#EmmyNoms: Just How Many Characters Does @TatianaMaslany Have to Play to Get an #EmmyNod? #CloneClub

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I’m going to be living up to part of my blog name this morning and going on a little rant. After all, this IS RantsReviewsandReels. The 2014 Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and it begs the question that rabid fans of the show Orphan Black have been shouting from their rooftops: HOW?! How was Tatiana Maslany, who just WON the Critic’s Choice Award for best  actress, NOT nominated for an Emmy?! How? More importantly, why? Who was it on the Best Actress in a Drama list to bump her off? Fans of the show who have been devoted watchers from the start, or even more recent converts were SHOCKED this morning. Even Entertainment Weekly said it best: How many different characters does Tatiana Maslany have to play to score an Emmy nomination? Seriously now, how many characters does it take? She’s already been playing 5 regular clone characters since season 1, and they added more for season 2. To top it all off, ALL of them have different personalities, looks, and one of them is even a female to male transgender character all of whom are played by ONE actress. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Tatiana Maslany’s performance on Orphan Black is some of the best acting I have ever seen. Ever. And if you thought her playing different characters was a trip, try playing a character who is pretending to be someone else who is pretending to be someone else. Then, there’s the technical aspect of acting with acting doubles, tennis balls, and then nothing–literally nothing, and giving a full-out believable performance. Season 2 was quite a ride, and I can only guess which episode the Orphan Black team submitted for Emmy consideration, as it only got more complex. But seriously, given the other actresses on that list, no one can hold a candle to the work that Maslany does. She would need her own category, and about seven different Emmys to take home.

Happy 1st #Birthday RantsReviews&Reels! #Movies #Television #Acting #Life

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A year ago, I started a blog. I didn’t know where it would take me at the time, but I started it for fun. It so turned into something that I am very proud of.  Granted, I’m still at my day job, but I’ve been writing and acting over the course of this year, and it has really helped me center myself.  Despite the fact that some really crappy things happened last year that I am still dealing with, this was one of the good things. I’ve been able to merge my acting life with my writing one and do something unique that reflects who I am. I’m a movie geek, a writer, an actor, and a dreamer. I am so grateful to have subscribers and people reading this, I can’t even tell you how much it means. I am so grateful for all the positive responses and thought provoking conversations I’ve had this past year. Here’s to many more to come! 

Thanks for everything,

Stephanie

Some of the best of RantsReviews&Reels:

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Emilio Estevez Directed “The Way”
Three People at Casting Call
Auditions: The Uncommon Job Interview and Why They Are So Stressful
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Reduce Reuse Recycle: The Law & Order Guest Spot
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#BostonStrong: Why This New York Transplant Will Always Be a Boston Gal
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Early For Everything: What Acting Means to Me. Being an Actor with a Disability

 

 

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Putting My Professional Goals Out Into the Universe

Ethnicity & Acting: My Personal Story & Insights

oncrystalstill.12293203_large I have been acting since I was around 8 years old. I started in community theater productions, acted throughout high school and college, and transitioned into film at the age of 21 while still a student at Saint Anselm College. I am of Italian and Irish descent. There might be other things mixed in there too, we think maybe some Greek. Maybe. When looking at me, you mostly see the Southern Italian/Sicilian and never would guess a drop of Irish blood would be present. However, people rarely guess correctly when trying to decipher my ethnicity. What I find most interesting in mainstream media, is the uproar over someone playing a different ethnicity from their own. Granted, there have been many instances where playing someone of a different race is completely awful and racist; what I am talking about is something more subtle. I’m talking about the fact that someone like Al Pacino, a fellow Italian/Sicilian, can play a Cuban immigrant in Scarface; or the fact that when Jennifer Lopez (of Puerto Rican descent) was cast as Tejano superstar Selena in the now famous bio-pic of the same name, the Mexican and Mexican-American communities were outraged. I also find it funny that I am rarely brought in or cast as Caucasian. I am Caucasian. I’m of Italian and Irish heritage who has played more Hispanic and Latina roles than I can count. In the film, On Crystal, I play a Puerto Rican girl who is mildly mentally challenged. And today, I just got called in for another audition to play someone of Hispanic heritage. In a weird twist of fate, that character’s name also happens to be Crystal. Weird.  In my day job in retail, I have had customers blatantly question my ethnicity to my face. I’ve had people think I was Iranian, Egyptian, and even bi-racial.  I’ve gotten called names because of the way I look. And I’m not even the ethnicity that they assume I am. Maybe I should be flattered in some sense.  Maybe it harkens back to when I was in the fourth grade and someone asked if my dad was African American because I was so tan. When I see a breakdown now, and it says “All-American” or “Caucasian,” the sad thing is, I rarely submit for those roles, or go in for the EPAs. And if I do, sometimes I am the tannest Caucasian. BUT, if I go in for a more ethnic role, I fit right in. Awkward. Weird. Again, this is just my personal experience, everyone’s is different. And that’s okay. We as people can’t help the way we look. As Lady Gaga would say, “Baby, you were born this way.”