It's Oscar night, but local actors toil in lesser-seen roles
Tonight is Oscar night, which means all eyes will be on the glittering gowns and high-wattage smiles of Hollywood's A-list.
But the folks who walk that fabled red carpet represent just a fraction of the people working in show business. Away from the spotlight are scores of talented, hungry actors still hustling from audition to audition, taking bit parts and lining up side jobs to help pay the rent.
Many have roots in the suburbs. We talked to a few and present their stories here today. Who knows? Maybe someday Angelina Jolie and Sean Penn will be watching them on Oscar night.
'Trek' just starting
Mark Dyniewicz knows how to find work on blockbuster movies. Now, he's trying to land bigger parts.
The 37-year-old actor, who grew up in Arlington Heights and Rolling Meadows, can be seen briefly in high-profile flicks like "Ocean's 13" (he plays a gambler) and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (he's hanged in the opening scene). If all goes well, he'll also be seen in the hotly anticipated "Star Trek" movie opening this summer as a Klingon prisoner.
"Never thought I would be in a scene right next to Eric Bana, if it makes the final cut," Dyniewicz said in an interview conducted via e-mail. "(It was a) very awesome experience watching J.J. Abrams direct."
Dyniewicz didn't think about acting as a career while growing up in the suburbs. The Fremd High School graduate studied accounting in college and planned for a career in finance. In his early 30s, though, he was looking for a change. He moved to San Francisco, took some acting classes and got hooked.
He moved to Los Angeles in 2006, and he's kept busy acting on stage, doing background work in films and taking occasional temp jobs to help pay the bills. He's as committed as ever to making it as an actor, and he's hopeful that his big break is on the horizon.
"A lot of aspiring actors don't seem to want to do the background 'extra' work, but from my little experience, you never know who you might meet," he said. "I feel very blessed and grateful for the experiences I've had. I believe you can get anything in life if you want it bad enough."
An early start
Schaumburg native Dani Miura wasted no time with her career. The 21-year-old landed spots in commercials and television shows while still in grade school. After attending Hoffman Estates High School for two years, she moved to L.A. at the age of 16.
Since then, Miura has found steady work in a variety of commercial, television and film projects. She recently played a gospel singer in the upcoming remake of "Fame," and will soon star in "Mission of Honor" with Kevin Costner.
"Living and working out here is tough and incredible at the same time," Miura said. "The auditions are hard, because sometimes it's about a look the director has in mind, rather than how you read for the part. But I'm so happy with what I've been able to do."
Miura said people interested in making it as an actor should take any job that gets them on an actual movie set.
"It could be a student film that pays nothing, work as an extra, whatever," she said. "Nothing beats the opportunities you'll get once you're on a set."
Search for a sitcom
Cynthia Rube has done well in Hollywood. Her body of work includes dramatic acting on stage, live improv comedy, television and film.
The one thing that's missing, the job she'd like above all others, is playing a regular character on a sitcom.
"I'm drawn to that because I like the 'live' aspect of sitcom work," said Rube, a Roselle native and Lake Park High School grad. "And to have a steady job, a place to go every day, that would be ideal."
In the meantime, the 41-year-old Rube goes on every audition she can. She has a small role in the Will Smith drama "Seven Pounds" (out on DVD March 31) and has starred in recurring sketch comedy bits on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (her next spot airs March 4).
The always-looking-for-the-next-job life of an actor can be grueling, but Rube is happy with how things have gone in L.A. Tonight should be a particularly good night for her because she's going to an Oscar party.
"Isn't that cool? But I guess I'll really have to look good."
Following his passion
As a child, Aaron Himelstein used to pause Tim Burton films - "Batman" was a favorite - so he could sketch frames of the movie himself.
"I just got passionate about movies really early," he said. "I think by the time I was 11 I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker."
Himelstein, 23, grew up in Buffalo Grove, and he took the first steps toward a film career by acting in plays in the city and suburbs. He landed a part on the New York stage as a teenager, and that led him toward numerous roles in television and film; he played the young Austin Powers in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and a recurring character on the TV show "Joan of Arcadia," among other roles.
Today, the actor keeps busy alternating stage and film work - he has a role in the upcoming film "The Informers" with Mickey Rourke and Billy Bob Thornton - with writing and directing.
"That's my main passion right now, filmmaking. I'm lucky that I've been able to do a lot of different things and still devote time to making my own movies," Himelstein said.