From the Screen to the Stage... and Back to the Screen!

Lindsay Live | Sep 08, 2009 | 2

My new headshot taken by Jordan Matter (www.jordanmatter.com).

The Screen:

My performing career began at the age of 5 when I was cast in a Crisco commercial. It went something like this: we had just moved into a new house that day and I was helping my mom unpack kitchenware. She says playfully to the family, "We're eating here tonight!" and pulls out a jar of Crisco. As she's cooking I exclaim, "Fried chicken?!" to which my brother answers "And fries!" as he sneaks one behind her back. In the final scene, we're sitting at the dinner table enjoying our home cooked meal when I profess, "This tastes great! Just like it did at home." Everyone giggles and then my mom reminds me, "Honey, you are at home!" I sigh and look at her like oh shucks, ma! And that is how it all started...

Lindsay as a little actress

I appeared in commercials, TV and print for the next five or so years, my biggest and most important role a victim in a reenactment on "America's Most Wanted." I was only 8 or 9 years old at the time, but I clearly remember embodying the feelings and emotions of the little girl who was harmed. It was the role that made me a real actress.

The Stage:

Around that same time I also discovered dance. It was impossible to do both (my mom was already schlepping me to Miami every day after school for castings) so I decided to focus on dance. My first recital was a total disaster - despite all my years in front of a camera, I suffered from massive stage fright. It took a few years to develop my on-stage rhythm, which was totally different from being on screen. I realized that everything, down to a sample hand gesture or facial expression, has to be bigger, more obvious and exaggerated on stage.

I finally got the hang of it and couldn't wait to perform. Early on I danced in musical theatre style productions like "Damn Yankees" and "Guys and Dolls" and then later danced in full-length ballets like  "The Nutcracker" and "Cinderella." Stage acting became a no-brainer for me.

Back to the Screen:

I recently decided to return to my acting roots. A couple of days ago I was cast in a bit part on "Ugly Betty" to play one of five people applying to be Daniel's new assistant at Mode Magazine. This was my first real TV work in years - we're talking like 15 years! The second I stepped on set I was flooded with an enormous wave of nostalgia. I was looking at my childhood, but I was all grown up. It was a bizarre but really amazing feeling.

After wardrobe and hair, we made our way to Set #4 and watched America Ferrera in action. After what seemed like an eternity it was finally time for my scene. The director gave us our cues, we went through it a couple of times and then I heard the word "Action!" The camera was rolling and it was just like old times. However, unbeknownst to me I was still stage acting mode; all of my movements were way too big and exaggerated, even for a campy show like "Ugly Betty." The director shouted from the side, "Lindsay, tone it down just a little bit," words you rarely hear while performing on stage. I internalized it for a second and immediately corrected myself. In fact, I found that I was able to use my stage and dance training to give me a heightened sense of body awareness in front of the camera. We did a few takes and then wrapped it up after an eight hour day.

From the screen to the stage and now back to the screen again, I realize how many useful skills I have under my belt. I would encourage all dancers to dabble in both commercial acting as well as stage acting, because, as Tina Landon told me in a recent interview, the more you have in your pocket the longer you'll have a career.

To see me on "Ugly Betty" tune in for the premiere Oct. 9 on ABC!

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Ballet, Enthusiast, Performance (all tags)