Carrie & Other Shows Creating Work for Young Actors, Costars, Guest Stars, etc

I just finished binging Carrie in two nights. It got me thinking about a lot of the noise one hears daily online via attention media. I wanted to chime in on a couple thoughts…

Watching episode 7 of 8, there was a massive scene of parents, teachers and students at the high school. No spoilers, except, I kept thinking about the complaint that Guest star level Actors are now taking costar Work.

I picked out about half a dozen faces making a one episode appearance with what would have been an Under 5 just 30 years ago. A couple faces were basically background. They must have had lines cut, because those actors are not BG.

A lot of actors are complaining online. Former series regulars are taking Guest star roles. Guest Stars are taking costars. Folks like me, with a half dozen costars on the resume, struggling to find work.

MOST of these actors complaining are if a certain age. They are aging out of engenue. Or they only had lead roles on CW type shows and soaps. Most streaming shows that dominate the TV scripted world have a higher level of writing and acting.

I hate to say it, THAT is the business. I look at it another way. I am a 54yo plus size character actor. I had a bunch of quirky costar roles, plus bits in sketch comedy shoes and Letterman.

At 30-40yo, I was uniquely qualified as a classically trained actors with leading man chops and access to great directoes and training in my 20s. Most other plus size guys were stereo types without the experience carrying a show for 2-3 hours and the access to training that granted me.

But at 50, there are 100s of stars that have put on some weight with much longer IMDB pages than mine. At 60+ you are competing with Pacino, DeNiro, and other Oscar winners for grandpa roles. Helen Mirren, Emma Thompson, and Meryll Streep for Grandma. While the kids are complaining about nepobabies, there are 1000s of legacy hires at 50+ with major TV series, stand up comedy, Broadway, Music and film credits.

At the same time, I see a ton of work for former child stars that need showcases as young actors. Shows like Carrie, even if still portraying high school characters, give 25-30 yos access to better scripts, directors, etc. They are propelled to the attention of film directors and bigger studios like Marvel.

Meanwhile Disney is creating one show for young actors after another. Netflix, Prime and others regularly kick out series based on YA Books.

One of our students made it big at 13 starring in the Mighty Ducks series for 2 seasons. We haven’t seen Sway since being Quarentined in Vancouver in 2020 for filming.

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While all those “influencers” complain about the industry, Sway is proving it can be ton. She trained. She auditioned. She shows up on social media. She has now appeared in a few series, movies and VOs. While other actors complain about luck and nepobabies, SWAY DOES THE WORK!

While other complain about big names taking small roles, I work almost daily, on stage, at corporate events, k12 schools, etc. Am I living the dream? YES. It is not what I imagined at 21yo. BUT I am 21 years day job free and I own a home. I am not rich. I am not hobnobbing at Hollywood or Broadway parties. I am not wasting time with ego and insecurity. I am not down the pity party rabbit hole.

I am working. I am creating work for other artists. I reject words like “deserve” and “fair”. I am too busy showing up and doing the work on and off stage.

My advice?

Stop listening to the noise. Stop listening to the advice from those who are not working actors. All they have is excuses.

1. What did you today to make yourself a better artist tomorrow?
2. What did you do today to servide work you have today?
3. What did you do today to get work tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, etc?

Stop thinking like an employee. Open mind and eyes like an entrepreneur. There is plenty of work for those that do the work. It won’t always look like you expect. It won’t always work out the way you want. But if you want to be a working artist, the ONLY one holding you back is YOU. Stop blaming gate keepers, industry, unions, studios, etc. Come over to the working side of the artist pool.

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