Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 844: Do I have to look like a supermodel to make it as an actor?

She continued "I have talent but feel I will get judged on looks, not skill."

I have no idea what this question-asker looks like, but no matter what she looks like, the answer is NO you DO NOT have to look like a supermodel to make it as an actress. Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, fabulous and successful actresses. Look at the women of Grey's Anatomy, overall, not supermodels. None of the fore-mentioned actresses are unattractive, but supermodels are supermodels.

Now, there is a classification of actresses who aren't necessarily "leading ladies." They are called character actresses and they have great careers, some even cross over into leading lady roles... Whoppi Goldberg, for example.

I also don't know how old you are, and you may be thinking that for a young person, the situation is different and I'm naming older actresses. I don't like to name names with younger actresses, because I would never want to say anything that could damage a young person's self-esteem, even in a simple little blog post like this. I will point out that Disney and Nickelodeon have their stables of character kids.

Looks ARE important in that you "look" the part. And parts are written for every shape, size, age, ethnicity, disability, etc.

Believe in yourself. Believe in your talent. Beauty exudes from within. Have a beautiful spirit, and you can have a beautiful career...

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 1280: I grew up in India and as a result English is my second language (cont'd)

"I grew up in India and as a result English is my second language. I  am looking to improve my comprehension when I read my text book...