THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 21, 1997 TAG: 9702210048
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LORRAINE EATON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 64 lines
DONNA AND HER new beau, Cliff, are looking ab-so-lutely perfect. And they are hanging out at the absolutely cool Peach Pit when a Virginia Beach guy rushes in to thicken the plot.
``Quick! Someone call a doctor. Some kid just overdosed next door.''
The guy is Salem High School grad Greg Lee. The aspiring actor will rush into Wednesday night's episode of ``Beverly Hills, 90210,'' one of the most highly rated prime-time TV shows. He'll be right there on the tube with Tori Spelling, Greg Vaughan and the rest of the cast in a scene that lasts about four minutes.
About 100 guys, all with the same 90210 look - clean-cut and cool - tried out for the part, which Lee describes as ``very, very small.'' But he's very, very glad to have it.
Back at Salem High, Lee only wanted to be an actor but never talked much about his goal. It seemed like such a long shot. After graduating in 1991, he enrolled in Tidewater Community College and took the few theater classes that were offered. A friend told him about The Actor's Place in Virginia Beach, and Lee studied there for 2 1/2 years.
Then it was on to New York to try his luck at the big time with his acting classmate Bryan Fuller, also of Virginia Beach. Lee did OK and paid the bills by working ``survival jobs'' like waiting tables and, later, bussing tables at the Harley-Davidson Cafe.
He did OK with the acting, too. Lee landed a spot on ``The Guiding Light'' and was one of two guys screen tested for a three-year contract on ``All My Children,'' a job that would have paid from $50,000 to $175,000 a year.
Lee moved to L.A. five months ago looking for more opportunity. He landed a small part on ``The Young and the Restless.'' Although the Beverly Hills gig isn't Lee's first big exposure, driving onto the ``90210'' lot gave him pause. This was the big time.
The show comes to life in four industrial-sized warehouses full of sets. The actors have dressing rooms outfitted with video arcade games, no quarters necessary. And every afternoon the entire cast gets menus from local restaurants.
Another surprise was the cast. ``None of them are like they are on the show,'' Lee said. ``They are a lot nicer.''
The scene in which Lee appears took about two days to film. Lee made $2,000. Now he's living on his savings and ``doing the unemployment thing.''
For an aspiring actor in L.A., that doesn't mean just hanging out. There's school - coaching sessions where he learns things like how to speak like a commercial announcer. And Lee spends hours each week on the phone cajoling agents and casting directors and mailing resumes and pictures to power people. Then there are auditions - most recently for a part in a new Paramount film and another in Aaron Spelling's new soap.
Unemployment is a never-ending marketing of his look, his voice, his moves, himself.
``Seventy-five to 80 percent of this business is business,'' Lee said. ``The rest is talent.''
Ultimately, Lee would like top billing in a film, but for now, the 24-year-old is not complaining.
``There are so many great and talented people in this business,'' Lee said. ``Anybody can hit at any time. Just to get your foot on a set, you are very fortunate.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Greg lee of Virginia Beach has been in Los Angeles for five months,
striving to build an acting career.