Star-studded sidewalks and late-night parties. Glitz, glitter, glam and dreams of making it big beckon thousands to Hollywood every year.
Starry-eyed 20-somethings are more willing than ever to chase their dreams of fame right out of Phoenix and into Los Angeles, but at what cost?
Dreams rarely become reality in Hollywood, where the odds are stacked against those aspiring toward stardom.
Just two months ago, Tasha Dixon, a 22-year-old former Miss Arizona, decided to pack up her brains, beauty and talent and head out west to L.A. With a cheering squad of friends and family rooting for Dixon from their homes in Peoria, Ariz., the beauty queen made the journey on her own, hoping to succeed where so many others have failed.
But in a city full of dreamers, scammers and sinners, what does it take to make it big?
Living the L.A. life
Dixon talks excitedly about her new home over the phone early one Wednesday evening. She is incredibly well-spoken, kind, active and ambitious about her career, often bashing the lazy coffee junkies who sit around impatiently, waiting to be noticed.
"People come to Hollywood to be stars, they just think they'll sit inside a Starbucks and get discovered," Dixon says. "But what sets you apart from everyone else? You're gorgeous? So what. So is everyone else out here."
Dixon has been very active in the two months that she's been in L.A. She's worked hard to get a good, trustworthy agent who will guide her along the way.
Since she has only recently signed with an agent, her career is a little rocky. But with complete confidence Dixon says, "Once you're in, you're in like Flynn; it's just breaking down that door," which she has already gotten halfway through by finding a decent agent.
But success in this town doesn't only mean landing auditions. It means watching out for the scam artists who are eagerly waiting to prey on the innocent.
"There are a lot of dirty old men offering you whatever you want," says Emily Marver, who dropped out of ASU this semester to make it in L.A. Marver, who set up shop with several friends in Studio City, Calif., already had served three years in the theater department at ASU and built a small but accomplished résumé in Phoenix and Minnesota (where she grew up), when she decided to move. She says no amount of experience can protect you from the money-hungry scammers waiting to score big.
Con artists flood the L.A. streets, serving up giant dreams on tiny platters in an attempt to milk young beauties for everything they're worth.
"If someone asks you for a credit card, get out quick," warns Bob Luke, director of the Bob Luke Acting Studio in Manhattan's theater district.
Luke has successfully worked with clients like Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Sarah Michelle Gellar and Home Improvement's Zachary Ty Bryon.
An established actor himself, having performed in more than 80 theatrical shows, Luke has dedicated his life to helping young actors walk safely down the road to success.
"Everybody is looking for a quick and easy way," Luke says. "They're willing to throw money into anything, based on some weak promise."
One scam that Luke has seen prevail over time is a pricey one. Actors are approached and asked to pay $4,500 to have a résumé and headshot posted in a book the size of a Sears catalog. Upon paying, actors are promised at least one inquiry regarding the advertisement.
Unbeknownst to them, the inquiries all come from the same agent, who in return is being paid by the con artists to call every naïve actor who forked over some dough. Some eager actors, hoping to get discovered, will pay up to $13,000 to land a spot on the book's back or inside cover.
In a city where the cost of living is 30.1 percent higher than the national average, according to datamaster.com's cost-of-living calculator, the mistake of getting scammed could mean the difference between comfortable living and coming home with your tail between your legs.
"It's like $700 a month for an apartment out here," Dixon says of the cost of living in L.A. "Then you have a cell phone bill, hair, nails, makeup, maintaining the look agents want, renewing pictures, business cards, post cards, soirées: It adds up very quickly," she says.
But the L.A. dream is something Dixon has been planning for some time. After building up a lengthy résumé, which includes roles in film, television, commercials, print advertising and extensive modeling, Dixon was ready to throw caution to the wind and demand her big break.
"I wanted to have a savings that would last for at least 10 months in L.A., especially since the lifestyle is nice cars, partying, going to coffee and taking people to lunch," she says.
But even with stars in her eyes, Dixon knew her priorities. Unlike Marver, who left ASU after her third year, Dixon is finishing up school this semester and getting her degree from ASU by enrolling in online courses, which she manages to take in the little free time she has left.
"I have it set up so I can come out here and stay, not just try and fail," Dixon says. "I never went before I was ready. I didn't go 'til I had the OK from my agents. They'd say, 'Lose five pounds, dye your hair,' then finally I was ready."
But once you're given the OK and your bags are packed, the feat of standing out in L.A. still remains a hefty task. The idea of thousands of people who will stop at nothing to outdo each other often can be overwhelming.
"It is definitely hard, but I came here knowing that's what I'd be facing," Dixon says. "I take it with a grain of salt. They all want to act, but I want to bring more to the table."
Arizonans that made it big in Tinseltown:
David Spade Everyone knows this man as Joe Dirt, and we all know he made 'Saturday Night Live' hilarious. He lived it up in Scottsdale when he was a kid, and now shares his comedy with the country.
Steven Spielberg A man who needs no introduction. What you may not know is a little rumor that Spielberg had plans to build a film school at ASU, but the university denied. Now California's got it, and our film student have nothing. Anyway, he also grew up in Scottsdale, and now produces some of the best films in the industry.
Jenny Garth You know you watched '90210' and you probably pause to watch a few minutes of 'What I like about you,' too.... Or maybe it's just us. Anyway, her sexy stardom in on the rich streets of Hollywood were also prefaced by time well spent in Arizona.
John Wayne No real surprise here, right? This man of the West didn't only act as a cowboy in movies, he actually was one! He also made over 200 movies and owned a ranch in the White Mountains, Ariz.
Linda Carter So you may not recognize the name, but does 'Wonder Woman' mean anything to you? Cartoons, toys and fantastic Halloween costumes were all based on this kick-ass woman and her character.
Nick Nolte This is one of ASU's former students. (Notice how we didn't say graduates.) You may remember him from such movies as, '48 Hours,' 'Prince of Tides,' or 'Cape Fear.'
Sean Young Another name most might not recognize. Young has starred in over 40 movies, one in which she was a woman trapped in a man's body. (Sort of.) Any guesses? Well, if you guessed 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,' then you were right.
Ted Danson He won people over with his bar, where everybody knows your name. Then he stole more hearts when he and two other men raised a little baby. Ted Danson has a long standing career and grew up in Flagstaff.
Greg Kinnear This man came out of UA, and went on to be a gay, beaten man in 'As Good as it Gets,' but people still seem to love him, don't you? And in the end, we think it was all worth it for him.
Actor overload
"I thought it was just a cliché before I came out here that everyone you meet is an actor," Marver says over the phone from her L.A. home late one night. "If we go out to a bar, I lie about what I do. I get an entirely different response. People think it's so cool that you're not acting."
Marver is attending a two-year performing arts school and doesn't have time to work, but those who do find themselves waitressing or bartending to fit the strict schedule demands of auditioning.
"Most people out here are considered lazy," says Dixon, who works as a personal trainer at an upper-class Beverly Hills fitness club. "They work as bartenders or waitresses, and then they go out and party to 'network.' Then they'll sleep in late, wake up and walk around in their schlepy baseball caps and jeans, drinking coffee, hoping to be discovered."
But getting discovered is a rare occurrence. With so many actors in L.A., scouts don't need to scout - actors are more than willing to come to them.
Luke says the idea should not be ruled out entirely, however, because it is possible, if and only if "you've got the look, 'cause the look is a major part of it."
One former L.A. hopeful agrees, saying talent has little to do with one's success in Hollywood.
Joe Flowers, a 25-year-old fairly recent ASU grad, got his big break during his senior year. Flowers was starring in a production in Arizona when he got discovered. Swept off his feet and spit out into the heart of L.A., Flowers was as excited as anyone to get his career started.
"I got an agent and lived off of Sunset for a year. I could see the Hollywood sign from my balcony," he says, boasting.
Auditioning for big roles in major films like Terminator 3 and Tom Green's Stealing Harvard, it seemed to Flowers that he was making it big time.
On his fourth day in L.A., Flowers found himself mingling around the mansion, "networking" with Miss California. He got the opportunity to work at Warner Brothers, meet Norm McDonald and rub elbows with Xena, Warrior Princess.
So why did he find himself without a gig? Here is a man with a stacked résumé ranging from plays to film to commercial work. He's a man with a degree in theater and a good head on his shoulders - a man who couldn't land a job.
Ruth Leighton of the Leighton Agency in Scottsdale attributes this to typecasting. She says you have to find your niche before you can rush off to L.A.
"Lots of people don't know who they are as actors. Say they're the cheerleader type, but they think they can be a soap star," Leighton says. "Unfortunately, lots of people see themselves differently [than how scouts see them]. You have to start out in a minor market and see what you can sell."
Flowers was having that very problem. Though he saw himself as the wholesome guy next door, agents were trying to force him to be someone he wasn't.
"They wanted me to shave my head, make me a crazy comedian with crazy hair and big ears. I didn't want to shave my head and wear bracelets. It just wasn't me," he says.
After a lot of work and no fame, Flowers headed back to Phoenix to bring life back into his career.
"I can do classical acting and theater," he says. "I can act the pants off half the people in L.A. I wasn't acting. I was doing commercialism."
Flowers says the L.A. risk wasn't worth it to him and that he's happy he left the scene.
He says going to L.A. is "sort of like taking your life and saying, 'I'm going to gamble my whole life away on the lottery. If I make it, I'll be rich and famous, and if not, I'll lose everything.' I wasn't willing to do that."
Dixon sees things at the opposite end of the spectrum. She says the gamble is the most crucial part of making it in the city.
"Life's a gamble," she says. "You can walk out of your house tomorrow and get hit by a bus. It's part of life. Don't get into acting unless it's the only thing you want to do. Sure, some people work their butts off and never make it. But I feel there is more than one way to get there, you just have to have the drive to find it."
A competitive market
When you're constantly being shoved into roles, categorized by the color of your hair, your height and your weight, and when you're
far from home compteting against not only an entire city, but also your friends as well, you're bound to get depressed.
"Actors get frustrated and start beating themselves up over auditions," Luke says. "I've seen it happen a hundred times. They put their mental health in jeopardy."
Even Dixon, the former beauty queen, knows the pain and pressure of competition.
"For the longest time, I'd think, 'Why not me? Why didn't they pick me? What's wrong?'" she says. "In acting you, have the most rejection, the most favoritism and the most politics."
But competitive feelings of don't just end at auditions; sometimes those feelings follow you home.
Marver is surrounded by people just like her. Her roommate and friends are all actors. Her classmates at school are as well. Nearly every person she meets is striving to accomplish the same goal: to make it big.
"I feel bad telling my roommate I'm going to an audition. There's definitely some underlying competition, though I'd like to say that there's not," she explains.
Flowers, too, knows this aspect of the business. He says that initially Hollywood is good at wearing a mask, hiding how crazy, stressful and unfriendly the business really is.
"The first six months I was out here, I got really depressed," he says. "Show business and Hollywood weren't what I wanted them to be."
So after a year in the city, in a little apartment not far from the giant white letters of the Hollywood sign, Flowers decided to move back home to Phoenix where his talent could truly shine.
"People in L.A. are trying to be celebrities, I'm trying to be an actor," Flowers says.
Though leaving was no easy task. Flowers describes it as one of the hardest decisions of his life.
"Who knows what opportunities I missed by leaving. You make your own choices," he says. "I'm glad I went though, otherwise I'd be 80 and thinking, 'What could have been?'"
Push through
So Dixon and other hopefuls will continue to flock to L.A. with stars in their eyes and far-fetched dreams of seeing their handprints in the sidewalk, glamorizing their claim to fame. Some will make it, while others, like Flowers, will at least know they tried.
But a good agent, the right look, talent and the utmost confidence will get you at least a few auditions.
"I'm human. I do catch myself comparing," Dixon says. "I'll think, 'She's been here a thousand times,' or 'I've seen her in five commercials.' But you have to get over it or that will be your biggest downfall. If you can't sell yourself, how will you sell anything else? But if you just keep at it, you will totally blow them away."
Reach the reporter at erika.wurst@asu.edu.
