| From HLN TV | |||
| The most famous TV star you've never heard of! | |||
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By Andres Diaz updated 5:48 PM EDT, Mon October 22, 2012 |
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Erica Shaffer is also a Yoga instructor From: Erica Shaffer A friend from school? An old co-worker? Maybe that lady that works at the coffee shop? Still can't nail it? Well, turns out you're not alone. Erica Shaffer has probably one of the most recognizable faces on TV. Problem is, you just don't know why, or where you've seen her. And there's a good reason. Shaffer estimates she's appeared in at least 200 commercials and infomercials in just the last decade. Plus, she's had roles on "Private Practice," "Dexter," "Scandal" and "Days of our Lives." So chances are, you've seen her before. Many, many times before. But there's more to her than just pitching products. She's a former ballerina. She teaches yoga. And, oh yeah, she's a busy mom, too! So what's it like to be so famous, but completely anonymous, all at the same time? HLN talked to her to find out! HLN: Do you get recognized all the time? Erica Shaffer: Yes. And people think I went to high school with them or they know they know me and sometimes they pin it, like right away. They're like, "Oh my gosh! You're that girl you who da da da da da!" And then sometimes I get, "Gosh, hey, you know," as if I'm someone from their past or a neighbor, you know. But definitely recognized and also in some of the most unfortunate situations for me, like I'm at Target and I've got no makeup on, you know (laughs). HLN: And that's when they recognize you? ES: Yeah, usually. But that's usually when I get a lot of the super-recognition. Or when my daughter is acting out in public, you know, I always will get recognized when I'm having, like, a tough mom moment, yeah. HLN: Does it ever get annoying? ES: No. Not at all. What does get annoying is when -- and this always happens to actors -- people want to know my resume, they want me to verbally start telling them my resume sometimes. Like we have to, as actors, validate ourselves, where I would never ask someone who worked in a business, in an office, "Well tell me exactly what did you do this week?" HLN: It's an interesting position to be in. Do you think that happens every day? Once a week? Couple times a week? ES: You know it happens almost every day. Sometimes a few days will go by. HLN: You've been in so many TV shows and commercials. Are you known in the business? Is it like, Oh, we've got to get Erica Shaffer? Or do you still have to audition? ES: Oh gosh, I audition probably 10 to 15 times a week. Yeah. I do get some direct bookings, especially in the infomercial world, the direct response world, I do get directly booked. But when it comes to national commercials, regional commercials or TV shows, nope, all of us are out there auditioning. HLN: Do you get nervous before an audition? What's that like? ES: Here's a good example of a typical day. Yesterday I had two national audition commercials in the morning. And then I tested for a pilot, for a lead in a pilot. That was nerve wracking. Now, let me tell you. That's one of the most nerve-wracking things you can do because you're super-prepared, you know your lines inside and out booking a pilot. And if a pilot actually goes, that could set you up for years. You know what I mean? I've been in many pilots that didn't go (laughs). So you know everything's on the line, right? And you just do your best. I got a lot of laughs, there was probably a room with about 20 network people in there. And then right after that I had another commercial audition to hit. Then I had to pick my daughter up from school. You know what I mean? So it's like boom, boom, boom. You know, like, today I've got one. I'll usually audition for two to three things a day, sometimes more. On average I go on 10 auditions a week, two of them being scripted television, TV shows and the rest being commercials. And it's a numbers game, you know. If you stand out in traffic long enough you will get hit. But you have to be out there. HLN: How do you manage to do all that? ES: You know, you get it done. The busier I am the more I get things done. You know, throw in the laundry, you get the dishes out, you do this, I'm looking at my lines. I'm usually memorizing my lines while I'm doing things around the house. I tape dialogue to the wall, to the mirror or whatever to keep dialogue near me, whatever I have to be working on. I usually look like I'm schizophrenic when I'm out there in the world because I'm talking to myself all the time, whatever dialogue I'm trying to memorize. I'm always talking to myself, walking down the street talking to myself. So there's a good moment where someone probably thinks there's that girl in all those commercials and she's insane. I try to keep it going, keep all the balls in the air. There's some days where it's quiet and nobody's looking for me. And those are days I reorganize my closet or make sure I get to the gym or I run more errands. I gotta keep it going. The most important thing I've learned over the years is I can't let myself get too down about not booking things. Because there's a lot more that I don't get than what I am getting. There's a lot, you know I'm booking probably, what, 20% of everything I'm out there for? So there's 80% of the things that just don't happen. HLN: So you kind of just have to get used to it. ES: And you gotta get over it, you know. Yeah. It's hard. It's really hard. I wouldn't recommend being an actor to anyone unless you've got such tough skin, you've got tenacity to get up everyday and to not let the day before, like, dictate who you are, you know. Nobody calls me up and says, "You know what, no." They don't ever say the word no. You just don't hear back. It kind of goes into a vortex. Like, you audition and then hey, if you hear, you hear. If you don't then that means they didn't want you. HLN: Did you always want to be an actress? ES: I remember being a little girl and sitting in the kitchen, pretending I was being interviewed by, you know, a talk show host about my acting career. So I guess I've always wanted it. I was a ballerina for 20 years. I danced from 6 years old until I was 26. But from 18 to 24 I got my bachelor's and master's degree in acting. So I'm an overly trained actor. I'm, like, supposed to be doing Shakespeare and regional theater right now, it's what I'm supposed to be doing. That's what I was trained for. I wasn't trained to be on camera at all. I was trained to do Chekhov and Shakespeare and do all the great works of theater, is what I was actually trained to do. But I was a dancer, so that discipline as a ballet dancer in a very strict ballet company, you just get things done and you take direction and you do it, from a very young age. You know, you don't complain and that's really what you need to be as an actor. You've got to have a smile on your face. We get up very early in the morning, we're awake very early, on set and no matter how you feel, no matter what might be going on in your life, you've got to make it work for that show, or that product. |
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See Shaffer's latest commercial for Fidelity Investments - PLAY
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