2FUR1 – Acting ain’t easy
2FUR1 is a comedy mockumentary/web series created by spunky actress Jahnna Lee Randall who took matters into her own hands after moving from Wisconsin to Hollywood to pursue her acting dreams. The sketches feature Jahnna and her loyal pooch Gizmo as they navigate the competitive world of acting. Viewers watch them pounding the pavement, attending auditions, dealing with rejection, bitchy staffers and her apathetic talent manager.
Gizmo the talking Chihuahua does the heavy lifting in terms of the humor and has some hilarious one-liners. Ironically Gizmo who would much rather be back on the farm in Wisconsin ends up getting signed instead of Jahnna!
IFQ was delighted to chat briefly with Jahnna about her acting career, dream roles and being the captain of her own ship, Why Wait Productions, where she multi-tasks as writer, producer, director and actor.
Independent Film Quarterly (IFQ): What was the catalyst for this mockumentary web series?
Jahnna Lee Randall (JLR): I wanted to create a series about acting and how it’s not as easy as it looks. There’s so much struggle, rejection, not able to afford food at times and the fact this dream puts you in the spot of a real starving artist. However, so many people have already made a series of going after the Hollywood dream so I needed to come up with a hook that would be different then all the others. Since my long hair Chihuahua, Gizmo, also is a working actor I thought it would be funny if I created a series where a young girl believes she’s going to step off the bus in Hollywood and instantly become famous but instead of her getting acting jobs it’s her dog that is the one that lands all the auditions!
IFQ: Do you enjoy being a writer/director and having control over your own projects?
JLR: Yes! A hundred times yes! I am so happy that in today’s generation we are fortunate enough to be able to create our own content! I moved to LA, from a farm in Wisconsin, to become an actress. I was going to audition after audition. Booking things here and there but never really getting roles that made be excel at my craft. So instead of waiting around for that perfect one in a million opportunity I figured it was time to create my own projects, create my own opportunity and pick the roles that I really wanted!
IFQ: How did you go about crafting, filming and financing?
JLR: We created an Indiegogo ad and were blessed to raise our goal. There are 11 episodes with the running time of longer then a feature film, which entailed a little bit more money so I took out a loan to finance the rest of the project. I also got a dedicated team together that believed in the project to help me film the series and make the idea a reality! It was extremely important for me to find a team that is as passionate as I am so then everyone is having fun and putting their best foot forward. Because I believe you need a team to create a vision not just one person.
IFQ: What are some of the challenges?
JLR: Money… Money is a huge challenge because filmmaking costs a lot. But you just have to become creative enough to figure out other ways of filming that won’t cost as much. It’s a lot of research, organizing, and budgeting. So it can become stressful at times but as long as you do a lot of work with pre-production things will run smoothly!
IFQ: What is the aim with your web series?
JLR: To get my film company Why Wait Productions noticed. We have a lot of different web series, shorts, music videos and feature film scripts. I would love to get my film company known so we can keep creating fun video content! Also to get Gizmo the Chihuahua some big time acting gigs! http://www.YouTube.com/JahnnaRandall
IFQ: The talking dog character is great fun – who provides Gizmo’s voice?
JLR: The voice of Gizmo is the talented Ben Bledsoe! I really love the talking dog! Not only because he is my amazing cute adorable pooch but also just because it adds so much more to the story. When I first brought up the idea to friends, strangers and family members so many people told me I shouldn’t have Gizmo talk throughout the series. They felt it wouldn’t work out that well and people might not like it. I felt that having Jahnna and Gizmo as the two lead characters Gizmo would need to talk or it would become stale and flat. I created a 2fur1 reality series (10 episodes) before the scripted series (11 episodes) and it was a documentary of Gizmo and I trying to live the dream in LA. I would actually record my auditions and his. Also most important I really wanted to showcase the real Hollywood struggles. But the thing I found that didn’t work was that we couldn’t hear what Gizmo thought about the whole situation. It just kind of seemed like a girl just bringing her dog everywhere. Gizmo did give some awesome funny looks to the camera during his booked acting gigs but I just didn’t think it was enough to carry a documentary series. Which is why I figured for the scripted series having Gizmo talk would work so much better and be hilarious since his character doesn’t even like acting!
IFQ: How is the casting done such as the mean girls and the blunt talent manager?
JLR: I use to work in casting so I always hold casting calls at CAZT and add the breakdowns onto Actors Access. I have a great casting team who comes with me and helps me audition all the actors. As for the talent manager, that is played by the talented John Ennis. I have been a fan of his work since his series on HBO called Mr. Show. I met him at a film festival and chatted to him about how much I enjoy his projects. I then contacted him asking if he would be interested in being apart of my new series! And lucky enough he said yes!!!
IFQ: Obviously many struggling LA actors will identify with your series, auditions, rejection, bills and such. What kind of following do you have?
JLR: We have a little following on our YouTube channel! I wish we would have more of a following but so many people don’t know that our YouTube Channel Why Wait Productions exists. But we have gotten a lot of great and positive feedback from the people who do watch the series! I figured many actors could identify with the series because of the auditions, struggles, etc. but also I thought people who are interested in getting into acting could also realize how much work it really takes. There’s a lot of rejection and also putting your social life on hold. You won’t be able to attend all those fabulous parties and fun events like you use to. Becoming an actor and/or filmmaker is a lot of work and a lot of hours you need to put in before even getting noticed. http://www.YouTube.com/JahnnaRandall
IFQ: What acting role would be your dream come true?
JLR: I would like to create a comedy TV series and be one of the main characters. After filming a few web series you become a family with the people you work with because there’s a lot of episodes to film so you spend many days, weeks and even months together! I also would like to start filming my comedy feature film that I wrote, which I want to play the lead. She is a bubbly outgoing naïve character who grows throughout the film! I really like the girl next-door, quirky, upbeat fun characters!
IFQ: Are you surprised by the awards and generally positive reception the series generates?
JLR: Yes! I’m so happy that we have been winning many awards for 2Fur1! I am so grateful! I just hope we keep getting positive feedback and that more people will tune in to watch! And here’s to praying for another season! Fingers crossed!