Samara Pagano

Samara Pagano of ProTalent Australia recently attended an acting class with Australian Film Icon Tony Bonner as her teacher.
This is what she has to say “It was such an honour to work with one of Australia’s greats in the Film Industry. Tony made it totally comfortable and enjoyable. It seemed as though acting is a language that Tony is fluent in, he taught me so much in a small period of time, and has given me an eagerness to become fluent in this same language.
I look forward to working with Tony in the future.”

Kate Rees Davies

EQUITY ARTICLE – MENTOR PROGRAM:

August 2009, I leave my new home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles to meet up with my Australian acting mentor, the wonderful Tony Bonner. What this esteemed actor has taught me over the last 2 years, through the Equity mentor scheme has been invaluable.  As I arrive at my local cafe on the busy Ventura Boulevard, Tony sits sipping coffee. A true gentleman, he immediately gets up and kisses me fondly on the cheek.  His aviator sunglasses sit next to his motorbike crash helmet on the table. He left his Pacific Palisades residence for our meeting here, taking the hills route on his motorbike.

I order my usual Earl Grey tea; Tony asks me how I am finding Los Angeles. I tell him that it’s very exciting to finally be here, this is, after all, the film capital of the world. I fill him in on all my antics since arriving in the city of Angels in April, my eight week intensive acting course with TVI studios and how much I’ve learned about the “Acting Business” here. Tony is pleased that I have taken my career to the next level by coming to Los Angeles to pursue my dream. He says, “Who would have thought we’d be sitting here in LA, sipping coffee, two years ago?”

I moved from the UK to Sydney in 2007 to pursue a career in acting. I studied part time, at Screenwise and NIDA. I want to direct my career toward film. I had some marvelous acting jobs in Sydney, including commercials, dance videos and I even performed for the Pope on World Youth day in 2008. I decided to join Equity Australia early on in my career. Through their member newsletter I discovered their Mentorship Program. This is offered annually to their emerging acting members, so I applied straight away. I was contacted a short while after by Alex Jones who told me I had been selected and was to be paired with Tony Bonner. I was delighted, as they only select a certain amount of people per year. Alex provided me with Tony’s details and said we could either correspond through email or in person. I contacted Tony and asked him how he would like to proceed. I was thrilled when he suggested a meeting in person.

I’ll never forget our first meeting at the Tropicana Cafe in Darlinghurst, where John Polson launched the now famous Tropfest film festival.As I waited for Tony to arrive, I was a little nervous as I didn’t know what to expect. As he approached, he quickly put me at ease and I felt like I was having coffee with an old friend, not an Australian icon. He was warm and friendly and reminded me of another Australian actor, the legendary Errol Flynn, except much more handsome. 
In that first meeting, Tony shared with me his immense industry knowledge and tips on how to succeed in a very competitive and sometimes grueling profession. As I listened and took notes, Tony said a few hello’s to some of the Tropicana regulars, artists and creative’s alike. Tony’s words of wisdom helped me get my attitude straight about the profession and what to expect. 
Due to our work schedules, our meetings were infrequent but I really learned a lot. Tony has a long list of credits in film and television and has worked with some great actors, Catherine Zeta Jones and Kirk Douglas to name a few. I feel very honored to have been paired with him and grateful for his generous advice. 

So here we are two years later, basking in the LA sunshine, catching up on our news. Tony is in LA visiting his agent and taking meetings for potential work opportunities. I am studying the craft of acting and learning my way around the Los Angeles acting system. As we continue chatting I tell him, I spotted Shea La Bouef and Carrie Mulligan in here a few weeks ago. Carrie has relocated to LA from the UK and her career has really taken off. It is not unusual to see a lot of actors in this neighborhood, being so close to Beverly Hills and the major studios.

Tony has to go to a meeting and I have to go to class, as we say our goodbyes, I have a strong feeling that we will be seeing each other again very soon.  Los Angeles really is a city of opportunity for actors who are prepared to work hard. Even in a time of economic difficulty there is still a lot of work being produced. I feel I am here at the right time and will be fully prepared when the industry picks up. I have two years left in LA and am looking forward to working with some great actors, who knows maybe one day it will be Tony.

I’d like to thank Equity for the tremendous mentorship scheme and for the support and opportunities it affords its members. In the time I was in Sydney, I attended a George Whaley masterclass, scene study with Aarne Neeme and endless discounts on magnificent theatre productions in the city. I hope to return to Sydney as an established actor to work in a feature film in the near future.    


Victoria Vinson

Tony,

 It's Victoria here from Wednesday night’s camera 101 lessons at The Actors Centre. I just wanted to send you a quick email to thank you so much for teaching us for our last 3 lessons. It has been an absolute joy being taught by you, your passion and advice amazes me and you have helped me re-discover my passion for acting. Thank you so much for bringing so much energy to our lessons. Although we only had you for 3 lessons I feel very grateful for those 3.
 
 Regards,
 Victoria Vinson