Are actors less afraid from being leads in a series now?
- Thread starter Wadjda
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I was always under the impression that actors were more afraid of being in original projects. That they'd rather be in a (relatively) sure thing, like a reboot, remake, spinoff, or franchise so that they don't have an abysmal failure in their resume. And not to mention the exposure ...
Given that Patrick Stewart is currently starring to great acclaim on Broadway right now, I'm not sure that's much of a concern anymore. Lord knows Shatner and Stewart went on to have long and varied careers on stage and screen. And Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan seem to be working pretty steadily these days.
I don't think the typecasting thing has been as much of a problem since the start of TNG, and I put that down to the actors having learned to network better with each other. If, for example, Jonathan Frakes gets a gig directing episodes of a series, then you're going to see Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, etc, showing up on there at some point. It serves to keep them working, but it also makes sense otherwise, because they already know each others' talent and that they can work well together.
Part of it also depends on the actors selected for the parts. All of the leads of the current series were fairly established actors in their own right before they took the lead in a Trek series.
All of the former main STAR TREK actors - who are available and want to do it - really should get together and work collaboratively on a project. Whether that be a play, or a television series ... a movie ... whathaveyou. And it doesn't have to be space-based, either. In fact, I'd rather it wasn't ... I hope it's a comedy, if they ever do something like that. And I know it would not fail with all of that STAR TREK power behind it. Frankly, I'm amazed nobody among them has suggested it, or was able to pull it off. It's a Sure Thing, money wise.
They've tried it time and again, and they either don't get past the planning phase, or don't get proper funding, or they're produced but don't get much/any exposure (especially outside of the fanbase).
Well, that truly sucks, then. I don't know what it is with STAR TREK, before the reboot came along. It's always been the Kiss of Death for any regular cast member's career!
Typecasting is always a concern for an actor, but less so for those who have a fairly varied body of work on their résumé. Typecasting can prevent many actors from getting more work.
"Boston Legal" is a good example of such project. William Shatner and Rene Auberjonois (as regular); Armin Shimerman, Ethan Phillips and many more (recurring).
Good one. Also, go to IMDB and look up Disney's Gargoyles. Take a gander at the Full Cast and Crew page.
We'd also have to consider the number of Trek actors who considered acting to merely be a stepping stone to a different profession, that of a director. Sure, actors get all the limelight and glory, but directors call the shots, comparable to being CEO for a week; they're the leaders.
(I guess the producers are like the board or the presidents, but you get the gist.)
(I guess the producers are like the board or the presidents, but you get the gist.)
Exactly. Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, and Jonathan Frakes all have thriving careers behind the camera these days.
And it's not as though the other actors have all dropped off the face of the earth. Marina Sirtis had an arc on NCIS recently, Tim Russ showed up as a murder suspect on Castle not long ago, and, try though we might, who can forget John Billingsley's orgy scenes on True Blood . . . !
I've never understood how being typecast can be such a terrible thing, especially on a sci-fi series. You'd be exposed to a huge fanbase who, if they like the show that is, will rally behind it--many of whom will follow favourite actors onto other sci-fi shows or movies and pull in others. You could end up with some pretty steady work for several years (if its a success).
I get some actors will want to do other things and break into other audiences which they might not do being seen as just a sci-fi, but how many Firefly fans watched Castle because of Nathan Fillion? He'd have his Browncoat fans and crime proceedural ones now, double whammy.
Besides, if they couldn't get much else after starring in Trek, they've got that bandwagon to ride
The Hollywood mindset just doesn't work that way. Are they making these shows for the public? Or for the fans? If it's for the public, then you want to use typecast actors in what they're known for doing well, if your'e a director, because you can trust them to deliver the kind of performance that part requires. It's a huge time saver. Movies can afford to cast against type, and time can be scheduled for more rehearsals, or special direction, or whatever. Also, the image of the actor who's being typecast must be taken into account. Like having DeForest Kelley playing a doctor in a Western after STAR TREK might've made sense, on the surface, but he's so identified with Bones, that people might laugh, or not buy it. Were I a director, I certainly would have these kinds of concerns. Depending on what kind of clout I had, though, I may or may not subscribe to that philosophy, depending on what I was trying to achieve, I suppose. But this definitely falls into the "Better Safe Than Sorry" category, when it comes to typecasting issues.
That's far more the rare exception than the rule. There are many more that aren't that lucky, so it is a terrible thing to be typecast.
As an actor, the key is to be a continually working actor, not just limited to one role. They have steady work for several years, and then what afterward? If an actor is very badly typecast, he or she might actually never work again because casting directors can't see the actor being in anything else. Others may be typecast in only playing the same kind of roles (if they're lucky) for the same reason. For many actors, that's not the reason they took up the profession.
Zachary Quinto should have no trouble getting other work. He was also a lead during American Horror Story: Asylum which is a vastly different role than Spock. So he has already shown his versatility.
Besides, even if they don't get work they will forever be able to make convention money!
Besides, even if they don't get work they will forever be able to make convention money!
Quinto has also been appearing on Broadway, most recently in a critically-acclaimed revival of "The Glass Menagerie."
I've often wondered if some of them become too comfortable with the income from trade shows and don't spend enough time and energy chasing parts in shows. Look at the Creationent.net shows over the years and you will notice a few that seem to be at every show. Does Connor Trinner and Marina Sitris have any time left for auditions?
