Age Isn't The End
When entering the entertainment business, talent and training is a guarantee of nothing. Many actors graduate from prestigious schools with fantastic training and four years of accolades. We've all either said it or have it said to us, "You are going to work SOOOO much!" "You're so talented, I bet you'll get signed right away!" You do your showcase (an actor debutant of sorts where you do scenes with fellow classmates for invited casting directors, agents and managers)with the highest of hopes only to be left behind on the cold, mean streets of N.Y. or used cars of L.A., trying to figure out what you did wrong. Everyone said you did a great job. Were they lying to us this whole time? Everyone said “You have what it takes.” You look at your fellow classmates who got some interest from various casting directors and/or agents and think "HER?! HIM?! I could act circles around them! I work harder than they do! WTF !!!"
And that's IF you went to an acting school. That's IF you had a showcase and if you didn't, it's even harder! You have to get the training to be competitive AND maneuver your way through this business - what is legit and what is not. Trying to figure out how everything works in this ever changing business.
There is a truth that some actors will JUST work later in their career.. I never wanted to believe this. The worst thing someone could say to me was, "You haven't grown into your type yet." I wanted to chuck them out the window! What do you mean, I haven't "grown" into my type yet? I'm a trained ACT-TOR! I'm a mature 23 year old who knows how to handle business. I can play ALL characters! I took it as an insult. But it’s just a fact of life that some don’t always match up with who they are inside and out. AND THAT’S OKAY!
Glenn Close and John Malkovich are both versatile and amazing actors but could you imagine them as the leads in the rom-com “Something About Mary?” Or how about Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller in “Dangerous Liaisons?” Michael Shannon is another great example of someone who’s more memorable roles came as they aged. Or on the flip side, of that look at Macaulay Culkin or Alicia Silverstone. Most of their memorable work is from when they were young because they possess that quality. This doesn’t mean you can’t evolve as you grow, but for most, there is a time when your career may just boom a little bit more because you’re right for the characters like you.
Some people just need to grow into who they are. It doesn’t make them less of an actor or mean that you have to stop growing because of it! If no one is giving you the work, make it for yourself. When I wasn’t booking work in my early 20’s, I got involved in improv. I did shows all over bar basements and small stages. I took to writing things for myself and gave myself some screen time however I could. And I networked - with producers, writers, and casting directors. So that when the time came and I was right (and old enough) to play that hard working mom of a teenager, the casting director knew me. They knew my work for years of seeing me and knew that I could potentially handle a series regular role, although I had never had one.
So just know that no one is lying to you about how talented you are and the six figure amount you spent to go to that acting school wasn’t in vain. There are just some things that aren’t in your control. Like who you are or growing into your type. And thank the mighty acting Gods! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have some of those memorable roles and diverse characters that truly represent us! But that doesn’t mean you go into your acting coffin and emerge when the light of thirty-five hits. You go out and stay active and make work for yourself. Then when the time comes, you’ll have already met the people who get you in the door and you have the work to support that you’re active and seasoned in your art.
And that's IF you went to an acting school. That's IF you had a showcase and if you didn't, it's even harder! You have to get the training to be competitive AND maneuver your way through this business - what is legit and what is not. Trying to figure out how everything works in this ever changing business.
There is a truth that some actors will JUST work later in their career.. I never wanted to believe this. The worst thing someone could say to me was, "You haven't grown into your type yet." I wanted to chuck them out the window! What do you mean, I haven't "grown" into my type yet? I'm a trained ACT-TOR! I'm a mature 23 year old who knows how to handle business. I can play ALL characters! I took it as an insult. But it’s just a fact of life that some don’t always match up with who they are inside and out. AND THAT’S OKAY!
Glenn Close and John Malkovich are both versatile and amazing actors but could you imagine them as the leads in the rom-com “Something About Mary?” Or how about Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller in “Dangerous Liaisons?” Michael Shannon is another great example of someone who’s more memorable roles came as they aged. Or on the flip side, of that look at Macaulay Culkin or Alicia Silverstone. Most of their memorable work is from when they were young because they possess that quality. This doesn’t mean you can’t evolve as you grow, but for most, there is a time when your career may just boom a little bit more because you’re right for the characters like you.
Some people just need to grow into who they are. It doesn’t make them less of an actor or mean that you have to stop growing because of it! If no one is giving you the work, make it for yourself. When I wasn’t booking work in my early 20’s, I got involved in improv. I did shows all over bar basements and small stages. I took to writing things for myself and gave myself some screen time however I could. And I networked - with producers, writers, and casting directors. So that when the time came and I was right (and old enough) to play that hard working mom of a teenager, the casting director knew me. They knew my work for years of seeing me and knew that I could potentially handle a series regular role, although I had never had one.
So just know that no one is lying to you about how talented you are and the six figure amount you spent to go to that acting school wasn’t in vain. There are just some things that aren’t in your control. Like who you are or growing into your type. And thank the mighty acting Gods! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have some of those memorable roles and diverse characters that truly represent us! But that doesn’t mean you go into your acting coffin and emerge when the light of thirty-five hits. You go out and stay active and make work for yourself. Then when the time comes, you’ll have already met the people who get you in the door and you have the work to support that you’re active and seasoned in your art.