Recently, I was working with an actor who was struggling with his primary type, his logline, his brand. Let’s face it, a lot of actors struggle with this sort of thing, because they’re just too dang close to the subject matter (they know themselves too well). Also, most actors have been conditioned to believe that range is a good thing (and it is, once you’ve built a brand, cultivated a fanbase, and leaped a few tiers by specializing), so they don’t want to limit themselves.

But when the struggle is not about any of that, but instead a situation in which the actor feels there may be a little bipolar typing going on, there’s a much simpler solution.

What’s the through-line?

I’ve talked before about the importance of Interviewing Your Bookings (and even shared a kickass worksheet for doing so), and this is where all of that comes into play. Instead of looking at the range of characters in your inventory, instead of exploring the differences between the various characters you’ve inhabited, instead of analyzing what makes these characters unique, it’s time to look for the through-line.

What do these characters you tend to play have in common? There’s SOME PLACE that they intersect. Go looking for that, rather than just skimming the surface and seeing only what’s *easy* to see (their differences).

For example, the above-mentioned actor we were working with during our weekly call had created two (fantastic) pitches. One was for his embodiment of the “Lovable Loser“, the other was a gorgeous pitch with the (eventually nailed-down) logline, “I complicate things.” He couldn’t decide which was his primary pitch, his go-to, the best representation of his bullseye. When we asked him to take a look at what these guys had in common, it became clear.

Being a lovable loser *is* a complication.

There’s the through-line.

So, sure, you can use a very popular, relatable phrase to sum up your brand — and sometimes that’s what you need to do — or you can find a through-line that’s deliciously specific, even more accurate, and one that becomes the jumping-off point for “yes, and…” convos about exactly *how* you complicate things.

What’s your through-line? When you go through your bookings (or callbacks), looking for traits, qualities, essences they share, what do you come up with? I’d love to hear from you on this! Rock on!

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/001690.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.