Dream of being an actor? Reality check:

ActSingMom

A professional actress/singer for 25 years, motherhood has had its toll on my body and my profession. In its revitalization, I contacted a casting director I worked with 23 years ago in the DC area. Since we moved here after living in the NYC area all these years, I reconnected with them to get work here. Recap:

I brought in my photos and resumes as requested. The owner looked at them and then me, and said: "You're way too fat. You have got to lose weight. I can't....there's no....you are just too fat. And what is with that tooth?..." I had had an accident which broke the tooth and while the dentist saved it it looks lighter than the rest.

My daughter, 19, was in the room. When she heard how I was treated, she had to leave the room or rip the woman down. (she has spent most of her life int he NY area which puts a certain edge on you.)

While the casting director's tone was unnecessarily abrasive, I was prepared. She was that cruel 25 years ago. She says to an actor's face what they definitely say once you leave the room. I have never been a model nor wanted to be, and I know that there are character roles out there I can play because I am a comedienne. She was just in the moment, as always. And I must also be prepared that my age range is no longer the most in-demand of ages.

But I will not give up. Now, on top of my weight loss plan, I need to find an amazing cosmetic dentist.

lcmartin

Wow that was harsh! I don't know how you could take that. I would have walked out in tears. I guess it is nice to at least have an honest opinion on what area's they want you to work on. There's nicer ways to put it though.

Hang in there, but just do it for yourself because YOU want to be healthy...not for others.

SugarHi

Well, you said the most important thing here. YOU'RE A MOTHER. For that I certainly hope you are the proudest you could ever be! No job title anywhere will over overcome the joys and rewards and bonuses of being a Mother.

I do realize there are people who are interested in acting and singing, and maybe I forgot all about the real pressure there is behind that with image. Now the two things I think about are: 1) Being a Mother and 2) image. It seems that maybe it was not the best place to have your 19 year old daughter. I can only image that was slightly traumatizing to see her Mom being talked to like this, and now she may have gone home and internally processed the personal image bit and compared herself to someone of the acting career and or maybe felt as though she has many imperfections that she needs to fix. Oh boy, this is not meant to sound rude or condescending in anyway. :flowerforyou:

I first hope that what you make a change physically about yourself it's first solely just for you. Anything regarding your weight or size, just remember that being healthy is so much more important than a size. If acting is something that you really want to do and it seems like you do. Make sure you stand firm grounds and refuse to step over your comfort zones. You're already more important than the president, you're a Mom.

These are just my opinions and are in no way meant to be read or taken with a rude tone. We are all here to help each other accomplish our goals!

Have a great day