So, let’s say you’re an actor who happens to have a disability. You’re classified as a PWD and you bring your disability into the room with you on every audition, every callback, every rehearsal, every day of booked work. It’s a part of who you are and it’s a part of how you’re cast. It can’t not be. Do you see that as an obstacle or as something that makes you an “interesting way to go” in casting choices? The rules of the game are the same in terms of being the most talented, most prepared, most castable actor you can be, going in. And the rest may not be up to you. So, how do you cope with that? Working actor Rich Hinz has some ideas.
Rich Hinz: Actors with Disabilities
We all have things we’d like change about ourselves. Some things we can change and some things we can’t. What do we do with the unchangeable? In reading the many sources of advice for actors, self-analysis or self-evaluation is always part of the discussion. It’s important for actors to look at who they are and how their personal traits and mannerisms can be incorporated into a character. The changeable traits an actor can work to get rid of or hide when necessary, but we’re stuck with the unchangeable. These unchangeable traits can be seen as obstacles or as assets when creating a character.
All actors are unique. As an actor with cerebral palsy I have traits and mannerisms that stand out. To put it in simple terms, I wiggle and I walk funny.
As a result, any character I play will also possess these character traits. It’s up to the actor to use everything available to create an interesting and real character. Parts of ourselves will always come through in the characters we play particularly the unchangeable. Not only can these unchangeable traits be used as part of a character, they should be used as part of a character. Any character I play will wiggle and walk funny to some degree. That’s just how it is.
I can degrade or change my walk and, to some degree, improve it. Or I can exaggerate or change my movement and give my character a physicality that’s completely different from my own. The simple fact is certain parts of me will always be there. This leaves me with two choices going into an audition. I can either ignore my physical traits and hope the casting director doesn’t notice or I can use them to create an interesting character with depth and dimension.
I’ve tried the first option. It doesn’t work. I might as well try to not be six feet tall. It’s a much better and a vastly more interesting acting choice to use what I have rather than trying to hide the unhideable. It is the unique qualities that set us apart.
Success comes from creating interesting believable characters using our individual experiences and unique physical characteristics as a starting point.
Do unchangeable things keep an actor from booking? It’d be stupid to say they didn’t. If we want to list reasons actors don’t book we’d be here all day but these unchangeable things can also bring about opportunities that might not otherwise be there. Unique traits bring unique opportunities. When casting is looking for an actor who wiggles and walks funny I will likely get the call. As it happens, it’s because of my cerebral palsy that I have been called in by a number of casting directors both in the Pacific Northwest and Los Angeles for parts that needed an actor with a disability. These are opportunities I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t possess traits that are uniquely mine.
Bookings aside, getting into the room is huge. The more an actor auditions, the better they get at it and the more comfortable they get when in the room. Having the chance to show casting and decision-makers what you have to offer is at worst a priceless educational experience and at best a booked acting gig. Every chance to audition is golden. The challenge is to use what you have to control the things that can be controlled and to “be good and don’t suck.”
Creating real and interesting characters is one thing. Getting casting, producers, and directors to see these characters as viable casting choices is another. Because I happen to have cerebral palsy, when casting calls me in to audition it’s usually as “another choice” or “another way to go” for the directors and producers. Of course I like to think it’s also because I have talent. Of the dozens of characters I’ve played, mostly on stage, only one was written as having a disability. Still it’s hard to sell yourself to casting and others when you have traits and mannerisms they’ve never even considered as part of the character they’re casting.
While that’s true, it’s impossible to sell yourself to casting and others if you ignore your obvious characteristics instead of using them. As I have heard many times, “if the part is yours it’s yours.” If it’s not, there’s nothing you can do about it.
For a lot of folks, success is measured by whether or not the actor gets the part but the statistics on this would be enough to drive anyone away from acting. I’ve heard lots of bloggers, casting directors, and others say that an actor might get cast one out of every one hundred times they audition. For me, being an actor living in the Pacific Northwest, and given my physical characteristics, one hundred auditions seems an almost unattainable number in the near future. Success, in addition to booking the job, is also giving a good audition, getting a callback, and getting called in repeatedly by the same casting director. That success only happens when I use everything available to me in the room.
Going into an audition, it’s the actor’s job to give the best audition possible. A good actor uses all the skills, traits, and characteristics available to them to audition successfully. Asking questions like, “Was my nose too big?” or, “Did I wiggle too much?” all fall under Ms. Gillespie’s category of “Actor Mind Taffy.” Trying to second-guess casting and, by extension, directors and producers is futile. The actor’s job is to give the best audition possible. Trying to hide the unhideable is a prescription for failure. Use what you have to your advantage. Make those traits part of the character. The only alternatives are to ignore who you are (which will always result in failure), or to not audition at all (which is just stupid).
For me, that inevitably includes wiggling and walking funny.
Wow, this is awesome stuff, Rich. I’m always inspired when I bring in an actor with a disability for a role not written that way and watch the faces of the decision-makers as they begin to consider the different layers that casting choice could add to their project. Perhaps they never thought about it, but once a talented actor is in the room — especially one who brings things to the role that are, “Well heck, why not?!?” in nature — they do begin to open their minds a bit, and as a casting director, I feel really great when I see that happen. I love your philosophy about the worst-case-scenario on any audition being that you’ve had a chance to show what you can offer, and treating your work as a gift. Love it! Keep offering that gift while being your authentic self. That goes for all actors! And all people, really.
About Rich Hinz
Rich Hinz is an actor living in the Pacific Northwest who has been working in industrial projects, independent films, commercial voiceover, and theatre for the past 25 years. He holds a masters degree in theatre from Central Washington University and has worked with theatre companies from various states and on tour including Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia. Rich also has cerebral palsy, a condition manifested in a unique walk and muscular tremors. These physical traits add depth to the roles he plays and result in truly unique and entertaining characters. He has played many roles that are not typically given to a person with a disability. To be cast in these roles speaks to his professionalism and ability as an actor. In addition to acting, Rich has also spoken at regional and national conferences and is an accomplished painter whose work can be found in private collections throughout the Pacific Northwest. More information can be found at www.richhinz.com or you can find Rich on Twitter.
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Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/plus/pov/2010/10/wiggling_and_walking_funny.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the managing editor’s personal archive.