I’m interning with a casting director for a TV show. The internship has shed lots of light on the studio casting process and definitely keeps me inspired (rather than discouraged). I’ve noticed that opportunity is so random and sometimes you have just much of a shot at a part as a multi-credited star in some situations. Everyone is afraid of failing at a studio so they want “reliable” actors and bankable numbers. Our job is simple: just be yourself confidently and give 100% to your part no matter the size.
One day on this internship I noticed that my agent’s submission did not have me in it for a role. (I’ve been with the agent seven months and I have booked.) I wanted to flip out! I felt I could (and should) have read for the role. But I did notice the actors submitted had more credits. Should I confront my agent on this? (She doesn’t know that I’m interning off and on with the show.)
You did such a good job in your first paragraph, talking about all of the wonderful benefits of interning in a casting office. Then, in that second paragraph, it’s like you tossed out all of the good stuff and got caught up in something other than the main reason you’re interning in the first place! I know it’s tough to separate yourself (the actor) from yourself (the intern), but you simply must find a way to do that, for the sake of your own sanity!
Because you recognize that you have as “much of a shot” as anyone else, you must know that the CD for whom you’re interning will have you in mind, when the time is right. You must also resist the temptation to micromanage your agent. I assume you entered into a relationship with your agent because you felt a connection with one another and you believed that the agent would pitch you and submit you appropriately. If, on the other hand, you entered into a relationship with your agent that is not based on trust (trust that your agent will do her job well, with you in mind), then seeing the absence of your headshot in the submissions on the show for which you’re currently interning is the least of your problems.
Basically, you’re asking me if you should confront your agent about her choices to submit you (and not to submit you) as she sees fit. You only know that she didn’t submit you on this particular project at this particular time (and you said, yourself, that the other actors submitted had more credits than you do). Is it worth risking an otherwise fine relationship with your agent to have that confrontation? How would you feel if your agent called you after you bombed an audition and asked, “Why didn’t you do a better job on redirect?”
Please, let your agent do her job and, if there are larger issues of trust to discuss, take her to lunch and have a great meeting to be sure you’re on the same page about your collective approach to your career. Meanwhile, keep learning everything you can from your internship and trust that the relationships you’re creating there are going to pay off in the long run. Let go of how, or when, that’s going to happen.
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/000274.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.