General

ACTOR’S TOOL-KIT #16

SKILLS VERSUS TYPES

by Bob Fraser

I recently got an email that I felt I should share.

“Dear Bob,

“I was reading your article, Unique Character Presentation and I have a whole bunch of questions. “You wrote that we should choose the UCP (type) that fit us the best, and “align our marketing efforts with our natural tendencies.” “How does this fit in with versatility?

“If we market ourselves on our natural tendencies, aren’t we staying in our safety zone, basically portraying ourselves? “The reason I’m asking is because I asked my acting teacher on a level of 1 to 10, 10 being an Oscar/Tony award-winning performance … where was my skill level? I want to be at a very minimum at a level 7 – but preferably an 8 or higher.

“She said I was at less than a 5, but only because I don’t have the versatility I need. “My safety zone I’ve got down pat, but I need to stretch a lot more than I have been able to do. “And how does a character actor like Alfred Molina fit into UCP typing? He’s done just about every type of role imaginable, huge versatility, although he does “bad guys” more often than any other type. I admire Molina’s acting skills very much, and consider him one of my role models for what I would like to achieve in the industry. Not that I want to be “The Outlaw” type, but I’d like to achieve the quality and versatility he brings to every role he plays.

“So, UCP versus versatility? I feel I’m missing an important piece of knowledge that links the two together harmoniously.
“Thanks for your time.”

Signed,
Curious
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Dear Curious,

I don’t (or rarely) discuss acting as a craft. What I focus on, in my writing, is aimed at getting you working. Alfred Molina is very versatile, yes — but he is a unique actor with a unique “take” on the characters he plays.

It’s much easier to be a “versatile” character actor when you’ve got 10 – 15 years of paying work behind you. And again, the work that counts is the work that pays money because then it’s for real. Look up Molina’s credits on IMDb.com and see how far back they go. And that’s just his film and TV work – he also has a decade or so prior to that as a theatre actor in Britain. (Getting paid.)

My point about UCP is that it’s a way of framing the natural “typing” that happens on the other side of the casting table. If you think you’ll have the opportunity to play Juliet or Lady Macbeth based solely on your acting ability, you will waste a lot of time trying to practice “theory” and not much time making money. It’s the making of the money that allows actors to grow – in the context of the professional world. What you and your acting teacher have tried to do is quantify that which cannot be quantified.

Believe me, if I put you in front of Steven Spielberg tomorrow, to audition for his next movie — you wouldn’t be talking about “safety zones.” You’d be hoping to be picked.

And you wouldn’t care if it was a person just like yourself that you were being asked to play.

Please don’t attach your skill level to your results. That is just a blatant denial of reality.

Who is a better actor – Nicholson or Tom Cruise? No one can answer that question without knowing the role, the story, the purpose of the character they are playing in the story – and whole lot of other stuff.

Awards, “good acting on a scale of 1 to 10” “what’s the best method?” – those are party conversation – and IMHO a waste of time, when it comes to business. And I’m strictly talking about business.

On the other hand, if what’s important to you is the approbation of teachers and other actors … you might be on the right track. I’ve known some brilliant actors who worked at the post office and office supply stores. In the final analysis it comes down to what your real goal is.

UCP doesn’t fit with versatility because versatility is not what gets actors in the door, gets them cast in the role or gets them the opportunity to really “climb the ladder.”

Fully capable professional actors don’t show up “full blown” in Hollywood, New York or London — they learn their jobs on the job. Becoming a brilliant actor and THEN succeeding in the business is a pipe dream. It happens about as often as Haley’s Comet drops by.

You can take that to the bank.

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Branding is one of those terms that gets tossed around by a lot of people, some of whom know what they’re talking about. Others, not so much. I’d be in the latter category, at least most of the time. Tom Asacker, on the other hand, is one of the good guys. He’s just put out a very interesting thought piece he calls The Brand Identity Delusion (link is a PDF file) and I encourage you to read the whole thing. It runs to only a couple of pages and will be well worth your time.

And then think about how you can implement these ideas in your voiceover work. Here’s an example of what I mean. It’s my goal to leave what I usually call “a sweet taste in the mouth” of every one of my clients. I know I don’t succeed at that perfectly, but it’s my goal. I strive for this, for example, by doing everything in my power to help my clients understand that they’ve made a smart decision in hiring me to provide the voice for their project. I ask questions to be sure I understand what they need. I invite them to listen in on the phone or to direct the session live using ISDN or Source Connect. I guarantee their satisfaction by doing all needed updates and corrections at no additional charge. I can afford to make this promise because I’m not cheap. And needless to say, I suppose, I deliver their project on time.

These are just a few of the ways I’ve already put Tom’s suggestions into practice before even reading his article. I’m sure there is more I can do. And I’m going to keep thinking until I come up with at least a few of them.

(edited to fix typo)