A. [Laughs] The first couple of years I tried to do everything at once. I realized it was impossible. I was incredibly fortunate because I had an aunt and uncle that lived in California. What gave me the permission to move to California was the fact that they were here. I moved in with them, and I was told by everyone in the family that it was fine to pursue this dream, but I still had to do the college thing. So I was trying to accomplish school - and I was fortunate enough to have representation as soon as I got here, so the moment I turned eighteen... my birthday's in September, which is also the start of the semester. It was so overwhelming, having a minimum of an hour and a half commute each way whenever I had an audition or a meeting. Trying to fit a school schedule in, and not miss too many days - not to mention trying to work and make ends meet.
I was fortunate; I did some student films as soon as I got here. It was like an afternoon shoot, some as long as a week. These were of course student films - you're not paid and you're just trying to get a feel for it. Again, I didn't have any clue. I knew what it meant to act, but I didn't know what any of the film terms meant, and trying to figure out what's good for camera - the little differences that make a big difference when you're learning.
My first professional job was on Sweet Valley High, and that was a huge learning experience. Over the course of about a month I auditioned probably seven times. I ended up getting the job, and the script was pretty hefty. I was feeling pretty confident. When you get that first job it's like, "Okay, I made it!" I get to the job and the script was longer than their time allowed. It was only a half hour show. I don't know if it was stuff they added or what, but by the time came to film my scene, my entire first job had been whittled down to two words. I walked into the room and said, "Hey Todd." They talk about me for the rest of the episode, but I'm not there. That was beyond a learning experience.
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