Recovering from an Emotional Shoot: Get To or Have To, Own the Silhouette, and Every Role Matters to Someone (with Elizabeth Selby)

That's how we do it, Joey. This is Mornings with Matt, the Dearing Acting Studio Podcast, where we discuss the connection between life and acting. All right, good morning, everybody. Welcome to Mornings with Matt, the Dearing Acting Studio Podcast. We've got an awesome guest on this morning, Miss Elizabeth Selby. Miss Elizabeth, try to say that, Joey. Elizabeth Selby. No, it's like this, Miss Elizabeth Selby. There's like… The Miss?

Yeah, the Miss Elizabeth Selby. Miss Elizabeth Selby. I'm taking it to the kids' class. Hey, good morning! Hi, good morning! Thank you so much for having me. Oh my gosh, thanks for being on the show. What a beautiful smile you have there. Oh, thank you. Thank you. So I love your story here about how you got into acting. So you're an elementary school teacher, yeah? Yes. And are you still?

Not at the moment. Okay. Not at the moment. I took a break because I am a new mom to a seven-month-old. Hey, congratulations! From staying home. Yeah, yeah, thank you so much. That's great. Boy or girl? It's a boy. It's a boy! That's exciting. Okay, so you got a new baby at home. And I like this story, though. The one about the movie that you ended up doing.

And you were feeling very called to audition for this. Can you kind of walk us through that? Because that, I think, is really powerful. Yes. Okay, so last year in the summer, my husband and I went on a road trip. But before that, we had already made plans. And I saw the casting breakdown for the feature film called Wander. And it was going to be filmed in New Mexico, Carrizozo, New Mexico.

And I really felt a need to submit to it. And I wasn't going to do it because my husband and I had already made plans. So I tried to shake it off and not think about it. But I kept coming back to it. I'm like, I need to submit. And so I spoke with my husband about it. And I remember telling him, if I do not submit, I don't want to live in regret my whole life.

And I'm so blessed and thankful that he said, go for it. We'll figure out a way to have you be on set. And so I submitted. I got a call back. And I got the part. So is this a speaking role in this movie? I only had one line. That counts. No, that's a big deal. No, that's great. And who's in the movie with you? Aaron Eckhart, Katheryn Winnick, and Tommy Lee Jones.

Whoa, that's cool. So did you get to meet Tommy Lee Jones? No. No. So I really wanted to, but I think I just missed him by a day because I had to come back to Arizona to come and teach. Okay. So, yeah, I missed him. Yeah, no, that happens. And so here's the thing, though. Like, it doesn't really matter. I mean, you're still in that movie with him.

I mean, I use this example a lot. If people set the wrong goals, so if you set a goal, let's just say that you're going to be in a movie with some famous person, you may be in a movie with that person and still never meet them, not have any lines. Like, I mean, it'd be the wrong goal, the wrong reason. This is so interesting to me.

So this part was, like, calling to you for some reason, and you felt, like, the need, almost, to audition for it. What was the part? Why was it calling you so deeply, do you think? Well, they were looking for a person to basically open the film. So it was the opening of the film. So I'm like, oh, the description of the person they're looking for is like me.

So I went ahead and submitted, and I'm like, I just, once something is telling you in your heart to go for it, you just have to go for it. You know, my dad, he had the opportunity to go professionally to play soccer, but he decided to stay home with us. So he also motivated me to just go for it, don't live in regret, and yeah. I love that.

What a good dad. So I'm hearing you sort of, and I call that listening to spirit. So you have, like, life is kind of going one direction, but the spirit keeps tugging and tugging and tugging, and you're like, all right, well, I don't know why, but I'm just like, I shouldn't be obsessed over this, but I'm obsessed with it. So I feel like I have to do it.

And then there's a chapter in my book, Acting is My Day Job, that I say you need to create your team. You've got to create your support system. And it sounds like you've got a really great support system with your husband and your family, but especially your husband here, who would take a trip that you have planned, something that maybe he was even looking forward to, and just saying, you know what, if this happens, I'm going to support you fully.

And then it ended up happening, and he backed up his word, yeah? I mean, we still had an opportunity to travel to his best friend's wedding, and we camped all the way there. But, yeah, we had to come back a few days earlier so I can drive myself over to Carrizozo. Nice. And so you landed this part not living in New Mexico, right? Correct. So you were living in Arizona, and then just went out there.

Did you have to go out there for the callbacks, too? I did. Yeah? Yeah, the first time I went out there, I flew myself. I flew myself there, and I met with the director, April Mullen, and the writer, Tim Doiron. And they were talking to me about the film, and I didn't know that I booked a job, because they didn't tell me right there and then. And during the flight, I was just sitting still, just imaging everything that I would do once I walk in, how I say my lines and all of that.

And once I get there, they just welcome me in, and they're like, okay, well, you got the job. I'm like, what? Oh, that's fantastic. How cool is that? I didn't know how to react to it. And here's the power of our minds. I was just telling Joey about this a second ago, how powerful our minds are. You were already visualizing, like you had it. You were already visualizing the end result.

Even early on, when you were looking at the audition, it's sort of like you knew. I was telling him this morning, I got up early, and it was a particularly difficult morning, because we were up super late teaching last night. And then when my daughter does this, she just kills me. She crawls in the bed early and is all snuggly and warm, and I'm like, the last thing I want to do is get up.

So anyway, I did. I ended up getting up and riding my bike into work, and I didn't want to write. I just didn't want to. But I had said yesterday on the show that come hell or high water, I'm writing. I know I'm supposed to do it. I'm going to do it. I had a really great writing session, super cool. But here's the mind part that's so neat.

So by the time like 6.30 rolled around, I was feeling a little bit drained, like a little tired. And so I was about to warn someone. I was going to say, hey, will you wake me up 10 minutes before the show? I'm going to just kind of like zen out for a second. But I didn't tell anybody. And so I put on this little meditation in my ears, and lo and behold, 10 minutes, like on the dot before the show, I just pop up like that, full of energy.

Like it's crazy. When you tell your mind something, if you really believe it, I mean, it's just so powerful. That's all I have to say. I agree. Like, okay, my little guy, he woke up quite a number of times last night. And the same thing with you, I'm like, oh, yeah, I'll go ahead and decide to put him in bed with us. He was like kicking all over the place and didn't really let us go back to sleep.

And that's okay. You know, that's part of the journey of being a parent. And then I had a nightmare. I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm going to wake up late. My car is not going to start. Car? I don't know how that came up because I'm in my closet right now. So, but yeah, I was just too excited for this show. So, thank you. That's awesome. Yeah, and thanks for being here, of course.

You know, that brings up another topic, too. By the way, before we get there, you're signed with Ford Robert Black. Is that right? Yes, I just signed with him. Well, I shouldn't say just. Well, I did. In March, in May. Hey, cool. Exciting. That's great. So, is that after the role? Yes. Nice. Okay. So, again, there's so many success stories. Here, Joey, that you know I'm going to be obsessed with.

But I so believe in doing this, no matter where you are. Because, you know, New Mexico is a nice place. And it's got, you know, some industry stuff was starting to happen there. But much like L.A., we saw some actors that were going there with stars in their eyes, thinking that the grass is going to be greener on the other side. And it's not. I mean, a lot of them either come back or they go there and they're like, well, I'm just, I'm not getting roles or I'm not getting auditions.

And I'm like, I know, I told you, you know, like, it doesn't mean just because you go someplace where it's happening that all of a sudden you're going to be successful. Like, you still have to put in the work. So, if you're not putting in the work and you haven't decided, like, this is for sure going to happen for you, it doesn't really matter where you live.

But here, your story is like, you didn't move there. You didn't have to move there. You know, you put in the effort. You got the role. And even if you didn't get the role, at least you put in the effort and you knew exactly what you wanted. And so, that wouldn't have, it doesn't sound like, would have deterred you from being excited about the next role. Is that true?

I kind of lost signal when you were talking. It was the most brilliant thing I've said all morning, too. Yeah, it really was. It was a great point. I'm like, I knew what you said. I appreciate that. I hate it when people lie about that kind of stuff. No, I was saying, I was saying, like, you know, whether you got the role or didn't get the role, you weren't going to be deterred from, like, acting.

It was just sort of like, auditioning was the process. You know, that was the journey. And that, to me, is really cool. And people not being stuck to geography when it comes to success. Because I just don't believe in it. As a matter of fact, we've had so many cool people on the show. And we have a lot of, like, big guests coming up, too. We're really blessed.

I don't even know how it's happening. But we're excited about it. But we're also seeing people coming back to Arizona now. Bigger stars and people who, like, have really successful careers. So they're coming back here. And they're coming in for self-tapes. And they're doing all kinds of, like, tons of auditioning from Arizona. Because that's just how it goes now. And this is a pretty awesome place to live.

So if you could live here, which a lot of the stars that we know and have worked with, they live here as their home base. And then they'll go and travel wherever they need to to be on set for their different shows and stuff. Especially right now. It's finally starting to cool down. Oh. I was laughing so hard because one of our students, you know, Matt Siebert.

He posted, he's from Michigan, right? Oh, yeah. And he posted a story. And he was like, I don't care what y'all say. It's chilly. And he had, like, a jacket on. But I messaged back because I was like, you're from, like, you come from ice and snow. You're from Michigan. And then he was like, it was so cold this morning. I was like, it's the breeze. The Arizona breeze is, like, so cold in the mornings when it's blowing.

Yeah. It's deceivingly freezing in the morning and at night here now. Yeah, absolutely. Especially going into the seasons. You know, for me, it's, like, I can't wait for this time of year because this is sort of my branding. I like the little jacket and stuff. So I wear it year-round. And so when it finally gets cold enough for me to look normal, it's kind of nice, you know, because I'm going to wear it either way.

For me to look normal. You got some fans in our chat right now. I do. Yeah. Who are they? Who are they? Nadia Henry said, go, Elizabeth. So proud of you. Joanne is one of our students. She said, good morning, sunshines. So excited to see her, or to hear her story. And Astrid says, good morning. All right. Yes, good. So, so, um, Elizabeth, how do you know Nadia Henry?

Nadia and I, we, uh, are friends. We, uh, go to social network events together. We've been on set together. She is amazing. She is amazing. And, um, yeah. So hello, Nadia. Good to see you on the show. Very cool. Um, yeah. So, so then you get signed with, with Ford, Robert Black, who we love, by the way, love Cherie, love Matt, uh, awesome organization. So you're in very good hands there.

Um, what, what's coming next for you? Like what, what's around the horizon right now? Well, I will be part of a film called Toro de Oro. Uh, Pedro Perez is going to be directing it. It's about a torero, which is a matador, um, who is struggling to figure out if he wants family or fame to be the most important in his life. And so, um, there's a Kickstarter at the moment.

Um, we're really close reaching our goal and, um, I will make sure to have that information on, um, my Instagram page. Okay. Awesome. Do you, do you know it right now? The, the information by any chance where, where the, uh, where the Kickstarter is? Um, I sure do. Cool. We're going to talk about that. That's pretty cool. Also, I, you're so elegant when you say, when you say the name of the film, could you say it again?

Cause I'm going to, I'm going to make myself try to do it. Toro de Oro. Toro de Oro. Just like that. Toro de Oro. Toro de Oro. Yeah. You know, what's funny is I took, uh, I took six semesters of Spanish. Uh huh. I can't speak Spanish. I, uh, when I transferred, when I transferred schools, they threw it on my transcript and I never said anything about it.

Oh, Joey. Because I was like, I was like, everybody complains about Spanish. And I was like, unless I took it without like remembering somehow, but the only thing I can complain about is the fact that I didn't learn and I should have. No, I mean like I took four years of Spanish in high school and then, so I took even more and then I took, um, four semesters of Spanish in college because I had to, and I was always a go for the grade, uh, the grade kind of guy.

I didn't really learn how to learn until much later in life. So I would get good grades and I was trying to get into med school. So I didn't really care about anything except my GPA, just trying to get to like a certain level. And, and then I realized like, oh man, I've been totally learning the wrong way. And, and I look back on the, those years working in, in Spanish and honestly, like I would get B's and, and B plus A cause I knew how to study for the test, but I didn't actually learn, you know?

And so, um, now I, I hate to say regret it, but it's, it's one of those things where I wished I would have learned differently because I, I, I love different languages. I mean, it's very fun. So are you, are you bilingual? Because I imagine you must be with how beautiful your, your accent is when you say that. Oh, thank you. Yes, I am. Yes. And I agree with you.

Learning in class is way different than learning outside of it. You know, you have to, you have to be like everything. You have to be consistent if you really want to know, um, the work and the skill. Yeah, for sure. Okay. So, so where's this Kickstarter? How can we find it? The Kickstarter is, um, are you going to go there, Joey? Kickstarter.com. Kickstarter.com. Okay. And then you can search for Toro de Oro.

Toro de Oro. Toro de Oro. Yeah, there you go. Nicely done. Tell me when you found it, Joey. And this is directed by Pedro, Pedro Perez Nunez. Yes. Nunez. Yes. Yes. Si. All right. Well, Joey's pulling that up. Um, why don't we talk about a few of the questions you have for me before we, uh, wrap up the show here? Okay. Oh, I have to ask them.

Duh. Yeah, that's, that's your spot. I'm sorry. Um, okay. So I was part of a feature film called A Cry in the Night. And, um, it was directed by David Jones, written by, uh, Joe Coroner, Coroner, Coroner, Coroner. See, there are some words that I have trouble saying, too. Sure. I feel like she, Matt, she doesn't have to lie. She just is trying to make you feel better.

She's doing a great job. I appreciate it. Yeah. Every mistake makes me feel better. And, uh, I play the lead lady. Um, it's a legend of La Llorona. And, uh, we filmed on the weekends and those weekends we put in about 30 plus hours. And, um, I had to cry a lot and, uh, and going back to work after that intense weekend, I felt numb. Yeah. I don't know if that's common.

Uh, but I wanted to know what are some strategies to unwind when it comes to having those types of, uh, scenes. Okay. So that's a great question. Um, first and foremost, you want to make sure that you're, you're, um, whenever you're going to an emotional place that you're healthy about it, it sounds like you are, but, um, but, but sometimes we can go into like deep emotional states with our emotional triggers and things.

And if we're not really healed from a situation, um, it could, it could potentially draw us into negativity or, or into like a sadness that we can't get out of. Um, but I suggest, uh, my, my, my inclination is that you were probably numb from the work and just from the amount of hours and the amount of time and, and then going right back to work, just feeling like, Oh, like this is a lot.

And so, um, I don't really have a suggestion other than keep doing it. Um, cause I just believe in that. I, I think that there's going to come a time when you get to earn the right. I mean, this is what acting is my day job is all about. Um, you're going to earn the right to, to not do your other job, but there's going to, there's, there are seasons of life when, especially when you're coming up that you just have to put in a more work and, and it's the person who's willing to do that, who's willing to sacrifice.

And of course you can't do it 24 seven every weekend, you know, for, for an entire year. Like that would probably be pretty like too tough, but give yourself like a break, celebrate it and understand and, and keep reminding yourself, I'm doing what I love. I'm doing what I love. It is work. Yes. It's hard. Yes. But I'm doing what I love because what would you rather be doing?

Yeah. That's right. So I'm, so I'm on my weekend and I could be sitting around watching TV. I could be, you know, just, just hanging out with friends. Um, I, I could be, you know, sleeping in and yet I get to be on set. I get to be doing these things for, for 30 hours. Um, and talk about your support system. Maybe, maybe, um, my, uh, my husband is sacrificing as well, you know, or my, or my, whoever's taking care of the kids at the time and just saying like, you know, everyone's kind of giving into this thing.

So I have to protect my own mind and continually remind myself why I'm doing this, how important it is to me. And that all of these 30 hours, even though it feels like a ton, it's not all 100% work the whole time. A lot of it is, but a lot of it is very fun. And if I remind myself that this is what I love to do, I'm doing it because I want to do it.

Not because I have to do it. You know, I mean, this is a part of our morning, right? Joey, it's like, you know, I, I told these guys at one point, I said, you know, you don't have to be on the show. I love you. I want you to be on the show a hundred percent, but if you don't show up, like I'm going to do the show either way.

Cause I love it. I want to do it. Like, I want to be here every day. I sincerely love doing it. Is it a sacrifice? Yes. Is it easy every day? No. Um, but I want to do it. And, and Joey's like, well, you're not going to do it without me. Yeah. You know, and he, and he showed up cause he, cause he realized like he flipped the mindset of like, you know what, this is a privilege.

Like we get to do this. This is not something I have to do. And so for us, we like, we do this a lot too, where we have to protect ourselves because a lot of the, a lot of the fun stuff that we do happens to be at our workplace. So, so we would like, like I get to perform with, with one of the best comedy troops in the Southwest, chaos comedy.

They're, they're, they're really awesome. And, and I get to be a part of that. Well, when I go on the stage, it's usually here. So it can feel like work. It can feel like, Oh babe, I have a show. Like I have to do a show, but it's not like, no, like I get to do a show and I know how I feel afterward. Like, I love it.

I love it. Yeah. You know, waking up in the morning when I do my writing, I love it. I feel so good. I like, it sets me up for my day, you know, doing this show now. and everything is, is doing this. And so depending on what you tell yourself, it's either I get to, or I have to, and, and then you frame yourself with, this is life giving or life draining.

And then, then you can do the same thing with your other work, right? So you can be like, all right, now you go like, Oh, I got to go back to work. Like I, I worked all weekend. Now I got to go back to work. And, or you could say this other job is what allows me to do the thing I love right now. That's the stepping stone.

I'm so grateful that I have a job right now. I'm so grateful that somebody is employing me. Um, thank you. Like, I'm so pumped, you know? And so, so you just, you flip that mindset and before you know it, you know, you just, like I said earlier, our minds are so powerful. You just tell yourself how it's going to be and then you back it up. And it's not like you, you can't feel you're allowed to feel, you're allowed to feel tired and stressed and all those things, but you can also snap right out of it and not let yourself kind of dwell in that numbness.

So maybe, maybe like if you're feeling numb, the other thing I like to do is acknowledge it, say it out loud, breathe through it, and then just like give yourself a time. Could be five minutes, could be 10 minutes, could be three hours. Whatever you want it to be, you could be like, all right, I'm going to put on, I'm going to binge three hours of Netflix or something.

You know, I'm going to let myself be numb. And then you just go, okay, I'm done. Like timer. And then you just like, like a light switch, you just go, all right, it's time to go. That's a good advice. Netflix and chill. No, but the thing is, I really enjoyed going the next morning to teach, you know, because that's another stage that I can be on. Yeah.

And I loved being around the kids and I had amazing support for my coworkers and I'm sad And so, um, yeah, I feel for the schools and I read, and I really feel for the kids, especially anybody who's in a situation where they don't have like reliable internet, you know, or their, or their family situation or home situation is not, not great. Um, there's a lot of people out there like that.

So, um, I, I feel like this is a huge cause that I'm passionate about is I want to, I want to find where these people are, reach out to them and help in some way, shape or form. Um, and I don't know that I still feel like something else is calling me, you know, like I'm, I'm trying to figure out what are ways that I can help in like, for example, those situations with the kids.

Like, I know I want to do something with kids, but I don't know what, please tell me what. All right. All right. It's going to come. It's going to come. There's going to be an opportunity very soon. I can feel it. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So your, your next question is about resumes. You want to go into that? Oh, sure. So, um, I had the honor and opportunity to get chosen by, um, Academy award winner, producer and director, Ellen Goosenberg Kent to recreate, um, a reenactment.

Um, and she chose me to be the lead role and, um, um, we filmed down in Tucson and for a whole day. Um, and when the documentary was live on HBO, I could only see my silhouette. So, um, so in those cases, um, do you write it down on your resume? Do you leave it out? Uh, so yes, you put it on there and as soon as you can, you knock it off.

So you did do it. It is, it is legitimate. You did audition for it. You did land the role. Like all those things are true. Just be very honest on your resume. But even when you're first starting out, actors might have to put on their like high school theater projects and you know, like whatever they have, you got to put on there. And then as soon as you can, you want to knock those things off.

So every student film you do put on your resume, every, like everything put on your resume, even like, even showcases. Like if they're a really high level, you can even put a showcase at like a school on your, on your resume. And then as soon as you get more legitimate projects, you just try to like knock it off your resume. So, so start with it on there.

Yes. And then knock it off as it, as you progress through. Okay. Cool. Yeah. Um, and it happens a lot too. So like, no, yeah, no shame. I know you get so excited to post on social media. Like, oh my gosh, this is the party that I got. And then all of a sudden when you see it, you're like, oh man, you know what I would do if I were you is I would post it anyway and just bring attention to it.

Cause I, I always liked that. I personally, I think people need to go into the, into the darkness more in a, in other words, like as soon as you can figure out how to not be ashamed or, or not like not worry about being silly, um, or, or being embarrassed, there's so much power there. So you could be like, Hey, remember the role I was talking about?

Like, here I am, look at me. And then, and then like big arrow, like pointing at the silhouette and being like, ah, you know, and, and it's funny and you're bringing attention to it. And then by the way, like nobody can ever come back to you and ask you about it. Like, Oh, what happened with that role? Like they're not going to drag you down cause you leaned right into it.

And you're like, yep, I did the work. I said, it doesn't matter. You still got the job. You still landed it. You're technically still on HBO. Um, own it. Your silhouette is famous. When I did the, uh, the cable one commercial, it was really funny because they, um, it was just a wide shot. So it was like, you couldn't really tell it was me. And so every time, uh, somebody looked at it, they were like, is that, is that you?

Like that, like they honestly couldn't tell. And then there was a green screen behind me because the, the thing they made me run on that was supposed to be the hamster wheel falls through the floor. Oh yeah. So it was special effects. So you actually like never saw, saw my face. It was just like the side of my body running on this wheel. And then there was like a voiceover at the end.

And I was like, guys, I swear it's me. I promise. I promise. Dude, you're lucky. You got, you're lucky you got such a good payday on that one. Yeah. It was a really cool commercial. Cause a lot of times if you, if you don't see the face and you're not super recognizable, they're done. They'll downgrade you. So I think part of it was a no AC fee.

That was, that was one of my, like, it was just so hard. Cause we got there and it's like this really nice house and the AC went out and it's the middle of summer. And I have to run on this thing for two minutes before they can start rolling because it has to be moving. That's crazy. And it was all made out of wood. So it was like, I was so tired by the end of the day.

It was ridiculous. All right. And your last question here is about, uh, managing your acting expenses. Yeah. Yeah. Um, there was a friend of mine who had that same question. She actually posted it on Facebook. I'm not sure if she got any responses back, but, um, she was asking about, um, managing expenses. Like, do you use spreadsheets? Uh, how do you categorize each label? Um, and do you use an app?

There's an app for that. I'm assuming. I'm sure that there is. Yeah. I'm, I'm almost positive, but here we go. We're going to do one of these, uh, even though Brian's not in here right now. I'm sure he's in. Oh, where's Brian? Oh, you want to do it? All right. Here you go. Nice catch. It's time now for Brian Sweeney's Shameless Plugs. Shameless Plugs. Acting is my day job.

Seven strategies to market and make money as an actor. In this book, you will see there are plenty of spreadsheets on how to chapter two, get organized. Yeah. So we have a spreadsheet right on there about, about, uh, taxes and whatnot. My, my ending, um, advice for you though, unfortunately is you need an accountant. So, so I have like, I have a spreadsheet on there that, that you can use the main thing.

And this is hard for any business owner. And if you're an actor, you're a business owner. You just have to look at it that way. So, um, it's very difficult to track all of your expenses like perfectly. Um, because you just have to be like really diligent about it. As a matter of fact, this is not something, it's not one of my strengths. So I wrote about it.

I know about it. But at the same time, a lot of times I'll take like the general deduction that you get and I'll kind of feed some things in there. Um, but, but it can be tough. Like, uh, for instance, you can write off your, your car, let's just say, and your gas. But if it, for, for me as a business owner, if I drive from my house to my work, you don't get to write that off.

But if I go from my work to, uh, office max and buy paper and bring it back to work, I can write that one off. So to track the mileage and like, oh, this mile doesn't count. This mile does count. You know what I mean? Like it can be very hard over a year to track every little thing. And there are apps for that, that you can connect to your vehicle and whatnot.

Um, or you can take the general deduction. But, but like the main thing is tax laws change constantly. I believe in whatever the system is, know it, obey it, but don't get, don't get taken advantage of. So if you don't know like what you can write off, then, then you won't do it. Like for instance, you can write off going to the movies or at least you used to.

I don't know the tax law right now, but if you go to a movie that is research for you as an actor. So that you can put in the write off column, um, you can write off certain outfits, but you have to be careful. And I always say, be very honest about like what you're really doing for what purpose. Um, but as you track those expenses and you can show it, the whole thing you always want to think about is what if I got audited?

So you, so that's, that's really all it is. If you track your expenses in such a way where you go, um, I'm not worried if somebody came in and wanted to go, Hey, prove it. You go here, here it is here. Here are my receipts or here's my approximations or whatever. And maybe you'd have a, uh, like a small ding on something. Um, but it wouldn't be something where you've been like dishonest in any way, shape or form, you know?

So that to me is like the big deal. So number one, get an accountant. Number two, buy acting as my day job and download the, uh, the worksheets. And, and you can go on the, on the website too, actually. And you hit the book button. Um, you just put in your information and we'll, we send you the worksheets for free actually. Um, so, so that's something that your friend can do.

And just, just to get started with like, okay, what are some ideas for this and kind of put it down. But at the end of the day, you need a professional. I mean, I just believe in this because otherwise you're going to get yourself in trouble. So, so get a professional who can say, here's what works. Here's what doesn't work. Um, and then, and then just do your best to be very diligent about, about your job.

And, and, and know that if you set the right habits early in your career, they'll translate long-term. Okay. I, I love the, uh, I love the example of court, Courteney Cox from, she was one of the friends in the show friends, you know, she became the most successful financially after that show. And one of the reasons is she's a really good business woman, like super good. So she didn't make the most money and she definitely didn't get the most gigs afterward that, you know, like Matthew Perry landed a bunch of stuff.

And, um, you know, the other characters, Jennifer Aniston, whoa. Yeah. And maybe Jennifer Aniston is more financially secure now, but I don't know that that's even true because what, what Courteney Cox did is she invested, she took her money and she invested in, in the right real estate. And so she kind of turned her acting into an empire. And, and so she, she did it to where she doesn't have to work anymore because of her being smart with her money, understanding how to run it like a business.

And so you want to do that. You want to act that way when the gigs are a hundred dollars, a thousand dollars, et cetera. Cause then, then if you get in the right habits, then when the money becomes more, you're just, you're still doing the same thing. You're putting into different pools. Um, but, but to you, it just becomes easy. It's like, okay, it's this percentage here, this percentage there, this percentage there.

Yeah. I got to get that book then. You'll love it. It's, it's, it's a lot about what, what you're doing actually. So I think it's going to be a really good affirmation for you. Um, hopefully a motivator and, and there'll be a few things in there that'll just help you get organized and make sure that you're, you're starting your day off right and ending your day strong and, and, and staying organized.

But, you know, I can tell you're already doing a lot of the right things because when you're doing a project, you're naming the writer and you're naming the director, you're building relationships. That's what this game is all about. Cause that's what, that's the game of life. And, uh, we had a guest on here, a really smart guy, um, who said your net, your net worth, your, your net work is your net worth.

Yup. And, and, and that's brilliant. And so, so you think about as an actor, the more of these connections you make, eventually what they do, because you show up and you do a really good job on the next one, they do, they think of you for the role or they write for you. And so you're no longer going to castings, you're showing up for bookings. And that's, that's the process you want to get yourself into is you've got a network of a hundred, then a network of a thousand people.

And even sometimes these, these might be student films that you're not getting paid for that you might be even losing money on, but that, that one, like you never know which director is going to turn into Steven Spielberg. And you want to make sure you treated that person well, that you stayed in, you stayed in contact, that you showed up and did a really good job, like the best of your ability.

So when they do have their next project that they're getting paid for and they're going to pay an actor, you're on the list of people that they know is good and solid and shows up and does the work. I mean, how many times have you seen, um, there, there be actors who work together and directors who keep hiring the same people, right? All the time. Like, uh, like Tarantino did that, like most of his films had re repeat actors in them, you know, like, cause he knows who's solid from the very beginning and, and he, he would just keep bringing it back.

I mean, why would I have a casting when I know I can get these guys on my film? Yeah. That's true. It reminded me of, uh, I think you guys were talking with the twins about know who you're talking to on set and so, um, this is so off topic, but, um, while I was on set for wander, uh, there, we were just talking to a bunch of actors and the makeup artists, we were just talking to one another.

And one of them, one of the actors asks me, so how long have you been doing this? I'm like, Oh, about two and a half years or so. And then I ask him the same question and he chuckles. I'm like, Oh my gosh, did I just do something wrong? And apparently this actor, Raymond Cruz, he's been on quite a number of shows like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul.

I'm like, I'm so sorry. I didn't know, but he was really cool about it. And look at that, right? Um, which shows has he been on? Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul. Guess what? Yeah. Same people producing the same stuff and they're bringing back the same actors. It's not a coincidence. Like it just isn't. And if he's a good actor and did a good job and made the right connections, he probably didn't have to audition for the next thing.

They just called up his agent and said, Hey, we want him on the show. I mean, that's how it goes. Yeah. I felt so bad. I'm sorry, Ray. I'm so sorry. I know you now. No, that's great. Okay. So, um, so I want to plug your Instagram here really quick so that people can follow you and they should do that. Obviously you're, um, you're, you're a bright, light in this industry.

So let's go, uh, Instagram is at Elizabeth Selby. And then, um, you have, uh, you're on IMDb as well, which is IMDb.me forward slash Elizabeth Selby. So you can, you can follow Elizabeth there, all of her journey. You can see pictures of her silhouette on HBO. It's very exciting stuff. Um, and if we want to, and if we want to go to this Kickstarter, let's go to this Kickstarter real quick, Joey.

Uh, do you have that? Cool. I had it and then we left it. Bro, you thought I forgot about the Kickstarter. I never forget about the Kickstarter. You're right. You're right. I never forget. All right. I'm not going to do that. Well, I, uh, on Instagram, I recently posted a, as he's looking for it. Um, I recently posted a picture of me holding a, um, exposed film and it had, uh, Elizabeth thank you for being our star and the director signed it.

Um, and I was just playing an extra for that film. I didn't have a speaking, speaking role or anything like that. And, um, it's like in life, every role that you play or yeah, every role that you play is important to someone else, you know? So just make sure to be you and enjoy every process. I know sometimes it can be very difficult to go through certain things, but, um, once you look back at it and you achieved, then that makes it all worth it.

That is, that is such beautiful advice. And thank you for saying that. And, um, and, and I'll, I want to add on that too, the, the idea of, um, you still have that film reel? Yeah. Yes. Yeah. It means something to you, right? Oh yeah. So, so if you ever do become any, anybody listening out here, if you ever do become somebody who, who becomes known or you have some sort of, uh, you know, following or whatever, I, I beg of you stay humble, do the little things because look at this, um, here was an actress.

She was on a film. She was an extra. The director took the time to write her name on a film reel and hand it to her with a thank you note. And then that little thing has now become something that's in, that inspires you, something that you take with you, something that you're very proud of. And that person didn't have to take the time to do that.

You know, that just, it takes a little bit of extra effort and it takes, it takes a sense of love and caring and wanting to follow through really, really well. And, and what happens in the long run, look at us, we're talking about this director on a show and you're going to probably talk about that for the rest of your life. So as you land roles and as you level up, you're always going to be mentioning this film reel that, that, that got you started.

And how cool is that? Is this is it right here, Joey? Yeah, it looks like it. That's awesome. It is. Yeah. Yeah. And what's the director's name? Greg McIllivry. Greg McIllivry. Yeah. How cool is that? So thank you, Greg. Well done. Keep, keep doing such great work. And all right. So we're going to kick over to the Kickstarter, Joey. All right. Here it is. All right. And go ahead, Elizabeth.

Let's do one more promo for this. Make sure to check out the Kickstarter for Toro de Oro. We are almost reaching our goal and we can start production in a couple months. Awesome. What is the goal? With your help. 8,000 out of 10,000. 10,000. Okay, cool. All right. So here's what we're going to do here in the next, um, we're going to give this five minutes. So if you're watching right now, if you donate to this right now and you put in the comments that you donated, um, we'll match up to $100.

Dang. No way. That's what we're going to do. So somebody out there watching, jump on there and donate, um, in the next, in the next five minutes and Dearing Acting Studio is going to donate. We're going to help, uh, Joey, we're going to be producers, bro. Sounds good. 7.51. That's the time limit. Officially. That's five minutes from right now. Officially, we are producers on the film Toro de Oro.

If, if somebody else will join us and be a producer with us, um, it doesn't matter. You can donate five bucks. We'll match five bucks. If you, uh, if you put 10 bucks, we'll match 10 bucks up to $100. We're going to match that in the next five minutes. That's what we're going to do. Um, Joey, can you, um, is there a way to play this? This, uh, is there, is this a trailer, Elizabeth?

Uh, yes. It's, it's, it's the director talking to you about the film and all of that. And it's really neat because, uh, one of the, um, characters is played by a real matador. So, yeah, it's really neat when we were, um, taking the, the pictures, um, they were just talking to us about their stories of being a matador and all of that. But it's just, it's amazing.

You should, you should definitely check it out. Awesome. Awesome. All right. Um, Joey, we get any traction on there in the comments? Uh, it just hit the moment where we said we would match. Because we're, because there's a little bit of a lag there. Okay. All right. So, so that stands that, uh, if you donate here in the next five minutes, we will match up to $100.

So, so you can donate five bucks, 10 bucks, 15 bucks, $100, whatever you donate, we're going to match. And we want to make sure that, um, not only us, but other people are able to create light driven content. That's what we're all about. We want to spread love and joy and goodness into the world. And there are so many good people out there and we want to make sure that we're helping give them a voice.

Um, we, we want to inspire people. We want to tell really good stories, gritty stories. It's okay to go into the dark, but we're going to bring the light out. That is what we're doing through Lighthouse Theater, through Dearing Acting Studio, and hopefully through this show. That is, uh, 100% our goal. Also, I want to mention here before we wrap up, um, don't forget to like, subscribe, comment, um, on this show.

This, that, that helps us quite a bit. Um, but if you, if you happen to know somebody, we've, we've had a lot of referrals here recently. So if you happen to know somebody or you'd like to be on the show, don't forget that that's something that you can do. You can reach out to us. We get, we get a lot of emails now with people saying, Hey, I know somebody and you know, would you be interested in having them on the show?

And, um, usually the answer is going to be yes. So, so if, if you know a director or you're part of a film or you want to, you know, want to help promote a different business or something, um, reach out to us. And if we can get them on the show, we will totally do that. So, um, so, so that is an offer out there as well for everybody listening that, um, you can, you can get your, your own projects seen and promoted right here on the show as well.

Okay. So we're going to wrap it here. Elizabeth, I am going to, uh, I'm going to keep this offer open for five minutes after we officially end because there's a little bit of lag time through the live and we will match over there. I promise. And, uh, and if, and if we don't, if we don't get anybody on there, we're going to donate something. Oh, I appreciate it.

Thank you so much. All right. Thank you. Thank you for being on the show. It was awesome talking to you. You're, you're, uh, you're a delight. And I, I know, I guarantee you cause I can feel it. You've got big, big things in your future. So please keep, stay humble, stay connected to your husband and God and family. And, um, I'm excited for the ride you're about to go on.

Thank you so much. I'm excited to take you along with me. I appreciate it. Thank you. All right, everyone. Thank you everyone who tuned in as well. Thanks for watching. This has been mornings with Matt, the Dearing acting studio podcast. Please do not forget to like subscribe, share this channel. Help us spread this light driven content to the planet. God bless. Thanks for listening to mornings with Matt.

Please like subscribe and follow us at Dearing acting studio to keep up with the latest content. For more information on classes, private lessons, or professional development coaching, visit www.dearingstudio.com. Have a Dearing day, everyone.