02/10/2023
Sage Advice on making sure your headshots match your CURRENT look. Thanks for sharing, Nike.
I look forward to more in-depth discussion and coaching on my new community platform for actors (March/April), but I thought I’d get one important conversation going here …
Round 1 of zoom casting for every movie/tv series begins with your headshot. The focus is this post is NOT on technical aspects, lighting, composition etc but YOU.
It’s gotta look like you!
Your headshot simply has to look. like. YOU!
As you are today. It’s not just about long hair/short hair, (in the case of men - beard/no beard), it’s about the fact that we look different as we age and that’s okay. That’s wonderful actually! stories of elders are equally compelling, sometimes more so. Using a composite of headshots over a span of 15 years, it’s clear to see that I have aged. I love aging and always have. And like many actors I feel a degree of vulnerability around the whole headshots enterprise, even sharing them… (for so many reasons) but I do love, and am drawn to all things that ripen and deepen with time. There is such a wealth of life and character, authenticity and story to see, to marvel at as we get older. So I need headshots that resemble you. Not you 15 years ago, or 10 years ago. Too many times recently I’ve called people in and literally not recognized them from their headshots and because of this, they are not right for the role I’ve called them in for. I do see that the pandemic has played a huge role in putting the breaks on our work and perhaps our desire to see ourselves post-pandemic (pure imagining on my part…) and yes, there is a financial cost. But there is also a different kind of cost, I imagine, if your headshots in your profile show you at 40-something when you are actually 50-something, and wish to be called in for those roles. There is so much more to discuss on this topic but for now, when in doubt …
