ABSTRACT
Television is the one medium in which you will always be cast as what you are or feasibly could be and as how you come across, rather than what you are plainly not. In other words, you will be playing you, or the you that you have projected to the panel at the casting concerned. It's not worth your while telling television casting directors that although you are a Londoner, you could play a Geordie. If they want a Geordie, nine times out of ten they will cast someone who was born and bred in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, unless you can walk into the room with the accent and convince everyone concerned that you are exactly what they are looking for. The downside of doing this, bearing in mind that the human memory believes what it is told and especially takes notice of the first impression that a person has given it, is that you risk being always remembered as a Geordie, so you will never be seen for those London parts that you were born to play. Beware of being too versatile — work out the most useful type that you can realistically play and stick to it. Save playing character roles that are against your type for when you are working in the theatre. Most ‘stars’ do nothing but play themselves, or a close variant of themselves, as they know their niche (where they fit into the jigsaw puzzle) and earn a very good living from it. The majority of them are more than happy to do this, and only when they have really made it will a well-known TV actor suggest demonstrating their versatility by playing a role significantly different from those that they are known for. This only happens very occasionally, with most high-profile screen actors sticking firmly to their typecasting throughout their careers — as should you.
