CASTING THE BIMBO

Let me explain. Growing up in Los Angeles and going through years of auditions left me with a sort of "BLAH" feeling. That is the best way to describe it. BLAH. It is not that I was NOT successful, the problem is my inner core got so ANNOYED by the whole process! Even when I DID succeed it never got easier. I find it hard to "cherish" any of the past moments, except for starring in musicals and plays in highschool "way back when." That was before all of the "politics," "experiences" and "screwed up producers" in the industry changed things for me. Did I also mention all of the crazy people?

My early experiences in Hollywood started at the young age of five. I starred in many stage shows and landed my first professional musical when I was eighteen. I had done a few dance shows on television, starred in music videos and performed in a few commercials and films, but starring in the Earl Carrol review paid big bucks and they paid me weekly. Did I mention that I wore very skimpy costumes and was the youngest in the cast along with a few show girls from Vegas? The show opened in downtown Los Angeles. It was a big hit and plenty of celebrities came to see us and I got offered lots of lucrative tips from the men in the audience because I was "pretty." That's showbiz! I would say!

Afterall my first big waitress/dance job in Santa Monica landed me a $100.00 bill from Lionel Ritchie and all I did was smile and bring him dinner! I could get used to this I thought! Anyway, this is the point of this article. All of the good stuff after you get successful is a blast for a while, but what people do not realize is that a lot of these young women you see on television or film today went through hell to get where they are. Some lost a lot of their soul along the way and are still in it. Some at some point in their life decided that it just wasn't worth it anymore. The rejection, the pressure, the chaos in every day life.

So, the production company that I co-own was asked to produce a commercial for a major studio. Part of producing the commercial is "casting" the lead role. Although I hired the Casting Director (cost $2,000 for him to audition lots of good looking girls ; what a job! ha) to take this responsibility and audition the girls, the job of helping pick the "final choice" was still put in my hands. My partner came home with lots of DVD's of various auditions which I sat through and made notes before I gave my final ok. Afterall the chosen actress has a big chance at getting a major contract and is getting paid $6,000 for this particular gig. Not bad for looking good and talking to the camera!

You must excuse my use of the word "Bimbo" but you see the problem with this industry is nomatter what sort of "description" you give to the TOP agencies in Los Angeles, they never fail in sending chicks that look like they have done porn or have FAKE everything! The desperation in the taped auditions was so depressing at one point and the way some of them acted really made me feel sorry for the female race. At one point, I had to fast forward the footage because I just could not stand it! In the beginning I reached out to some of my industry friends to see if they knew anyone who would be right for this commercial. Looking back I think I was dreading this whole process!

The auditions seemed to get really bad at one point. Some of the women looked like they were drugged out or drunk and it was obvious that only about five women from the final fifty were right for this role. Now, the final fifty came out of hundreds that were sent from well known agencies and who the heck knows what was in those original piles? That was up to the casting agent, but at one point some of the woman were over sixty years old. Some were quite famous in their heyday and starred in very famous films BUT......The description in the casting notes was YOUNG, on-air host with experience in reporting! Only a few of the girls that auditioned could actually read the copy and the chosen few did a pretty good job. There were only about two that were "tops" and were good at reading the copy and seemed like they could do a good job. This realization then lead me to my kitchen drawer to indulge in a "taffy attack!" It had been a long time since any of these sort of thoughts were in my psyche and now being on the other side of the camera gave me an anxiety attack and all I could think of was CANDY!

This is my point and this is why I'm writing this hub. It was strange to see so many good looking women with absolutely nothing going for them "upstairs" in the brain department. It was shocking to see so much plastic surgery in their faces (cheek implants) and body. My partner described one sort of "mentally ill" actress from a big agency hovering around the audition for hours and at one point he thought they had to call the police to take her away. She refused to leave until she could audition again after everyone left.

After I put my final two choices on the table, my partner then said that we need to do a google search to make sure there is no "surprises" from their past! "Not even a touch of nudity in any way or form." By the time I checked the younger of the two, there was something on the web that could take her out of the race. Will know more this week. Not sure if the internet is good for woman trying to make an honest living when at one point they may have really needed the money and taken their clothes off! In the old days, you could not track any of it....now everything appears courtesy of the "world wide web." 

My father once told me "Never think that you are NOT good enough." There were many times when I was stressed about a screen test or had auditioned for something I really wanted and doubted myself. Sometimes I even talked my self out of going! What he meant was......

"Always go there and give it your best and know that you are good enough, because I can guarantee that out of all the girls there you will be better then most or in the top three." I know.....he loved me but he DID have a point! After watching the auditions and a conference call.....the first choice from the casting director, my partner and myself was actually a younger version of me! She was pretty, but she was smart too and she was dressed nicely with no huge cleavage or naked body parts being forced down our throats!

There are a lot of little miracles that happen in the casting process and most of it is out of the actresses or actors control. I could finally "look back" and pat myself on the back and say....Cool.