FULLERTON : College Acting Class Helps Launch Careers

Sitting at the right soda fountain at the right time might have worked for Lana Turner, but would-be actors and actresses might do well to spend more time in acting classes.

Acting for the Camera, a course offered at Fullerton College, has helped several actors prepare for a movie career, including Jason Scott Lee, who portrayed Bruce Lee (no relation) in the film “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.”

Lee was carrying a full load of academic courses at Fullerton College when he took an acting class as an elective.

“I didn’t even know how to walk on a stage until my second semester, but I felt the challenge to do things terribly unknown to me,” Lee said recently. “I had a teacher who emphasized the spiritual side of acting.”

Tom Blank, an instructor in the college’s theater arts department, said courses cover more than that.

“We try to emphasize the meat and potatoes,” Blank said. “We cover hitting their marks, how to use their face to communicate, transferring stage techniques to film.”

Students also get the benefit of advice and tips from successful alumni. Blank said guest speakers have included Fullerton College graduates Kelly Lynch-MacDonald, casting associate for the television series “90210,” and Mark Charion, producer of “The Golden Girls.” Other graduates of the program include Andrew Lowery, who appeared for several seasons on the television show “A Different World.” Lowery has the lead role in an unreleased Disney movie titled “My Boyfriend’s Back” and a part in a new Bruce Willis action film.

Acting for the Camera will be offered during the fall semester from noon to 2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.