THIS MUST BE TUESDAY… I have a reasonable likeness to the celebrated American general, George S. Patton; but, at the time I auditioned for a role about him (that I desperately wanted to portray), I also had a full beard. While my beard was perfect for the 1st-century role I had already been cast for, it clearly worked against the fastidious, ultra-clean-shaven appearance that the disciplinarian general was known for. But, that is the way opportunity calls upon you in acting – inconveniently. Always inconveniently. Still, you have to lay down your best lick, anyway. Thankfully, there were other prominent vocal traits and personality aspects to George S. Patton that I could draw upon, to help reenact an actual moment that the producers wanted to cover in the documentary: the general actually assembled the citizens of one town his army had overrun, and compelled the occupants to tour the death camp they had been tolerating and servicing for years, which, ironically, most citizens claimed to know nothing about. At the assembly, a woman situated just below a riser that Patton used to address his troops, began sobbing aloud as he spoke. And Patton, being Patton, used the outburst to his advantage without missing a beat. Neither did I. Still, I’ll never know if my beard got in the way of my being cast for the part. While, this much will always remain frustratingly certain: this audition, like so many others, is yet another one of those roles that got away from me, despite how hard I tried. In acting, losing a role that you treasure is not considered failure… it’s considered just another Tuesday.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 19:28:00 +0000
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