One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

I was very proud that the last job I had was a "non-stereotypical" role for a Latina. No accent, I wasn't a maid. I was actually a successful, strong business woman. YAY!! That was one giant step forward!
Then, yesterday I was told that I had two auditions for today - BOTH were maid roles! wow. Then, as quick as I got both of those auditions, they were gone! :(
The first one was a commercial and I couldn't make it because I was working until 2:30pm and they were only seeing people until noon. oops... The second one was for a pilot and they pushed the audition for tomorrow instead. It's a "large recurring guest star" on a new pilot, which probably means series regular but they don't want to negotiate that contract right now! :) But the role is of a maid. Also. Now, I'm having conflicting feelings over this one. Yes, it's work. Yes, it's a recurring role. Yes, it's a guest star role. All things I LOVE. :) And yes, it's another maid role - something I'm not crazy about, but I have done - MANY times. The issue I have with this particular role is, it's a 1/2 hour "comedy" and they use my character as the butt for a lot of ignorant racist jokes. Now I know they wrote it this way so my character seems like the normal one out of a cast of dysfunctional people - but still...I hate to be part of something that fuels racist jokes. UGH! But, it's work - and it would be potentially GOOD work, meaning lots of pay and many future weeks of more work.
Maybe I'm being too sensitive. Maybe me feeling this way is PERFECT for the character. I'm just going to go in and do it. And if I get it - well, then, I'll deal with that when it happens. And if I don't - then I don't have to worry about it anymore! Watch me get it now...That's what usually happens. The ones I desperately want - I don't get it. The ones that I could care less about are the ones I land! hahaha That's the secret - care less - book more!
I'll let you know how it goes.
Also, I'm doing ADR looping tomorrow for the pilot "The Virgin of Akron Ohio". For those of you who may not know what ADR looping is, sometimes during a shoot they may not get a clear sound from your mic during the scene so they bring you back and loop your voice in. It's what I did on The Holiday as well. It's really fun - reminds me of when I did cartoon voice over work in Austin. They put you in a sound booth as they playback your scene on a big screen and you match up your voice to your image. And it's usually quick - like 30 minutes of work. Nice! Not a bad way to make a paycheck! :)

Comments

Jules said…
hmmmm, that's a tough one. The fact is, Hollywood is a factory town, producing gadgets and sprockets known as "pilots" and "shows" and "films."
The question is, will this sprocket pay enough for it to be worth your time as a professional? consider your value and expect the right compensation.

as for the racist tendencies, I like that you're thinking of how your distaste might contribute to the character you're being considered to play.

In the long run, listen to your instincts about this one. who knows what will happen either way (if you were to choose it or go against it?)

in the meantime, would you make a list of the roles you've played and post it? it might be interesting to see how many are not reliant on your ethnicity!
1:13 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Proud Agent

Image
So...I'm having one of those moments where I am extremely proud of the talent I represent. No really - I have some amazingly talented actors on my roster.   Yes - here in South Texas.  Corpus Christi to be exact.   A city which has NEVER had a talent agency submitting actors for these opportunities! I had the pleasure of seeing the opening night performance of the musical RENT at the University last week.  Three of the leads are with my agency, and the others, I would love to sign on!  The show was SOOOOO freakin good.  I had seen some of these actors in other shows and never knew some of them can sing like that!  And to see my actors, the ones with the agency, push and stretch their acting limits for these roles, it was the coolest thing to witness!  I think because of my background, and knowing the hard work an acting career takes, it makes me a special kind of agent - one who appreciates the work my actors do - on stage, an...
Read more

ACTOR: Your Hobby or Profession?

Acting is fun.  And for the most part, those who have been bitten by the acting bug will find a way to ACT.  Whether its in their school's play production, community theatre, independent films, or their own youtube channels.  I have seen a ton of talent in my life.  Both at the small town level, and on Hollywood sets.  And I often wonder about the actor onstage in the local community theatre and wonder what their plans and dreams are...  When I started as an actor, I absolutely loved it.  I couldn't get enough of it, actually.  I would audition for plays back to back, participate in student films whenever I could, and dreamt about the day when I could actually do it for a living.  That was my goal.  To make a living doing what I loved to do - so that "work" wouldn't feel like "work". And so I busted my ass to make it happen.  I was focused on a goal and made sure I achieved it. I'm pretty proud of myself.. But I realized that...
Read more

And the JOURNEY Continues...

Image
First of all, let me just say this blog was correctly titled! My journey has been quite an interesting one!  Definitely not "uneventful" - that's for sure... I left LA about 6 1/6 years ago, not knowing why I was leaving a pretty stable acting career in an industry where stable acting careers are hard to find.  I came back home to Texas, not sure what I was looking for, but open to the adventure that was to be found. Three years later, I left Austin and found myself back in my hometown of Corpus Christi Texas, with two kids and a husband.  That was January, 2 years ago.  My initial plan was to open up a casting office in town, and continue casting.  What I found was a city that didn't have much of an entertainment business community.  No talent agencies, no acting schools, aside from high school theatre and the college and university.  That makes casting very difficult. That's when I decided to start teaching.  I found Aurora Arts Theatre,...
Read more