Hey Bonnie,
I know you are off saving the world one SMFA presentation at a time and believe me all of us are so glad you do what you do! Today I encountered two strange things I had to share/get your feedback on!
Number one, at my audition today for a print gig for [redacted] (yes, I am too young for that!), they brought me all the way down to the audition and then at the sign-in sheet, asked if we are willing to do Botox if [redacted] doesn’t get the job done! I was like NO! And then they said, “Okay. Thank you.” I didn’t even get to go in.
Why, oh, why do clients not tell the agents that this is the deal? I would have politely declined the audition, saving everyone tons of time!
Second weird thing, also print related: I went in for a print audition last week for a California company that is doing a big campaign and I was in and out of that room so fast I honestly forgot about it until today when my print agent emailed me some forms I have to fill out if I am going to be considered for the job.
These forms include a background check! What? For a print gig? What is the deal?
I have nothing to hide I just feel like it is a bit excessive, as there is a clause in the agreement that of course releases them from any liability if anything terrible comes to light (not that it will, mind you, I just feel kind of violated by the idea that I have to submit to a background check to be on a bag of healthy chips).
What say you, oh wise and experienced one?
Thanks Bon! Miss you!
Heather Lee Moss
Heather, thank you for this. Confounding, for sure! I took out the name of the company that wanted to have you use Botox if their product didn’t “get the job done,” just in case they’re the litigious types! 😉 Let’s take a look at some possible scenarios.
One: Maybe the client didn’t let the casting director know about this particular element ’til actors started showing up, so there was no way your agent could’ve been alerted ahead of time.
Two: Maybe the casting director knew but didn’t feel that it would be a deal-breaker, so it wasn’t mentioned in the breakdown or to agents upon scheduling auditions.
Three: Maybe everyone knew ahead of time that this was an element of the casting but knew that the likelihood that actors would show up would drop if this were disclosed in advance, so they figured, “Let’s wait to disclose this particular wrinkle (no pun intended) ’til the gals are down here for the audition, because once they’ve made the trek, they’re more likely to sign the agreement and stick around for the audition.”
We can’t know for sure what might have been the scenario — and these are only three possible ones — but the point is, once you got there, things were changed up, and you know your no line, so you left. Good for you!
Remember, we’ve been talking a lot lately about how actors can protect themselves and sometimes things get changed up even after contracts are signed, right? Heck, let’s look at the second situation you described, above. You had already forgotten about the audition (good for you; leave it in the room) and you were sent paperwork that changed the rules on you.
Why? Who knows! Maybe it’s all just CYA (cover your ass) type stuff and nothing that you need to be too worried about, meaning, it’s not some nefarious agenda you’ve stumbled upon, but instead just the company’s way of making absolutely sure that they hold more cards than you do, should you become their spokesperson and some personal information come to light that could erode their brand.
I think, if you were to read the TOS (terms of service) on any major website you use, you’ll see we’re often surrendering more rights than many of us would be comfortable offering up, if we bothered to read the fine print. Let’s chalk the latter of your experiences up to that: You made it to the next tier of casting and that meant they wanted to be protected in case you have been or could become a whackadoodle, but they also want to be sure you can’t sue them for revealing that.
I learned about this in my first casting job, as casting coordinator for reality TV for FOX (that’s a long story for over drinks sometime). On all of these dating shows, everyone has to be cleared not only by psych and financial and criminal, but also medical. Say someone who didn’t know she was HIV-positive applies for a reality show and then finds out about her health situation. She can’t sue the network for discovering that, but the network has (or in the case of my gig, ten years ago, *I* personally had) the responsibility of notifying her of her status. She also cannot sue the network, production companies, and personnel, for not casting her at this point, even though in an office job situation, this would be a discriminatory hiring practice. Since it’s a dating show, the health and welfare of all participants is assured, because imagine the risks the network is taking if it knowingly puts someone who has so much as mono into a house where the goal is to make out ’til you win the big bucks?!?
Point is, we’re of a generation in which releases are a part of our comings and goings. Make this a part of your decision-making process in knowing your no line! There are going to be some projects for which you’ll suck it up and let ’em do the background check (because the potential for a meaty paycheck is so damn high). Others, you may say, “Nah. Not worth it.” Cool. Nothin’ wrong with it, either way!
Thanks for the love and I’ll see you at Thirsty Third Thursday (11/15) for some karaoke! 🙂
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001573.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.