Interview’s with interesting and successful Utah Actors and Models.

This is the first installment of interview’s I will be doing with interesting and successful Utah Actors and Models. These interviews will show the world there are talented people in our area who are capable of handling just about anything that comes their way!

A question and answer session with Utah actor Alan Meyer. Alan has worked with Jack Elam, John Lythgoe, Elliot Gould, Adam Arkin, Ken Curtis, Michael Callan, Robert Hayes, Cuba Gooding. Jr., Lewis Black, Naveen Andrews, Bart Johnson, Charles Halford and Nickie Aycox. Clearly, Alan needs to work with a lot more female stars, hopefully in romantic roles!

Alan has produced and appeared in a number of documentary videos on gold prospecting and paranormal subjects, as well as been a guest on national radio talk shows and conferences telling about his ghost and U.F.O. hunting adventures and beliefs. Some of that stuff can be found at http://alanmeyer.com

Q-What advice would you give newcomers entering the business?

A-I'll say what I heard from older actors when I was young. Don't become an actor unless you must. If you must act, you will. If you aren’t driven, don’t bother.

Q-Who have been your biggest influences in our business?

A-Although we didn't always get along, Dr. T.L. Rowley of Weber State Theater has to take the blame for developing me as actor. I played the adult lead in an early film by Rebecca Thomas, who has gone on to win international awards for her feature, “Electric Children” and has been selected as one of the best young directors. She gave me a great villain role and then allowed me to give him my own shading. Jeff Johnson taught me how to deal with the occasional ups and many downs of that process. My agents at Craze Agency, for the past several years, have been fine friends and guides.

Q-What keeps you going in our business?

A-I had about 20 years of “not acting” when I was teaching English and  literature at Weber State and drama, video production, film and media, and creative writing at Bonneville High. During those years I didn't have time to do any acting.

 After retiring in 2004 I took a film acting class from Steve Anderson - a leading local pro. That hooked me and I've been back into film/TV acting and occasional theater gigs since then. I get discouraged, but I have a great agent in Troy Lee and good friends I've made in the movie business who keep me going. And then Proper Manors came along and qualified me for SAG-AFTRA which I’ve wanted since I did a lot of extra work in the seventies.

Q-What are the things you enjoy the most about our business?

 A-I love acting and hate auditioning. It's wonderful to get to know so many interesting and creative people. It is a kick when people recognize you; however, since I play a lot of bad guys I sometimes get dirty looks. That's fun, too.

Q-What has been the hardest thing for you as an actor or model?

A-After most of a lifetime "projecting" my acting to the back of a theater, I'm still working on the minimalist style of movie acting. I think I've progressed a lot, but it's always going to be a challenge for an old stage actor. 

Q-What do you feel makes you unique and talented?

 A-Let’s see, the first big role I had on stage was The Gentleman Caller in "The Glass Menagerie". That character was type-cast for a big, egotistical, and less than handsome loudmouth. For some reason I got that part. I’ve often played serious or comic villains. I guess all those years of being terrorized by teens taught me how to pretend to be tough and mean.

Q-How long have you been serious as an actor or model?

A-Since I was 19 and I'm 67 now. My modeling career has yet to launch.

Q-Who are your favorite entertainers and why?

A- Those who break my heart and make me love them for it. Actors, singers, dancers, writers, famous and barely known, who fearlessly open their hearts and reveal what it means to be genuine human being. Donald Sutherland, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Dinero, Dustin Hoffman and many younger character actors, too.

Q-What makes you most nervous in our industry?

 A-I fear that acting will be taken over by electronic CGI “actors” who don’t have the inspired humanity of the greats, but are good enough to be the sort of shallow actors who play generic roles.

Q-Do you have a funny story to tell about this business?

 A-In "Daddy Day Camp" the big summer outdoor party scene was shot in an early fall freeze, in a park that had just been shoveled clear of snow, and all the camera angles had to be kept low because of the heavy snowline on surrounding the trees and hills. It looked more like the setting for "Snow Dogs"! We extras were all freezing and huddled around the tent heater when an A.D. came in and chewed everyone out for the few talking too loudly and threatened to take away the little heater. We got the noisy ones to quiet down, but that convinced me frozen extras need a union.

This interview was conducted by Troy Lee CEO of Craze Agency. For more information about Alan or to schedule an interview go to www.crazeagency.com, email bookings@crazeagency.com or call 801-438-0067