Figuring out how you fit into the industry – and what that means for your hopes and dreams.
Your type encompasses a lot of things over which you have no control. Your height, for example. They didn’t even audition people shorter than six feet for Asgardians when casting for the Thor movies. There are a lot of 5’9″ actors who are excellent actors, muscular — and never even got to audition.
It’s time to get real about who you even are…in this industry.*
*Essential caveat: You are more than what you have to bring to this industry.
There is an essence about you that is the synergy of all your bits and pieces: hobbies and habits, family life and birth order, personality and perspective. This essence is something you cannot change, like your height or your voice part, but it is a key component of your type and how people perceive you in this industry. It may adapt over time, as you – a living, breathing human – adapt and grow. But you cannot change it anymore than you can change how tall you are.
Consider Christina Ricci. She was perfection in The Addams Family films. Can you imagine Reese Witherspoon playing Wednesday Addams? Of course not! Reese is a fine actor, but her essence is very different from that of Christina’s. Both are leading ladies, but they each play a very different leading lady; their essences are vastly different.
Uncovering your essence can be tricky.
Start by thinking about “who” you are in your group of friends. Are you the one organizing everyone? Getting everyone into trouble? Getting everyone out of trouble because adults always believe you to be innocent?
Next, brainstorm roles you could play right now. Be realistic, too; look up the actors who are playing the role and see if they are about your age. This can be tough as a teen actor because teens are often played by adults, but there are plenty of teens acting professionally (you just may have to expand your repertoire of viewing). Be brutally honest about whether you could be cast in this role. For example, if you have a lower pitched voice, you are likelier to play roles with gravitas, whereas if you have a very high pitched voice, you may be taken less seriously or perceived as younger than your actual age.
Then, ask others what are some roles or character types they see you playing. (Hint: Your mother and your best friend probably can’t help you on this one. They’re your cheerleaders, and you need them. But you also need people who will drop the truth bomb that you’ll never play Elphaba. Or Juliet. Or [fill in dream role you wish you were built to play]. Mine’s Maria von Trapp, but vocally – and my essence – is more Baroness or one of the nuns.) Take all the suggestions and see what themes emerge from other people’s feedback. And don’t put too much stock in any one person’s opinion. That’s all it is: an opinion.
Once you figure out “who you even are,” it is a lot easier to zero in on the right audition pieces and the right auditions, and to have the right mindset about how and where you fit into this industry.
Happy hunting!