The actor’s dilemma

BALTHAZAR GETTY appears on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” and is in the band Ringside. He is the father of four and would like you to know that he is grateful to have a great life and great kids. This conversation took place in December, after he did a stint on the Writers Guild of America picket lines.

What’s new with the new record?

We were signed to Geffen, me and Scott Thomas, who I grew up with, who’s the singer-songwriter. We produce and mix and write together. That deal kind of went south and we sort of found some backing and created our own label and our own model. We own a studio in Burbank. We’re putting together our own independent label, with some more ownership and control -- not of the music but of how it’s marketed and how you get it into people’s hands.

Oooh. What are your distribution thoughts now that you’re a label owner?

Well, you know, there’s a couple of things we’re mulling over. Doing a kind of distribution deal through a major, doing a Best Buy and a Starbucks. But I think the ticket is to do a couple deals -- an online deal and through Europe and each country. . . . And doing different territories. We’re excited!

After you’re done with yours, are you going to go sign people?

That’s the idea! Rather than, typically, the artist and the label are against each other in a way, the label trying to [undermine] the artists, the artist trying to get attention and money -- you’d think they were on the same team. All you’re doing on a label is battling, trying to get them to pay money and pay attention. We want to create an artists’ label, where each artist has their own label without ours. They’re in control of their vision. . . . We’d like to figure out a model where everyone’s on the same page. An artists’ co-op.

What’s the difference in controlling the means of production for actors versus musicians?

Unless you’re on a huge level, like a Tom Cruise or one of these guys who decides who makes it, cuts it and puts it out, and you’re able to be a part of that process from beginning to end, as an actor you’re just a hired gun, a monkey to dance around and say your lines. You do a good job and you love it -- depending on the project. Some of the indies I’ve done, I’ve gotten in there and produced and developed scripts, and that’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun for me to see things through. Especially in TV, you don’t have any control over anything. But I got lucky! Look, I’m on a TV show I believe in, with actors anyone would be thrilled to be with, with great writing.

You seem very cautious about roles in general.

I have been. I mean, I feel one of the powers you have as an actor is to say no to something.

People get all twisted up: They feel they have to make a strategy.

I mean, look. Most actors, 99.9%, are just working actors. They love acting or they’re paying rent. And that’s great and admirable. Then there’s a small percentage that make a great living. And are able to be choosy about the work.

So there’s a huge disparity in freedom and income.

Yeah, forget it. I’ve had to do such crap that it will haunt me until my last day. Honestly! But you know, I think Orson Welles said it: I’m an actor, I get paid to act. Which is true! You know? There is something to be said about, “Look, you’re an actor, you’ve got a paying job to be an actor, show up.” It’s not like a painter’s gonna go, “No, I don’t wanna paint that house! I don’t like the neighborhood.”

I guess in some ways we take it too seriously.

Yeah, we do. That’s been my struggle as an artist and an actor, of just vacillating between taking myself too seriously and then not taking myself seriously at all to the point of ridiculousness that I feel this is the dumbest way ever to be making a living. The fact that I have to put on makeup in the morning and put hair gel in my hair and say ridiculous lines, it just feels absurd. Then there’s moments you’re connected with an actor and you’re inspired and it’s fantastic. And you feel so grateful to be able to do it. I’ve got a real love-hate relationship with acting for sure.