Dear Toni,

My name is Sari and I live in Orange County.  I am a petite 5 feet small.  I say that because I like to think differently and positively.  In fact if there is a chance to use humor in a situation I always go for the laugh.  I have been challenged in my young life.  I am in my twenties and I have had health challenges since I was a young girl.  My passion and love is people and acting.  It is my dream to be an actress and many people say I look a lot like a young Natalie Wood when I straighten my curly hair.  I feel that in this business everyone gives me mixed messages.  You are too thin, you’re too short, you’re funny but not all American looking funny and so on and so on. I am talented, funny and quite different from most of the actors I see on television and in movies.  My question to you is “Who do I listen to?”

I love your column!
Sari Alan

Dear Sari:

When I first came to Hollywood from San Francisco, I remember performing stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store and my manager saying to me afterwards, “Don’t make your lips look so big, it’s distracting.” It is laughable now, but at the time I remember struggling to make my lips not look so big.  I tell you this because this town often finds fault with the genuine part of us, the part that is often the driving force in out talent, causing us to change something, which is special and doesn’t need changing at all.  This doesn’t only occur with actors; I hear horror stories all the time about how a simple, beautiful movie concept gets so torn apart that what was originally written is not what appears as the final product.  We have a lot of experts with a lot of ideas telling artists what works and what doesn’t.  Here is my truth.  Sari, do what feels right for you in your heart.  Perform from your soul and have a great time doing it and don’t look back and say the “I shoulda, woulda, couldas!” Know that you are special and do not let anyone take that away from you.  If you let them, they will.  Then you will have to wear a t-shirt that says “Generic Actress.” It may take you longer and the road may not be easy, especially if you are commuting from Orange County, but as a friend of mine Ted Lange always says, “If this is your dream and you stick in there you will eventually make it.” In my case. . I hope I will still have my own teeth.

Thank you for taking the time to write.
Toni Attell

Toni Attell is a hypnotherapist and acting coach. For people interested in her acting classes please call (818) 787-8685. For hypnotherapy go to www.hypnosis4you.net