I love playing good comedy with a heart, comedy which touches the audience.
Character actor Mary Wickes, was born on this day in 1910. (died 1995).
If you’ve watched any “older” movies at all, you’ve likely seen Mary Wickes. In fact her biography is titled Mary Wickes: I Know I’ve Seen That Face Before (available on Amazon.) It was written several years after her passing.
Whether she was Sister Mary Lazarus in Sister Act (and Sister Act 2), or the busybody housekeeper Emma Allen in White Christmas, or the voice of Laverne the Gargoyle in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mary Wickes excelled at being the character actor that everyone loved.
Wickes understood that the best parts are not always given to the lead. She excelled at being the witty sidekick with the snappy remarks.
It’s probably something most younger actors don’t consider. But there can be so much depth and richness in playing the character role.
I was never the leading man type myself. I wanted to be Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in college but was thankful to be cast as Peter Quince once I saw the costume, or lack thereof, for Oberon.
True story. Of the many paths I considered when leaving college, being a professional actor was not one of them. I didn’t consider myself pretty enough.
Well, that and the fact that my indecisiveness was already pulling me in multiple different directions.
These days, as has been the case for more than ten years now since I branched out in to professional acting, I’m content to play the character parts. I’m well aware that I’ve aged out of several of my bucket list roles.
And that’s okay.
Sure, I still get an occasional lead role. Wearing the red suit helps a great deal with that.
I’m just more likely to be cast as a judge or the cantankerous step-dad or uncle.
As long as I get the callback, right?
Now that I qualify for the senior discount (and yes, it’s been a while), I’m content to find those character roles, those supporting parts. And sometimes I’m on the other side doing the directing.
I sat out on the back deck (or as I refer to it the veranda) the other day with an adult entertainment beverage and a stack of scripts.
It was grand.
As the next theater season heats up, I find I’ll be more active than I have since the pre-pandemic days. And I’m liking that. No, I’m not listing the shows yet. You know I will when I can.
In the meantime?
Casting directors, my line is open.
IN OTHER NEWS
Rescuing Hostages Is Good, Actually
The Editors at National Review
In a morally sane world, the rescue of civilian hostages should have been widely celebrated as a heroic operation. Sadly, when it comes to the world’s attitude toward Jews, we are not living in such a world.
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