Typecast

Hi my name is Lauren and I have a fear of falling through the cracks in a casting office. There I said it. 

When it comes to acting, I'll be honest: I have this constant fear that I am not perfectly one type of character or stereotype and because of that, I will never be cast. I also worry that I should be trying to change something about my appearance or personalty to make sure I easily slide into one of the female pigeon holes that were so thoughtfully placed before me in Hollywood. 

Ah yes, pigeon holes, otherwise known in the land of the rich and famous as "types". While normally it is a celebrated thing when an actor isn't pigeon holed into playing the same type of character in all his/her films or projects (i.e. Zooey Deschanel as the "quirky girl next door" or Johnny Depp as the "oddball mysterious weirdo"), when you are young and just starting out, many casting directors/agents/managers/industry professionals will tell you it's best to be a stereotype for a while. According to them, you will work more and be more successful if everyone in the industry can see you as just that one thing you do very well. Then, hopefully you can break out of that stereotype eventually and have a flourishing career filled with all different roles and types. 

Now being an educated person who is aware of the ins and outs of this industry, I would be stupid not to believe the people who have been doing this for years. Trust me, I completely understand the logic behind casting directors and producers wanting a simple formula for success not only in casting, but at the box office. But if I am being honest, sometimes this concept infuriates me...and by sometimes I mean all the time. Maybe it's because I am not easily put into a stereotype in real life or on the screen, or maybe it's because I have this crazy belief that human beings are complex individuals who are so much more than a a few choice words in a character description. It also could be that I firmly believe that you shouldn’t have to be a Victoria Secret model to be a leading lady or 200 lbs overweight to play a funny female role. 

While I am very aware of the type of industry I find myself surrounded by and the demands that it brings upon my life, I just want to take a minute and validate all of you actors out there who might feel like me. Male or female, young or old, tall or short, skinny or fat, you are unique, and you are enough! You are worthy of working and being an artist even if you don’t fit perfectly into a typecast or stock character (thanks a lot ancient Greece). You are sexy and funny and smart and dumb and weak and strong all at the same time if you want to be! That’s what we are as humans: every possible emotion and contradiction in the book-that’s what makes us unique. Screw having more “strong female roles”, why don’t we just have MORE female roles? (Don’t get me wrong I love me a good ass-kicking female fatal, but I don’t think all women have to kick-ass, I think the ratio of male:female roles needs to be equal or at the very least increased...but that’s a whole other can of worms). 

I don’t know about you but I feel pretty damn proud of my uniqueness and the fact that when I walk into a room casting directors don’t know what the HELL to do with me. Tall pretty blonde girl or average jane with a chip on her shoulder? Athletic sporty young mom or manly lesbian sidekick? Angry abused woman with a past or sweet innocent girl next door? Though it might hinder me in actually getting cast all the time as one particular type, I am learning to be okay with that. I am learning that I should celebrate my uniqueness and the fact that I am versatile. I am learning that it is okay that I can belt out Hit Me With Your Best Shot to a crowd of drunk groomsmen with attitude and sass and sweetly serenade the young newlywed couple with an operatic soprano flair as they take their first bites into their overly priced and dry chicken. (Did I mention I am a wedding singer?). I am okay with the fact that I get called in to read for a 35 year old lesbian sassy sister and a 21 year old blonde bimbo grocery store clerk back to back. WHO FREAKING CARES that I don’t fit into just one type of role!? I mean other than my manager who wants to make money off of me booking roles and the fact that I need to pay my rent....awkward silence...I am pretty much aware that my career path is going to be a little different. It’s going to take a while for people to figure me out-heck I am still figuring me out. And you know what? That’s okay. I need to make the choice that I am who I am and I look how I look and in my short yet simultaneously long 25 years of life, I have experienced a lot more than the sum of a “girl next door” or “blonde bombshell” descriptor. 

I’ve ridden on a camel in the dessert of Morocco, almost drowned in the ocean at Monterey Bay, served the poor and hungry Indian population in southern Nellore, travelled up the coast of California and all throughout the US, sang in a castle in London, taught a foster kid how to swim, walked alongside my brothers and sisters during a messy divorce, taken copious amounts of tap dancing classes, got lost in Yosemite National Park, been mortified that the guy I fell for wasn’t interested in me...like at all..., met Clint Eastwood, ran away from home, confronted sexual harassment from a boss,  landed myself in the hospital for a third degree burn, learned to love and protect my brother with downs syndrome, swam with stingrays in the Caribbean, gone through the ups and downs of love and heartache, punched a kid in the face, broke the hearts of a few boys (sorry about that), skinny dipped off the coast of Spain, learned what it truly meant to be a big sister and a good friend, and miraculously somehow still never seen any of the Star Wars movies. SHOCKING I know...most people say I am a stunted human being because of it but it still makes a great fact in the classic ice breaker party game “Two Truths and a Lie”. 

All that to say, I find it difficult to package myself up into a nice little neat bow and hand it over to casting directors, and I know so many fellow actors who feel the same way. While I know realistically I need to try and find one or two types of roles I can play well and nail them in order to work more in the industry, I think I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that no matter what I am seen as in a casting room or on an 8x10 photo, I am always going to be hard to peg and that's okay. I am open to so many more opportunities and as I get older I will be able to have a career that lives longer than year 30 because I will have had a wealth of life experience and lessons under my belt. It also doesn't hurt that I am 5'9'' and will be able to play moms till my dying day. Yay mom jeans and tall girls! 

One of my acting mentors and coaches put my fears and worries into words for me recently. He looked at me and said "Lauren, I can see why that would be a worry for you, but just continue to be great and work hard and eventually it will click for you. Someone will recognize you for your talent, personality, and hard work ethic". Now I don't bring this up to pat myself on the back (man this post seems very self-centric), but merely to point out a truth that I am working hard to believe and live out in my life and I want to encourage all of you to do the same. While I am perfectly content with my appearance and look and strongly encourage everyone to accept their own appearance, it is so refreshing to believe that we as artists are acting, writing, producing, singing, or whatever it is that we do, because we love to do it. Because it was what we were born to do and we feel alive when we create, not because we happen to physically fit a character description. So what if casting directors or directors brush you aside or you struggle with finding your place in big bad Los Angeles? If you want to be working on your craft and telling stories then go right on ahead. Write unique roles for yourself and your fellow actors, produce and cast diverse projects that challenge stereotypes and gender roles, and continue to work hard and stay humble. The right roles will come along when they are meant to come along and for once you will be cast because you have something unique and exhilarating to bring to the table instead of looking the part of bikini girl number two or jock McGee on TV.