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HBO: Welcome to HBO's live chat with UNSCRIPTED star Krista Allen! She's ready to take your questions about her role on UNSCRIPTED, and anything else you want to know about the show and her career. So, who's got a question?
San Fran Man: Was the rap you performed (excellent!) in episode five scripted/coached?
Krista: No, that was just a freestyle rap. We were all working on it at the time. I just started rapping and it just came out.
Buck35: How long have you been acting, and how did you decide to start acting?
Krista: I've been in LA since 1996. I started auditioning and really liked it, and I really liked acting. I just kept going, and I started getting more work. I ended up getting a three-year contract on Days of Our Lives, and that's when I really realized I wanted to keep going. It really taught me a lot about acting. You have to learn 40 pages of dialogue some days, and it was a really great training for me. And from there, I just kept going.
Roberta: Do you find that having an acting coach helps you in your daily work? Would you recommend one to an aspiring actor?
Krista: Absolutely! I would recommend an acting coach especially if you're going out on auditions. It's really great because if you're doing a scene for the first time in front of a room full of people, it's good to be able to run it with a coach. They can see things in your performance that you might not be able to see. It's always really great to have a coach.
Neal: Did you know any of the actors you work with before you got this job?
Krista: No, I didn't. I didn't know anybody. I met Brian and Jen and Nick and Dragon when I started working on the set.
JFlynn510: Krista, I remember watching you every day for the longest time with my mom on Days of our Live, and you were great! You talk a lot on the show about being the 'working mom' type; is that your ideal part? If so, why?
Krista: I think it's more doing things that aren't as overtly sexy, possibly, as what I've done in the past. I am a mother and that is something I can definitely draw from. That's where I am right now. It doesn't have to be; I'm not out there looking to play a mother. That's just something that I think would be fun to play maybe in a sitcom where I can do comedy and things like that. If anybody out there is a mother in real life you know that it's a tough job, but it's filled with a ton of humor. I think it would be real fun to work with kids on the set.
Jeff In Buffalo: This show seems it would be fun. Do you have any funny stories?
Krista: I can't think of funny stories off the top of my head. But everyday something funny happens. The banter with all of the actors and all of the crew is great, and we always have a really funny time. So I don't know any specific stories right now, but we had a great time. I'm sure you can see that just from watching the show. Not knowing the rest of the cast when I came in, meeting them and realizing that we worked really well together was really fun. Sometimes that doesn't happen, but we clicked. So that was really fun.
Kitty: Krista, now that you have done TV, movies, modeling, and more, you have decided to start your own clothesline. What's next?
Krista: You know what? Right now it's my son, Jake. It's the pilot season where they have auditions for shows that are getting picked up for next season. So it's very, very busy right now.
JFlynn510: How much of the show is based on your actual career?
Krista: A lot of the auditions on the show were the real deal. But there's an element to the show that's real just like all of the characters, it's things we went through — all of us, not just the actors but the producers, as well. A lot of it is not just our lives but other people's lives that we incorporated into the show.
Xam: How has this show affected you career?
Krista: So far it's been great. I don't know that I can really say that it's affected me in any certain way other than the fact people have watched the show and seem to really like it. And that's great for me — working with HBO and Section 8.
John E: you seem to have fun with comedy. You were great in Anger Management, and even the short part in Auto Focus was really great. I'm glad to see you finally get a chance to do this great series. Do you feel that beautiful actresses don't get taken serious in the business?
Krista: First of all, I wasn't in Auto Focus, but I'm glad you liked me in it. I don't think that it's true that beautiful actresses don't get taken seriously. Thank you for saying that. I think it's all a matter of what that actress has done in the past that precipitates how she's perceived. For me, I did some things that were very sexy and led to my not being taken seriously as I would have liked. There are lots of actresses that are beautiful and taken seriously. I don't think that's the standard that they're not taken seriously.
Jessie S: What is the most challenging aspect of doing "UNSCRIPTED?"
Krista: I think probably that you have to be completely 'on' at all times, meaning you have to really listen, and you have to really connect with the other people in the scene, which is just like any other acting job. The only difference is that it's not scripted, so you don't know what's going to happen. And that's really challenging. I think it's harder. It
s a harder acting job than any that I've had because I had to be completely open to anything that would come up. It was definitely a challenging job, but it was worth it, and I learned so much from doing it.
Teds: How much of a challenge is it to act in scenarios that are (seemingly) so close to your everyday life of trying to establish yourself in Hollywood? And by the way, your rap skills were surprisingly pretty damn good last week.
Krista: Thank you! It brings up things that I had thought or fears that I have had, things that maybe I wasn't really trying to think about. To go and do this series where there were things that were happening, similar situations that had happened in my life. I think it made me more vulnerable, and it made me learn a lot about myself, which is always a good thing for anybody, and especially me. It was really a wonderful experience.
Renee: I'd also like to ask about your 'drama teacher'. I'm not sure what to call him. Is he really as much of a jerk as he comes across? He seems too mean to you guys all the time. Well, maybe not all the time, but still he can be so cruel! Aren't there times you'd just like to punch the guy in the mouth?
Krista: Frank Langella is amazing. He's truly amazing. He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He's very intense and that's how his character is on the show. But no, I really loved working with him. He's so good on the set, and I think he's amazing. As a character, of course, that's exactly what he's meant to do. So he plays his part to perfection. I don't blame you for wanting to punch him in the mouth as the character, Goddard
Jonathan Macchi: How do you feel the reality of Hollywood compares with "UNSCRIPTED?"
Krista: It's very real and very true. A lot of people come out here to LA, or even New York, and try for years to just get into a casting room-audition — and it's very tough to be a working actor. There's an entire city dedicated to entertainment in LA, and it's very hard and very competitive. I think the story that UNSCRIPTED tells is very true. It's about the people/actors that are trying to make it, and that's what the stories are all about — actors in a class that don't want to give up.
PeppWaves03: How much say do you have on the story ideas and how they are presented versus the producers and writers?
Krista: Usually every Monday we would sit around at a table in a conference room and we'd all tell our stories — things that had happened to us and things that had happened to someone we knew. Basically, we'd get ideas about actors in Hollywood. Then George and Grant and Matt and Tommy would go through all the ideas, and they'd choose which storylines would be best for each character. So in a sense, we could give our story as things that might have happened, but ultimately it was the producers that gave us our storylines.
Brucie Baby: The show truly feels like a documentary, but there are moments that give it away as semi-scripted. In particular, in the first episode where your character is seen in Goddard's bed. Is it tricky walking the fine line of being both authentic and dramatic?
Krista: It's all unscripted; it's all improvisation. There's nothing scripted. The way that it's shot is brilliant, because people actually do think that maybe it is a reality show or that maybe it's scripted. But the way it's put together, that's exactly the way it feels.
Danj: What's the best advice you can give about getting an agent without any experience under your belt?
Krista: If I could answer that question I would be rich. I have no idea! Of course, it's difficult to not have any experience and try to get an agent. I don't know; I wish I did.
Batcar65: Has being on UNSCRIPTED helped you get noticed a little more on auditions?
Krista: I think the response that I've gotten from being on the show has been amazing. The opportunities are better now, and it's been nothing but positive.
Lucy: Hey, Krista! I'm just wondering, what made you want to design the Sex Brand tee shirts?
Krista: Sex brand T's is about more the battle of the sexes, and I always heard funny quotes or one-liners from my friends or things that I might have said. I always thought, "That would be funny on a T-shirt." I would always see these funny T-shirts in different stores, but I didn't like the material of the T-shirt. It was either too thick or not very soft. So I decided to make my own and make them really, really soft — like you've worn it a million times — and put these funny sayings on the front like, "You're not my boyfriend" or "Wrong side of 30." Things like that. It was just something fun. I like to be busy and doing things and it was something I wanted to try. It's been very successful.
John E: Are you planning on doing anymore features, like maybe dramas?
Krista: I would love to! I'm looking through scripts right now and reading a lot of great projects. There are so many wonderful things coming my way right now. I'm sure there's a drama in my near future.
Ovrdryven: I love the show. I it just a 'one-take thing' or do you do multiple takes for different scenes?
Krista: It's pretty much a one-take thing. If we mess up really bad we'll do it again, but for the most part it's pretty much just going in and doing it. The longer we were shooting episodes, the more we would keep going because we got very familiar with each other and the process. It's a totally different process than having a script and makeup; there's no hair and makeup on the show. It's a fantastic way to shoot. Normally, on the show, you're brought in maybe two hours before your call time, which is when you're supposed to be on the set, and before that you have to get into hair, makeup and wardrobe. On this show we didn't have that, which was really cool and added to the realness of the show. There's no glamorous makeup or lighting, or any of that stuff.
Taylor: Is everything that happens in the show happening to you in real life?
Krista: No. Jake never went on an audition and got a part in a movie and I didn't. That never happened. There's an element to the show that makes it entertaining and tells a story, so there's really nothing that I'm going through during these episodes that I would be doing in real life, with the exception of things in the past that I have gone through.
Childers DRC: Thanks for taking the time to be here tonight. I love the format of the show, and as a wannabe actor, it's eye opening to watch. What is the best thing you've learned during the process from beginning to end?
Krista: I assume you're talking about acting as the process of beginning to end. Or are you talking about the show? I think you're probably talking about the show. It taught me to be and made me more vulnerable, but at the same time it made me serious in that I'm just going to do this and whatever happens, happens. I didn't have a script to break down,
I just had to study my own, whatever was happening with my character. I had to feel that in that present movement, right then and there. So anything that happens is a complete surprise to me. It was really a very interesting learning experience, the whole process from beginning to end.
Brendan: Your child must love watching himself on TV, but does he understand the frustrations that are so painfully depicted in the show?
Krista: No. He's seven years old, and he's not an actor going on auditions. So yes, he does acting himself on TV; he thinks he's so cool. It is fun, and it's been a really fun experience for him. But no, he doesn't understand that. Of course if I don't get a job and he knows, it's something I really wanted because we're close and I tell him, "I had a great audition today," or I'll tell him about parts I read for. If I don't get it and he sees me kind of bummed, that's the extent of what he sees. As a mom, it's me saying "Well, I'll get the next one." I don't think he could understand it.
Fastrack: Do you watch your own episodes every Sunday?
Krista: Yes, I watch the episodes. Usually, it's me and some friends. We sit down and watch them. It's great because I'm friends with Brian and Jen and Dragon and Mitch; we've developed a really great friendship outside of working. And if I don't get to see it, it's usually TiVo'd.
Cstnshdw: Krista, what is it like to have your own son on the show?
Krista: It was an interesting element they put in there. I am a single mom, and I am working to support myself and my son, and that was a realness that was added into the show. It was really fun working with him. I was so incredibly proud of him. I thought he was amazing. It was fun.
Gaut10: At the present time, are there any films or daytime shows that you will be appearing in?
Krista: I don't know. After I do something, it kind of just goes away. I have a movie coming out called Feast by Miramax. I'm on the new John Stamos ABC show that's going to be a mid-season pickup. It should be coming on in March, I'll be on that. I did a guest star on Monk. No daytime shows.
Kristie: Krista what was your most embarrassing audition?
Krista: This is so hard, because questions like this are so hard! I don't know. I'm not good at on-the-spot questions at all. But I'm sure there have been many, and they've probably been so embarrassing that I put them out of my head, and that's why I don't remember.
HBO: Thanks for a wonderful chat. Unfortunately, we're almost out of time.
Do you have any parting words for us?
Krista: Thank you for coming to join me tonight. I hope you're enjoying the show. If you want to keep up-to-date with things that are going on with me, you can go to www.krista-allen.com. I have Sex Brand T-shirts that will be available online shortly at www.sexbrand.org — it was the only dot available, because dot com was taken!
Thank you so much for joining me. Good night!
HBO: Although we'd love to keep Ms. Allen here for another couple of hours, we have to let her go. We'd like to thank her for taking the time to be here, and thank all the chatters who participated. Good night, and for more about UNSCRIPTED and HBO's other programming, check out the official website at www.hbo.com!
A Production of LiveWorld. Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
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