Move–In day and monologues

When gas, water, power and insurance companies got back in to business on Monday morning, Murphy’s law did the same; what could go wrong – well, you know. For the landlord to let us move in, they needed confirmation letters faxed from all of the above – which should be no problem, since we asked them all to do so when opening our new accounts.

After half a day of waiting by an empty fax machine, we dared to call them back with a friendly reminder – only to discover that they’d forgotten all about us. When they eventually faxed it, only one name was on the paper – and we’d really prefer that both of us could move in. Another fax was called for, and this time it arrived with the wrong move in date. As we had no other place to stay, we had to call them once again to emphasize that it was today – as in not tomorrow – that we would like to move in.

As two rather sensitive souls (let’s face it, we’re actors), my roommate and I were seriously concerned that the higher powers just really didn’t want us there, until the correct fax miraculously reached the landlord some long hours later.

As we finally stepped into the empty apartment late at night, we were both struck by nausea due to an unbearable smell of chemicals. In lack of other options, we still blew up our air mattresses and fell asleep on the floor, only to wake up a couple of hours later with chopping teeth, icicles from our noses and what felt like an insane number of minus degrees in our living/bed room/kitchen (yes, LA can be COLD).

Highly aware of the fact that neither of us could even afford the rent at this place, we didn’t exactly feel like it was worth it at this moment. On the bright side, school revealed that a lot of classmates had chosen the very same apartment complex as us. Not to mention that all of them were awesome, super excited and  thereby illuminating our darkened perspectives. Suddenly we had new friends living just next door – and who needs money for heat or rent, when they have love and air, right?

As an emerging actor, I better get friendly with auditions. So far, I am not. Third day of school called for a monologue performance in order to put us on the right level – and (TMI coming up) I have never had such a bad diarrhea ever before in my life.

As a procrastinator by nature, no sleep due to our freakin’ freezing apartment, and literally drained because of you–know–what, I wasn’t exactly top fit for the task. Dizzy as a sailor and stressed to my bones, I gave a performance undoubtedly under my potential – whereafter the examiner goes; «Thank you Petter, that was nice. Next!».

Although the first week included an insane amount of mental stress, there are moments that tell me there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be. Like the free dinner later that night, where all students and teachers came together – an opportunity to connect with upcoming filmmakers, producers, screenwriters and actors, as well as those who have already been in the business for years.

Or when my class attended a private Q&A session with producer Grant Heslov, followed by a preview of his upcoming film The Monuments Men – all in the Warner Bros. studios. Yeah, I can sleep on the floor in that frozen, empty apartment for the rest of the year for this.

Life 2.0 is Khrono’s new blog, and will be presented with new blogposts every week. Petter Egge is a former student from HiOA and journalist at Khrono. He has decided to do something quit different. This is his stories.

Feb. 5th 2014: 
Chronicle #1: «I need a dollar, dollar is what I need»

Ok, just to make it clear right away: I am NOT a blogger. Since the dawn of the blogosphere, my prejudices have kept me far away from its kind. But as we all know, the first unwritten rule of a struggling actor in Hollywood is that «Everyone must accept some kind of prostitution in order to survive up until the big breakthrough.» So, I could have fulfilled the stereotype of waiting tables between my auditions, or I could do a «Sylvester Stallone» – but instead I am now spreading trivialities about my still-to-be famous self. Oh, the irony.

The whole chronicle #1 here.