I'm not sure how to phrase this without sounding rude...

yeah, i worry about this sometimes myself. I mean, I can't just play Tracy Turnblad until i die! Haha.

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Ha! i was just going to say there's always Hairspray, but that's about it.

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" I am what I am. I am my own special person."....La Cage

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Regardless of your appearance, there's gonna be plenty of roles which will suit you...and plenty that won't.

Just be happy with yourself...if you wanna lose weight..then lose it....not because you feel that you have to.

Just remember that some roles really need thin women....like Cordelia in "King Lear." He's gotta carry her around a bit.

I always wanted to play Alan Strang in "Equus" but considering that I was 6'2" when I was 12, it just wasn't in the cards.

INdeed...i played ernestina money in Hello Dolly! and (ahem) stole the show..not to brag, but Dolly sucked, so it is true that characters CAN have alot of fun, but you know, 10 years of doing character parts gets to be irritating. I want to know that someday there will be a chance for me to play something other than the pathetic fat girl in the ill-fitting gown who desparatly wants to someday shine.

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Catie- My best adivice would be to build up your resume.

If you want to succeed in acting you will have to start out by taking almost any role you are offered. Once people see what you can do, you will slowly start to get larger roles (unless you are lucky enough to be cast as a lead in your first professional show, but that hardly ever happens.)

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You know. I am all for being happy with and accepting of one's self "as is". But I can't help but feel that all the love- yourself-as-you-are advice isn't really being honest and helpful.

What I hear Catie asking is if we think she will run into difficulty being cast in non-character lead roles if she is over-weight. And the truth, as I see it, is probably "yes"...unless the weight is necessary for the role. I am all for doing away with the anorexic ideal for women actors, but frankly, most people want to see someone who is fit and healthy and looks good on stage. If this is what you want to do with your life, might not you want it enough to modify your eating habits and maybe join a gym rather than just assuming that it's something you can't change? Realistically, you can choose to be happy with yourself as you are (and there is nothing wrong with that) and be content with character parts, or make some changes and go after what you really want.

I'd agree that weight shouldn't matter if we were talking about being almost any other profession. But the truth is, that appearance and body image are an important component of casting a character.

Just the truth as I see it.

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Updated On: 3/25/05 at 11:19 PM

i totally understand the feeling. i am waaaaay shorter than everybody else my age and worry that i cant be cast in stuff because everybody else is a head taller than me. but height isn't something i can change. so i'll accept playing the younger roles until i look OLD and short and then we'll see.

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This reminds me of a favorite old Bloom County comic strip. Opus the penguin is worried about his weight and wants to lose some desperately, but he says he's not sure how to go about it. "Diet and exercise," another character says and Opus replies, "No, no, no! Nothing radical. What about surgery?"

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Personally, I find Jason Alexander much more sexually attractive than Matt Morrison or Gavin Creel (yeeeeeeecccccccccccch!). I guess that's one of the things that makes me a lot different from most of the pedos around here.

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And Namo didn't even throw the baby out with the bathwater - that's a nice touch.