Dealing with actresses

[imageonepictures]

Hey,

Was wondering what do you do when an actress forwards their headshot/resume but don't look the part that they want?

Chris

[Jeremy Ordan]

Hey,

Was wondering what do you do when an actress forwards their headshot/resume but don't look the part that they want?

Chris

The one thing I have learned is that when you are working on $0-LOW budget projects you have to be very carefull about how you treat people. In my past projects I have been lucky enough to work with some really talented people who have volunteered or worked for food. I have had people contact me about projects because I treated other people well, tried to be humble and respect them.

When people send me a headshot or resume (which I request often) and they don't have the look, more specifically it is specifically their look rather than talent or experience that doesn't match up, I tell them that I'm going in another direction for this project but will hold onto their information for future projects and hope to work with them. I always ask their permission to hold onto their headshot and resume for future opportunities.

Actors like when you ask their permission and no one has ever said no.

I learned this by doing callbacks and not calling to give rejection confirmation and just leaving the conversation unfinished. Actors don't like that.

Pure and simple, be nice, humble, and honest. Tell them that you are going in another dirrection but you hope to work with them in the future.

-Jeremy

[Barry_Green]

Let me just say this: "look" is far and away the LEAST important aspect in almost all cases. If the person can ACT, you can do amazing things with makeup and hair to change their look.

If they look perfect but can't ACT, then you're dead in the water no matter what.

So don't get hung up on the look, find someone who can act, someone who the audience can believe in and will care about and get behind. If you find you need to adjust their look, that's what makeup is for. Look at Charlize Theron in "Monster"; Charlize doesn't normally look like that, right? She's a supermodel, but she can act well enough that they gave her an Oscar. They took care of the "look" part with makeup.

[imageonepictures]

That is really good advice. Thanks!

[Jeremy Ordan]

Leave it to Barry to come in and trump anything I say

-Jeremy

[Bus No. 8]

No, no Jeremy - your advice was also very good. It's nice to see a filmmaker speak of respect and being humble in regards to actors. If you think of actors as cattle, then you'll get cattle.

[Barry_Green]

Jeremy, everything you said is great -- I totally agree. Back in Vegas I had talent agents who would order their talent to work with me, even on low-no-budget stuff, because they knew I would treat them right and give them some great experience as well as a good project for their reel.

Treat people right, and word gets around.

Treat people wrong, and word gets around.

[Jeremy Ordan]

Jeremy, everything you said is great -- I totally agree. Back in Vegas I had talent agents who would order their talent to work with me, even on low-no-budget stuff, because they knew I would treat them right and give them some great experience as well as a good project for their reel.

Treat people right, and word gets around.

Treat people wrong, and word gets around.

I was joking, just busting balls for my own entertainment

-Jeremy