It’s that time again! We’re gonna do a handful of “quick answer” questions. Yay!

Recently, I grew a beard for a role that I’m preparing for. I kind of like it, so I thought I’d keep it for a while. Do I need to get new headshots? I would think that if you intend to keep it, you need to get new headshots, but what if you’re not sure, especially as it could be a temporary fad? What’s the reaction casting directors have when someone shows up with facial that isn’t in their headshot?

Good news! In the “real world” (where non-actors live), we too deal with issues of change in hairstyles, weaves, facial hair, LASIK surgery, all sorts of things that change our appearance! So, we’re certainly going to prefer that you look exactly like your headshot, but absolutely understand that there can be changes (and that getting new photos for every whim might be cost-prohibitive).

What I’d recommend is that you get a high-quality snapshot of you with your current look and add that to your online profiles (for electronic submissions) and clip the photo to your hard copy submissions (or print it right on your resumé as a “mini me” indicator) and include a note that says, “This is my current look.” If you can’t do the quickie photo, at the very least include a note with your submissions that preps us for the change in your look, so we’re not totally thrown off when you walk in the room looking different from your headshot.

There is a director that will be doing a movie I know I am right for. Also, three casting directors have been hired to cast this project but I don’t know who they are. How could I get my info to them?

If you have access to the director himself, drop him a note (even a photo postcard) letting him know you’re “out there” and interested. If you don’t already have a relationship with the director, consider doing a mailing “c/o the production office (attn: casting)” and hope that this will get passed along to the CDs.

Otherwise, get to sleuthing. Someone, somewhere knows which casting directors are attached to the project and where they’re working right now. Check the pre-production reports in the trades, IMDb-Pro.com, even set up a Google Alert for the project’s title and the director’s name so you’re notified whenever news breaks on the project or its personnel.

I just had a wonderful experience with a casting director who really took her time with me and made me feel like a real live human being while I was in the room with her. Is it appropriate to seek out a way to send her a thank-you note? Or was she just doing her job?

I have a really simple philosophy where thank you notes are concerned: If sending a thank you note comes naturally to you, then by all means send one when you’re feeling grateful. If it would be forced, don’t do it. We’ll feel the forcedness.

That said, certainly, it is the casting director’s job to help you do your best (I mean, think about it, that makes it more likely that you’ll book the gig, and then her job is finished), so a thank you isn’t necessary beyond the polite, in-room, “Hey, thanks,” you might utter. But I’m a Good Southern Gal who was raised on writing thank you notes (wasn’t allowed to use a single present until the thank you note was in the mail after birthday parties), so I err on the side of being over-grateful.

Some would say it’s overkill to thank someone for simply doing her job. I say, as a society, we’re not running the risk of being too grateful overall, so why not brighten someone’s day with a, “Hey, that really meant a lot to me. Thank you,” from time to time? But ONLY if it comes naturally. If you’re not genuinely grateful, forget it!

I ran into a friend at the bus stop the day before yesterday and we were talking about a new gameshow that I had been doing audience work in. The conversation turned to Jeopardy! and I revealed that I had been on it, as well as ten other gameshows.

My friend stated that I should put that on my actor’s resumé because they’re hard to get on and I said that the skills in being a contestant were different than those of being an actor and that I feel the gameshows don’t belong on my resumé. He said that it would be impressive and would give me something to talk about with the casting directors. My feelings and his were so at odds, we decided to throw the question to you. Should I put them in?

Only in the Special Skills section. You are absolutely right that those bookings — while impressive — come from a whole different block of skills and aren’t truly acting gigs. And your friend is absolutely right that those bookings — while not acting-related — are dang impressive.

So, the happy medium is the Special Skills section of your resumé. This is where you can share “fun facts” about you. This is where “personality items” live. The credits portion of your resumé helps us eliminate risk (“Ah. I see he’s done a guest-star before. Good. We should consider him for this one.”), the training portion of your resumé helps us understand how you do what you do, and the Special Skills section of your resumé helps us get to know you a little bit outside of acting.

Certainly, being on Jeopardy! is a cool tidbit and the mention of it could be a great conversation starter (as well as letting us know your baseline level of intelligence, which is never a bad thing). So, yeah, if you’ve got room in your Special Skills section to say: “former Jeopardy! contestant,” I think you should do so.

Hello, I have a quick question for you on training. I have an amazing acting/on-camera coach and have been training with her for two years now (I have been in LA for nine months). My question is this: When casting directors look at a headshot/resumé and notice there is a decent amount of work, but only one acting coach, does that factor in the decision to bring the person in? I really have no desire to train with other coaches as just in my nine months here in LA, I’ve had more work than most people could realistically dream of having in such a short amount of time (both paying and non-paying gigs) and attribute that wholeheartedly to my training. However, should I have other coaches listed as well? Thanks!

Another question for which I have a really easy philosophy: If it’s working for you as-is, why bother changing anything?

Yes, of course, there are people who will advise against actors getting into a rut, training with the same instructor for too long, and generally, that’s great advice! But if you are booking, it seems to me that there’s nothing to “fix.” You’re getting called in. You’re booking. So, let that speak louder than your concerns about how folks feel about seeing only one coach on your resumé.

Remember, your bookings “weigh” more than your training, when you have recent, recognizable bookings. Only when you’re finding you’re not getting called in (perhaps when you’re trying to get into the next tier level of booking) should you examine whether a shift in training is worth looking into. Even then, who says you have to leave your current coach? Maybe just adding another layer of training with a different coach at that point will be enough.

I booked the lead in a pilot, but got recast when the series was picked up. Better-known actors replaced me and several cast members. This was a year ago, and I still can’t decide if this should be on my resumé. Or is it like it never happened? Again: lead role, would have been a series regular. (The series is still on the air, under a new title). Do you suggest I list this, and if so, how? Haven’t seen anything like this in any of your previous columns.

Assuming you actually shot the pilot, I would definitely list this credit. Remember, the resumé is the first point of risk assessment and we need to know you have received the stamp of approval from buyers at that level, even if you didn’t get to stick around for the series itself. We know recasting happens all the time. All the time! So, when you look at pros and cons in listing this credit, I’d say the “I’ve booked and shot a pilot” pro way outweighs the “I got recast” con (especially if it’s a “name-y” actor who got the role you originated).

As for how to list it on your resumé, I’d use this format:

Obviously, a “series regular” in a “pilot” that went on to be a “series” should, logically, be a “series regular” in the “series,” right? So, that’s why you want to keep “pilot” listed parenthetically after the show’s title. Now, if you really want to get the most bang for your buck, here, consider using the original title of the pilot, rather than its new/current title. That way, you don’t run the risk of people who are fans of the show thinking, “Huh? This guy’s not a series regular on this show! What a liar!” (Or having them judge your “recasting” as anything other than a business decision.) But you’ll still have the benefit of the “industry cred” that the network/prod. co./dir. would indicate. (Yes, I know, listing “pilot” parenthetically should take care of that — even with the current show title — but people skim resumés quickly, and I’m just trying to think of the path of least resistance to getting you called in, here.)

Finally, if you never even shot the pilot, let it go. Because then you really do have a more “con-heavy” credit and the “pro” gets demoted to: “cast, but never worked,” and that’s one to leave off the resumé, since the resumé is a list of work you’ve done.

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/000769.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.