Janine Anzalone
By Linnda Durre’
New York’s loss is Florida’s gain. Janine Anzalone became a Jacksonville resident in 2010 and we are the fortunate recipient of her talent. An actor, athlete, equestrian, acting coach, producer, and writer – Janine has an impressive background and has been well trained in New York, studying with John Eyd and Bruce Ornstein, her teachers who were trained by Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, and Stella Adler.
Currently studying at the Master Level with Cindy Hogan, Janine also teaches aspiring actors at Hogan’s “The A.C.T.I.N.G. Coach.” In Jacksonville, Janine brings with her a varied background in sports, production, acting, and now writing and web series creation.
An athlete from a very young age, Janine became a professional equestrian, beginning when she was only 12 years old. At Toms River High School North in New Jersey, she was a varsity softball player as both a pitcher and second baseman as well as being an All County tennis player in the Ocean County Division. She attributes her hard work ethic and strong desire to succeed to the constant encouragement and support always given by her mother and father.
“I’m very lucky to have the wonderful family that I have. They’ve always enabled me to follow my dreams,” Janine recalled of her family.
Her creative side was given free rein in the writing and art classes she took in high school and college. Her parents encouraged all of her myriad activities – and their DNA certainly helped. Janine’s father, Joseph Anzalone, is a freelance photographer who had done work for Inside Sports and photographed NBA, MLB, and NFL games as the sideline photographer of the pros, as well as photographing Indy Car racing. He also has a background in producing and directing product commercials and industrial films. Like father like daughter, Janine fell in love with being on set at an early age when she would accompany him on various production projects and television sets.
Janine began her interest in theater as a freshman behind the scenes in production and building sets at Toms River High School North in New Jersey. Without a background in singing or dance, she was always too intimidated to audition for the stage, always feeling shy and awkward and never thinking that one day she would end up in front of the footlights and in front of a camera.
After graduation, Janine attended Monmouth University in New Jersey for a year as an Elementary Education major. During an interview with one of her guidance counselors, Janine changed her mind. The counselor asked her, “Are you involved in theater? You should be. You have a very expressive face.” Janine thought about it and the seed was planted. About her counselor, Janine recalled, “She gave me confidence to audition. I started acting in college and never stopped.” Janine changed her major to communications and earned a BA there in four years.
Upon college graduation, she combined her love of horses and riding with her degree and landed a job as a sales and customer service rep for WeatherBeeta USA based in Edison, New Jersey, an equestrian company that sold saddles, bridles, apparel, and horse blankets. She worked there for three years and was promoted into product development. She developed her own product line with manufacturers from all over the world and went to trade shows selling to professional riders, tack shops, groomers, breeders, and trainers. But most importantly, she learned about product branding, a skill set she now applies to her acting career.
Several years later, during an event in their hometown of Toms River, Janine reconnected with high school classmate and fellow actress Piper Perabo who appeared in Coyote Ugly and The Prestige, as well as starring in writer/director Neil LaBute’s Tony award nominated play, “Reasons to Be Pretty.” LaBute is the controversial writer/director of In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors, Possession, and The Shape of Things. Back in their teens, Piper was cast in their high school’s musical with Janine working backstage. Admiring Piper’s successes and working to pursue acting as a career, Janine sought out her advice about breaking into the film acting business. Janine remembers that it was their conversation that changed her life.
“Piper encouraged me to study a serious acting program in the Meisner Technique and to never stop with good training,” Janine stated. Taking Piper’s advice seriously, Janine made an appointment and met with Maggy Flannigan in New York City and was accepted into her program. Due to finances, Janine was never able to pursue training with Maggy, but that did not stop Janine’s search for top-notch training.
In 2010, she moved to Florida to be closer to her family who had moved to Jacksonville in 2005. Immediately following Piper’s advice, she decided she would pursue training in the Meisner Technique and focused strictly on her acting career after learning about the expanding entertainment industry in the Southeast. Quickly she booked lead and supporting roles in several independent shorts, including the award winning 48 Hour Film Festival entry, “The Fenimore.” She also landed the lead in the slasher feature, “Deep Seeded,” which is out on DVD and distributed by American Horrors.
After wrapping “Deep Seeded” she was eager for more, but instead of waiting for her next opportunity, she began co-creating, producing, and starring in the upcoming web series drama, “Back to One,” which also stars local celebrities, Cindy Hogan and Kevin Porter, and which was co-created and directed by Daniel R. Solomon.
It didn’t take long before Janine was invited into Cindy Hogan’s Masters Class, where her craft continues to develop. Among her many credits, Cindy was a regular on Veronica Mars and has appeared on Army Wives. Cindy’s top-notch, unprecedented training of professionally working actors quickly propelled Janine to the next level.
“What I love about Cindy is that she truly cares about her students. She understands this business like no other and her own success as an actor proves that. She applies her extensive experience in this industry to her teaching style and she knows how to further her student’s careers and does everything in her power to make sure she’s giving us the tools and encouragement we need to do that. Her insight is unparalleled,” Janine stated of her coach and mentor. “I am truly grateful for having her in my life. There’s no doubt about it. She’s the best!”
If it were not for Cindy, Janine may never have had the opportunity to take weekend intensives with established industry professionals, such as Jeffery Brooks, a highly regarded coach and manager in Los Angeles, whom she hopes to continue working with in the future.
Janine began teaching foundation classes at Cindy Hogan’s program in August 2011. “I truly love acting and I want to be able to give back to others what I’ve learned. As Sanford Meisner said, ‘acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.’ We have a unique opportunity as actors to reach people on a very intimate level and to touch their lives in a special way and that’s why I chose this craft as my profession,” she added emphatically.
Cindy Hogan thinks as highly of Janine as well and states, "Janine is one of those rare actors, human beings for that matter, who doesn't give up until she feels 100% satisfied and that applies to her skills as a producer as well."
In coming to Jacksonville, Janine stated, “In the two years that I’ve here, I was able to accomplish more than I have in years in New York. It’s a tough market there and the move really propelled me to the next step. I’m meeting great people in Jacksonville. For whatever reason, it’s proven to me that this has been the right place at the right time.”
Her web series has proven that. Janine added, “I’ve started my own projects and I love creating characters and stories. We will have launched the web series ‘Back to One’ by summer 2012, with a total of nine episodes for the first season, each running roughly eight to ten minutes. It’s a fun show to watch and even more fun to film and my cast and crew has simply been amazing to work with. We’ve become a family over this past year of filming and it’s been great. The show is a little daring, somewhat sexy, and, of course, full of drama. We are hoping that it will be picked up by a network or sponsor.” She is also writing a young adult novel, but cannot yet release the title.
When asked if she misses the pace of New York City and New Jersey, she stated, “I miss my friends and family, but I don’t miss the cold. I’m fully adjusted.”
What about her acting philosophy and coaching her students? She replied, “Acting well is what happens when you are truly in the moment organically in a fictional circumstance, and it is what I teach my students. I must be truthful to my objectives. I don’t believe in fake acting or pretending in having an experience. You must be truthful to the emotions. Good acting can teach you a lot about yourself.”
Janine is working with a new agent, Crystal Bennett of Premiere Models and Talent, who has recently sent her on auditions for “Army Wives,” among other network shows.
Janine admitted, “One of my goals this year is to have a recurring role on a network series, as well as book another feature. I also want people to know and recognize the talent and quality work being produced here in Jacksonville.”
To those actors pursuing their craft, Janine added, “Stay passionate and never stop working hard at what you love. It always pays off if you follow your heart.”
Janine is listed on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3902501/
Janine can be reached through her agent Crystal Bennett at Premiere Models and Talent at 904-237-0297 or email crystal@premieremodelsandtalent.com
You may also contact Janine directly at janine.anzalone@gmail.com
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Linnda Durre’, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist, business consultant, international speaker, columnist, filmmaker, actor, acting coach, director, and producer. At the age of 22, she was admitted to the Writers Guild of America West, when she sold a TV series to Aaron Spelling. She has written and hosted for the Disney Channel. She was accepted into Edward Albee’s Master Class in Playwrighting for her play, “The Viewing,” which she adapted into a short film, casted, directed, and co-produced. It won two Crystal Reel Awards from FMPTA – Florida Motion Picture and Television Association – for Best Short Script and for Best Supporting Actress for Sarah Benz Phillips.
“The Viewing” was an official selection at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, the Del Ray Beach Film Festival, and it was a finalist in the Best of Florida/Made in Florida Film Festival. She was a judge for two writing categories two years in a row for cable TV’s ACE Awards before they were absorbed into the Emmys.
Dr. Durre’ is the author of Surviving the Toxic Workplace: Protect Yourself Against Co-Workers, Bosses, and Work Environments That Poison Your Day (2010 - McGraw-Hill). She has been interviewed on Oprah, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and O'Reilly, as well as the national and/or local news on ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, PBS, Fox, and CW, and the local Orlando Fox station 47 times. She has been interviewed, quoted, and/or cited by the NY Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, SF Chronicle & Examiner, Business Week, USA Today, Investors Business Daily, Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, Parade Magazine, CNN, and many others. She has written for Forbes, Orlando Business Journal, AOL, Yahoo, Monster, and American Cities Business Journals. Her column on difficult bosses appears on wwweBossWatch.com Contact her at Linnda.Durre@gmail.com and 407-739-8620. The book’s website is: www.survivingthetoxicworkplace.com
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