Last month, I performed the role of a homeless person in Jackob G, Hofmann's TOWER OF TOYS as part of the 2011 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. The role required that I wear a beard (gulp!) and let the hair on my head grow back in (double gulp!).
(Above: Me, and cast mates Victoria Vance (l.) and Jacqueline van Biene, in a tech rehearsal of TOWER OF TOYS.)
A few days before TOYS was to perform (it was a one-day performance and I had vowed to go back to my clean-shaven self immediately afterward), I had an audition for a Public Service Announcement. I went in... with "the hair." And I got a callback. The callback was a few days after the TOYS performance. All my folks in the business basically said that I must attend the callback with... "the hair." I did. And I was hired for the job.
(Above: Me and my "family" in holding on set of Sprout's KINDNESS COUNTS Public Service Announcement shoot.)
In the transportation vehicle that carried my "family" back to New York (our shoot was in New Jersey), I showed them an electronic version of my headshot stored on my iPhone, proudly stating, "I am going back to this look tomorrow!!!"
So, a few days pass... and I have yet to shave "the hair."
Actor-friend, Robin Madel, maybe a day or two later suggests that I take some character photos with "the hair," so I would have these optional "looks" as part of my portfolio.
(Above: The "looks" with..."the hair.")
Time goes on. And I've since shaved and am back to my clean-shaven "office-friendly" self.
And now, this...
A few days ago, actor-friend Michael Valentine reaches out to me to advise that he's working on a "multi-ethnic version of Popeye" and that he was thinking that I would be great playing the role of Popeye's father, Pappy. He goes on to ask if I would be OK with his "comp-ing" a photo of me so I could see how I might look. Well, lo and behold...
(Above: Me as "Pappy.")
Aside from the fact that Michael is just amazing and his vision to even "see" me as this character is beyond awesome, it begs this question: Has the time come for me to change my brand to include a beard and/or hair on my head? I must say, I'm finding myself nowadays being considered for more opportunities with "the hair" than without it.
Hmm. A hairy situation, indeed.
