Sensible Acting

A modeling job post goes out – “we need models, a certain weight, height, and ethnicity then…. the bomb shell: in a certain age group”! The question is, WHY does age matter? Now, I’m not talking about needing babies and a teenager shows up. If a 40 year old looks 25, has the right weight, height, skin tone, can deliver lines, or poses like a 25 year old and unless asked, you couldn’t guess he/she is older than 25, why would he/she not be considered for the job because of his/her “age”? ‘Would love to hear your take on this – Have a Great Day!

The answer is very simple. You are what you APPEAR to be! I have been training and coaching actors for many years, and this question is one of the most troubling ones to those who have not come to terms with the concept that ‘THEY are only concerned with what you appear to be’. If the 40 year old actor appears to be 18 to 23 years old, why would that actor say anything to the casting director, their agent, even their peers about ‘really’ being 40?
Your job is to know what you sell best and sell it (that goes for upscale-vs-downscale and selfless-vs-selfish characters as well as age of character). It is not your job to let everyone know that you are really NOT what they think you are. They will feel like they can’t trust you to deliver the goods if you are not what you appear to be.
Consider the casting director who sees your head shot or composite, likes what they see (meaning they identify your type, your age, your socioeconomic status, your degree of education etc. and you fit the part perfectly). They call you in, and you (or your agent or another actor ‘friend’ of yours) make it a point to tell them you are NOT what they assumed you are. No one likes to be proven wrong, so the CD will simply hire the actor who is in line right behind you or in front of you because they really ARE (at least as far as the CD knows) what the CD assumed they were when the CD viewed their pictures.
The bottom line, is simply: You are what you appear to be in this business. Save all your truthful secrets for that special someone who will love and accept you for who and what you are, no matter what….

For specific help or additional comments, you can contact me personally at:
Ken@SensibleActing.com