Size? Age? Beauty? Should it make a casting difference? — Page 3

"I am 4'8" tall 80lbs and have never gotten the lead role because..."

80 pounds?
Although 4'8" is kind of short, isn't 80 pounds very underweight?

---

well said, tinkerbell

I have to say that being overweight does not automatically make one unhealthy...

I hate the term "healthy people" as if thin people and fat people are automatically unhealthy.

They look for what most of society would consider attractive. Not always gorgeous, but still attractive.

Then again, I'm going to be sick if I hear anyone else say Katie Clarke was too chunky in the Live from Lincoln Center's Piazza.

Me? I'm 23. I look like Tracy Turnblad (seriously, except I'm 5'4") with voice in the same vein as Audra McDonald or Shirley Jones. I know I'm not getting roles until I'm middle aged and even then it it'll only be the Mother Abyss or Cousin Nettie.
Is it fair? Well, maybe not. There are roles I COULD play but find that casting directors merely want to cast how the roles always have been cast. Then again, I also don't expect to play Juliet or Helen of Troy anytime either.

What I wish would happen is that roles were not so conventional, and more roles were written where the actor could be fat/short/ugly/whatver and it not be a big deal. Not a role FOR a fat/short/ugly/whatever person, but a character role that was fully fleshed out.

Does anyone think it's interesting though there are tons more roles for chunky men/unattractive men or roles where their attractiveness is not essential to the piece than women? I guess not suprising but interesting.

---

I think it does have to matter sometimes. Let me give you an example. Can you see Lucy in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown being 50? Can you see the strippers in Gypsy being slim and gorgeous?

What's the difference between a 25 year old playing Lucy and a 50year old? Either way, it's an adult playing a child.

i would say 70% of the dance auditions i go to there is a type out. whether or not it's announced, the first cut is generally "do they look right? can they move well enough?"

in some instances, it is possible to say that it's harder to break the mold of typecasting in the ENSEMBLE than in the principals... take crazy for you, for example. polly can be short, tall, fat, thin, mayyyybe black or white, but all she NEEDS to do is sing well and carry a southern charm. the ensemble however, the women need to be at least 5'8, thin, showgirls.

but to be honest, as an audience member, it's easy to enjoy typecasting. if someone was cast that we would consider "nontraditional" - a black Elle for example, we'd spend the entire time wondering if she really is "good enough that they went with her instead of a blonde." there's just so much more ground to cover for your eye to accept it rather than just sitting back and enjoying the show. and that's where i think casting directors justify their typecasting tendencies...