LOS ANGELES—Actors are trained to transition from one character to another. Despite their versatility, they have faced an unexpected landscape of difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, many productions were forced to shut down, and are only now slowly opening back up with safety protocols in place.

“At the beginning everything came to a halt,” said Omar Leyva, who starred in his first major role as Manuel Fernandes in HBO’s drama “Icebox,” released in 2018. Leyva is a Los Angeles-based bilingual Mexican-American actor who has guest starred in television drama series such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Blue Bloods” and “Get Shorty.” He began his professional acting career in 2006.

Since the pandemic began, he has experienced a host of unexpected hurdles, including auditioning from home, creating space to film himself and booking acting jobs during unprecedented times. In addition to their roles in front of the camera, many actors have had to step into behind-camera work as well, as they audition from home or sharpen their skills via social media platforms like Tik Tok. “Right now, is the time to produce and create your own stuff,” Leyva said. “It has put everyone on that same level.”

As a central hub of film, television and advertising productions, Los Angeles and its large population of established and aspiring actors experienced a sudden sea change.

“When film production shut down officially by state order, in late March, it directly affected approximately 50,484 productions, all of which were in some state of progress and needed to have their permissions to film pulled back,” said Philip Sokoloski, Vice President of Integrated Communications at Film L.A., who oversees several communications programs at the nonprofit organization. “That included a lot of the television that people see and are familiar with. Some 44% of the scripted shows on TV are made right here in Los Angeles."

Leyva filmed an Apple commercial before production shut down in March, but the quickly shifting landscape left its future uncertain “All of a sudden, they felt like the commercial couldn’t be used,” he said. In the end, it aired on Sept. 13th on Youtube and Leyva was relieved. He was told he might not get paid for it even though it had been already shot, but the check came through after all. “I was very relieved to hear that it had been picked up,” he said. He noted that one aspect of his career that has not completely stopped is voiceover work, a lifeline amid so many shutdowns. “I did do a little bit of that as far as auditioning,” he said.

For Leyva, COVID-19 not only brought an uncertain future, but also an uncertain present.

The acting industry looks a lot different these days. Since the start of the pandemic in March, actors have had to learn how to audition from home, instead of auditioning for casting directors live on site. Most often, they submit self-tapes in which they record themselves reciting their character’s lines. Then, they send these digital video files through secure transfer sites like WeTransfer.

New safety protocols mandate social distancing on set, including the wearing of face masks and sanitation standards. Those regulations, known as Appendix J, is a checklist for productions who seek to conduct their activities safely. It contains specific instructions for what crews must do in order to be able to continue to film on location. This includes the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), strict sanitation standards and physical distancing. “They don’t go so far as to limit the number of cast or crew present on location,” Sokoloski said. However, there are instances where the production team must limit the number of cast and crew members to accommodate physical distancing guidelines of staying at least six feet apart from others.

Back in August, actor Chad Michael Murray posted a photo on Instagram holding a mask to his face on set for his upcoming Lifetime Christmas movie “Too Close for Christmas.” “Gotta mask up even around Santa...with his age and cookie addiction there is a good chance he’s HIGH RISK,” he said.

Even though production has slowed, actors who are working follow COVID-19 protocols. The U.K. has also been following strict COVID-19 protocols. The British Film Commission last updated their COVID-19 guidelines on Nov. 11.

Instead, Thompson is hustling from Marin County in Northern California submitting as many auditions as possible through Backstage, an entertainment-industry website where casting calls and job opportunities are announced. “I go on it every single day,” she said. “I apply to everything that I think I’m a fit for. Sometimes I get callbacks, but a lot of the time I don’t."

In her downtime, Thompson has kept her acting and singing skills sharp via the video-sharing site TikTok. “It’s a huge obsession of mine,” she said. “If COVID hadn’t happened, I don’t think I would be on it. But now, I have all this free time and all this creative energy I need to get out.”

In Leyva’s new roles as director and videographer, he has honed his photography skills, a passion which has made it easier for him to produce his own headshots and acting reels. He says he’s also become more creative and strategic when it comes to filming his self-tapes and voiceover auditions. “Now, I have a permanent backdrop,” he said. “I can slide over [and] I don’t set it up every single time. I also invested in having my own recording booth at home,” he said.

Thompson says she’s also become adept behind the camera. “We were supposed to go to L.A. to do a showcase for my BFA class in the spring,” she said. “Instead we had this play written for us. It was basically a bunch of monologues and we had to film them ourselves.” Starting with that experience, she’s taken charge of her own lighting, sound, directing and acting. “I think I’ve gotten so much better at self-tapes, because that’s all I can do,” she said.

Auditioning from home can come with benefits and drawbacks. “If you are good at directing yourself and if you’re tech-savvy enough, it can be an advantage,” Leyva said. The downside is the added labor for something that isn’t guaranteed,” he said.

Productions continue to change day by day. In mid June, Film L.A. got permission from the state to resume in person production. “The conditions for restart have been extremely slow and extremely cautious,” Sokoloski said. Although all 16 of the cities Film L.A. serves were open for business, a full slate of production did not resume right away. “The filming that came back first were some of the smallest projects, those most nimble and able to do it within the new guidelines,” Sokoloski said.

Filming has slowly returned. Sokoloski said the number of permits the organization has issued amounts to about 40 percent of normal activity, or 1100 since the middle of June. Other markets, like those in New York, Vancouver and Georgia, have also resumed filming.

In New York, employers and employees have to follow certain guidelines before participating in media production-related activities such as television, motion picture, music and streaming productions. In May 2020, Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp also unveiled a film and television production “best practice” guide to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when productions resume in Georgia. Producer Tyler Perry was one of the first to resume production in July for his two BET series “Sistas” and “The Oval” at his studio in Atlanta.

On set precautions can range from practical to comical, depending on the production, location and circumstance. “Our new normal is washing our mouths before every take of a make-out scene,” said KJ Apa, who plays Archie Andrews in the drama series “Riverdale,” via an Instagram video posted on Sept. 23rd. The popular CW show films in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which has implemented measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing and maintaining good hygiene.

In early August, Thompson was cast in a low budget short romantic comedy film called “Just Across the Table.” It was filmed in Los Angeles and the set consisted of five actors and five crew members. She played the role of Sherry. “Everyone wore a mask, except for the main actors when they were acting,” she said.

Thompson was required to sign a waiver before arrival, but didn’t get tested for COVID-19 ahead of filming. “I was only in scenes with one person,” she said. “We wore a mask the entire time and stayed six feet apart unless I was on camera doing the scene. Then, everyone else was wearing masks the whole time."

It looks like it will be taking a while for things to get “back to normal.” Digital platforms and technology have become more vital than ever. Mastering the art of self-tapes can benefit an actor when it comes to getting a job during trying times.

Although COVID-19 has created obstacles for working actors, it has also pushed them to get creative and to develop technological skills at home. Actors are now their own directors, producers, lighting and sound team.

It is time for artists to reinvent creativity and find ways to share their talents with the world, even if it’s at home.