Hollywood Type

I don’t know if anyone likes being typed - I certainly didn’t. But when I moved to Hollywood in 2016, the first thing I heard is: What is your type? There are various typed headshots for typed casting. The next thing I heard is building your brand and image, which are also based on your type. So what is my type? It is not necessarily based on how you view yourself, but rather how others view you. I learned that from Sam Christensen. He was a  veteran Hollywood casting director and he created the Image Process. He had us stand/sit in front the whole class at the end of the 8-day intensive study, and had everyone describe the essences they observed. The gift I received were words: petit four / dancing on the balcony alone / bamboo plant in the wind, etc. And Sam gave me a list of adjective words to memorize. It’s helpful to hear how other people perceive you because sometimes that could be very different than how you think of yourself. One thing though: We are changing all the time. When life leads us to a new direction and we will evolve. Our look will change, our physics will change, and our essences will change. So it is an ongoing evaluation process. As an actor, it is our job to understand who we are, how people see us, and how we can project the right part of our essences to the character that we play to make a full dimensional character.  

(Photo from my first headshot session in Hollywood in 2016.)