I’ve been surrounded by theater my entire life. My mother took me on my first community theater audition when I was 5, and by 9 years old my mother had started her own community theater production company with a family friend. Doing shows with that production company was pretty much the extent of my social life in high school! I initially went to college to study classical voice – as I’d primarily done musicals up to that point, and considered myself more a of a singer – but as a sophomore I had the opportunity to play Shen Teh/Shui Ta in Bertolt Brecht’s “The Good Woman of Szechwan”, which was the first chance I’d ever had to really stretch as an actor. That’s when I knew what my real passion was.
On set with @trendingaseries! Our writer/director @rosalietenseth is killing it in front o… http://t.co/RDuCKMBq3h pic.twitter.com/mY7NEO5uck
— Erin Zapcic (@ErinZapcic) September 26, 2015
Did you study acting
William Paterson University does not have an acting major, but once I realized that I wanted to pursue acting rather than voice, I changed my major to Communications and immersed myself in what theater opportunities were there. In some ways I was able to benefit from a smaller program, because I found myself playing a wide variety of roles in the four years I attended. Some of my favorite roles to date were from college: Laura in The Glass Menagerie, Elvira in Blithe Spirit, and the Witch in Into the Woods. I credit my directors – Edward Matthews and Phillip Sprayberry – for teaching me more than what I could learn in the classroom and really laying the groundwork of the actor that I would become.
What acting technique do you use
I don’t know that I ascribe to any one particular acting philosophy, and I think every actor needs to find the right fit for him or herself. I do tend to use sense memory when I’m struggling with an emotionally taxing scene. That can be helpful when you’re on set and you’ve got multiple takes, or you’ve had a lot of time to prepare for that one moment on camera. But when it’s live theater or in an audition where you might not get multiple takes, using a personal substitution and a trigger for that substitution is very beneficial.
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
Acting is not a solitary activity. As an actor you are never alone. If you find yourself in the rare instance where your character is alone on stage, chances are your character is delivering a monologue to the audience. Be open to the people around you, and let your scene partner(s) – including the audience – shape your performance.
Do you take courses to improve your craft
I currently study on-camera technique at Kimball Studio, and I have studied scene work at The Barrow Group. I highly recommend both schools. An actor should always be learning and honing his/her craft, which I also think means taking or auditing classes at different schools so that you’re always challenged.
What acting books do you read
For acting technique, I recommend The Power of the Actor by Ivana Chubbuck, and An Actor’s Companion by Seth Barrish. For the “business” of the business, I can’t say enough good about Self-Management for Actors by Bonnie Gillespie.
How do you keep fit as an actor
For physical fitness, I do my best to maintain a healthy diet and an exercise regimen consisting of weight and resistance training. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of a good night’s sleep, for both physical and mental health. But the biggest influence on a positive mindset about this business will be a strong support system. I don’t just mean your family, because even though they are important, they will not always understand the things you have to do or sacrifices you’ll have to make to survive in this business. Find a supportive, like-minded group of actors with whom to celebrate your successes and commiserate your setbacks. It will do wonders for your outlook.
When you’re offered a role, what do you do next
I love the early work on a script. I reread the script multiple times – first for the story, then for my character, and a few times more to see if there’s anything I’ve missed (chances are, I have). After that I’ll make some notes, do research on anything that is of importance for my character but about which I know very little. But what I really love is the table read: hearing the script out loud for the first time with all of your fellow castmates, hearing what everyone else brings to their character (which is probably completely different from what I’d heard in my head while reading the script), and having that first chance to discuss with everyone their thoughts on the story and their individual characters.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person
First and foremost, I try to find myself in every character I play; or at least, find some kind of similarity so that I can relate to her. This can get tricky, though, because as an actor you can’t make judgments about your character. So if a character has experiences/motivations that are vastly different from mine, I try to boil them down to something I can understand and empathize with. If you can find your truth in your character, he/she will always be an honest, believable, and breathing person, because you are.
How do you stay fresh on set
The last few sets I’ve worked on have been pretty fast-moving, so I haven’t had much down time in-between takes. However, I’d recommend hanging around if you can (but stay out of the way!), because you can learn so much from watching other actors perform, and the director’s instructions to your scene partner might prove valuable to you down the line as well. It also helps keep your head in the game, rather than going into “break mode”.
Describe a memorable character you played
I recently wrapped shooting (September 2015) on a short film called Daydreamer, which I produced but also starred in as Victoria, a young woman who uses elaborate, cinematic daydreams to recover from a traumatic event in her life. She works in a video store, so she frequently inserts herself into her favorite movies, like Lord of the Rings, Man of Steel, and Casablanca.
Explain one creative choice you took on set
I played a recurring character in a web series called, “CASTERS”, and Liza was a former friend of one of the main characters. She was a really fun character to play, because her motives were always unclear. Her character was being developed as we were shooting, so the writer/director and I talked a lot about the different directions we could take her. In the end, I chose to think of Liza as more conflicted than manipulative, but there are plenty of moments that keep the audience guessing.
What do you want most from a director
I love a director who focuses on character, and probably was an actor at some point in time. Not someone who’ll just say, “Do it again”, but someone who’ll make me think about my character in that moment in a completely different way.
What actors do you long to work with
As much as the thought intimidates me, I’d love to work with Meryl Streep.
Why
Because I feel like every day on set with her would be a master class in acting. That kind of education alone would be worth more than the paycheck for the film.
What advice would you give to actors
First of all, you have to love acting. I mean really, really love it. Because if you go into this business for the fame and fortune, you’re going to be in for a lot of heartache. Know what you’re willing to sacrifice and what you’re not, and don’t let anyone make you feel badly about those choices. Second of all, produce something. Once you see the amount of work that goes into even the simplest of productions, it will make you have that much more appreciation for everyone involved in your next job. Lastly, but most importantly, approach this business from a place of collaboration, not competition. We’re all in this together (and hopefully because we all love it and want to tell great stories together). Everyone’s got their own value to add, so find out how you can help someone else. If you come from a place of we rather than me, not only will you be the type of actor everyone wants to work with, but you’ll see opportunities you never imagined unfold before you.
Briefly write about your career
Since moving to the NYC-metro vicinity I have not only performed in an early production of the award-winning musical Disenchanted! (which later went to Off-Broadway), I have had the chance to create roles in original productions through the New Jersey Playwrights Contest, with which I have been involved since its inception. I perform weekly to sold-out audiences as Princess Catalina at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. My short film, Daydreamer, is currently in post-production and I’m looking forward to taking it to festivals in 2016. I plan to collaborate with the creative team from Daydreamer on a web series I’m currently writing, which will likely shoot in the summer of 2016. I also recently produced (along with four other fantastic women, including an award-winning filmmaker) a sizzle reel for a web series in development called TRENDING, in which I will also appear. We’re slated to shoot in the spring of 2016 and we will be launching a crowdfunding campaign for TRENDING in the coming months! I put on the producer hat for the first time this year, and it looks like I won’t be taking it off anytime soon!
