being proactive
Mainstream film/tv studios are considered a “boys’ club” with good reason: they usually make story and casting decisions based on adolescent male values [eg fast action, violence, t&a] - not exactly high spiritual or creative ideals. Casting often excludes and limits actors with talent.
Indira Varma [“Bride & Prejudice” etc] notes in the book On Acting that she “has been typecast as the Asian babe, a bit of exotic, the corner-shop girl, or the London Asian girl… but film is even more obsessed with looks than the theatre industry, and casting directors generally don’t consider me for roles which are non-Asian.”
Viola Davis [photo from "Solaris"] adds another of her intense and rich performances [all too short] to “Syriana.” She points out discrimination based on appearance for many women actors: “With white women, there are different kinds of beauty. You have the pre-Raphaelite beauty, then you have the girl next door, then you have the geek princess like Janeane Garofalo. So you have them playing the different kinds of roles. With black women, you’re either beautiful or you’re not. I’m not even just talking pretty. If you’re not a classical beauty, you’re nothing.” [LA Times December 1 2002] > related page: body image
Michael Cory Davis, in his article The State of African-Americans in Hollywood [on his site michaelcorydavis.com] writes, “What is disturbing is the growing level of difficulty to even get into the circle to display the talent in front of the directors and producers of “HOLLYWOOD BUDGETED” projects. There are many reasons for this. One of those reasons is the lack of interest distribution companies and producers have in finding and marketing new, African-American talent. Another is the recycling of all ready working actors in feature films being developed and the hiring of established talent in other areas of the entertainment industry, specifically the music industry to take on roles within films.”
Monroe Mann (founder of Unstoppable Actors) takes a “drill sergeant” approach in his book The Theatrical Juggernaut: The Psyche of the Star to dealing with these kinds of barriers: “You cannot blame your agent, You cannot blame your manager, you cannot blame the industry, you cannot blame your talent or your looks, age, sex, race, and you cannot blame your fellow actors. The blame [for why this or that didn’t happen] falls only on you… The only thing standing between you and success is yourself.”
If you have a passion, a calling to be primarily an actor, great. Pursue that. But many gifted and talented people in the arts find satisfaction in multiple paths.
Michael Cory Davis, for example, is also a writer (novel and screenplays), a Goodwill Ambassador for the organization “Face to Face Bulgaria” which works to rescue abused and exploited children from forced prostitution and violence and provide for them thereafter, and is also director of “Svetlana’s Journey” - “about stolen innocence.. a gruesome look into the life of a 13 yr. old Bulgarian girl sold into prostitution.”
> related pages:
filmmaking
directing
screenwriting / playwriting
social activism
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