Episode 4 · Dec 18, 2012 · 23:01
Method Actor Eddie Yondles
Dan's first studio guest in weeks: method actor Eddie Yondles, originally from New York, now in Rancho Cucamonga. Auditions, Hawaiian Gardens, and the Method.
- Show
- Teaching Actors How to Act
- Host
- Dan Rodandan
- Published
- December 18, 2012
- Length
- 23:01
- With
- Eddie Yondles
Transcript
Full transcript of Teaching Actors How to Act episode 4, hosted by acting coach Dan Rodandan.
Everyone, I'm Dan Rodandan, and this is Teaching Actors How to Act. Thank you. That was me, Dan Rodandan, your host, with a guest, if you can believe it. I know it's been a couple of weeks since I've had a second person in the studio. Mostly it's just been me and either telephone calls or the darkness.
And I just wanted to really just explode with positivity here today because I have a very close friend, somebody that I met at an audition this evening. Go ahead and introduce yourself.
Hello, podcast world. My name is Edward Yondles, originally from New York City, now residing in Rancho Cucamonga.
Rancho Cucamonga.
Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from you.
Yep, just me here in the Hawaiian Gardens area of Los Angeles, where another murder took place about three nights ago.
Did you know the man or woman?
I didn't know the man or woman who was killed. However, I have a suspicion about who did it.
Wow.
Not going to say anything. Always an episode around here.
Always a story.
Speaking of episodes, you've done episodic television, is that correct?
I've not, no. Thank you for bringing that up. I recently botched a very, very, very high stakes audition as the third lead in a sitcom.
A sitcom?
Yes.
It stands for situation comedy.
Situation comedy.
Botched means that you blew it.
I did. I did. It was...
There's got to be a great Hollywood story behind that.
You know, I parked my car, walked right up in there. I said, hey, I'm New York City born and raised. I'm a city boy. I'm ready to make my dreams happen out here. They said, here's your lines. Whenever you're ready. I had a panic attack and I had to leave.
I had a panic attack and I had to leave. Now, when you have a panic attack, what does that look like?
I get very red in the face and my eyes dart around the room as if I'm looking for something. I don't know what I'm looking for, but I sure as hell can't find it.
Yeah, for me it's more of like a body convulsion crying gag, sweating. Love it. Maybe diarrhea kind of thing.
No, more of an upper body, more of a diarrhea of, I guess they just call that vomiting.
Yeah, sort of going the other way. Regurgitation. A little bit of northbound traffic. Oh, coming at you. Hey-o, on the 405.
Well, anyway, we met today at an audition.
We did.
You were leaving.
I was.
I was entering. When I saw you leave that audition, you had a look of determined on your termination. How do you say that word?
I was determined.
You were determined.
Yes. I was determined to leave as fast as I could. I was very upset.
You had the eye of the tiger and the thrill of the fight.
I had one of those.
Well, I saw both in you, whether you knew it or not.
Thank you.
So I thought, I'm going to follow that young gentleman, because clearly he has just booked this thing. And what am I going to do, waste the rest of my day here? Yeah. Talking to these casting directors who clearly made their decision.
Well, it's really flattering, but I definitely did not book that one.
Well, we'll see.
Okay.
I mean, time will tell.
Yeah, they told me to leave.
Yeah, they told you to leave because thank you, everybody. We're done. Everyone can go home, I'm sure.
I wish they were that kind.
So what, I understand that you brought some copy with you today.
I did, I did. I am mostly a commercial actor. I auditioned for commercials, and I take it very seriously.
Right. So what are some commercials that some of the listening audience may remember you from?
Oh, well, I was a grocery boy in a Boost Mobile commercial.
Wow, Boost Mobile.
Yes, very fine phones. I was a guy on couch in an ad for Miracle Whip.
Miracle Whip, that is the alternative to mayonnaise, is that correct?
Not for me. I think mayonnaise is the alternative to miracle. The opposite.
That's a company man if I've ever seen one.
Yeah, thank you very much.
Yeah.
I booked neither of these. I'm sure they have the tape somewhere of me auditioning for these.
There is tape of you.
Yes. Selling these products. Digital video tape. Whether it was just seen by casting directors or theatrical directors or the manufacturers themselves, I cannot say for sure.
It's hard to know.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of these days they'll blow the dust off of these tapes and look at old Eddie Yondles.
Yep. I don't know if you're just like me where you've heard the phrase, we're going to hold on to this and if there's something in the future, we'll let you know. I hear that very often. Over and over again because the future is always happening with that phone. Waiting for it to buzz, buzz, buzz.
Yep.
I guess there's always more future.
So yeah. So I thought we could use this opportunity as like I could showcase my skills, what I've learned over my years of acting and auditioning. And I thought we could also, you know, maybe I could get some feedback from the great Rodandan school of thespianism.
Well, I have to say that I am flattered.
Yes.
And I am excited. Pleasure's all mine. I am close to aroused.
Don't start with me.
I'm just kidding. You know me. You know how I like to joke around.
Sure.
Anyway, so you have some copy.
I do.
Which is official.
This is, yes. Advertising script. I took these from the voiceover booths that I was auditioning in.
And just to be clear, they ask you to leave those for the next people coming in.
Oh, sure. They have copies.
I know they have copies of the copy.
Sure. But I like keeping them for my records. Little keepsakes, little mementos, and they're great for practice, too.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
So let's go ahead and delve into some of this stuff.
Sure. I'd love to.
We'll hear what this copy sounds like, your interpretation of it, and the ways in which you entered and left those auditions, and then we can sort of get a few tips and tricks.
Well, you'll notice in my reading that I'm a very method actor. I enjoy...
What does that mean?
I love disappearing into a role. Like the Daniel Day-Lewises, the Christian Bales, the Jared Leto in that movie where he played Mark David Chapman. The Dane Cooks.
What movie did he do?
He was in the one with the guy who he had sex with the girls and then they'd all get married.
Sure. Oh, Good Luck Chuck.
Yep.
Yeah. That was a far reach for him.
I like to...
I understand that a few of his ex-girlfriends are not yet married.
I would...
Hey, none of my business. I like that. It's a liberal point of view. It's a liberal attitude. And this being California, I think you're fitting right in as a New York boy. None of my business, hang loose, as they might say here, right? Hang surf. I mean, surf ten in the bedroom, far be it for me.
Forever, yes. Well, so you'll notice here, like this first one, for example, this is a Home Depot spot called Swim. I'd like to imagine myself as maybe a 30 or 40-something suburban dad.
Yeah.
Reaching across the fence to his neighbor, telling another suburban dad about a tip that's going down at the local HD.
I already feel like I'm that dad.
You already feel like?
Okay, well, let's see if this does anything for you.
It's called Swim by Home Depot.
Action.
Here's how to swim in money. Step one, go to the Home Depot now through August 31st and get 10% off all appliances of $399 or more, including Energy Star-qualified washing machine. Step two, wash your clothes. Not only will you smell better, you'll cut energy costs up to $60 and save enough water to fill three swimming pools. Step three.
Step three.
Try not to drown in your savings. The Home Depot. You can do it. We can help.
You know, there's a lot in there.
So much.
There's a lot in there that I think is very important. I like the safety message. Don't drown in the savings. I like the community message of you can do it. We can help. I like the three swimming pools worth of water that you can save.
I forgot to emphasize the three on that.
Well, I think you hit it pretty well. It was sort of a psychological way that you did.
It was understated.
It was very, um, well, you know, in these ads there's really no time for understatement. I think I just, I don't know. I honestly, uh, I, I have no notes. I'm very impressed.
Thank you.
I feel like you hit the post.
Thanks.
I feel like you hit your mark, and god damn it, I'm gonna go to Home Depot before August 31st. I'm gonna buy myself an Energy Star appliance, and how much am I gonna save? Enough to drown in. Watch your kids around water this year. Thank you very much. And what did you do when you left that audition?
That was a tough one for me because they were not impressed. So I, I, I tried, I tried reading the copy one more time before they kicked me out.
They didn't kick me out.
They didn't kick me. I was, I was, I was asked to leave.
Yes.
Too many times, uh, to feel comfortable enough to...
(Alarm)
Sorry, guys. That's, uh, it's my alarm. Time to take the...
You've got a Hollywood big shot over here.
Yeah, Hollywood big shot with a prescription of Prozac.
Hollywood big shot. Time to take the donuts. Where's your helicopter, Hollywood big shot?
Where's my helicopter?
I appreciate you. I appreciate your sense of humor.
Limousine.
Limousine is a longer car that celebrities ride around in. Hollywood big shots ride around in those.
Yeah.
Speaking of Hollywood, I'm not a bi-coastal big shot, if anything.
That's right. I am bi-coastal. I admit it.
You live on two coasts, you work on two coasts, and the only big shots I hear come out of guns in my neighborhood. But, uh... that was a weird joke.
It's hard. It's not always good to make light of gun violence, but that was called for.
Thank you. That was very appropriate. I loved it. I appreciate your sensitivity, your manhood, and the way that you read copy.
This is just a positivity fest.
It's a festival of positivity, much like a jazz festival, which we have coming up here in a couple of months.
Oh, keep me posted on that.
I'm gonna let you know when the jazz festival comes around.
Thank you.
Do you have a particular jazz, uh, musician that you enjoy?
Charles Mingus.
Mingus. It's a fun word to say.
Sure, yeah, it is.
So let's, let's hear some more copy.
Okay. This one's for V8. The juice. The vegetable drink.
You could have had a V8.
Those people.
Yes, actually, that could have had a V8.
That's basically the entire...
There are more words on that page than you could have had a V8.
Yes, but you said that better than I was going to say that.
Well, let the listening audience be the judge of that.
All right, so for this role, I had to disappear into a V8 drinker, the soul of a V8 drinker. It wasn't easy because I don't like V8.
What does it mean to disappear into the soul of a V8 drinker?
I was trying to find empathy for someone who would enjoy V8 enough to identify themselves as a V8 drinker. I don't identify myself that way. I find V8 to be nauseating. But in preparation for this role, I drank many, many bottles, large bottles of V8 over the course of two days.
Did you feel any health benefits?
I guess you could call it a cleansing.
That's probably the least graphic way to say that.
I appreciate that. Okay, so this one doesn't have a title. It's just titled V8.
I guess we could call it Untitled.
For unsurpassed fruit and veggie nutrition, V8 V-Fusion. Could have had a V8. Can I try that again? I just want to...
You don't have to, but you can.
I know you're being nice right now, but that was...
Am I being nice or am I being fucking impressed?
No, that was honestly... I know what that sounded like.
Yeah, I know that's not your best, but...
I was honestly...
You want to go again? Give it a shot.
We're all counting on you.
For unsurpassed fruit and veggie nutrition, V8 V-Fusion. Could have had a V8.
Well, you took a big breath. There it goes. I heard a big breath. I knew something was coming.
I had to cough and I didn't want to.
Let's try it again. Let's go for strike three.
Hold on. You hear that?
(Siren)
I did.
Just another day. And they don't stop here. They just go by. They never stop here.
Which makes me not feel good about paying my taxes. But go ahead.
For unsurpassed fruit and veggie nutrition, V8 V-Fusion. Could have had a V8.
Whoa. Whoa. Don't yell at me. I'm sorry, but, uh, where are my socks? They've just been blown off. The way that you said could have had a V8 in that loud voice. Say it again. Give it to me one more time.
Could have had a V8.
No, the way you did it before. I know you.
Could have had a V8.
Oh, I'm not feeling good about it. Well, I'll tell you what I feel about it. I feel like going to local Circle K or AM/PM or whatever else is around here, whatever's closest, because I'm scared, and getting a V8, because thank you. I need to start taking my diet seriously. I need to start taking baby aspirin. I'm not a young man anymore.
I didn't book that one, obviously.
Why do you think that is?
I don't know. I don't know what they want out of me.
Can I give you a little piece of advice?
Please do.
Don't apologize in the middle of it.
Did I do that?
You were thinking about it. I could see it in your eyes. Your face looked like an apology. Your voice sounded wonderful.
I wanted to apologize before I said it.
I was very impressed, but somehow you were backpedaling. That's the thing. Treat these as a seduction. These casting directors are beautiful ladies. Or whatever you're into. And you want to close the deal with them. You've made love before, right?
Don't be silly. Of course I have.
Perfect. I knew you had. I just wanted to let everybody at home know.
I don't think this is appropriate for an acting podcast.
So when you make love, what is the first step?
I refuse.
What's the first step?
Yeah. Well, I assume it would be taking your clothes off.
Well, maybe meeting her or him. I mean, the very first step. We don't have to go all the way back to waking up and brushing your teeth.
Is there some game you're trying to win here?
No, the point is, you are ready to do it even before you're even close to taking your clothes off. You have an endgame in mind.
I don't like being made a fool of.
Nobody's making you a fool. You are acting like a fool, but I'm not making you a fool. If there's a fool in the room, a fool makes himself.
You're right.
You know what you are? You're a man.
I'm not a good man.
But you're afraid like a boy. Don't think like a boy. Think like a man. Take charge. Read that copy. And do me a favor. Seduce me with it.
For unsurpassed fruit and veggie nutrition, V8 V-Fusion. You could have had a V8.
How did that feel?
It felt bad. I feel like I'm doing something I don't want to do. I feel like I'm being forced into a situation.
When was the last time you felt like that?
I was hit by a car and dragged 40 feet across the ground a few weeks ago.
A few weeks ago?
Yes. I was unscathed, but I was dragged by a vehicle.
Must have been frightening, right?
It was terrifying.
So what happened? You got hit by the car.
I got hit by the car. My jeans ripped off of my ankles, and then the car sped away with my pants.
So you were standing there, pantsless.
Yes.
In the middle of the street.
Yes.
Were you wearing underwear?
Yes.
Were they soiled?
No.
Good. That's a good start. What kind of underwear were they?
Boxer briefs.
Boxer briefs, what color?
Red.
Red boxer briefs, like Michael Jordan, from the commercial. That's a win. Did anybody see you?
Plenty of people saw me. It was on Vine.
Were they, did anybody try to help you?
One of those guys dressed like a Spider-Man. Like, you know, the homeless people.
Oh, yeah, I know. The ex-cons who dress up to make change.
He tried helping me, but there was nothing he could do.
Nobody had spare pants?
Not the Spider-Man. Why would... no.
How'd you get home?
Took a cab.
Was your wallet in the pants?
Yes.
Was that an awkward conversation?
I ran into my house, grabbed some extra cash, and gave it to him.
And he was okay with that or was he upset?
It took him a minute to convince him to trust me. Because I had to run up to my apartment and run back down to the cab.
Did your roommate let you in?
There's a key under my mat. I live alone.
Live alone. I know that game. How do you fall asleep at night?
Often in my desk chair.
Looking at the internet? Do you have a computer?
I do.
What do you look at before you go to sleep?
The visualizer for iTunes. I'm usually listening to a podcast and watching the visualizer.
Who do you like to listen to?
I like, well, I like Marc Maron's podcast. I like, I can't believe we got to this.
You want to stay here tonight?
No, I really can't. And I feel like you're asking that out of pity. I feel like you don't actually want me here. Plus, I'd feel like you don't have room for me with all these magazines.
We have a lot of magazines in here. But I also have stuff to make s'mores. You want to make s'mores with me?
Do you have an electric oven? You don't even have a...
Well, I have a... what you would call a George Foreman grill.
You can't make a s'more on that.
I'd love to see you try. You'd probably make a huge mess every night failing to make a s'more. If I show you and it works, will you stay?
Why do you want me to stay so bad?
You sound like you need a friend, and I'm willing to be that. You don't get a lot of these offers, do you?
Absolutely not.
So, what are you fighting me for?
I have a hard time trusting people.
Well, I have never hurt anybody.
Could you say that again?
I have never hurt anybody.
Okay. You know, for an actor, that was the least convincing thing.
I've never hurt anybody.
There's no way you can say that.
I've never hurt anybody.
Have you ever been in a relationship? I'm sure that it's ended in you hurting someone.
That's a tough question, relationship, because that could mean so many things. Have I had...
Have you had a meaningful, emotional, physical, and just overall mutual relationship with a significant other that...
Well, who honestly can say that they've had that? I mean, your parents?
Yes.
Your parents?
Both dead.
Right? No relationship there, except with the worms. My parents.
All right. You know what?
I'm just going to read this Dunkin' Donuts copy, and then I...
Please do. And do me a favor. Knock it out of the park, will you?
Okay. Can you do me a favor? And if I do this really well, can I cut this out and use it on my reel?
Yeah, of course.
Hey, it's me, White Chocolate of...
Cool, we'll be cutting this one out.
All right.
No, I'm just... I'm sorry. Go ahead. Go ahead and start over. I know there's a lot of cat hair in this apartment, even though I don't have cats.
What is with that?
It's just... I don't know. It's just residual, I think. I think there are cats here when I leave the house. I think they come in through the window.
You gotta close the window.
Well, then when I come home, it's like 109 degrees in here. I have a heater I can't shut off. Laugh at me about it.
I don't want to.
Just read your Dunkin' Donuts copy.
You may know my more famous cousin, Chocolate. He used to get all the big jobs covering strawberries one minute, icing cakes the next. I've just been doing small gigs to pay the bills, covering pretzels or filling Easter Bunny molds. Dunkin' Donuts gave me my big shot. Now I'm... my phone is ringing off the hook. But who has time to... I'm just going to work right through the...
Don't comment on it. Just keep going.
Who has time to do any Valentine's Day candy when you're the hottest cup in town? Well, introducing me, the new white hot chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts. Who's delicious? I am.
Okay, now I feel like that was bad. I feel like that was a terrible read for many reasons. First of all, I, I was thrown off by having a conversation about, among other things, my dead parents and my lack of relationship.
Do you need an inhaler?
I don't know.
Just cat hair? Some water?
The magazine dust and the cat hair. The fact that...
Some of that's flavor dust for my Doritos, too.
Your Doritos?
Yeah, I make my own Doritos. Here. I call them Doritos.
(Chewing)
Play the music.
(Theme music)
I don't want to admit it, but... Dan Rodandan... Eddie Yondles. You get the final word, go ahead.
Am I not allowed to talk anymore?
Yeah, you get the final word. Go ahead.
Bill O'Reilly. Go ahead.