walls and smooth closing door and a makeshift green screen and my friends can finally rant the pride right out of me and tell me what I should have done instead.

Can’t wait.

Posted: on Feb 16 2011

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I auditioned for the role of Jimmy, a hoser who smokes pot during the Shiva for the late Sam Blecher. It was a fun role and my first audition for Less Than Kind. I was stoked. The director (Kelly Makin) was in the room. After doing 2 read-throughs I was asked to cold read for the part of the “Bartender” at the Shiva. This guy basically is a guest at the party and got designated as the bartender. I felt pretty good about that cold-read as well.

Then I got a call today from my agent, Tammy. I GOT THE PART. Which one? BOTH OF THEM. After seeing my audition they decided they could combine the roles of “The Bartender” and “Jimmy”. I also got a great complement from the casting agent who said, that this was by far the best audition I have ever done. He also suggested, that whatever acting style I’ve been using keep using it.

So if I were to credit people it would be clear. I need to thank Ivana Chubbuck, Ben Davis and Yonda Davis for coaching me in the Chubbuck Technique. As for the audition process for this particular part I need to thank Jackie Lind for showing me how to be confident at the audition.

As for this role, I have been waiting for this for a very long time. It’s an amazing show. It’s a great cast. I guess its time to bring the revolver to gunfight.

Oh, did I mention Mark McKinney is the show runner?

Amen.

Posted: on Nov 06 2010

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I had a very unique opportunity this month. I played the head of the North West Company 200 years ago (William McGillivray) next to the current CEO now (Edward Kennedy). The concept was a lot of fun, comparing the challenges and similarities of the company past and present.

As a challenge to me, this was one of those incidents that occurred simply because of who you know. I walked into the local Neighbourhood Cafe in Wolseley and met an actor acquaintance who was doing a tour of his music to Ontario and couldn’t make a gig. He showed me the script. I saw the challenge and told him I was interested. The next day I was hired. I performed the scene with Edward Kennedy on Sept. 24th to a group of young business owners.

The challenge: 5 full monologues worth of dialogue in 4 days!!!!

If someone had asked me to do this a year ago I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. But with all the work I’ve been doing such as the workshops I’ve been teaching and the intense script work in LA I can safely say, that the mind is a muscle that has stretched in such a way that I can now intensely memorize 5 monologues in 4 days, add technique, apply a full Scottish accent and add my personal stamp of humour.

The crowd had a lot of fun and the North West Company has in fact asked me to do it again on Oct. 4th. Needless to say, I’m elated. This is just one of those examples where time, networking, opportunity and luck meet (Or is it divine intervention?). I love the Neighbourhood Cafe.

And thanks Tom.

Posted: on Oct 02 2010

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On to month 2 of teaching the Chubbuck Technique here in Winnipeg and I’m really excited for the potential of this city. I’ve taken tons of courses and styles from University to workshops but none of them really feel as complete a package as what Ivana puts together in the Power of the Actor. The thing that she recognizes is that good acting does not come without hard work. She points out that actors like Jake Gyllenhaal and Cherlize Theron are the types of actors that want to act everyday. Its a powerful reason they are where they are. But by using this technique they also found the tools to drive them there.

I found when in LA, at one point, I was working on 4 different scenes with 4 different scene partners. How was I going to be able to make this work? Well, the 12 principals in the book were the perfect compass for me. I set out the same way with each scene and the results where fantastic. I became immerse in each scene. It was exhilarating. For myself it was a triumph and became even more enamoured with what can be accomplished. In fact, that harder I worked, the more I began to love each scene. I believe the same thing happened with With Theron and Gyllenhaal and I want to see more of it happen for the aspiring locals in Winnipeg. Are they willing to take the risks to fall in love? The proof will be in the pudding.

Posted: on Jul 30 2010

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