THE BURG
Dishing the Dish from L.A.
By Elizabeth Kelly / Lynchburg News & Advance
July 15, 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Almost everyone knows that the job description for “aspiring actress” usually includes long hours waiting tables at chichi
restaurants in L.A. But unless the top agent at table six thinks you are the next Halle or Nicole, the work only starts there.
Bethalyn Staples of Madison Heights has spent the last year in Los Angeles trying to break into the movie biz. She makes
her rent by working weekends at a tony gym for kids; Staples has an aversion to slinging hash. During the week, the 26-
year-old actress, who earned a fine arts degree from Longwood College in Farmville, puts in eight to 12 hours every day
researching jobs and promoting her career. She’s at once publicist, secretary, part-time model and screenwriter - and that’s
before the movie cameras start to roll.
So far, her strategy seems to be working. Within nine months of relocating to the West Coast, Staples landed an agent and
pocketed a Screen Actor’s Guild card. She also met a best friend, uncovered the dark secrets of the city’s traffic and learned
of a former boyfriend’s cheating ways while listening to Ryan Seacrest’s radio show.
That’s Hollywood.
It was “Deadwood,” though, where Staples landed her first speaking role. The HBO series based on a South Dakota mining
town of the same name premiered in March to positive reviews and is now in production for a second season.
Riddled with obscenities and unquestionably violent (the show’s official Web site updates a “Death Count” after each
episode), “Deadwood” ricochets among a wild cast of characters that include outlaws, gold-diggers, prostitutes and
racketeers; many, like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, are plucked straight from the history books. Staples was cast as
a resident of the local whorehouse and received her first-ever co-star credit in Episode No. 8. Though at this point she is
probably best known for her sultry turn in “Deadwood’s” opening montage, Staples has already approached film producers
about the possibilities for a screenplay that follows her first steps toward Hollywood stardom. She’s sharp, and one
suspects that her wit will take her further than her full figure. Here, she gives a glimpse of what it is like to be an aspiring
actress in L.A.
On traffic:
I didn’t realize that even though Burbank and Studio City are just 20 miles away it will always take a minimum of 45
minutes to get there. In fact, that’s the staple time it takes to get anywhere in L.A. I live 12 miles from Beverly Hills, yet it
takes me 45 minutes to get there and get parked every time.
On cattle calls:
I paid to register with the largest extras casting company in town. My first goal was to be on an HBO show and I soon
heard that they would be needing extras for that. The recording went something like this: “Hey ladies, HBO is doing a new
western that they need whores for. You must have long hair. You must have a voluptuous body, preferably sizes 8 - 12.
You must look European or have a “period” look. They would prefer people open to doing tasteful, partial nudity.”
Little did I know that it was hiatus for most television series and that every available girl who fit that description would call
in because they needed work. I was later told that over 250 girls were submitted to HBO for consideration. I have no idea
how many girls actually called the company itself.
On the “Deadwood” set:
Working on set was hot. It was long. At times, we were nothing more than walking props that had to be fed every six
hours. Not that you can eat much while you’re wearing a steel boned corset. But we needed juice and water. It was between
90 and 115 degrees on set throughout July and August. It still rose up to 104 occasionally through October. Then it was
cold, very cold during night shoots. Try not shivering on camera when it’s 40 degrees and all you’re wearing is underwear.
On on-screen nudity:
Although the nude work (in “Deadwood”) was not sexual and only involved day-to-day type situations such as getting
dressed or bathing, I was very nervous. My future career flashed in front of me every time I heard “rolling, and action!” I
thought, “No more Disney, no Crest commercials, I’ll never hold a baby in a Pampers ad.” I wasn’t sure if it was the right
thing to be doing, but I told myself that if Helen Mirren, an Oscar winner, could start her career by doing nude film work in
1969, then I could do it in 2004.
On the red carpet:
“Deadwood” star Powers Boothe’s daughter, Parisse Boothe, and I hit it off instantly on our first days on set. Everyone
was sitting around bragging about what shows they had worked on and with whom they had scenes. When it got to me, I
just looked at all of them and said, “Well, I just moved here. I grew up eating squirrel in the foothills of Virginia. We had one
high school for our whole county and there was only one mall within a two-hour drive. This is my first time on a television
set.” After I said that, I somehow won the respect of Parisse and we became fast friends. She took me to parties and red
carpet events and we became best friends. I get a kick out of the fact that she grew up in Malibu dating rock stars. She digs
that I pulled myself up by my bootstraps.
On dating:
I try not to get too serious about dating out here since my lesson in Hollywood Dating 101. That happened while I was
driving through Beverly Hills during rush hour traffic. I was listening to one of my favorite people, Ryan Seacrest, talk
about the Emmys and how HBO has won the most for the past two years. They started discussing who was taking whom
to the Emmy parties and that’s when I found out that the person I was seeing was dating other people. They said that he
was someone else’s date. I was not going to the Emmys, still being a nobody in the industry, but I had no idea that he was
even dating this entertainment personality. I was crushed. I wanted to die. But I had an important meeting to go to. So I just
called my best friend and said, “Tell me I’m beautiful,” and she did. … I said, “I have to go now, but I’m going to call you
later,” and I went to my meeting and then I went home.
On “smart luck:”
You have to place yourself in the right spots and hope for the best. You cannot just sit at home and expect someone to
make your career happen for you. I put myself where I know I have a chance and I happen to get good breaks from that.
• Contact Elizabeth Kelly at ekelly@newsadvance.com or (434) 385-5524.
| Media |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
BethalynStaples.com