If you're like me, and you love a romantic utensil story, then this short film's for you! Watch, like, share...eat it up with a spoon!
Are you in LA?! Are you free on Wednesday, June 15th? Do you want to support The Drunk Lonely Wives Book Club, other upcoming filmmakers, and have a drink with me? If you answered "yes" to some or all of these questions, then I cordially invite you to come celebrate as we screen episode 3 of The Drunk Lonely Wives Book Club LIVE at Web Series Unplugged!
***1960s vintage attire strongly suggested/encouraged!***
FAQ:
WHO: The DLWBC!
WHAT: Web Series Unplugged
WHERE: El Cid (Silverlake)
4212 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90029
WHEN: Wednesday June 15th:
8pm Pre-Show Cocktail mixer/Dinner party
9pm Screening
$10 cover at the door – 21+
Click on the image to RSVP on Facebook!
See you there?
I'm thrilled to announce that The Drunk Lonely Wives Book Club, a web series that I created, wrote, produced, and acted in, is having its official release next Friday, May 13th. By my side were three amazing actress-producers and partners in this endeavor, Katie Enright, Malerie Grady, and Ali Bayless. Directed by Emmy-winner Mary Lou Belli, I'm particularly proud that we had so many women both in front of and behind the camera on this project! Of course, we also had a fantastic group of men who made this project happen too! I'm talking about Jimmy Gadd, Charlie Dougherty, Paul Cristo...I could go on and on! The point is, click on the photo below to watch our trailer, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel so that you don't miss a beat once we release our episodes next week! And while you're at it, fan us on Facebook too. Please?
A wise millennial once said, "An emoji is worth a thousand words." That millennial was me! I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be performing in an in-concert version of Emojiland, a new musical about your favorite smartphone icons, at Rockwell on May 9th. I'll be playing one half of the "Woman with Bunny Ears" emoji, aka this:
Meet the rest of the amazing cast below, and read about us on Playbill and Broadway World!
Tickets are going fast, so make sure you book them asap: TICKETS
See you there!
Check out my new spot for IBM, in which I play the ultimate #girlboss. Enjoy!
Check out my latest article, The Politics of Being Polite, on PYPO!
Click on the photo to read the article!
Happy New Year! I'm excited to share The Actrish Phrasebook, a lil' article I wrote for PYPO, an amazing new platform for all things female-driven-comedy related. If you don't believe me, just read what The Hollywood Reporter had to say about it! Trust me...it's the next big thing, and you heard it here, on my website, first. Remember that!
Click to read the article!
If you like what you see/read, be sure to PYPEin!
xoxo,
Gilli
...a little sultry tune on this gray day? Enjoy!
- G
Happy Halloween, everyone! Celebrate with me by watching this fun clip from last year:
I'm so proud to announce that last week, I participated in the ABC Discovers Talent Showcase in New York as a writer. My scene, Dog Park, was chosen from a blind submission I made at the beginning of the summer. Once I got the news that my scene had been chosen by the network, I collaborated with the executives, director, and actors through the rehearsal and revision process. Everything culminated in an amazing performance on Tuesday, October 6th, at New World Stages in Manhattan. My scene was chosen to open the showcase as the very first scene!
It was amazing experience, to say the least. I was thrilled with how everything turned out, and it was very cool to see the actors onstage performing words I had written, and hearing the audience laugh and respond! Here's a link to the press release! Check out some photos below as well.
Dog Park Logline: Sick of looking for love in all of the wrong places, two romantic hopefuls share a connection at a less-typical location; the dog park.
Tonight's the night! I'll be guest starring on tonight's episode of JESSIE on the Disney Channel at 8 pm! I hope you (and/or any kids/tweens in your life, haha!) will tune in. I play a wild and overly hip fashion reporter named "Pepper"...so basically, a heightened version of myself in funky clothes. I had such an amazing time on set all week, and got to do a live taping. Working on multicam sets is my favorite because of my background in theatre!
Oh hello, blogosphere! It seems I've become one of those actors guilty of only updating their blog every few months. Tisk tisk. Well, without further adieu, here is an update, presented in obnoxious listy/buzzfeed style!
5 Ways You Know You Want to Shoot New Headshots with Dana Patrick
I was definitely feeling four out of five of these items for a very long time (note: I didn't want to look at a lot of pictures of my own face). I had been wanting to shoot with the amazing photographer, Dana Patrick, for years! She still shoots on film and is truly an artist. I promised myself that if I booked a certain amount of commercials, I'd shoot new pictures with Dana. Well, once that happened, I booked a session with Dana...over three months in advance! The woman is in high demand, and so I had to wait patiently for our photo shoot. I think it was quite worth the wait!
Speaking of things being worth the wait, I'm waiting on the final versions of several different projects to come out so that I can share them with the world. My high school English teacher once told us that in a certain Native American language (I cannot recall which tribe; apologies for my ignorance), there was no word for "wait." They were just content with "being" rather than "waiting" for the next thing to happen, so there was no need to even have a word for waiting in their language.
As an actor, I find myself waiting all the time...waiting for an audition to roll in, waiting for my big break, waiting for my turn at an audition, waiting to watch footage from a project, waiting to hear feedback from an audition or meeting, and when I'm on set, I'm often "hurrying up and waiting" for my scene to come up on the schedule. This is all part of the job. But what if I could just eliminate this word from my vocabulary, too? As in, I'm just working towards my big break, actively...not waiting for it passively. Or I just am, living my life, and an audition opportunity pops up. I wasn't waiting for it. You know? That got too deep, too fast. Sorry guys.
Until next time...I won't keep you waiting this time, I promise!
Gilli
...annoying, to say the least. Not because I chew loudly or hog the remote, but because when I watch TV, I feel like I KNOW everyone. And I feel the need to share that information with whomever is watching with me. That car commercial? That girl in it is my friend from acting class. I also worked with the dude playing her husband on another commercial earlier this year! Small world! Oh, that phone commercial? I was on avail for it...wait...THAT'S who they cast? Interesting they went that way - I understand why I didn't book it now. Hold up: there's a commercial with a short haired girl in it that I DIDN'T audition for? How? Why? What? On whatever episodic we might be watching, I'll exclaim that the guest star is my friend from acting class' roommate! And I'll probably say it right at a dramatic moment and really ruin your viewing experience. Oh, and I did a showcase two years ago with the costar with one line! Good for him! And so forth. You get the picture. On occasion, I get to say that the person I'm watching is yours truly. And that's the coolest. But seriously, watching TV has become like watching all of my friends and acquaintances interact with each other.
What I find significant about this, beyond it interrupting your viewing pleasure, is that it creates a feeling of camaraderie and that somehow, I've finally arrived, as dramatic as that may sound. I've now been working professionally long enough to have made progress alongside other actors and creatives on their own journeys in the business. And it's exciting to watch and be a part of others' success. It also dispels the myth that the people creating and acting in stories onscreen are somehow larger than life. It's kind of like when as a kid, I realized that doctors were not, in fact, superhuman wizards with magical healing powers (a terrifying realization for a young hypochondriac), or when I came to the conclusion, also as a kid, that my parents were actually human beings who had lives and feelings of their own that had nothing to do with me (what a concept).
I used to sit in audition waiting rooms quietly as a lot of the other actors greeted each other. I'd wonder how the eff all of these people knew each other, and if I missed some kind of memo or Facebook event invitation to meet up today (because who even pays attention to Facebook events? It could have been an honest mistake on my part). Now, I'm the one bumping into old friends at every casting, callback, or set I'm on. It's reassuring - I find comfort in seeing people that I know. Maybe it means that I'm supposed to be there, right where I am. A familiar face at an audition doesn't need to imply competition - it should be a means of support. Because if I don't book the role, it'd be awesome if my friend does! Just a thought...
In any case, there's a slight chance that maybe some of you have seen ME on TV lately and been annoying to whomever you were watching with when you saw this Dunkin' Donuts spot...
...or not. Side note: I'm still waiting for the lines outside the Santa Monica Dunkies to calm down that I can get a sip of that New England charm.
And I mean, while you're indulging me, I'll just plug myself shamelessly and say that maybe you should follow me on twitter (@gillishir). I used to be really bad at fitting my witty into so few characters, but slowly I'm getting better. I just can't seem to understand Snapchat...
In any case, follow me/hang out with me on whatever social media outlets you choose, so that we can continue to participate in each others' careers and celebrate one another's success. I'll be blogging again soon with an exciting treat (pun intended) for Halloween.
Talk soon!
- Gilli
Wow, we're already nearly two months into the New Year, and I haven't updated my blog. I've been waiting for a "theme" to inspire me so that I have some framework within which I can sneak in my laundry list of what I've been up to. I usually do this to distract you into thinking this is some regular blog, although that's probably useless. I would not recommend "acting career" as a "lifestyle," so this is most certainly not one of those lifestyle blogs.
But I can't wait any longer! I try and bombard you with my happenings once a month, and I've already failed. Theme?? What theme? Valentine's Day? I did that last year. President's Day? Tax Season? Believe it or not, I did write about that last year. I guess the theme of this post is the Un-Theme. Which is very "February" if you ask me. "Un-Theme's" a much better theme than the flu, which I have right now…so, you're welcome!
This year's been kind to me so far! I made it to the top 20 contestants of ABC's "Make Me A Star" competition, which was unexpected and cool. Would've been cooler to win (I know, I know), but still cool to be acknowledged and know that my tapes were watched and appreciated. It was an open contest with submissions from all over the country, and it was definitely exciting to chat with ABC's lawyers and shoot another scene within a tight timeframe for the next round! In similar news, a short film script that I wrote and am hoping to produce (and act in, obviously!) made it to the top 10% of submissions to an (actually legit/reputable) screenplay competition. They haven't announced the next round yet, but like the other contest, it's just nice to know that my script was read and acknowledged. Again, it would be cool to win. A gal can dream...
I've booked and shot two different commercials, which should be airing soon (fingers crossed)! I actually auditioned for both spots on the same day. Something good was going on that day for me, that's for sure. Here are some snaps from the shoots:
Other than that, I'm proud to report that I'm back ON the wagon. The acting class wagon, that is. I fell off quite a few months ago, and I'm oh-so-glad to be back. Just makes me feel like an actor…you know? That's important.
Wow, not having a theme makes this kind of sound braggy and weird. I'm sorry. Wait - my New Year's Resolution was to apologize less. So…better luck next month? Maybe a St. Patrick's Day theme?
Maybe my mom will leave a comment with a suggestion for next month's theme!!
Themeless,
Gilli
Last December, I performed a scene I wrote for the Actor's Key Holiday Showcase. It marked my first experience performing something I had written, and it was a pretty good time…you can take a trip down memory-blog-lane and revisit my post about it from last year HERE. My talented-actress-friend Jenny Robinson acted in the scene with me, and the amazing Carmen Aiello directed us. 'Twas an all-around success.
A year later comes another milestone - the first time I've put something I've written on tape, like, professionally. I met director Joab Carlos on set for a commercial early last year, and he told me about a production company he's launching called JJ Film & Photography. He was looking for content to shoot, and I had a lot of content without anyone to shoot it. So, the stars were aligned that day, or at the very least, Mercury wasn't in retrograde. We kept in touch all year, and the first result of our chance encounter is the scene from last year's showcase, on tape, right in time for Christmas. That's right: I'm gifting you with five minutes and nine seconds of holiday joy, right here, right now. You're welcome!
Thanks for watching that just now! I hope you liked it. Or, at least finished watching it so that we could garner some more views. We're ready to go viral.
All kidding aside, pulling this project together quickly and effectively was quite a feat and learning experience for me. I had never been in charge of so much on a shoot and I just want to give all of the producers I've ever met, especially ones on low/no-budget little passion/silly projects like this one, virtual snaps. You guys are amazing. I don't know how you do it (seriously though, I don't, as evidenced by how I kind of had no idea what I was doing while I was doing it yet still did it somehow). I was pretty floored by the generosity of the crew for showing up and working so hard, by the Actor's Key West for trusting me and renting us their space, by my parents who decorated our set using the childhood objects and artwork we picked out to use together and who of course provided craft service, by my synagogue's preschool for lending me little toddler chairs, and of course by Jenny and Joab and his wife Jessica for making this all possible! It's pretty insane how much work goes into even just a small, fun, little holiday sketch like this one.
Now that I've made my Oscar speech, check out some pictures from the shoot. Oh, and Happy Holidays!!!
Sometimes you need a reminder of why are doing what you are doing. Feel me? Sometimes when you've been doing more "business" than "show," you forget what you loved about show business in the first place. I got a more than healthy dose of reminder yesterday at my school's "Big Show." But let me backtrack so you understand what a Big Show is.
Since October, I've been mentoring with the The Young Storytellers Foundation. Long story short, this amazing program connects 5th graders with mentors (actors, writers, executives) in the industry who help them learn the art of storytelling and writing. Each student creates a 5 to 7 page screenplay by the end of the program, culminating in a Big Show. Professional actors donate their time to first "audition" for the kids (i.e. hilariously present their talents to them in the hopes that they will be "cast" in one of the screenplays) and then perform the screenplays for a live audience of elementary school students.
YSF rolls out a red carpet for the kids where they can take a bow in front of their peers and teachers, gives them VIP passes to wear around their necks, and has each student and their mentor sit up front while their show is being performed. The result is nothing short of magical. If you know me, you know my aversion to schmaltzy actor feelings. To constantly hash tagging about how amazing everything is, even when it's not the reality of the situation or just a guise for a #humblebrag. But yesterday, during the Big Show, I was actually feeling these amazing feelings; they just weren't for me or my own performance. I was feeling them for my 5th grade mentee and all of her buddies whom we had been working with over the semester. I just loved watching my mentee witness her own words that she had written come to life. It was magic. See for yourself:
A friend of mine is on the board of YSF and invited me to several events over the past couple years. I loved hearing what the program was all about and meeting other people who were involved and watching famous, hilarious actors perform some of the best screenplays that students have written, but I didn't make the leap into mentoring until this year. I had this weird idea that because I don't make that much money, I couldn't possibly spare my time to volunteer. Looking back, I really don't get why/how I could rationally think that. As an actor, writer, and tutor, I have the luxury of a flexible schedule. So yes, I am available to spend an hour and a half once a week playing with stories. And guess what, Gilli: rich people volunteer, sure, but not-rich people can volunteer too! What a concept. I'm glad I clued myself in. And did I mention that a couple of my talented actor friends showed up in the middle of the day and donated their time to perform for the kids? Well, they did, and my mentee chose one of them to play the lead role in her screenplay!
I think I get why people who volunteer do it all the time. It's addicting. It's magic.
James Franco just wrote a semi-fictional book about acting, and in it, he has a cycle of poems dedicated to River Phoenix. In honor of this, here are some ridiculous actress Haikus for you to enjoy on this gray day.
Time frames and windows
Too early, late, or in-between
Made it just in time!
In the waiting room
Not nervous, no, not at all
Stop comparing yourself
It's pilot season
It's episodic season
Where did the year go?
Watching TV
All the time, all the time
What? It's my homework
Just book something, please
Credits and tape and reels
Make it all worth it
#Blessed, #lucky, #grateful
Maybe you just earned it
It's hard work, not luck
Opportunity
Meets preparedness is all
Luck is only that
Smoke bump, wardrobe bump
Overtime is golden time
Dues dues dues dues dues
Inconsequential
Just talking about myself
Selfish but needed
Hit your mark and slate
Here we go, off to pretend
For a nice moment
Where is my book deal
For real, when's it happening
I'm ready to go
Last Monday was my Birthday. Less than two days after I turned 25, my grandmother in Israel died. It is truly the end of an era for me. Before last week, I was in another age demographic for television viewers. I couldn't rent a car without a high insurance rate, my early twenties were still happening, and my favorite lady in the Middle East (and the world, really) was still alive, though not well.
I can't help but feel how fortuitous the intersection of these two life events are. A chapter has closed but another one is beginning, and this next part of my life will be rich with the memories and moments I shared with my Safta (Hebrew for "grandma") throughout years zero to 25. How lucky am I to have known her that long?!
Some of you may know that my "side job" as an actress is academic tutoring. I tutor students in all kinds of subjects, but my favorite thing to tutor is writing. I always tell my students that no matter how hard it is to start, when they sit down to write, something unexpected and even therapeutic may come out to surprise and delight them (and then me, as the reader). I also ask them to simply tell me stories - not to worry about tying up their essay ending neatly with a bow. So I guess I'm trying to do that right now. There is no moral to the story of why I'm sad about my Safta passing away or how much she's taught me. Because all of that is a given: there is no way that I could have not been changed and inspired by knowing and being loved by my grandma, a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor and the bravest person I've ever met. For now, I just wanted to write down some things I want to remember about her, because by writing them down, I get to relive them and smile.
* * * ******************* * * *
When I was little, my grandpa would take out his dentures at the lunch table (lunch used to be the big meal of the day in Israel) and show me his hilarious, gummy smile behind Safta's back. I would laugh hysterically, and he would put them back in his mouth just in time before she turned around. Sometimes she would catch him, toothless, and yell at him in Yiddish for being gross.
Safta had a funny relationship with animals and creatures. She was FEARLESS when it came to bugs and insects, especially cockroaches. One time late at night, a giant, long-legged, Israeli cockroach decided to perk itself on my toiletry bag in the bathroom. I freaked, of course, and woke up my mom and sister for help. They were even more terrified than I was. We decided to wake up Safta, who slowly trudged out of her room in her nightgown, using her walker. She killed that little sh*t with her slipper with one carefully-aimed smack, and went back to sleep. On the other hand, Safta HATED rodents. Hated them with a passion. When I was four, I showed her a little wooden mouse toy I had and she almost fainted. And even though she thought they were unsanitary, she let me buy baby chicks at the pet store to keep me company all summer long when I was three, four, and five years old. I kept them in a cardboard box in the living room by the window, and they would chirp nonstop and poop all over the newspaper at the bottom of the box. Safta kept her apartment beyond spotless, so this was probably very difficult for her to watch. And then there were the stray cats. My sister and I used to sneak downstairs with leftover cottage cheese and food to feed them. Safta used to allocate food specifically for us to give to them, but warn us never to give them any of her good, usable food. More recently, Safta would Facetime with me and I would show her my three little dogs. She laughed at how many I had, and even though she never had her own dog (too dirty!) she would say hi to them and wave to them and ask how they were doing regularly. She also told me which one she thought was the cutest (Stella).
When Safta was still up and cooking and baking all the time, she used to call me within a week of when I would arrive in Israel for a visit and take my baking order. I could request homemade cheesecake, rugelach, cookies, or whatever else I wanted, and it would be waiting for me in the fridge when I arrived. But if I didn't finish eating it, she would guilt me into eating it until it was all gone.
When I was a kid, Safta would take me to the supermarket down the street at the beginning of my visit to Israel and let me stock up on all of my favorite Israeli snacks. But again, if I didn't finish eating them, she would guilt me into eating everything until it was all gone:). As we both got older, she would give me money to go to the store alone or with my sister to buy whatever treats we wanted. I did this when I was there in August, and got extremely nauseous from eating an enormous bag of Bisli.
Safta always lit Yahrzeit candles for every single family member of hers and my grandpa's who died in the Holocaust, on the exact day that they died, every year. She never forgot to. Who is going to do that now???
Speaking of Safta's impeccable memory, she remembered everyone important's Birthday. Including my boyfriend's and all of her great-grandaughters'. She would recite them to me by heart over the phone. She knew it was my Birthday on Monday, even right before she died.
Safta loved a good deal. She knew where to buy everything at the best price, and still looked over every receipt to make sure no one was trying to swindle an old lady. When I visited her over Chanukah about six years ago, we went to buy jelly donuts at the bakery down the street. The guy at the counter mis-read her the deal about 2-for-one prices that she knew they had going on, and she ripped him a new one right then and there until he gave her a bunch for the correct price. But at the same time, Safta was the most generous person in the world. She gave the best gifts because she would simply allow me to buy whatever it was that I wanted most at the moment. She also understood the saying "you can't take it with you." Over the last couple of years, she made it a regular habit of giving her worldly possessions away. When my boyfriend and I visited her last year, our carry-ons were full of newspaper-wrapped teacups and bowls that she wanted us to have.
Safta loved movies and good stories. I used to watch tella novellas with her or old episodes of American soap operas or later on, Israeli TV shows. She would talk to the screen or explain what was going on to me in her own words. In August, I saw that Orange is the New Black was coming to Israeli primetime. I told her how much I loved that show, so she said she'd give it a try, even though it was on late at night. My mom, sister, and I watched the pilot episode with her, and she loved it. She continued watching it on her own over the next couple of weeks after we left.
After I studied abroad in Moscow during the Fall of my junior year of college, I visited Safta on my way back to school in New York. Safta didn't speak a word of English, but she spoke many languages over the course of her lifetime: mainly Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish, and Russian. Her caretaker at the time was Russian, and the two of them would chat nonstop while no one else in my family could understand what they were saying. When I arrived from Russia, Safta was so proud that I could understand and speak a little bit with the two of them. And, even though we thought they had been gossiping and talking about juicy stuff in Russian, I can vouch that all they talked about was food. Whether something was good, bad, too salty, too hot, etc.
Two years ago, I hadn't come to Israel for three years: the longest I had ever gone without visiting. When I told Safta I wanted to come visit, she paid for my plane ticket and I made the trip with my boyfriend, who had never been to Israel. She welcomed him into her tiny apartment and communicated with him even though they didn't speak the same language. And she practiced saying his name for weeks, trying to pronounce the letter "J," since there isn't that phonation in Hebrew. Until the very end, she would ask how he was doing and talk about him each time I spoke with her on the phone.
* * * ******************* * * *
I could go on and on. These are just a few things that came to mind immediately. Overall, what I felt from Safta was that she really loved me for me; not for my talents or accomplishments or anything peripheral. Sure, she cared about those things, but in Israel, I am always asked what I feel like are the most questions about my life from my family: Are you healthy? Pretty happy? Spending time with people you like? Having fun?
What's interesting is that not much will be different in my day to day life, because aside from the time I spend physically in Israel, I am always missing my grandma from far away in America. I'm used to that. So I guess I will just continue to miss her, every day. Her attention to detail. Her hilarious ways of doing simple tasks. Her love of food. Her weekly phone calls and Facetimes. The sound of her transistor radio at maximum volume while she was napping.
It's the end of an era.
