Today we’d like to introduce you to John Rosenfeld.
Hi John, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I came to acting because, first of all, I loved watching movies. I found that they could transport me, which served a variety of functions. I remember watching a movie called Shoot the Moon with Albert Finney, which was about a bitter divorce, while my own parents were going through a bitter divorce. I was amazed by how honest it was. Looking back, the movies I was drawn to and loved all witnessed me in some way: my experience, my secret geek, my relationship to your father, or my desire to be a hero.
When I started acting, I was getting lead roles, but I don’t think I was very good. Finally, I got a little part in Twelfth Night in college, and it was the first time I felt I had actually done good acting. I found a freedom in knowing it wasn’t up to me to carry the play, and it was the first time I had truly gotten lost in a role. It was then that I really felt that magic in performing, and that experience that made me apply to graduate school.
But when I moved to Los Angeles, I discovered that an MFA doesn’t prepare you for the real world. I was a good auditioner because back then it was mostly cold reads and I had good enough instincts to get by. But when I booked roles, I felt lost, because I had no idea how to approach rehearsals. I had to work really hard to figure out my own creative process, and I’ve found it really exciting to help people avoid going through what I went through.
I have always been a student of human behavior. In coaching and teaching, this lends itself to having a deeper read of what’s really going on between the lines: in the text itself and in watching an actor. I fell into teaching and found that, of all the other day jobs I ever had as an auditioning actor, teaching was the first one that was actually fulfilling. Only in coaching and teaching could I find that same magic I found in acting. There’s that same sense of collaborating, creating, and finding moments. It’s all about connection, just like acting is all about connection.
At one point I thought I wanted to be a writer, but I found writing so lonely and isolating. I experimented with collaborating with other people, but I never found that right partner. Ultimately, the thing that makes me love acting is that connection, collaboration, and immediacy. I’m sure I didn’t give it enough of a shot, but I never found that in writing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, we’ve been really lucky. I have great teachers who have very good taste and help instill that in our clients. Our community of talented, driven, and brilliant individuals is amazing and attract people who are just as talented, driven, and brilliant. Especially through the pandemic, it was beautiful to see everyone lean on one another and stay strong together.
But the reality is, the pandemic was tough. Overnight, we had to transition all 25 of our in-person classes online. A majority of the actors in our community lost their jobs overnight. We had to furlough people. The teachers, staff, and myself had to address our own emotional trauma while also really trying to be of service to our clientele who were experiencing their own trauma. The challenge was honoring what everyone was experiencing, but also reminding our students what acting can give us in those difficult times. It was a great way to return the parts of acting we loved in the first place and encouraged us to use our imaginations.
I think those of us who got through it together feel a huge bond from it, almost like we went through war together. And I’m seeing that those actors who showed up all throughout Covid and kept coming to class are being rewarded now. As they say, if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready. We always say 90% of this career is showing up whether you want to or not, and the people who were able to do that under the circumstances now feel ready to be a part of the party.
Also in 2020, with the movement of Black Lives Matter sparked by the killing of George Floyd, I think a lot of attention was also drawn to what more we could be doing as a community to support our Black and diverse members as they went through a time of immense pain. We wanted to create an environment where actors could discuss what they were feeling and things they’ve experienced in the industry as a marginalized group. We wanted to encourage discourse in a safe space, so we established Actors of Color, a group led by Dawan Owens and Sonal Shah to discuss biases in the industry and how to navigate this career as a BIPOC.
The other hard thing we’ve been confronting is the changing landscape of our business. We did not get into this career so we could self-tape at home or audition on zoom. When I was dreaming of getting into rooms, I was dreaming of getting into rooms, not sending a WeTransfer. While actors need to embrace the realities of what the business is like now, it’s also okay to mourn that loss: that energetic connection you get being in the room, the intimacy you feel with the director, producer, and casting director. Actors right now often feel like they are sending their tapes into a void; that is not accurate, but I understand why it feels that way. As teachers, we have to work harder to remind our actors that everything you put on tape needs to be really good, even though it’s easy to get seduced into thinking no one will watch it. Someone is watching it, and it does matter.
One adaptation we’ve made to help actors feel more confident in this new landscape is really working with them on how to approach zoom callbacks. You have to feel comfortable, know how to create an environment, use the frame, and make a 2-dimensional interaction as human and 3-dimensional as possible. We also have students bring in self-tapes so we can offer feedback on how to improve their material at home.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are known as a studio that produces countless series regulars and working actors. We do that by being able to meet just about any actor where they’re at. At any level, we can help someone learn to get out of their own way and find a creative process that works for them. Between JRS and Actor Salon, we are able to give actors a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to cultivate the constitution of a happy working actor. That includes not only the acting and creative side of things, but also the business side of things. We are constantly encouraging each person to be not only the best actor they can but the best human they can be as well. Hopefully, in the road to becoming a consistently good actor, our students are also learning about themselves. We are known as a place to find community and in this city, and in this business in particular, so much of your success can be determined by the company you keep. This is a career of collaboration, so it only makes sense that you’re going to want to collaborate with substantive, talented humans.
We offer everything from coaching and taping auditions daily, on-set coaching, acting classes for adults and youth, we have classes for everyone from advanced to beginner, we also have amazing business classes. Ultimately, the reason we have been successful is word of mouth. Eventually, that has now led to on-set coaching and helping series regulars prepare for shows, which is such a fun part of the process to get to be a part of.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I think the pandemic has changed everything – the world we live in. I think we all saw how wildly adaptable humans can be. But it also made people reassess their lives and think about what they really want. And, if after the pandemic you discovered there was something else you wanted to do with your life, then bravo. Actors have to be really honest with themselves and consider how they view this career. If someone says, “I’m an actor,” as if it’s a malady or something to apologize for, that’s something to investigate. We all have to take care of our own acres, meaning we need to prioritize our own mental health and happiness. And if this business isn’t serving you, it’s okay to walk away. But for those who found joy through acting in that time, I think they realized what a gift it can be.
I think we all also realized the importance of the work we do. Never was the purpose of storytelling more clear. TV shows and films kept us entertained, helped us process what we were experiencing, and kept us connected to one another. Comedies helped us laugh when there was very little reason to. Dramas helped us get emotions out that felt too overwhelming to face. I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the frivolity of this business, but I really believe it’s important work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.johnrosenfeld.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnrosenfeldstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrosenfeldstudios/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnRosenfeld
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/john-rosenfeld-studios-west-hollywood
