Ana Lopes

Business of Acting Updates

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:43:00 +0000

Last Monday, I sent over 390 e-mails to Portuguese Directors, Producers, Production Companies, Writers and Casting Directors.

More than 60 didn't get it.

50 of them answered.

10 don't work with actors or are not working in Portugal.

I'm meeting another 10 in the next couple of weeks.

And I'm already working with one...

The First of Hundreds!

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:55:00 +0000

Good Morning!

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:52:00 +0000

When Being an Actress Was Still Only a Dream...

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Merry Christmas...

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:59:00 +0000

... and a Happy New Year!

Should I Blame Mr. Disney?

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:41:00 +0000

Is all my dreaming at an end

Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver

Just around the river bend?

War Cannon

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:25:00 +0000

[...]

E se eu for armada?

Se conseguir levar ferramentas, pessoas e máquinas para me ajudar?

A minha mente não seria a única defesa e socorro!

Mas é.

[...]

1-29-06

Check-In to Your Dream

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:30:00 +0000

My TV show!

www.checkinprograma.com

P.S.- I Love You

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:20:00 +0000

"You won't ever have another best friend like that first one you have when you're old enough to know who you are in life, when you are comfortable with yourself, when you're not competing all the time [...]"

(deleted scene)

There ain't No Gold and There ain't Nobody Like You

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:52:00 +0000

[...]

Please come to L.A.

To live forever

A California life alone

Is just too hard to build

I live in a house that looks out

Over the ocean

And there's some stars

That fell from the sky

Livin' upon the hill

Please come to L.A.

He just said no

Won't you come home to me?

[...]

Gypsy

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:53:00 +0000

[...] A person who lives an unconventional life;

a person who moves from place to place as required by employment. [...]

"I can't wait to get the stage all set

So I can let the gypsy in me out."

Be your own fortune-teller.

Then it's easy: just make it happen!

painting by Erna Antunes

I think I can say this was probably the best summer of my life. After a disastrous end of April, a depressing May and a hopeless beginning of June, everything finally started to come together. I spent almost two months in LA and loved it. Even though I had to beg for a bed, a car and cheap stuff every other day, I finally realized everything I've been doing makes sense and that there's no way I can give up or slow down at this point. Then, I spent a relaxing week in Tunisia with my favorite travel companions: my parents and my sister. And after two years without coming to my island in the summer, I came here, had tons of fun and got beautiful footage. When I went back to the mainland, I surprisingly had a considerable amount of auditions for features, commercials and a soap opera and started working on my own project: a TV show that I want to host. It sounded like the perfect way of making and saving money before I go back to the States. In the meanwhile, I've been working on getting as much publicity as possible. So far, I've been interviewed in two TV shows, was the cover of the most important Azorean newspaper, had a magazine article about me, was interviewed on a radio station, was mentioned in a German arts magazine and was even able to be the target of some false gossip in a Portuguese newspaper. Great stuff for my Artist Visa, right? However- and the best of all news- I may not need any of this. I had mailed the Azorean Government and the American Consul of my town when I was in LA and, the day after the article about me came out in the newspaper, I got a call from the Government saying that they think it is, indeed, very important to the Azores to have someone like me succeding as an actress in Hollywood, so they said they would do what they can to help me out!

In the last few days, I've been working on that with them; my TV Show was approved by the Azorean TV channel and it's in pre-production; I booked a series pilot that will be shot soon; I got a call back for a feature film that is going to be shot here in Portugal and directed by an American filmmaker; and I've realized I'm insanely in love. Great days! I just have to keep working hard and believing I deserve all this... and more!

She's Back!

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:54:00 +0000

My First Trophy

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:23:00 +0000

My mother's words about me on the talk show last Friday night:

"Ontem gostei muito de ver a Paula. Acho que ela não é como as outras caras dos ecrãs. Tem vida própria com aquela cara, aquele sorriso e riso, aquele tom de voz, os olhos, os cabelos. No decote e na barriga de fora - toda a vida impliquei com aquelas blusas curtas e as calças tão descaídas que quase se ficam a ver as marias, mas foi a mesma coisa que nada - aposto que quase ninguém reparou, porque ela é tão linda que nos esquecemos de olhar. Talvez, talvez, mas por acaso não sei se estou a falar por todos ou só por mim.

Há pouco estive outra vez a vê-la porque o pai gravou o programa e tive ainda mais a certeza que ela pode não ser melhor que ninguém mas não é igual a ninguém. Nos dias que correm, com essas actrizes todas decalcadas umas nas outras, ser novidade, vale quanto?

Ok, ok, não lhe perdoei umas hesitações, e a falta de controle na ansiedade que não deveria ter sido tão manifesta, mas apenas a necessária, a apropriada para um show.

Ainda hoje lhe disse que se escolheu ser actriz, tem que ser boa em tudo, tanto em actriz entrevistada, como em vendedora numa banca de mercado, como em frígida. Que não pense que ser actriz é só andar aos beijinhos e beijões aos colegas actores. Ah! E está proibida de falar comigo com sotaque açoriano!"

[...]

in her private blog

I Want My Coach!!!

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:58:00 +0000

I'm going crazy! I'm getting ready for an audition I have tomorrow for a feature film that will be directed by an American filmmaker and shot here in Portugal. I'm reading for four characters, one of them (the one I really like) is German... but the script is in English and mentions her lines are in French!!! The other three characters are French and two of them speak English. And I'm a Portuguese girl who is trying to speak French and English with a German accent or English with a French accent or French with a standard French accent and trying to impress the director with my best standard American accent during the interview. How I can not be nervous?! Amyyyyy!!!!!!!!!

Time Can Build Beautiful Things

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Romanticize Me

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Keep Believing

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:34:00 +0000

Be. Live it.

It's there. Why let it go?

To Be Continued...

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Americans who don't know Portuguese: Second column, 9th line, second half... All you ned to know!

You Know You Wanna Play...

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:56:00 +0000

Meant

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:24:00 +0000

What can you do to stop something that you know it's meant to be?

Nothing.

That's right. I gotta do this.

May You Always Do For Others and Let Others Do For You

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:45:00 +0000

Parabéns Zucrinas! Amo-te*

Forever Young ;)

My Hollywood Stories #1

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:47:00 +0000

THE AUDITION

Last week, I had to arrive three hours and a half later to a meeting I had arranged with my director friend, and forget about my plans for the rest of the afternoon because the night before I had got an e-mail saying that I had been selected to audition for this fun feature film. Since I keep looking for reasons (acting related) to stay here longer and had been to two amazing auditions (also for features) the week before, I decided I should go to this one even thought it would mess up my plans. So I totally dressed up the character, as they had told us to: a punk lesbian "don't mess with me" suicide girl. While walking from the car towards the audition building, I had to hear some whistles and comments, but it's impossible not to really be the character when you're walking around wearing that kind of clothes- so I'd just give them an intimidating "f#*& off" look and go on confidently walking with a mischievous smile on my pierced mouth.

So I walk in, they give me the sides and are ready to tape me. Yes, I've done a lot of cold reading training, but I always feel it's kinda cool to take a look at the lines before you say them out loud... and I had to sing... and puke! Awesome news, right? The only direction they gave me was "Please just don't scream sing"- well... I wouldn't do it even if you begged me to. So I do the scene and they're like "Great!" "Awesome!" "Was that an accent? We can hardly hear it"... I mean, it's like they said everything I'd like them to say, I just wish I had a reason to believe at least in one of their words. So I'm like "Don't you have any specific directions you want to give me? I'd love to do it again!". They think for three seconds and "No, I mean you actually did it the way we see the scene", "Yeah, what we have is enough. We'll just watch the tape", "Hey, by the way, have you seen the play?", "The play?", "In which the feature is based on", "Oh is it at the theaters now?", "Yes. Here is an invitation. You will only have to pay ten dollars. The tickets are twenty five, but because you came to the audition it's only ten! It's great cause then you get to see the characters and will be even more prepared for the callback!", "Sure, cool. So are you guys involved in the production of the play too?", "Oh no! Not the production. We're in it!".

...

Of course I didn't go see the play. And obviously I didn't get a callback. What the hell? They were all young and beautiful and had already been cast as the characters! They weren't freaking looking for actors! That's just a brilliant idea to bring people to a theatre show in L.A.! Nobody cares about watching a play here, but if you're making a feature based on it, we are all going cause we want you to see how interested we are in getting the role!

Hands down, they're smart! I just wonder how many "goth Cindys" went to see the show.

No Car in L.A.

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:15:00 +0000

My car rental ends tomorrow and I have no money. I could just pack and go back, but like I said, there is stuff I still need to do and I'm shooting for the next two weekends so I have to stay at least until the end of July.

These are the options:

1) Drive a yellow scooter of a friend of a guy who might be hitting on me (remember I'm a actress so I have at least one audition and/ or meeting everyday, so besides having to do my make-up and my hair and then wear a helmet, I also need to take a bag with three changes of clothes and my laptop and I live an hour away from Hollywood)

2) Have the guts to ask the Portuguese couple (who is letting me stay at their place for free and eat their homemade meals and won't accept any money to help with the utilities) if I can borrow their son's extremely carefully kept and beloved car

3) Rent the same old beaten up car for ten more days or two weeks, hide my pride once more, and ask my parents for money to eat and pay for gas

Any ideas?

You Know What?

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:58:00 +0000

I'm gonna make it.

Comes and Goes

ana.aleixo.lopes@gmail.com (Ana) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:13:00 +0000

I've finished the Acting classes that I had been taking since I got here. I need to take my car back to "Rent a Wreck" on Monday. And I've ran out of money. So now it's basically either no car for the next month... or starve. (or work illegal) I can't believe it's been over a month since I got here! Time does fly. And money too.

On the other hand, I also have some stuff pending. I won't leave the U.S. until I know for sure what are my options to be able to work here again, and start that process (whatever it is). I have at least two other shorts to shoot. I have tons of mailing to do: I need to find an agent or a manager to sponsor me, and try to get some support from the Azorean Government. There are some people I'd still love to see. And I'm definitely not leaving before I find a job (or a couple of potential jobs) in any country where I'm allowed to work, except Portugal.

If time starts running instead of flying, I might be able to do all this in the next fifteen days. That's the goal.