Recently the idea of a typecast has been floating around in my head. I’ve gotten conflicting advice from my professors, as often happens in a theatre department, about whether or not to put stock into it. Playing to a typecast can be helpful for some, but it can also backfire on you. Personally, I find that how other people typecast me doesn’t fit what I have found the most fulfillment in playing.
For the uninitiated, your typecast is when your audience (and by this I’m referring to anyone watching your work, not just the traditional idea of an audience) identifies you with a specific character type. This is often based on the way you look, your voice, or your abilities. Think of the comedic actor who plays the old man in every show.
Typecasting isn’t bad. My goal is not to demonize it. But I do find that many actors struggle with their typecast. I myself struggle with the characters I get typecast as, because while I can play them well, I find myself stagnating in the character. I don’t mind being an exposition character, but I can only do that so many times before I begin to feel like I’m playing the same role with only mildly different changes. For some actors, a typecast will provide a steady flow of work for them, which is never a bad thing. Some people will be very content playing that style of role for their career.
The struggle comes when your typecast does not match with your age. My typecast leans older, anywhere from late 30s to early 60s. And while that works in my favor in educational theatre to allow me to play older roles I would not be able to outside of college for years, it is less helpful in the professional world. Eventually I will grow into my typecast, maybe you will too. These are fluid and will change as you grow as an actor and get older. Perhaps you have a baby face and will play 20 year olds long into your 30s, and then transition to being cast as mothers once you hit 40.
There is nothing wrong with embracing or going against your typecast. What I do think is wrong with typecasting is directors who are unable to see past it when the original type they started with does not actually fit the actor. Like any part of theatre, you have to adapt to how things are, not force them into your ideal if it won’t work. A large number of younger directors I have worked with have started to shirk the idea of a typecast. For a young actor I would say to take the time to recognize what yours is, but do not feel beholden to it.
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