When Michelle Simone Miller was in Elementary school, she had this amazing Drama class. She absolutely loved performing on that mini stage in the Drama room, starting with the dramatic works of the Little Miss Collection (Little Miss Bossy, Little Miss Sunshine… etc).
In first grade, a friend of Michelle asked her class to come see him in the Drama Club’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” and she begged her Mother to sign her up the next year. For the first two years in Drama Club (performing in “Bye Bye Birdie” and “The Pajama Game”), Michelle had bit parts, but she loved every minute about the process.
Michelle loved the rehearsals, she loved the rush of the auditions (despite how incredibly nervous she was to perform in front of 100+ students), she loved helping her friends run lines, and she loved, loved, loved the performances. It was during those years that MIchelle began to realize that she could do this as a career and she confidently declared that she was going to be an Actress when she grew up.
Well, Michelle never looked back. she also should include that in second grade, she was chosen by her Drama teacher, along with a handful of students, to be a part of a couple segments for The Rosie O’Donnell show. That was her first exposure to acting outside of school.
“What’d he do????!” – Check out this clip of my work on @BlueBloods_CBS https://t.co/RjLh8rmA9q #bluebloods #actorslife pic.twitter.com/lNUQdVjEwO
— Michelle Miller (@MichelleSimoneM) August 3, 2017
indieactivity: Did you study acting?
Michelle: I have! A lot. Acting became my most important and cherished hobby. I was in Drama Class throughout Elementary school and involved in every theater production, choral performance, and sketch. In Junior High school, I was in every play and class performance.
In sixth or seventh grade, a woman came to our school to audition kids for the play “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” I was cast as an Understudy to three of the roles. I proceeded to go to every rehearsal and memorize all three roles. When that play was being cast for an Off-Broadway version, I tried out and got in. For about a year, I was involved with the show, including daily rehearsals in Brooklyn and performances in lower Manhattan. It was a terrific education to acclimate my hobby in a professional environment. I also took weekly acting, singing, and dancing classes at The Neighborhood Playhouse for a few years.
I later studied and performed in many, many shows at Stuyvesant High School and attended various Theater camps including Usdan and Stagedoor Manor. Camp was exciting because all we did every day was attend singing, acting, and dancing classes and rehearsals. I had the best time! When I graduated High School, I went to Brandeis University specifically for its Liberal Arts education and excellent Drama program. I double majored in English and Theater Arts (with a Concentration in Acting) and a Minor in Business, all great subjects for my inevitable career as an Actor.
I particularly loved my classes with Adrienne Krstansky, Janet Morrison, and Susan Dibble who always pushed me physically and creatively. Since College, I have studied with various teachers in New York City. Currently, I am taking classes with Sarah Baskin at the Anthony Meindl Studio.
Michelle Simone Miller in Winter’s Tale (2014)
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Michelle: I honestly don’t subscribe to any one method. I’ve learned many of them over the years and at this point, I pick and choose the right tools for me at any given time. I use some of what I love from Chekhov to create characters or to prepare for auditions and performances, I subscribe to Meisner techniques when I have time to connect to a scene partner, and I do a lot of things I learned from Stanislavski: I ask myself questions in determining circumstances such as “What would I do in this situation?”
I instinctively look for Objectives and Actions/Tactics when breaking down a script, and I explore tapping into Emotional Memory. Right now, I have been focusing on staying present and in my body in every given moment, which is exactly what The Anthony Meindl Studio teaches.
indieactivity: Do you take courses to improve your craft?
Michelle: I love my weekly acting class with Sarah Baskin. I work with Jen Dashow occasionally to prepare for auditions and self-tapes. I also frequent The Actor’s Green Room for workshops with Casting Directors, which have been incredibly informative and helpful to me in my career. I started working at AGR last year and am now a Reader for many of their intensives and workshops.
One Bad Choice
indieactivity: What acting books do you read?
Michelle: I’ve read so many: “So you want to be a New York Actor” by Josselyne Herman Saccio and Guy Olivieri (written by a Manager and an Actor), “The Art of Acting” by Stella Adler, “Audition: Everything an Actor needs to get the part” by Michael Shurtleff, “An Actor Prepares” by Stanislavski, “The Inner Game of Tennis” by Timothy Gallwey.
I’m an avid reader so I recommend reading everything you can. That last book by Gallwey was required reading for an acting class and I couldn’t believe how many comparisons I could make to the acting process. For instance, many athletes at the top of their field will visualize their race or performance before competing, which is a tool I now use for auditions.
I also learned that when you learn a new technique and practice over and over again (or in my case, rehearse), our work gets settled into a form of muscle and emotional memory. This can be a tool and also something to avoid (with the risk of getting stale). I also approach auditions now with sufficient preparation, but remember to let it all go when I’m about to go in.
I trust that my preparation will come through and I don’t have to stress over it, similar to how I play tennis. Reading that book is when I began to realize a. the similarities in an actor’s process to those of an athlete and b. that other seemingly unrelated books can be directly helpful to my acting process. Right now, I’m in the middle of reading Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” which I learn so much from.
I also love reading biographies of various actors with the most memorable being “The way it’s never been done before” by George Englund (on Marlon Brando) and “Her Again” by Michael Schulman (on Meryl Streep). Reading about the various journeys of different actors is wonderful.
Michelle Simone Miller in a scene from Battle of the Bands
indieactivity: How do you keep fit as an actor?
Michelle: Physically, I feel like I keep fit more for me than as an Actor, in whatever slight difference that means. I try to work out 3 or 4 times a week at the New York Sports Club, with a mixture of cardio and weight training. I found out earlier this year that my insurance will reimburse me up to a certain amount if I submit a log with a certain amount of sessions, so that has been additional meditation.
I feel stronger and healthier when I work out and eat well. I also play tennis at least once a month, though I played three times in the last two weeks. Mentally, I have a practice that I try to adhere to every day (time permitting) which includes 10-20 minutes of Meditation, 10 minutes of Visualization, 5 minutes of journaling, and a few minutes of Positive Affirmations.
I also try to read as often as I can and recently joined a Book Club. That is definitely part of my practice for well-being.
indieactivity: How do you prepare for a role when you get it?
Michelle: If it’s for a longer role, I tend to read the script once or twice (provided it’s given to me), and make more extensive choices. I think about environment, how I can relate to the material, what lines can be triggering for the character, what lines are triggering for me, what do I want out of the scene, how do I go about trying to get it… etc. For co-star or day player auditions (a few lines) for TV or film, respectively, I try not to stress over it too much.
This means that I memorize the lines, ask myself basic questions about the character, and choose a few ways that I want to do the lines. Once I book a co-star or day player role, I just prepare what I did for the audition, which is normally exactly what they want. For a Commercial, I often just show up and wait for direction, depending on the extent of the Commercial copy.
Michelle Simone Miller in Homeland TV Series. Episode Sock Puppets (2017) … Co-Worker #1
indieactivity: How do you create a character from a script into a person?
Michelle: I ask myself a lot of questions to prepare. I think about the circumstances, her life, her triggers etc. I visualize experiences that are referred to in scenes so I have a context to look back on. I think about the relationships I have with different characters. I ask myself what do I want and need from them, how much do I want or need them to do or say something, why do I want that so much, what’s the urgency? I try to add things to the role that come from my experiences, that only I can do.
I once read an article on Johnny Depp and he was quoted in saying that in every character, he asks himself what can he add to the character that no one else can. I am still coming to terms to what that means for me, but I think about that a lot. I meditate on the scenes and visualize how I want them to go, what my energy will be like. I also listen to music that the character might listen to. This often calms my nerves before on an audition as I am able to focus on the character, not the audition.
indieactivity: How do you stay fresh on a production set?
Michelle: On set, I am very present. I take in every moment because I am so grateful to be there. I don’t really get nervous after booking a project, just excited and with a sense of ‘this is what I’m meant to do.’ As a result, I tend to be myself between takes and have a great time, while working to remain present and aware simultaneously. If I’m about to have an emotional moment, I tend to break off from the other actors and work myself up.
For some roles, this can involve pacing, jumping jacks, crying, thinking the thoughts of my character etc. I also try to stay fed and hydrated and love going to Craft Services.
Michelle Simone Miller in a Music Video
indieactivity: Describe a memorable character you played?
Michelle: There are so many memorable characters I’ve played. One of my favorites was the lead in Episode 1 of One Bad Choice on MTV. I played a real person, Dona Huertas, in the worst time of her life. It was the original pilot episode and we shot it in 3 days. It was picked up a year later and I was hired as a Guest Star for additional pick up scenes. In the audition, I was given 2 scenes as part of a cold reading.
I remember in the room, the reader said to me “I’m sorry, but Danielle died.” Danielle was the name of the other character, but it also happens to be the name of my sister. I let myself be triggered and began what I recall as a real, messy cry, which I later needed tissues for. The whole process was amazing, from the incredible audition where everything just clicked, to the original filming, to the pick-up scenes. It was also the first time I saw myself on Television, so it was particularly meaningful.
indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you took on set?
Michelle: I remember on one of the days shooting One Bad Choice, we had to shoot a particularly intense scene involving being on drugs. Most of the group had to play super drunk and 2 of us needed to be on ecstasy. I had never done ecstasy before, but I gathered as much information as possible before the scene started about what it’s like.
The director gave us some direction and gave us rein to be creative about it. The other actors in the scene (who I had developed a great rapport with in a short amount of time) and I had worked out how we wanted to enter the scene and what we’d be talking about. When they said action, two of the guys carried the actress who played Danielle up the stairs while this other girl and I talked up a storm. We went all into our given drug of choice (alcohol and ecstasy) which showed up differently within the conversation, but felt real and heightened. I remember when I put Danielle to sleep, I kept rubbing her face and saying “I love you” repeatedly.
There was fake smoke and smeared makeup and it felt very real. When the Director yelled ‘Cut,’ there was an unprecedented moment of silence among the cast and crew, followed by the director saying ‘Wow, that must have been what it was like.’ We ended up shooting it another way, less intense, to get a desired effect, but I remember the power and energy of that creative moment.
indieactivity: What do you want most from a director?
Michelle: I love collaboration, trust and clear direction from a director. It helps to have a good energy in the room and one that motivates me to make different choices. The best work I’ve done is one where there is a clear level of trust that I can get to a place that is asked from me. I love being pushed to do better and I love additional questions that can get me to the headspace of the character.
indieactivity: What actors do you long to work with?
Michelle: Soooo many. I would love to work with Meryl Streep one day, as well as Jennifer Lawrence and Adam Driver,
indieactivity: Why?
Mechelle: Meryl because she is the best. Not only is she in a different level than any and all actors, but from what I read, she changes the energy and dynamic of the room with every take while still staying true to her character. She makes everything look so easy and effortless. She is just the best.
indieactivity: What advice would you give to actors?
Michelle: Practice, read, take care of yourself. It’s hard to answer this without being geared to specifics. My advice to actors who are in college but who want to start branching out, intern at Casting offices. I wish, wish, wish I knew this. I used to ask the Career Services office at my school for advice on internships and they didn’t have any suggestions.
I had a couple internships in production and Membership offices, some of which I loved and some of which I hated. I wish I spent time working at a casting office, if I only knew. I’ve been a Reader at various Casting offices and I always learn so much. I have plenty of advice for Actors starting out, practice and be in everything, develop your Resume and create a Reel. Make your own work. Start that young, it becomes harder to do when you’re older, but easier if you make it a habit early on. Take classes, read books, read plays.
indieactivity: Briefly write about your career?
MIchelle: Most recently, I had co-star roles on Showtime’s Homeland and CBS’ Blue Bloods, where I played an Onlooker 2 and Co Worker 1, I played the title character of Dona Huertas in Episode 1 of MTV’s One Bad Choice (Episode 4: Dona Huertas), I played Humpstone John’s wife in Warner Bros’ Winter’s Tale (starring Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jennifer Connelly and Colin Farrell) where I was cut but ended up on the deleted scenes of the DVD, I’m in the upcoming film “Battle of the Bands” from Director Roberta Rockwell, I played the lead in two projects from Cribstone Productions: “Battered” and a fantastic Web Series called “YouStar: Road to Fame.” I also played the lead in a sci-fi film called “Queen Crab” and a supporting role in “Bomber Jackets,” which was nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Door International Film Festival.
In Conversation with Michael Oblowitz Director of Confidential Informant
Confidential Informant stars Mel Gibson, Dominic Purcell, and Kate Bosworth
