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October 28, 2007
The Actors Voice, 10/29/07
Hi Everyone!
Here's how tomorrow's The Actors Voice starts out.
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Toughen Up
Seems to be going around. There's an outbreak of bad manners intersecting with a heightened level of sensitivity. And it has caused my inbox to become filled with emails from actors wondering why casting directors are such meanies.
Well, here's the short answer: Most of us aren't. Most of us are actually really decent people who treat professional actors professionally and unprofessional actors politely.
But even decent people who almost always behave professionally sometimes have bad days. Now, that doesn't give anyone the right to be flat-out mean to someone who's just doing his best, but not everyone plays by the same rules.
However, in at least a couple of the examples that actors have been emailing to me this week, the "bad behavior" isn't actually coming from casting directors. It's coming from folks who are bypassing the casting director and putting out breakdowns on their own. Sometimes it's a producer doing her own thing. Sometimes it's an actor trying to bring together a project for himself, searching for a supporting cast. And sometimes, yes, it is a casting director. And, at least from some of the examples you've sent my way, I'd have to agree: We're dealing with some meanies.
That said, the "fix" for this situations is easy: Toughen up. (Oh, and in case you think I mean it's the actor who needs to toughen up, let me assure you that this goes for these "casting people" too. Bear with me. This will make sense in a moment.)
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Continue reading this column in the morning, along with a Your Turn follow-up on last week's Your Turn--which was a follow-up on The Let-Down--at Showfax.com.
As always, THANK YOU for reading!
And!!
Be sure to visit The Actors Voice: POV on Thursday for the final POV in a four-part series from Prague-based CD, Nancy Bishop.
Woo hoo!
Cheers,
-Bon.
Live your dreams! If you don't, someone else will.
Posted by bonnie at October 28, 2007 6:41 PM