Hello family, friends, and fans,
If you follow me on any other social media platform(Twitter Facebook or Instagram) then you have already heard the news: I have been cast on the first season of the new reality TV show, The Reel Deal!!! If you’ve been following me at all over the last few months this is not the first time you have heard me mention this opportunity. It has been a long audition process starting back in February. If you look back at my previous posts you can follow all the steps I went through to get to this point. In some ways I still can’t believe that I have actually been cast. You work so hard for something and when it actually comes true, it feels a bit surreal. From the beginning, I remember thinking that THIS time, I actually had a shot at this. It seemed like everything in my life had perfectly alined and that all my recent experiences had prepared me for this show. I have never had that feeling quite this strongly before. For sure I have really, really wanted to be cast in something, very badly. But I have never felt the calm confidence that I was perfect for this and this was perfect for me. On May 29th, starting at 8 AM, The Reel Deal starting announcing a cast member every 10 minutes. I woke up a little after 8 and thought, “Oh, I guess I should check to see what’s happening.” Two cast members had already been announced. I went to Facebook and told my friends to start following the casting by searching #TheReelDeal. I switched back to Twitter and seconds later they tweeted THIS:
Let me tell you, it is one of the weirdest ways I have ever been told I was cast in something. No phone call. No personal email. No, the WORLD knew at the same moment I did. Two minutes later my Aunt(who is not on Twitter and is barely on Facebook) called me to Congratulate me! I couldn’t figure out how she knew(I’d barely had time to tell me husband who was right next to me). She said her best friend had been on Facebook… where I had told people to watch Twitter and friends had already started congratulate me before I even had the chance to announce it… and she sent my Aunt a text. CRAZY world of social media updates!!!
Last Thursday was quite a whirlwind. So many tweets. So many congratulations on Facebook. And then I had to go nanny… because yes, I still have a normal person job. Then I went to perform in my play that night. By the way… I’M IN A PLAY RIGHT NOW! Come see “Diana of Dobson’s” at Taproot Theatre. And my wonderful cast greeted me with cheers and THIS written on the mirror in our dressing room. After the show a few friends went out with me to celebrate! Even as we were sitting around the table in the bar and someone turned to me saying, “Aren’t you just SO EXCITED?!” I didn’t know what to say. It still hadn’t really sunk in yet. You work towards something and think about it in this hypothetical realm for so long; it takes a little time to let that sink in to the realm of reality(no pun intended).
It’s been almost a week now, so I think it’s actually sinking in now! July 10th-17th I will be in LA filming a reality show about film-making. I will be one of 25 actors, 5 directors, 6 writers, and 6 composers, who will be divided into 7 teams to be led by 6 celebrities to each make a movie in 4 days! WOW! I can’t wait! Stay tuned for all the updates to come!
P.S. I can’t end this post without saying how thankful I am for each and every one of you. So many of you have gone out of your way to tell me how much you believed in me, saying “Of course you were cast!” That is so kind… but I am also aware there are so many reasons I might not have been cast, having nothing to do with who I am, talented or not(as evidence by the many talented people who did not make it on Season 1). Regardless, thank you for believing in me even when I couldn’t manage to believe in myself. Even when I was so tired of auditioning and NOT getting cast. Even when I doubted the trajectory of my life and if it all was worth while. Even when I was ready to quite. THANK YOU ALL for standing by me and cheering me on. I really have no idea what this opportunity means for my career. It could go no where, but I am now in a place where I realize that the end is not the goal, the goal is to live each day with purpose and enjoy the journey. I AM ENJOYING THE JOURNEY! Thanks for riding along!
CHARISSA J. ADAMS 