This week we are presenting our mid-term scenes and beginning to identify our "typecast" in the casting world. As you think about the scene you present this week and the "types" you think you can play, how close or far is the character you play to your type? How much are you willing to manipulate your look to play parts?
I'm still not really sure what my "type" is. I have played a wide range of characters but that is just because of the casting pool that is available at a high school and college level. I know I look younger than my age which is always a good thing in this industry but I'm not sure how young I can go. Also, since I am half Mexican I feel like I can play more than one race but again I don't know the way I am viewed. I've had some people tell me I look Mexican and others who had no idea I had any Hispanic in me at all. Another factor I'm not quite sure how it fits is my height. Since I'm short that will play a part in the types of roles I can get. As far as my scene compared to me, I'm really not that sure. I think I have to figure out my type first and then be able to relate to my character.
ReplyDeleteTo me, my body is both my instrument and my palate, which is a concept I think instrumental in understanding "typecasting" as a concept. Further along those same lines, I'm more than willing to push my body to its physical limits to modify my own type if it means a particularly juicy (or, let's be honest, lucrative) role.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time there's a point at which one has to be concious of their own type, and I definitely feel like our little typecasting session yesterday helped me to identify my own a little more clearly. I know, much to my own chagrin, I'm a bit of a 'pretty-boy,' and though I may despise that, it's certainly something that would make breaking into mainstream film a bit easier. And for that, I'm greatful. I do, though, feel that I can stretch and mold myself physically into more interesting and more demanding roles; or, as you said, I can "edge myself up a bit," even though I'm reticent to admit: I can't grow any sort of appealing stubble. (Seriously, you don't know how upset this makes me!)
As far as this particular scene goes, I think I'm pretty far removed from being able to play an avatar of Arthur Miller simply from an age perspective, but it's certainly a role I feel physically comfortable inhabiting. This is, of course, helped by the fact that the script is somewhat metatheatrical and does not call for the characters to actually "be" their playwrighting names. As such, I could see myself being cast in this role quite readily and without much, if any, stretching.
I feel like both my scene’s were in the type of work I could do and I love that I got two scene’s because they were both so different but in a way both very “me” or my type. They played on strengths but also allowed me things to do to grow. And people that I see myself very close in “type” would also play this kind of work.
ReplyDeleteWith changing a look for a part I would do about anything for a role, I would color my hair, loose weight, gain weight really anything. This should be taken with a grain of salt though, the job I would be doing this for would have to be worth in, in the sense that it would propel my career forward verses being a student film that will never be seen. But I view acting as getting to do something I love as a different person and if that different person has black hair and over weight so am I.
As an actor and as a person I am really very willing to fit a part and be the best character I can be. That being said I try to be very open to change in my life. As far as losing/gaining weight for parts things of that nature, I’m willing but at this time in my life I feel like I lack the discipline to pull those sorts of things off. I really do try and practice control and discipline in my life for just such reasons. I haven’t been type casted in class yet, but I think as far as my type goes I have no idea how wide a spectrum I could play. I don’t think that I have a facility to play much younger but because of my looks I feel like maybe I could play characters from other countries and things of that sort. I am definitely willing to experiment and try out things to manipulate my look for parts. I don’t have a whole lot too say about this blog, but I cam really excited to be type casted because I’m really curious to see the possibilities and possible paths for myself as far as marketing. I’m honestly afraid that because of my Latin heritage that it might limit me for typecasting. But I would like to know how to make the most out of what I have and what I could do for success.
ReplyDeleteI know that the typecasting for me was a real eye opener to where I could end up in my career and what parts I should audition for and what kind of image would be easier to blend with. For myself I feel that I could really get a lot of great looks in different fields because I am bi-racial. With being biracial my market could change completely if i just do a different look with my hair. For me this gives me a lot of confidence to go out and try all new things for the heck of it just to see exactly where the casting director's eye is going. I know that i will not book all the shows i audition for but I know that with my typecast i could be booked for numerous productions because I cam very versatile.
ReplyDeleteI feel that I am still trying to identify my “type” cast. I have heard many different styles that I could play, however, I am still trying to get them down. I feel that the characters I have played have all been very different. Each time I decide to take on a new character, it is such a challenge to take myself out of the equation and try to be the character in the scene. Yes, every character I play I bring a little bit of me to the character, but I am trying to not bring so much “me” and just see where the scene takes me. I am willing to do as much is needed to full present the character I am playing. This is a huge part of acting, receiving a character, and learning how to play it how the script wants me to play it. Sometimes it is a struggle but I am working on it and I feel that I have made so much progress from when I started last August.
ReplyDeleteDuring our midterms and type casting I was given two scenes to act. When I was searching for an identity to play in these two roles, one type that I found I had after acting as David’s up tight sister in The Fruit Basket was being awkward in the scene. I feel that I can portray an awkward character like the one I did for our scene because my personality can sometimes be like that. It was easy for me to have an estranged relationship with my brother in the scene because I have a relationship like that with my brother at home. Although the situations differed it was still easy to bring those emotions of how I would react to my brother being hurt. Hopefully I would be more loving outside of the character but after doing the character history that was what I came up with. For the other scene with Joe where I was in a bar with him, he took the role of being annoying and awkward but my reactions to him were relatable. I would be willing to mold my character in to any circumstance given and I’m always up for the challenge.
ReplyDeleteI already talked about this in the blog of Week 7 Improvisation and Endowment.
ReplyDeleteThis is a difficult blog in that my type was in many ways shocking to me. What I've been told is in someways how I've always felt, but others were rather new to me. So perhaps in this new context of types, I could find a way to fit into my character for my scene. But from reading it, I still stand by that this scene will no doubt be a significant challenge and be far outside my personal pool.
ReplyDeleteTypecast....Ah. As I stated in class I resepect all the comedic actresses of our time. I think I would typically be cast as the goofy girl across the street or the cynical girl in the classroom. The classroom opened my eyes a little more when you said I was a mix between Debra Messing and Megan Mullaly. I was very surprised, but very happy to hear that. I have tremendous respect for both of them. I think because of my body type, I get immediately disqualified for a lot of roles which I understand and will use that for motivation to work on it.
ReplyDeleteBefore being typecast in class, I had no idea what I could play. I had thought about it before, but I could never come up with anything. I remember being told last semester that I could play a romantic lead, but that was about it. The character I played for our midterm scene was something totally different from what I’m used to. First of all, he had a grenade stuck up his ass. Beyond that, he was eccentric and used a very well-developed vocabulary. He was also quick to fall in love. When I first read through the script, I was kind of worried because this type of character would be a stretch for me. It required me to go out of my comfort zone and put myself into a very different mindset.
ReplyDeleteBy the end, however, I felt the results were great. It was a very good learning experience and I got to play with a new side of my acting. It was fun to completely step out of my shoes and play a wacky character. I am more than willing to manipulate whatever I need to play different roles. One of the mottos of this class has been, “Step outside your comfort zone.” It is indeed one of the best things you could do to improve your acting. I feel less afraid to tackle something different from what I’m used to now after doing our midterm scene.
When I went up to do my type-cast, I really had no ideas of who or what I could specifically be type-casted as so needless to say it was surprising and also very interesting to hear the various things thrown out. It’s quite interesting to hear that you somewhat look like someone, in Hollywood, that you wouldn’t have pictured, at least not yet. I feel that it’s good to experiment with what we are willing to change about our appearance for a role. I really wouldn’t mind having to cut my hair in a way I never have, or having to dye my hair darker or even black. Changing these things in my appearance allows me to see what I would look like and lets me picture what other type-casts I could possibly be.
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