In Hollywood it can seem like there’s no place for a lot of people to fit in. Anyone who doesn’t look like Blake Lively on the best day of her life (which lets face it, is all of us) can feel pushed out of the way at one point or another. Character actors want leading roles and leading actors can’t help but feel they have an expiration date. This is where throwing away your niche comes in handy and making yourself available to all different kinds of work is completely possible. The decision to not conform has been made possible by some amazing actors. Meryl Streep for example was told that she was “too ugly” to play the lead in Planet Of The Apes. Looking at her now, one sees nothing but one of the best performers of our time, a magically beautiful and amazing actress.

     Actors who name themselves “character actors” or only “lead actors” are putting themselves in a box. By deciding you are only able to play one type of role, you confine yourself to only ever being able to book those types of jobs. Imagine if Will Smith decided that he was a comedic actor and nothing else… We wouldn’t have such amazing stories delivered to us such as that in “The Pursuit of Happyness”.

     If you are an actor who has been named a specific type, you should do yourself a favor and rip that label off because it could be holding you back. This is exactly what I am always saying when I talk about making your own projects and coming up with your own labels for yourself as an artist. I have done this for myself and it has been very rewarding and extremely valuable in my career. It doesn’t have to take a long time or a lot of effort, but promoting yourself as an actor that can play a wide variety of roles could really have a positive impact on your career.

     Creating new avenues and bucking the system to send a message out to people is what acting and art in general is all about. When you take off any labels that you have been given by agents, managers, casting directors or whoever else that may be holding you back and forcing you into one type of character or job only, you allow yourself to get even more creative in your career. So do yourself a favor and start calling yourself an artist as your new label. Giving yourself the freedom to play whatever role comes your way is not only more fun and exciting, it is also a great way to prolong your career and give yourself greater and greater opportunities. Enjoy!