Last week I got together with a group of local actresses to
discuss career issues, and one of the topics that came up was how we get
stereotyped into certain roles. Some of us had brought our headshots along with a list of
our last six bookings, and the niche each of us filled was pretty clear:
“wholesome mom,” “woman on the edge,” “intimidating authority figure,” and so
on.
A stereotype isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s common
among actors for the roles we book to run against the image we have of
ourselves. One actress friend
books a lot of blue-collar "lady plumber" roles, but feels frustrated she’s not playing executives
and attorneys. I’m typically
wearing a suit or upscale casual clothes in what I book, but long to play hardscrabble, Depression-era types. (High drama!)
Stereotypes are your bread-and-butter and can help get you
in the door on a big budget film or TV project. That’s why your headshot folder
should always have at least one photo that reflects the kind of jobs you
typically get. But if you feel like you’re not getting a chance to break out of
the box, you may have to become more discriminating, start saying
"no" to some of those stereotyped roles, and show casting where else you might fit.
African-American males, for example, often complain about
being cast as drug dealers and thugs. Older women see too many breakdowns for
shallow “supportive” figures or crazy mothers. When that happens, make sure you have shots of yourself that
fit the roles you want, not just the ones you get. I tell AA males to try
submitting for white-collar roles, even when the breakdown specifies a different
race or ethnicity, and even if the character name is Hispanic. Similarly, women can
submit for every male role they think they can fill because "father"
is the only one they definitely can't. Doing that can encourage casting to
think differently about a particular role, and then who knows what might happen?
Another strategy is to take the stereotype you’re stuck with
and make it memorable. Playing a lot of “thugs”? John Travolta plays a lot of
thugs, but keeps his eyes fixed and his voice low and controlled. You won’t
mistake him for anyone else. Dennis Farina played a thug for laughs in
"Get Shorty" and was hilarious. Farshad Farahat could have said,
"oh please, not another terrorist." Instead he made the
checkpoint agent in "Argo" absolutely riveting and stole the show.
Yes, we all get tired of playing the same kind of
person over and over. But casting calls on us
for those roles because we’re good at them. So read the script first and, if
you accept the stereotype, give it one hell of a performance. Eventually other kinds of roles will come along.
#ActorTips #KathrynBrowning #SAGAFTRA #ActorsAccess
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