Hollywood Daze Reviews the Book Making it in Hollywood

About Making It In Hollywood

LEARN the secrets of how to become a successful actor, screenwriter, director, or producer from the people who’ve made it—and are continuing to make it! Authors Bryan Hidalgo and Gail O’Donnell have interviewed more than 100 of today’s top actors, screenwriters, directors, and producers—including Oscar and Emmy winners—who reveal, in their own words, how they started, how they work, how they got where they are today, and how you can get there too.

The result is a truly inspirational compilation of interviews, with answers, encouragement and guidance straight from the horse’s mouth. Discover where to start, what training to pursue, when to get an agent, how to be your best at auditions, and much more.

In-depth interviews were conducted with stars, creators, writers, directors, or producers of such hit TV shows as Lost, 24, House, The Shield, Sex and the City, Breaking Bad, Desperate Housewives, Hawaii Five-O, How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Southland, Law and Order: SVU, Medium, Castle, One Tree Hill, Boston Legal, Without a Trace, Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, Nip/Tuck, Moonlighting, X-Files, and Oz, and motion pictures such as Twilight, Marley & Me, Hairspray, Pulp Fiction, When Harry Met Sally, Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, X-Men, Serpico, Back to the Future, Spider-Man, Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, Catch Me If You Can, The Devil Wears Prada, Forrest Gump, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, The Phantom of the Opera, Harold & Kumar, Austin Powers, Eat Pray Love, American Beauty, The Proposal, and Face/Off, among many others.

Sit down with Hollywood’s finest and let them help you start “Making It In Hollywood”!

Save the Children, as the recipient of a portion of the authors’ royalties from the sale of Making It In Hollywood, gratefully acknowledges the efforts of authors Bryan Hidalgo and Gail O’Donnell, and participating industry professionals for their roles in the creation of this book.

Visit the author's at their tour page at Pump Up Your Book!

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My Review 

Hollywood has always had the reputation that if you were beautiful and talented, you might be discovered and become the next movie star. It worked out this way for Lana Turner, who skipped a class at Hollywood High School one afternoon in 1936. She was in the Hollywood drug store across the street from the school when she caught the attention of a Hollywood Reporter.  The rest was Lights, Camera, Action!  

Today’s Hollywood has changed! While there are still rags to riches stories, they haven’t been achieved without a lot of talent, hard-work, rejection and perseverance. Actors are in competition for every job just as in any other industry. The authors of this book Bryan Hidalgo and Gail O’Donnell have put together more than 100 of today’s top actors, screenwriters, directors and producers to bring you a book true to the Hollywood Spirit that yes anything is possible with lots of hard work.

 Reading the interviews I felt like I was entertaining the stars in my house and their invaluable insights into the industry, making of movies, how they faced rejection, their greatest challenges and so much more. Each interview is a little different from the next one, but especially what each actor has to say is a treasure.  These interviews were varied from current actors and ones that have been quietly absent from the Hollywood scene. My favorite interviews included Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who played Denny Duquette in Grey’s Anatomy and wins the heart of Izzie Stevens. He states that the problem with the young Hollywood generation is that everyone just expects success with those reality shows. His story is one of hard work and perseverance.  

I’m not sure how the authors did it, but they interviewed some of the actors from many of the Star Trek series, Jerri Ryan who played Seven of Nine as the rescued Borg/human, guest starred in Leverage and now co-stars in Body of Proof on ABC.  

Brent Spiner, played Data the android in Star Trek; The Next Generation, but also played many other roles.  He admits to being star struck when he had a chance to work with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon on Out to Sea. He said it was his dream come true and that he couldn’t wait to go to work every day just to be around those people. 

Making it in Hollywood is a book for everyone, whether you like the old vintage Hollywood or the new modern day Hollywood, there is an interview of a favorite actor in it for you.  Whether you read all the interviews in order or in random order, they are so rich in personality that you might just want to go back and re-read them all over again.