3.03.2006

Posted later than I intended...

Those last two posts are hanging heavy on me. Of course, the topic is hanging rather heavier in South Dakota and thus in this country, and it can't be forgotten. With that in mind, Shayna has weighed in on it, and done so admirably.

I haven't been able to bring myself to post at BIO lately. I believe it is necessary, and I am glad of its presence, but I have a problem with the way things tend to go in political debate. There is an utter lack of willingness to concede a point. I have on several occasions refuted arguements with solid facts, well cited and linked. Almost invariably the party thus disproven merely persisted in silence for the rest of the thread and at times even reiterated their previous positions in later posts. For a while I've been "just about" to post in my BIO diary about that, but stopped because it sounded preachy, and I had yet to actually practice it. I still don't think I'm going to.

The reason I retracted to the point of sounding like I was beating myself up is because I believe that the ability to gracefully recant is central to informed discourse. And it's reassuring to know that others see as I do. The comment thread for Miz Bohemia's post on abortion rights shows that she conducts herself in a similar way. That "flip-flop" became a buzzword for the 2004 election is telling. I'll admit to having found vast entertainment value in political stubbornness in right-wingers. But no progress is borne of it.

And now for something completely different.

I was cast in the upcoming BHCC production of Medea, in the role of Creon. I thought I'd done well enough to land the male lead, but at least I'm cutting my teeth on something.

There is of course a problem with being a tall actor. It means oftentimes being passed up for romantic leads (though not quite a proper nomenclature for a play wherein man takes another wife, and his first wife kills her own children) regardless of talent or ability. There are, of course, practical issues at hand. However, if theater is supposed to hold a mirror up to nature, what does this imply about us giants?

Of course, I have no reason to believe that in this particular instance I was passed up because of my height. But every time I nail an audition and I get passed up, it gnaws at me. And this isn't an ego issue or a vanity issue either (well, not entirely). I intend to make a living doing this. It's nigh impossible to grow as an actor if I'm confined to stereotypical "big guy" roles.

This is what was so great about performing with the Fourth Wall theater company this summer. Apparently nobody told them that there was a rule against giving the tall guy a lead part and as a result I put in my best performance to date.

Naturally, this is something I just need to find a way around. It's just a pain in the ass is all.

Every day I've had the urge to post about Boston Legal, only to remember that it wasn't technically on today. See, I've been aquiring episodes from the first season that I missed, and they have been, as expected, fantastic. I plan to at some point write a criticism of the series, should anyone be interested. In fact, when discussing it there are two other shows that come to mind: House, and Firefly. As to how the three shows are related... well, you'll just have to keep reading.

I'm almost certain that there was something else I had to say, but constant blinks in my net access have flushed it from my consciousness. Should it return to me I'll fill you in.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the plug EW...

    You know... I find it odd that you have been passed up for the leading romantic role possibly because of your height. I know a lot of women who love tall men in their "romantic roles"...

    :)

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  2. Shayna: The plugs, as always, are on the house. Like I said, I don't know that to be the case in this instance, but it certainly has happened to me before.

    ^_^

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  3. Man, don't get me started on "flip flop" in the 2004 elections! I avidly read practically everything Kerry said and he did NOT flip-flop! He actually answered questions and spoke with meaning behind his words! Not like the current jack-ass in charge where idiots find meaning in all the gas the freak passes through his mouth and call him "charming"... I am totally baffled and have no clue what the hell people see in that bastard! OK... I shall stop here!

    I thank you for the plug as well and glad we relate on so many levels! Yes, unfortunately most people do not understand that to recant is not to give in on your position, only to say "oops! I did not know that. You do have a point there." And yes it takes a bigger person to admit to a certain degree of ignorance. I screw up left and right here with the Loverboy in our discussions so much recanting is done! It takes someone equally big and learned to understand this too and Wombat, in my mind, you shine my friend!

    As for acting, that is the most unfortunate thing... typecasting is big and hard to get around. Unfortunate trend I see today is that just about any idiot gets a role and a role that suits them rather than actually doing what the job entails and becoming the character. On so many levels it goes hand in hand and meeting casting agents with stereotypical visions and preconceived notions means too many individuals with blinders on which makes the job so much tougher! I empathize with you and send you many Boho hugs! Don't give up though and persevere and think of all the great big guys who do achieve success both onscreen and in the theater! In the end, through perseverance and talent I do believe that you can achieve your goal!

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  4. Wombat: all your points in your previous entries were well taken and I for one know that you do not lightly make your decisions. Stick by them with no apology. There is so much in the way of conflicting feeling on that topic it is nice to know that people actually think about it, look into it and then come to a decision.
    Shayna's post did rock didn't it.

    Political debates on the internet or elsewhere are often futile as no matter what type of fact one person has the other person has the right to ignore them. Face it we elected a president by ignoring facts or picking or choosing the ones to believe at the very least. But if one person listens to those facts and learns it is all worth it in the end.

    As for the play - congratulations I'm sure you will be awesome.
    If I look at actors I have seen who are really good I find that although they have had some leading parts they often have more supporting parts and seem to by employed more often.
    I don't really have much of a concept of how tall you really are but don't really know why how tall you are would apply to roles. Notice though that many actors ...are small like five - five and five - seven. Eventually you will prove yourself to be worthy of a leading role...isn't it like..working your way up the ladder or something.
    I imagine on stage you would be quite a presence.
    I'm sure you would make an awesome leading man and would look good on the arm of some little blonde starlet. When I see you in the National Enquirer I will make my first purchase of the aforementioned rag.

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  5. Miz B: It's true. 2004 was a fiasco. I doubt there's anything you can say about Bush that I'd disagree with. The Kerry line that should have resonated more than it did with the voters was "You can be certain and still be wrong." It's a bad scene. You were probably right to ditch it for a spell.

    Great to hear good things said about me from someone such as you.

    There seems to be less and less a premium put on good acting. I mean, Jimmy Fallon is getting work in movies. Of course I get that it's much easier to make millions by casting a poster-friendly safe actor who can kind of act. Basically the only guys as big as me who've gotten a decent slice of screen time are Vince Vaughn and Christopher Lee.

    Alice: I'm glad you feel that way.

    It sort of makes sense that facts were ignored in the process of electing a president who ignores facts.

    It's not quite like working your way up the ladder. Basically you need to catch a break. In my case I would need someone specifically to look past my height, like Kevin Smith did for Ben Affleck in Chasing Amy (I swear, he was good in that movie)

    ^_^

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  6. Cowgirl: I'm honored.

    You share my ire for stereotypes and blind followers and my preference for ethics in politics over morals. Welcome. Hope you don't mind the mess

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