When the Diary Goes Blank | Ep. 31

MAX: 00:00
Welcome back to Two Unemployed Actors. I'm Max.

SAM: 00:03
I'm Sam.

MAX: 00:04
And we're coming to you remotely for a change.

SAM: 00:09
Yeah.

MAX: 00:09
So yeah, so I've taken the opportunity to to what I what I've also been doing is in the new Corona world watching heaps of uh movies. Heaps of old old classics and stuff. It's been really cool. And sometimes, like even if it's like a 90s movie, it's obviously I'm looking at it so differently to when I watched it at the time as a teenage boy, you know, just wanting for wanting action and stuff. Like there was one movie in particular, that's right, Edge of Darkness with Mel Gibson. And at the time I'm like, I just want to watch this action blow up movie. But then I look at it now and I realise it's actually got some pretty tight storylines, and it's really sad when he maybe it was just because I was, you know, had two wines while I was watching it this time, but um yeah, it really pulls it doesn't pull any punches. It was quite interesting watching it through more adult experienced eyes. Yeah, and that was Mel Gibson. He's in the good books now, isn't he? Are we allowed to talk about Mel?

SAM: 01:04
Probably not.

MAX: 01:05
Probably not this week.

SAM: 01:07
Just delete this whole segment.

MAX: 01:12
I'm sure he's listening.

SAM: 01:19
Um, so Jess and I watched Palm Beach the other night um as well, you know, the Palm Beach movie, the Aussie one.

MAX: 01:26
Yes, yes, I remember I remember not liking it very clearly.

SAM: 01:30
Yeah, no, I I enjoyed it. I think I think some of the acting was good. I think Sam Neil was a standout, um, of course. So you like Sam Neil?

MAX: 01:39
And who else?

SAM: 01:41
Brian Brown, I don't know, I just didn't he it wasn't anything special.

MAX: 01:44
What about Heather Mitchell and Yeah, I thought she was really good.

SAM: 01:50
I thought she was um a standout as well. And we were we were watching the credits at the end to see who was the casting agent. It was Kirsty McGregor, so that was really cool. We recognized a lot of the locations as well, like the the basin, which I go camping to sometimes, so that was really cool.

MAX: 02:05
It's really cool when you see moments like that. It's good. I mean it's just it was such a such an Aussie film, you know, a bunch of mates catching up at a holiday house, you know, all you know, partying all the stuff. But I kind of felt like that's what it was. It was just a whole bunch of actors who knew each other having a great time and the cameras were on them.

SAM: 02:21
It wasn't a good cast.

MAX: 02:22
It didn't feel like there was enough to get to know each of the characters, so I didn't really feel anything when stuff happened to them.

SAM: 02:28
Yeah, like like there were a lot of characters and they were introduced, they weren't really introduced. Like their backstories or anything, you know, weren't like I'm agreeing with you. So yeah, I think you didn't feel as connected or whatever.

MAX: 02:40
But but you do you do need to see, and I know I said this last time, uh, the Invisible Man. When where whenever we can because it's not on the cinemas.

SAM: 02:49
Yeah, I think it's important to watch Aussie Aussie film.

MAX: 02:58
I'm going through uh some of my list on like Netflix, right? And I'm like looking at this stuff going, why did I put this in the list? You know, I'm looking at stuff that stuff that I've seen before. I don't know, maybe I just have this lucid moment where I'm going through going, wait a minute, I don't want to watch that. Oh, wait a minute, I've seen that. What's going on?

SAM: 03:17
Yeah.

MAX: 03:18
Uh I just had to so basically that prompted me to go through a clean up of my my list and realise just how much stuff I've been adding to that since I've had Netflix. Oh yeah. It'll take me the you know, six months to get through it all. And even then, I mean more content doesn't always mean more good content either.

SAM: 03:37
So it's a good time to watch movies and educate yourself and uh just like you know, practice, get your skills up as an act.

MAX: 03:44
I tell you who's l who's loving the lockdown, Fred, he's never seen so much of me.

SAM: 03:47
Oh, yeah, I know Bella Bella's loving it as well.

MAX: 03:50
It's like, come on, mate, and uh we're starting to get on each other's nerves, which is gonna be really interesting over the coming weeks. It's hilarious. As he buys for my 100% of my attention every second that I'm home.

SAM: 04:04
Yeah.

MAX: 04:04
Yeah, well then my excuse to go out and about is to walk the dog, so he's out there with me. And I've got the new uh I've got the new carrier for the for the Vespa so that he comes with me on the Vespa now.

SAM: 04:15
Oh yeah.

MAX: 04:16
And head on down to Centennial Park and go for walks. He he he doesn't wear the goggles very well. He likes the goggles, doesn't like the helmet. Oh my god, you put goggles on him. That's yeah, sorry, sorry, doggles, doggles. Oh, doggles makes it much better when you say doggles. And uh but won't wear the helmet, doesn't like anything on his head. It's the same for his winter beanie.

SAM: 04:37
Yeah, because it covers the ears, right?

MAX: 04:39
His winter beanie. Um I think the helmet, to be honest, is a bit more decorative. I mean, if he comes off and needs a helmet, he's probably got more to row back. But it's a really safe carrier. I just want to add that bit. I'm not like just tying him to the back bumper and off I ride. I saw that in uh what was it, Nashville Lampoons Vacation. Whichever Chase ties the dog to the back of the car, the police pulls them over, has a rant, and then holds up the leash with nothing much left of it. It's good that voiceovers are still going. Uh one thing I've noticed is just the dramatic increase in the amount of people auditioning. Like through the online platform that I use, um, you can see where I'm at, and you know, it's just been released and there's 40 auditions already in like the first couple of hours. Whereas normally it's like 10 in the first couple of hours. Okay. So I think more people are trying to submit for jobs. If they hadn't already had a home studio set up, it's probably going to be a lot harder though. Um it took me a couple of years to get a list of some regular customers and and um to to get to be able to do some work and organise the demos and that sort of thing. All the stuff that I guess you can do now, it just takes a bit more bit more time. Is there a storm rolling in? Yeah, is it raining?

SAM: 05:57
Is it raining near you? Far from me?

MAX: 05:59
No. You're in your own universe over there.

SAM: 06:02
I live five minutes from you. It's not raining.

MAX: 06:06
You're in your own universe.

SAM: 06:07
I know. It's actually a green screen. It's a green whole setup going.

MAX: 06:11
Wow, you've got the whole special effects. That's awesome. I'm impressed.

SAM: 06:15
I wish I could just change change the lighting.

MAX: 06:17
I I wish we could organize the studio like that.

SAM: 06:20
I know. We should just get a green screen. How great would that look?

MAX: 06:25
Just to project everything on a basic.

SAM: 06:30
Look, now we're going down.

MAX: 06:32
Or or we still don't have coronavirus on the top of it. I keep mentioning the C word. What? It's hard. Coronavirus.

SAM: 06:39
Oh no.

MAX: 06:41
It's hard. It's hard not to. The whole world is. COVID 19. COVID 19. Yes. COVID is it COVID-19 or would you say COVID 19? Or if you're if you're a Trump, uh the China virus.

SAM: 06:54
You know that? Have you heard of that uh that uh game Plague Incorporated? No. Okay, so I played it when I was a kid, like a young kid. And you you like start plagues and try and infect the whole world. And I just re-downloaded it and it's a bit edgy to play it, but it's a lot of fun.

MAX: 07:13
Or maybe that's how they're maybe the help that's how the health authorities are doing their modelling.

SAM: 07:17
I named my virus Divic 20. It's COVID based on the city. Did you really? Yeah.

MAX: 07:24
How did you go? Did everyone survive?

SAM: 07:26
No, I killed everyone. Oh gosh.

MAX: 07:29
That's not that's not good. No, it's not good. That's not what you call motivational. So what are you doing inside? Are you studying plays? Are you are you? I'm playing a computer game where I kill everyone using a virus. Oh no. Yeah, it was. As long as it's just a game, mate.

SAM: 07:46
Don't get Yeah, exactly. It's not like it's like a voodoo voodoo app.

MAX: 07:53
Hard work. I mean, you need a lot of dolls to kill everyone using voodoo. So my diary looks kind of bleak now. I've gone from what was it, pre-Corona? What was it? Two Shakespeare's in a week. Uh, The Invisible Man with a QA and theatre rehearsals for the play I was in, and and now it's like just voiceovers, website, self-tape, you know. I can see it's hard. And I'm a goal, I'm the guy who was working from home normally, right? So, and I'm finding it hard. So, God knows what it's like for those of you aren't used to working from home and suddenly you know people who go out a lot and whatnot. Yeah, it's like you know, you just miss that social interaction. I was having a five-minute chat just to the barista this morning because that was only personal.

SAM: 08:52
He's just like, Go, you got your fing coffee.

MAX: 08:55
Even I'm doing voiceovers, I'm still talking to myself. There's no one there. Yeah. As much as I pretend there's someone there.

SAM: 09:02
I don't know. Well, when you just left to get Fred, I was kind of talking to myself.

unknown: 09:07
Okay.

MAX: 09:07
So not just feel crazy, just part crazy. And our viewers, but they can't talk back, so it's No, they not technically exist in social media yet. They don't know. No, they they can talk on social media, but yeah, no, that's that's not we're not that. We're not to broadcast studio yet. We're just happy we can hear each other at this point in time.

SAM: 09:28
Yeah, I know.

MAX: 09:30
And that I can edit 15 channels together to make a one podcast. So, yeah, so my diary's like totally opened up. I'm like, I'm gonna have to start planning things to do and actually diarising them, like saying, I need to spend an hour on a self-tape at a certain time. I need to spend an hour um having a break, which you know it's easy to do. Uh or an hour um, you know, reading a play or something. Just like I've just I I feel like I need that in my calendar just to help me stay on track too with with where we're at with two unemployed actors and and my voiceovers and everything. Um, but help motivate me to do a bit more because it's so easy to fall into the trap of the couch grabs you.

SAM: 10:15
Yeah, yeah.

MAX: 10:16
Especially in our work where there's no discipline to like there's no nine to five-ness. Yeah. It's all over the room.

SAM: 10:21
Yeah, this is this is what the radio peeps are doing. This is what like Kyle and Jackie O are doing. Kyle's in his house with one mic, Jackie O's in her house with another mic, and then they got like the producers out the front in like broadcasting vans.

MAX: 10:35
They can afford to have decent mics and decent studios too. I'm sure they'll be fine. I'm sure they'll be fine.

SAM: 10:42
Oh, that was. Oh wow.

MAX: 10:45
I'm gonna have so much fun editing this little broadcast. You'll only be able to hear me. Oh no. Sorry, Sam, I didn't get your file, didn't come through.

SAM: 10:55
Oh, sorry, it somehow went in the trash. Oh no, it's deleted somehow.

MAX: 11:00
Just went straight to my spam. Do you know, do you know what's really sad as an actor in Sydney with the Corona World?

SAM: 11:08
Oh, right, yes.

MAX: 11:09
Besides, yeah, besides talking to you as part of the podcast. Um I've got all these events that I need to cancel. Like the Union had an event with Joel Edgerton on going to the US. Yeah. Yeah, I'm just deleting that one. Uh, another movie night, deleting that one.

SAM: 11:30
Oh, you like your movie night too. Another night to have wine.

MAX: 11:32
Another night to the theatre. Uh sometimes, sometimes it's uh industry one, like the invisible man was an industry one, which means you know it's an actor AFI industry. Uh you've got to be, you know, verified industry to get accepted. And then you can get to hear a bit more too, because it's industry talking to industry. So we had the producer up there and the art director, and you just get to find out perhaps a little bit more than your usual tidbit or or bit to the media, um, and have the opportunity to ask questions, which is great, which I thought was fantastic. There's some great questions. So um there's that, then there, yeah, then there's me just walking around the corner to see a movie to have my own little break, and sometimes the wine makes the movie better. But uh, but it's pretty sad as I as I speak to you now. I'm going through my diary and deleting these fantastic moments. I'm like, oh, that would have been a great night, that would have been fantastic. Melbourne Theatre Company, they've cancelled everything to September till October, I think. Sydney Theatre Company's cancelled everything. Even the Hamlet, remember the the the the Hamlet, I was raving about that Shakespeare night of Belle Shakespeare at the Sydney Theatre Company at the Opera House.

SAM: 12:38
Cancelled.

MAX: 12:39
My first standing ovation. And I remember talking to another another someone else who remained industry from a particular company, uh, and I said, Um, yeah, absolutely, we should have a we should have a plan B. I think it'd be remiss of you not to have a plan B for you know uh shutdowns for the for the coronavirus, just in case. And and a couple other people said, Yeah, we're we're working through hours, and they're like, Oh, really, do you think so? No, little did we know, like two weeks later, that show will be we will be cancelled along with many others for for the corona world. It's just it's crazy. I mean, it's just changed so much. We we're used to now, at least in Australia anyway, getting these updates daily on what we're allowed to do now or not allowed to do now. Yeah, um, but it's sort of so been so gradual that it's kind of normal now to wake up and get that update. But then when you walk outside, it's like it's I tell you what, Bondo Junction has never been this quiet. It's like I'm living back on the lower north shore. Oh yeah I can hear the birds again. I'm not hearing sirens.

SAM: 13:39
Oh god.

MAX: 13:40
I don't have to shut the windows when I record my voiceovers.

SAM: 13:44
Yeah.

MAX: 13:45
It's it's it's it's crazy. It's crazy. I went out in La Vespa today to uh to do a few bits and pieces and go shopping. Finally, some supplies back on the shelf, and just no traffic. Great time to be on the bike, but still I know. Everyone's working from home diligently. Yeah.

SAM: 14:01
Well, uh we're we were chatting about this the other day, but like you go to the supermarket, so there's photos of supermarkets, all the shelves are empty or whatever, and the only things there are everything vegan. So you've got the tofu that's still there. I went to the store the other day, there are like heaps of ice creams gone, and like the only ones there were like the vegan avocado uh cornetos. Seriously. So I bought those vegan.

MAX: 14:24
Like they're just stockpiling everything, but it's a virus, I need to stay alive during virus, but I won't do vegetarian.

SAM: 14:31
I know. I'll do everything I can, but not vegetarian.

MAX: 14:35
No, I have my standards. I will I will starve before I have vegetarian or gluten-free, dammit.

SAM: 14:42
I feel like people are like, oh no, all the meat's gone, everyone's stocking up on the meat. It's like, ah sh shit, I'm gonna die of starvation. It's like, well, no. There's other foods.

MAX: 14:52
It was crazy, yeah. All the meat, the meat section today was out, but then but then I walked across the road, the butcher had the butcher had all full window of all the meat. So I'm like, and it tastes better too, I think. Mmm. I have to go back to going to specialty shops, you know, the baker for the bread, the grocer for the for the greens, for the veggies, and the butcher for the meat. Yes. At least I know it'll be okay. Probably it's gonna taste better too. Should we do an outro before you lose it completely?

SAM: 15:17
I think so.

MAX: 15:20
Alright, you've been listening to Two Unemployed Actors. I'm Max. I'm Sam. And no matter what happens, we will be back next week with another episode.