Actor Jeff Holman On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career in TV and Film

When you audition, be as prepared as you can possibly be. Remember, an amateur practices until he gets it right, a professional practices until he can’t get it wrong. Go into that audition room and lay it all out there. When you leave, it’s done. You’re going to want to go over and over it in your head, coming up with what you “should have done” but resisting the temptation. You can’t change it, so don’t worry about it. Just look forward to the next one.

As a part of our series about creating a successful career in TV and Film, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jeff Holman.

Seasoned comedic actor Jeff Holman stars in the highly anticipated film BEING THE RICARDOS (In theaters and available on Amazon Prime) as ‘Roger Otter,’ a high-ranking studio exec at Phillip Morris working directly with ‘Lucille Ball’ (Kidman) and ‘Desi Arnaz’ (Bardem) in the film. Jeff has an impressive variety of credits in multiple film and television projects including ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” CW’s Jane the Virgin,” HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” as well as Nickelodeon’s “iCarly,” and countless others.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in southeastern Denver, Colorado. My dad is a retired kidney doctor, and he was the first person west of the Mississippi to practice solely nephrology. My mom is a homemaker and has been a Denver Zoo docent for over 47 years; making her one of the two longest-running docents on record. As a result, I spent many summers at the zoo as well. I love animals, and they seem to have a natural trust in me. If I hadn’t become an actor, I may have well ended up working at the very same zoo. I have two older siblings, my sister, Elizabeth and my brother, Randy. We have always been a very tight-knit family, and they are both my best friends to this day.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I had my “ah ha” moment in the first grade when I was tapped to star in the school play. It was called Noah Builds An Ark, and it was about Noah loading up his animals before the flood. Each of the kids in the class was required to craft a papier-mâché animal; but because that was definitely not in my 6-year-old skill set, I asked if there was a role that didn’t require papier-mâché. As it turned out, there was just one: the lead role of Noah didn’t have to do any crafts, but there was just one caveat, the kid playing Noah had to sing a solo in front of the whole school and parents. I didn’t know how the singing would go, but I did know my attempt at the papier-mâché was definitely going to flop; so I shot up my hand and suddenly I was playing Noah. I expected to be terrified but as soon as I stepped out on that stage and began to sing my song, a spark was ignited within me. I just knew, right then and there, that was what I was meant to do.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I’ve had a few, but one that stands out would have to be in my appearance on the show Better Things. When I auditioned, they were looking for a much older, native New Orleans speaker for the guest star role of the Maître D’. I had never done an accent specific to New Orleans, but I definitely love a challenge. I came to find out that there are actually seven variations native to New Orleans, so I narrowed them down to three and did my best to prepare.

The other hurdle was the producers were very proprietary with their sides on this show, and we weren’t going to get them until just before entering the room to read with casting; and so I wasn’t able to rehearse the accents with the actual lines, which is also very challenging. When I got to the casting office, they handed us the sides which included four pages with a number of lengthy monologues. Fortunately, I am a pretty quick study, having done many cold reading casting workshops over the years; so I was able to get it memorized pretty quickly. As it turned out they were going for the uptown Garden District, which was one of the three I had chosen to prepare. Once I was in the room, the casting assistant, who was from New Orleans, tweaked my accent along with a few other notes, and I did a second take. As I was leaving the casting office, I ran into another actor I’ve seen many times over the years; as we’ve auditioned for many of the same roles, and who usually books them. He’s got a natural southern accent and is somewhat older than I am. As we briefly chatted he mentioned that he had been living in New Orleans for the past few years, so I pretty much expected that was it; as he was seemingly perfect for the role. When I got the call that I had booked it, you could’ve literally knocked me over with a feather.

I didn’t want to half-ass the dialect, so I searched for a dialect coach. Every person I contacted either had never heard of that dialect or didn’t teach it. I ended up working with a linguist: a person with an actual degree in linguistics. Most times dialect coaches will tell you how to say each individual word of your lines, then you practice putting them all together. But this linguist had a totally different approach. He taught me how to hold my lips and my tongue so that everything I said came out in that dialect!

One of my favorite moments on that set was having a stunt coordinator come over to me after the scene and ask where in the south I was from. When I told him I was from Colorado he didn’t believe me. He said he was from Memphis, Tennessee, and he would swear I was from New Orleans. I’ve had similar reactions from other native speakers who have since seen it, but it was such a boon to get that thumbs up from the real deal that day.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One of the first big network gigs that I booked was working on the show Bones for Fox. My scene was really funny and it was with the two stars of the show. When I found out the time it was going to be on TV, I told every single person I knew. Every family member, every friend, every acquaintance. I even went up and down our block and told every one of our neighbors to watch for me on Bones. It wasn’t until I watched it on TV that I realized my scene had ended up on the cutting room floor. So I had to call every person back, and visit every neighbor, and tell them exactly why they didn’t see me. The lesson I learned was to not count my chickens before they hatch.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I just walked down the red carpet for the premiere of the new Aaron Sorkin film, Being the Ricardos. Being associated with that film is nothing short of magical. I play Roger Otter, an executive at Phillip Morris, which is the sponsor of the I Love Lucy show. I tell Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz what they can and can’t do on their show. Just how well that goes for me, you’ll have to see the film to find out. As with most of my career, comedy ensues. Aaron Sorkin is so cool. My wife and I are huge movie buffs, and we speak in movie quotes, and we love Aaron Sorkin films and television shows. So to get to meet the creator of the very lexicons of my life was incredible, but to get to work with him and be directed by him was an absolute dream come true.

I will also be appearing in a new show for HBOMax called Minx in early 2022, but those details are hush hush, so for now my lips are sealed on that one.

I’m also currently a recurring character on the new hit show, Yellowjackets on Showtime. I can’t give away too much but I play Randy Walsh. That show is terrific. In fact, it was just nominated for a Critics Choice Award, along with a Best Actor nod to Melanie Lynskey. She is a great actor, and a joy to work with; so I’m ecstatic that she is being recognized for her excellence.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

I have two important pieces of advice. Never look at the breakdown of a character, and think you’re not right for it. If the casting director is bringing you in for the audition, they think you can book it. Just taking the above example of the Better Things audition, the Breakdowns described the character as a late ’50s to ‘60s native New Orleans speaker. I usually play the early to mid-forties, and I’ve never been to Louisiana. They think they know what they want for the part, but they don’t really know until you show them how it should be. Second piece of advice is to never give up. When we first arrived in Los Angeles, one of my first jobs was a courier. I used to deliver packages to a lot of big-name actors, and I would always ask them if they had a tip for an actor early on in the biz. Invariably it was never give up. Kyle MacLachlan told me that it’s a game of attrition, and whoever quits first loses.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

a. I think it’s much more interesting to fully explore an array of cultures and backgrounds, to give the viewer a greater degree of insight and understanding into the lives and experiences of those potentially different from themselves.

b. I believe that this brings an aspect of understanding and ultimately builds bridges between those differences, showing that in many ways we are really not that different despite our outward appearances, traditions or beliefs; and teaches us to have more love, tolerance and understanding.

c. But most importantly I think our world is such a melting pot of diversity, that it much better reflects where we are as a society; and creates a much richer experience for us as actors and the stories we are trying to tell when we fully embrace the diversity of race, culture, and thought in our storytelling mediums.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

First and foremost, I wish someone had told me that just getting photos of you is not enough; you really need to hire a professional photographer for headshots. Your headshot is your calling card, so spending that extra money for a professional will pay dividends in the long run in jobs and avoiding frustration. Do your research and find a great photographer. Second, I wish someone would have told me that you don’t necessarily have to spend years in acting classes. If you don’t know how to act, then you should be religiously taking acting classes. But there are other actors who are truly ready to take it on as a profession, and for those, I believe there are better ways to spend that hard-earned money on furthering their career. For me it was doing casting director workshops because it was a great learning experience; and you knew if you were a strong actor, these casting directors would remember you. You get real-world experience doing a mock audition for someone who could actually bring you in for a real audition in the future. Third, believe in yourself. No matter what anyone else tells you about what needs to become to be better, believe that you are enough right here and right now. Fourth, enjoy the journey. The lean and tough times make you who you are. Don’t feel the angst of needing to succeed immediately. I’ve been a professional actor for a quarter-century, and some of those times have been dry. Acting is a cyclical business; sometimes you’re busy, and other times you’re not, but it always comes back around. Know in your heart of hearts that it will. My fifth piece of advice goes hand in hand with the fourth, and that is: leave it in the room. When you audition, be as prepared as you can possibly be. Remember, an amateur practices until he gets it right, a professional practices until he can’t get it wrong. Go into that audition room and lay it all out there. When you leave, it’s done. You’re going to want to go over and over it in your head, coming up with what you “should have done” but resisting the temptation. You can’t change it, so don’t worry about it. Just look forward to the next one.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

To avoid burn out, remember that you are an entire person, not just an actor. Anything you can do to enrich yourself as a human being will make you a better actor. So be sure to do what brings you joy, whether that’s going to the museum, volunteering, or rescuing a dog. One of my favorite things to do is to go for a walk with our rescued German Shepherd. It always clears my head and re-energizes me.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I truly believe that what you think about, you bring about. If you live your life with positive intention, and particularly with (to borrow a phrase from a book I very much appreciate, The Secret) “an attitude of gratitude” you will manifest many things to be grateful for. I do believe in the domino effect, that if we work to lift people up, whenever and wherever we meet them, they will, in turn, do the same for others.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Many people have helped me on this extraordinary journey, but my absolute rock has been my beloved wife. We’ve been together for over a quarter-century, and she has been my number one pillar of support. She helps me with every aspect of not only acting but also my entire life. She is my camera operator, director, and reader for all self-tapes, and she kills it every time. She picks me up when the journey gets arduous, and she celebrates the wins with me, too. I would absolutely not be where I am both in my career and my life without her. She is my heart and my soul, and I feel like the luckiest man in the world.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite quote is by Winston Churchill when he gave the graduation address to his alma matter prep school: “Never give in.” That sums up my entire acting career. I take each day as it comes. I know I have great people in my corner, and I just live my life with appreciation for them and the work they do for me. I try not to take anything for granted, and although success may have taken a bit longer than I would have hoped, I have had a great time along the way.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

One of the people I most admire in this business is Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction is my number one favorite film of all time, and I have loved every other film he’s done. I actually met him when I was a courier. I delivered a package to his house, and he came out to sign for it. It was right after Kill Bill Volume 1 came out, and he had the truck from the movie parked in his driveway. He was so generous, he actually talked to me for at least ten minutes about filmmaking and writing. The chance to hang out with him and pick his brain for an hour over breakfast or lunch would be absolutely incredible!

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me on my Instagram account: @jeffholmanofficial.

Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!

Thank you again for your interest in me and my story, and I hope it might be of significance or even inspiration to others in my field. I look forward to seeing it on your site, and telling everyone I know about it!