Hi, and thanks so much for this forum. As you are aware, African-Americans do not show their age the way other ethnicities and races do. The once broken-down, grey-haired, tired-looking grandmother just doesn’t exist much anymore. Do you feel that African-American women need to have that look available? Do you allow for the springy aunt, the good-looking grandmother, the senior lawyer, the regular older person? Do you mind if wigs, weaves, or nice hairpieces are worn in a casual fashion?

I’ll never forget the comment Michael Donovan (member of both the CSA and the CCDA, casting director of theatre, film, and countless commercials) made at the LMU casting director panel I moderated last year on this subject. A lovely older African-American woman stood up and asked about wigs and hairpieces. He said, “Honey, a black woman in a wig looks GOOD! A white woman in a wig looks like a white-woman-in-a-wig! It’s awful!” Everyone enjoyed a hearty laugh, but the point was also well-made. If you are in the practice of wearing hairpieces, wigs, or weaves, you probably know how to do so without looking as though you are. As long as the look is natural for you, you’re fine doing it. Obviously, spend the right amount on very real-looking (if not real) hair.

As for how African-American women are cast, I have seen a rather healthy representation in roles like the ones you listed. Judges, lawyers, and hospital administrators pepper the screens along with the more standard fare of gritty grandma and wise storyteller roles for African-American senior females.

I think the best thing about not aging as obviously as women of other races or ethnicities is that you can continue to portray characters younger than your actual age for a long time. Think of it as having a wider age range than most actors. Once you’re 18, as an actor (or 25, if you’re pitching adult beverages commercially), it is no one’s business what your actual age is. Enjoy that you can market yourself more broadly than other actors and be sure you have headshots that cover the various ways in which you’d like to be seen: upscale, executive, hip, Earth Mother, academic, homeless, senior-sexpot, etc. Have fun with all of the looks you can pull off and enjoy that you don’t have to get your headshots updated very often. Sure, you have to have more, different looks, which costs more at first, but without wrinkles popping up on your face each year, you can use your headshots longer. Do you need the “broken-down, tired-looking grandmother” in your various headshots? If you can sell it, make sure you have it covered. And then sell it all the way to the bank (along with all of the other looks you’ve got as well).

Do good work! And keep those questions coming!

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/000239.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.