What's Your Type?

What is typecasting?
Typecasting is industry lingo used by directors of film, television and commercials for casting generically according to the actor's personality or physical appearance to convey an immediate message to the audience. For example, if the pizza delivery guy looks like a college grad student at the University of Chicago, it's a different statement than if he looks like a high school dropout. It's crucial that actors know their type(s) in order to market themselves appropriately. Directors, producers, agents and casting directors often use type to talk about actors for the specs of a job. The Jerry Seinfeld/Paul Reiser type is ubiquitous on commercial casting breakdowns. So what category do you fall in? Are you more like the wacky Jenna Elfman or the mom from "7th Heaven?"

Figuring Out Your Type

Begin by looking at yourself as objectively as possible and ask yourself (as well as some friends, if they'll be honest) these questions:

1. How old do you look? What's your age range?

2. Do you look married/single/divorced/gay/straight/like you have kids?

3. What ethnic types do you pass for?

4. How many years of school do you look like you've had (two years of community college or a Ph.D in history)?

5. What's your annual income? Do you look like you are living off food stamps or does your face say trust fund?

6. What jobs do you look like you might hold? Are you a hip, goth type working in a trendy coffee shop, a kindergarten teacher or a corporate administrative assistant? Then get more specific. Are you a professional football coach or do you look like you coach high school, a doctor in an urban clinic or a trustworthy, reliable small town physician, a hippie on tour with the Grateful Dead or a crunchy granola type working for Greenpeace?

7. One's sense of humor is also an important variable in determining type. Is it sarcastic and dry, warm and bubbly, earthy and crass, or smart and witty?

After you've answered these questions and have gotten feedback from a few friends, try some exercises in character study. On the train or bus, look around at the people and try to guess their name, age, who they date and what makes them laugh. Now think about how that particular stranger sees you and what they think your type is. The other day a "yuppie" type approached me at Target and asked me where the baby merchandise was located. He mistook me for a Target employee. Although I might prefer to look more like an upscale gallery owner, a sales associate at Target may be more my casting type.

Revealing Your Type in Headshots

Usually, a good photographer will consult with you prior to the session and ask what type of look you and your agents are seeking and how you plan on marketing yourself with the headshot. Appearance (clothes, hairstyle and physical condition) will say a lot about your type. Make distinct choices. If you are seen more as a well-groomed, slick CEO type, then don't wear jeans and a tight t-shirt. Another thing to take into consideration during the shoot, in order to complete the image you desire, is your inner dialogue. The most interesting headshots are the ones that state an idea or message. Blank faces with huge smiles plastered on them are not interesting. Rather than merely smiling for the camera, think of something dangerous and dark or open and available or teasing and mischievous. If you are a wholesome girl-next-door type you probably shouldn't be thinking a sexy little secret. If you are a quirky Carol Kane or Lisa Kudrow type, you should probably be thinking of something odd that amuses you. It is that silent dialogue or thought that will reveal who you are and the type you are trying to convey.