Relationships within the industry can be
challenging as we’ve seen, but sometimes it isn’t about being simple or
difficult as much as it has to do with timing.
We put an actor on our roster who was new in
town. He had a good skill set, interesting look, diverse character look,
and a professional focus that made working with him a piece of cake.
Needless to say, this actor was someone for whom I was willing to go to bat
when push came to shove.
All that said, I was disappointed when he wasn’t as
well received by CDs and clients as I had expected. The first few months
were frustrating, which we both felt and discussed. After some trouble
shooting, he took advantage of the opportunity to get new images. They
adding significantly to his marketing materials, and it was one of those newer
images that finally caught a CD’s eye. In the throws of a last minute
movie casting, the new (and more appropriate to the character’s role) image
that I sent in made an impression.
He didn’t get the role. So there are two
perspectives to consider – whichever one you choose will tell a lot about your
future as a talent. The first perspective could be “all that for nothing”
since he didn’t book the job. (The insider story you’re not aware of is
that the role was cut from the script, so the result isn’t a reflection of his
abilities.) This is a discouraging way to see things. If you choose
this view, you will carry that negative energy into the next casting with you
and it will slowly bring you down until your career implodes.
The second perspective is one that the actor won’t
ever directly experience, but as his agent, one with which I can encourage
him. After that impression, the CD has asked for this actor by name many
times. The CD now believes that he is an A list actor and wants to read
him whenever possible. That one moment that didn’t turn into a booking,
did produce an open and revolving door for the actor to and from this powerful
CDs casting studio. Considering where he was for months prior to that,
this was a huge step in the right direction. Now it’s just a matter of
time before he reads for the right role and is launched into the success he’s
been working so hard to achieve!
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