Since we profiled her earlier this year, our “Making It Happen” actress, Jiffy Reed, has been very busy pursuing her acting career. She has shot an episode of CSI: New York, traveled to Detroit to attend a film premiere, participated in several photo shoots, met with potential reps (though so far, no match- agents and managers, take note!), shot a short film called THE NEGOTIATION (see bottom of post for link), and she just returned from Florida where she was the signature model in a runway show. Oh, and of course, she’s been auditioning, auditioning, auditioning…

The following is a recent blog post from JiffyReed.com which is reprinted with permission:

This was a really fun experience, from start to – well, I don’t know if it’s finished yet, but I’m sharing it with you anyway.

I submitted for this short film over a month ago via Actors Access.  The story sounded very cool, a horror/thriller, and the bonus was that it would shoot in St. Louis, my hometown.  I looked up the director, Eric Wilkinson on IMDb, saw that he was a working artist with credits (a great way to do an initial screening on potential projects, I say) and clicked the “submit” button.

Cut to a few weeks later, and I’ve been called in to audition.  Did I mention that in my submission I let them know that I am from St. Louis and can work as a local hire?  Perhaps this helped me get a foot in the door.  The director offered to email the script if any auditioning actors were interested – I requested a copy immediately and thanked him for sharing – so many times, you have no idea what kind of story you’re getting into until they offer you the job – at least at the indie level.

The story is great!  I liked my character, and I liked the scene I would be doing for the audition.  I took notes on the whole thing, memorized the lines, prepared some ad-lib lines just in case, and stayed in touch with the director as he sent update emails before the audition date.

Day of the audition, I got there early, sat quietly in one of the chairs provided in the waiting room, and stayed in the moment.  The scene called for a lot of emotion, as my character’s life was at stake, so I used a tool called “silver bullet” – sort of a “what if you JUST found out (blank) had happened to you/someone you love?”  I’ll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say, I felt very prepared when I walked into that audition room.

Everyone, including the director, was super nice, appreciated my preparatory work, and seemed to enjoy the choices I made in the scene (to quote the director:”nice choices!”).  After that, I walked out of the room, out of the office, to the parking lot, got in my car, and let it all go – an important part of the process for me.  If I don’t let it go, it might bubble up later at an inopportune moment…  such as bawling in the middle of an ad for auto insurance… awkward.

Jiffy’s short film, THE NEGOTIATION, can be seen here.

Current situation: I’m very fortunate to have a part-part time job at Klean Bath & Body. My other “day job” is dancing. I was a professional ballerina for few years and had left for a while, but now I’m in rehearsals for a show called Astra von Berlifitzing to be performed at the Electric Lodge in Venice.

College: One year at Butler University in Indianapolis and then got hired to be a part of the Cincinnati Ballet Company.

Life before your dream: I was in the Kansas City Ballet, and toured as a member of Ballet Hispanico, among other dancing jobs. After a few years, I had an injury and was just generally burnt out on dancing and decided to turn my focus to acting, a passion that had been dormant in me until that time.

First acting experience and/or one that got you hooked: I went to a conservative middle school. We had an exercise in an acting class to go onstage and pretend to be someone completely different. First time, I went on as a drunk, the second time I was a hooker and it was a blast. I knew then that I love hamming it up and love making people laugh. However, since I was aspiring to be a professional dancer, which is very demanding at that level, I had to focus exclusively on that.

First paid acting job:AARON LOVES KENDRA, an indie feature mockumentary. 

Best day of your quest so far: One of the biggest ones was recently. I had it in mind to use my dance background and skills to open more doors in my acting career. Dance is becoming more widely popular, with dancing shows on TV and films that are focused on dance. I went on Actor’s Access and up comes a breakdown for screenwriter George Nolfi’s feature directorial debut, a film called The Adjustment Bureau (which has Matt Damon attached as the star). The lead role is a dancer and I happened to know the casting agent from my time in New York, so I submitted myself. Lo & behold, because of my dancing experience, I got called in. As far as I know, I was the only non-represented actress (no agent, no manager) there. I danced on five-square feet of carpet, read two different sides. It was great. It reinforced the idea that anything is possible if you are prepared and seek out opportunities.

Worst day of your quest: I was living in New York, which is a very expensive town. I had two well-paying jobs, but I realized I wasn’t doing anything to pursue my dream. I was just working to make money to afford to live my day-to-day life. I started wondering if it was too late for me, which led me to make the decision to either give up or recommit myself.

Best paid acting job so far:The film, THIRA, that I worked on in NY, opposite Richard Belzer and Dann Florek from “Law & Order: SVU.” They were extremely nice and professional. They reinforced the idea of acting as a job. You know, show up on time, know what you’re supposed to do, etc.

Eureka moment:  When I was in the Cincinnati ballet, rehearsing for “Giselle,” which is a very technically-challenging role to dance, I spent a lot of time writing about my character (even though I hadn’t taken any acting classes yet), rather than working on the dancing. I realized more than dance, that acting was what I was passionate about.

Brush with greatness: 1. Turning around in the middle of the airport and being face-to-face with Shirley MacLaine who, as everyone knows, is a dancer-actress. It was a very natural moment of connection, a very brief hello, but when I got on the plane, I wrote her a note about how much she had inspired me and had the flight attendant give it to her. 2. I was at a panel event through National Board of Review and spoke to Mercedes Ruehl (FISHER KING). She was very generous and encouraging.

Words of wisdom to someone coming down the path behind you: Watch everything you can! Watch the classics, please! Watch foreign films, watch TV! So many actors put their noses in the air and say “I don’t watch TV!” I heard an actress say recently “Well, film acting is very real, and TV acting is very theatrical, right?” Obviously, she hasn’t taken the time to watch any “Law and Order” episodes. The casting directors for the series repeatedly say “do LESS.  LESS.  LESS!!!!” Understanding the pacing of a primetime sitcom versus the pacing of daytime drama can be critical to booking those initial principal and co-star roles. Be open! On a related note, try to leave your judgments in your head. There is a difference between being right and being liked. Just because you hated a movie or disagree with something someone says, you don’t need to express it. Find positive people and energy and if you don’t like someone, move on.”

How will you know when you make it? When I was NY, one of the movies I did premiered at a real movie house and I saw my face on the big screen. It was awesome. When I am walking into a premiere in LA and my face is on the big screen in a feature film, that’s when I’ll know.

How will you celebrate when you make it? Go out to Joshua Tree and dance in the moonlight. Or go back to NY and have a big party there and dance all night with my friends.

Dream job (the one you will make happen when you have the power): Starring in and producing feature films that inspire. Do that for a long time.

More information on Jiffy can be found at her website or on her IMDB page. 

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