INDEPENDENT STREAK MAGAZINE

Punching Forward

Always striving, actor Alex Hyde-White has made a successful acting career with perseverance, timing & luck

By Rachel Galvin

From Merry Old England to the streetsof Tinsel Town,Alex Hyde-White,known by hismiddle name ?Punch? to hisfriends,haslived quite alife over hismore than 40 yearsasan actor. He hasendured the upsand downsdespite being born into atheatrical family.Hisfather,the wickedly charming Wilfrid Hyde-White,wasa longtime actor,best known asCol. Pickering in ?My Fair Lady,?hismother wasastage manager and hisyounger sister would even get into the game asa costume designer. Punch, however,really learned the ropesall on hisown,slowly taking on Hollywood and growing hiscareer asan actor from doing quick cameosto being afront runner,from small low-budget projectsto world-renowned roleswith top stars.

You may have seen thisprolific actor in such filmsand TVshowsas ?Pretty Woman,??The First Olympics,??Catch Me if You Can,??Indiana Jonesand the Last Crusade,??Newhart,??Ishtar,??Babylon 5,??Ally McBeal,??West Wing,??Dexter,??Dahmer,?Roger Corman?s?Fantastic Four?and about 100 other productions.

Hyde-White hastaken on anew role in hislife aswell,that of a reflective author.He writesabout hisstrugglesand triumphsin the industry in hisnew book ?In the Volume: My Life in Film and TV.? Within it,he talksabout how he got hisstart,some of the flubshe made like any starting actor and some of the lessonshe learned,his downtimesand the timeswhen life wasworking beautifully.Certainly, he says,hiscareer hasgone beyond hiswildest dreams.Asked if he ever expected to have the life he haslived,he said,?You know,I knew I would never give up; perseverance,timing,luck - it'sa recurring theme in the book ?

Hyde-White started acting in local theater after hisfamily moved from England to Palm Springs,CA.Then at the early age of 19,he signed with Universal Studiosasone of the last contract playersin Hollywood,getting hisstart in TVprojectslike ?Battlestar Galactica? and ?Quincy,?working in awide variety of rolesbefore going on to larger parts. Hisfavorite role overall wasworking on aseriesthat was ?Top Gun?for TVcalled ?Supercarrier?asLt.Dave Rawley,aF-14

Tomcat Navy Ffighter pilot on the carrier USSJohn F. Kennedy.

Hisfirst film role wasin the movie ?The Toy,?asthe photographer in the grand party scene,next to heavy hitterslike Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason. Ashisrole waslittle more than a background extra with one scripted line,he took a gutsy chance on set that Gleason called him out on but that won him perhapssome pointswith the director for hischutzpa.That isone of the many storieshe revealsin hisbook.

It wasnot long after that small on-screen performance that he would be doing hisfirst leading role in ?Biggles: Adventuresin Time?asa time traveling gunslinger.

Hissuccesscomesfrom perseverance,allowing the elementsof luck, timing and dedication to gel,rather than yearsof training.Since he started so young,instead of any ?formal?training,he did workshops and classeshere and there back in London,aswell asin Hollywood. Hisfavorite class?FamousNYCcasting director Michael Shurtleff?s ?Audition Technique?course. Those of you in the biz know Shurtleff well and probably,like thisreporter,have hisbook on your shelf at home.He also worked with LisaDalton,who employed Chekhov-based techniques,and a few others.

When taking on arole,Hyde-White really delvesinto hischaracters, doing research to understand their livesa little better.For instance, when he played adoctor on "NCIS," he followed adoctor friend around the hospital roundsand noticed some of hismannerismsand way of interacting with patientsand ended up incorporating that into his performance. If it isa period piece or a true story,he doesresearch on the background history of it. He worksto ?fill the costume,?so to speak,something he wasadvised to do by comedian Tom Poston before live shooting an episode of ?Newhart?in which he played Scooter Drake.That part ended up getting him hired asthe polo-player in "Pretty Woman," hisbiggest hit.

He seemsto employ a technique that thisreporter also usesasan actor ?thinking about how acharacter should look and act and how that affectsthem asa person.He also thinksabout the way acharacter issupposed to come across. He explained,?You know,I kind of work from the outside in.I think about how it sounds,how it?ssupposed to sound,and then I just really learn the linesuntil I have a rhythm that somewhat surprisesme.I feel that illuminatesboth the actor aswell as the material.?In the book he quotes afamousMichael Caine line, "Acting isabout honesty,and if you can fake that,you've got it made."

He feelsit isimportant for new actorsto also know their film history, to go back and get to know legendary actorsthrough the years. Also, he suggested looking at auditionsasa performance,being the role from that first moment.

Other advice for new actors??Find a good local theater company and train " Something else new actorsshould do when on set??Focus,be prepared and keep to yourself.?

Hyde-White wasin Roger Corman?slow-budget movie ?Fantastic Four,?which wasnever released but since become acult classic.When asked if actorsshould turn down low-budget projectsor be selective, he said,?Actorspassing on jobsisnot compatible. It?sabout the dumbest thing I could think of.?

He really enjoyed playing Reed Richardsin the movie,or almost being him,and hassaid that the film not being released and the story about the issueswith the production wasprobably abetter story with more enduring value than if it had actually been released.It certainly made for a memorable life experience,and a great part of hismemoir.

He hasworked with numerousdirectors through the years. He has seen the good and the bad.When asked what type of director he likes to work with,he said, ?Most directorstake pride in their casting,so when you are an invited guest to their set,there seems to be an understanding that you will work well together.?He added,?Of course,there are times when I?ve wondered how sober the directors are,or if they?re sleeping with the leading lady and all that nonsense.You know, everybody?shuman.I think the best thing to do when you get direction isto accept it, say thank you and then, you know,do it your own way; and quite often,then,the director says,'Yesthat?sgood. Thank you. That?swhat I want.' You might think you haven? t really changed anything much at all,but you have.Subtlety works. You do not want to be apeople pleaser when you are an actor.?

He learned something crucial from hisfather when it comesto acting ? that the performance,and the show,must go on. Both he and hislate father experienced something going wrong live on stage and having to roll with it,like when the set cavesin or an exit door locks...and finding away to turn a problem into a singular memorable,real moment with the audience.

One of the hardest projectshe worked on was?Three Daysof Hamlet,?with Richard Chamberlain,Stefanie Powersand others. In it, he playsboth the Ghost (the father) and the son (Prince of Denmark). He also directed it It isa ?fanstasy?documentary of the making of the play ?Hamlet,?which takesplace from start to finish over three days, showcasing everything from memorizing linesand rehearsalsto stage production.

The movie wasshown at the Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF),which ishow thisreporter met Hyde-White back in

2012.The project wasreally a labor of love for the actor,a passion project,which he embraced for all itsrawness. It certainly wasadaring endeavor.

Another unique project that he hastaken on in hiscareer isthe opening of hisPunch Audio.Based in Hollywood,and recently expanding to Pensacola,Florida,the company createsaudiobooks, specializing in helping the multitude of independent authorsgrow their audience through audio.To find out more about thisstudio,visit Punch Audio?swebsite at www.punchandroll.com.

The industry hasreally changed since he first got hisstart,from the contract system going away to the addition of CGI and green screens, to remote on-camera auditionsand zoom meetings.

When asked about working in the industry today,he said,?There is more work than ever,and more people trying to get it than ever.The definition of actor hasbroadened to include anybody who isgutsy enough to give it a try.You know,it?svery democratic these days.I think being older and experienced isa great benefit. It would be hard being ayoung actor today unlessyou go off to regional theater and just learn style,learn endurance.?

Hyde-White hasworked with countlessactorsin hisday,from Julia Roberts,who he said had natural charm,to Bruce Boxleitner,who became aroommate and agood friend.The actorshe hasworked with or befriended through the yearsin Hollywood are plentiful: Dudley Moore,Bob Hope,Sammy DavisJr.,Andy Griffith,Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty,Michael Caine,Marty Kove,Richard Gere,Val Kilmer, David Caruso,AngelaLansbury,Bob Newhart,Harrison Ford and many more. He even met PrincessDiana at the Royal Premiere of "Biggles," which premiered in 1986.

In hisbook,he not only talksin detail about how he got hisstart and worked hisway through the industry,but he also discusseshis interactionson set and with those he hasmet in detail asnaturally as if he were talking casually to a friend in hisliving room.

With all the people he hasworked with through the years,isthere anyone who he still like to work with that he hasnot yet?He answered,?Kevin Costner,of course,?adding,?In the 80s,I really wanted to work with Madonna.?(Thisreporter too!)

Reading thisbook isa real joy for anyone who isin the industry or simply alover of moviesand TV. (On a more personal note,I enjoyed it so much,I read it three times,and,being an editor asI am,I tend to read for work,not for pleasure; but I honestly enjoyed every detail! Of course,I understood it asan actor myself aswell).

It wasabit of along processfor Hyde-White to write thisbook as well It isnot alwayseasy writing your life story (something else I know well). He began writing the book in 2020 and published it last fall.?Project completion,on apersonal level,hasnever been astrong suit,?he said. ?Thiswasthe exception,and I'm glad I did it.?

He did not let hisworking on the book stop him from acting. He continuesto spend time on set. Since writing the book,he has appeared in Jordan Peele?shit film ?Nope?and Netflix?s?Monster.?

Hislatest projects??I have anice little double out right now ?two indie movies: One playing asouthern Mark Twain type in 'The Quest for Tom Sawyer?sGold' and the other isasarather mysterious Englishman in aLionsgate release called 'Invitation to aMurder,'" he said.

Want to find out more? Pick up his book ?In the Volume: My Life in Film and TV?on Amazon.com and wherever books and audiobooks are sold. You can also visit his website at www.alexhyde-white.com.