Melody Elise Calhoun as Jessa
Character Description
Jessa left her troubled home at 16, winging it to the coast to pursue her dreams of acting. After years of working in less-than-stellar projects, she's finally hit her stride, owing perhaps to being half of Hollywood's new power couple. But when her star boyfriend dumps her just before her big premiere, she can think of no one better to escort her on the red carpet than John, her first love. The problem is he knows the real Jessa, and no one else in this town does. He's not afraid to call her out, but she's also one to dish it right back to him.
Scene Description
Struggling pastor John (20s/30s) has just run into his childhood sweetheart Jessa (20s/30s) who followed her dreams of becoming an actress and is now rocketing to stardom. She gives him a tour of her upscale L.A. apartment as they get reacquainted... bringing up the recollection they didn't part ways on the best of terms.
Written by Shelly Paino
Steve Toft
ActorI liked the overall performance. There was a little bit of a jerkyness throughout with the head motion that became a bit distracting. Your responses to the reader seemed real and believable so you got my vote.
Tim Randle
ActorWell done - lots of really good moments. Came across as good listening and good reactions and very believable. Only feedback I have would be to consider playing it a bit more still, with less head/body motion. It's easy to read your thoughts on your face, but sometimes for me the movement took my focus away. Great work!
JP Edwards
ActorYour subtext and flirtatious beats were amazing! But darting eyes break our connection. In film, subtle movement is power.
Anchor Drill: Place 3 dots around the lens. Lock focus for 5+ seconds on each. Move eyes slowly or blink during shifts to hide travel. Stillness is key—control your eyes and you’ll be undeniable!
Jarod O'Flaherty
FilmmakerYou played the character very heavy handed, which seems like a logical choice since she is an actress, but it felt over the top in many places. I had a hard time believing that she wanted to reconnect romantically with this guy. You didn't have a problem being expressive, which shows a strength to make characters interesting (a good thing!) But in this context I had a hard time seeing her motivation in the scene - other than "she's a goofball whose emotions can turn on a dime." But definitely some underlying talent on display!
