The Inside Story on Daniel Radcliffe and Liza Minellli

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, as a kid, acted in various school plays and other small performances until he landed a role as the young David Copperfield in - you guessed it - David Copperfield! He then went on to perform other smaller parts, like Mark Pendel in The Tailor of Panama. There, famous actress Jamie Lee Curtis pointed out to his mother, Marcia Gresham, that he might be able to play Harry Potter in the upcoming movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (Biography). His parents, at first, didn’t want him to audition for it. However, he ended up meeting Chris Columbus, the director of the movie, and his audition proved that he was destined for the role. (Daniel Jacob Radcliffe)

Radcliffe’s mom is a casting director, his father a literary agent. This may have helped him to grow famous so quickly, but his acting skills helped as well. That being said, he was only 11 when cast as Potter - something that is extremely impressive. After the outstanding box office hit Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone turned out to be, he was granted instant fame - his face was known to all. He continued his works with the other seven movies, but decided to broaden his horizons and go to Broadway in 2008, playing Alan Strang in Equus. He then returned to the stage in 2011 as J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. (Daniel Radcliffe).

His success can teach other about how anything is possible - you can be famous in the film world and on stage. We can also learn from him that it can be difficult to shake a role once you’ve played it - he is still internationally known as “the kid who played Harry Potter”. He is now working extra hard to be known for more than that.

Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli is a famous actress, the daughter of Judy Garland. She started acting when she was in her teenage years, at first with her famous mother. She struggled to get out of her mother’s shadow - but she had the talent, and she made it. She had all the connections, which helped a lot with her career. Her father was a director in Hollywood, and obviously her mother was in many movies. In addition, after her parents divorced her Garland married a producer. (Liza Minnelli)

She gave up on school, going to New York to pursue her dreams. She was in the off-Broadway production Best Foot Forward, and her first leading role was in 1965, the lead role in Flora, The Red Menace. From there, her career flew - she is now an extremely recognizable actress. (Liza Minnelli)

Although Liza Minnelli isn’t the best example for how to get into musical theater with less connections, she does teach an epic example of how to get out of a shadow. If she didn’t go out there and give it her all, she could have ended up as “Judy Garland’s daughter - the one who can sing.” In Broadway, you have to make a name for yourself.

Works Cited

"Biography." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

"Daniel Jacob Radcliffe." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

"Daniel Radcliffe." Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014

"Liza Minnelli." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

Bust or Broadway?? Wait, that's not it...

    Watching the series Broadway or Bust was a very educational experience for the class as a whole. We were able to see a prolonged audition process, and see critiques and advice we could apply to our own future auditions.  Everybody involved was a professional, many worked at nyu or had been involved with broadway productions. This was serious - more serious than anything we had ever experienced before, and watching it was a great way to see what else we could be exposed too.

    I personally found that I could relate to a lot of the people in the show. I found that i couldn’t entirely relate to just one character. In some ways, I could relate to Evan - around showtime, or even before auditions, I get nervous - before, I think i might be ready, but the bad stuff comes right before showtime. That has been getting better with the more shows I do, but I still get very nervous before a big audition. On the other hand, unlike Evan, my first thought after an audition isn’t about how well I did, if anything it’s the opposite. I feel like I did terribly, and have always been afraid if I think about it the other way I might get a worse part, or not one at all. In other ways, I can relate to Josh. He seemed like the only one who really understood the pressure, why the choreographer was being so hard on them. Josh saw the stress and the high expectations and tried as hard as he could to meet them, which payed off in the end. However, he didn't really show much improvement - he had his song from the start and he went with it, which isn't something I consider relatable.

          The actor's auditions taught me a lot I could later apply to my own peice. For starters, I saw what worked, and what didn't stand out to the judges. I also learned that a good audition is one that stands out to the judges - they remembered the names of some, the ones they put in the finals, but anybody else was "song girl/boy". However, they remembered Evan, Josh, and other talented people. This can be applied in my own peice by trying as hard as I can to be unique, while still being the character I am portraying.

          In addition, I saw how difficult life can be on Broadway - rehearsal after rehearsal, non stop singing and dancing, and a lot of stress. Many, many people broke down during the long dance practices and other situations. Although I'm still not sure if I want to be on Broadway or not, I do know that if I am going to go into the arts I should expect stress levels like these - and I have to be ready to not break down. Watching how others just pushed through it helped me to understand how to cope with these issues, so I can be better prepared for the future.

         Overall, it was an interesting show that helped us all with many issues, and it's something I would definitely recommend to people new in the show business, or anybody who's just interested in that kind of thing!