Suit against IMDb shedding light on how birth dates can kill acting careers

[vienna]

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_19325714

I some what sympathize with the actors, but I don't really think this suit is going anywhere...

[Platapus]

Yeah, I don't think they will have much of a case. Besides it is not only IMDB that has this information. Are we going after all sites on the Internets Tubes that makes actors uncomfortable?

Sucks growing old, but we all do it and pretty much at the same rate.

[vienna]

Sucks growing old, but we all do it and pretty much at the same rate.

That's an affirm. The real irritation to the actors who find themselves being cast aside by producers, casting agents, directors, etc. is that the person telling you essentially you are too old for a part is usually someone, usually male, who is probably well past the sell by date they have ascribed to you. Another irritation is, after having built a skill set in acting and a reputation for quality craft to be told you don't have "it" when it comes to a role and the role going to a "flavor of the month" celeb who will probably either wind up in rehab or imploding on TMZ. I have worked for a couple of production companies and have seen the way most actors are treated. If some of the star-struck young wannabes ever spent some time observing the practices of Hollywood regarding actors, they would probably opt for some other, kinder field. One company I was working for was casting for a character in a network mini-series it was making. I was leaving my office to go to a nearby store and as, I entered the elevator lobby, waiting for the elevator was a character actor I had seen many, many times in movies and on television. He had a somewhat dejected look and I assumed his audition did not go well. We entered the elevator and, after the door closed, I complimented him on his excellent performance in a PBS drama about the Rosenberg spy case I had seen a day or two before. The change in his demeanor was dramatic; He seemed to stand taller, he started to smile, and he was much more confident. I was amazed how a few words from someone who just a viewer could affect him. It was then I fully realized what a really emotionally trying existence acting is for those who are really devoted to and who excel in their craft...

[August]

Isn't this really about a refusal to "act" ones true age? I mean if an actor is too old to play a teenager anymore then maybe he should start looking for parts better suited to his age.

[vienna]

Isn't this really about a refusal to "act" ones true age? I mean if an actor is too old to play a teenager anymore then maybe he should start looking for parts better suited to his age.

Sometimes, not really...

For some roles, an actor can play somewhat younger than their actual age. Michael J. Fox in his early movies springs to mind. He seemed to play a teenager for a rather long time. The real problem is in televison series. Take a show like "Beverly Hills 90210": when the show started, no one really knew how long the show would last. They cast a lot of over 18 but younger looking actors (casting actors under 18 is a really big expense and headache -- on-set tutors, guardians, social workers, restricted working hours, etc). The show became a hit, but, worse for the producers, the actors became pop culture icons. It's really hard to fire and/or replace actors of they are too closely associated with the popularity of the show. Added to this is the actor's desires to live a "Hiollywood Lifestyle", which seems to rather accelerate the aging process of anyone. So now you've got a hit, long-running program with "teenage" actor who are aging at a rapid rate.

The real problem with the age issue is the practice of out-of-hand dismissal of an actor simply based on their age, not their talent, ability, or even their ability to look younger for the part. So much of modern television and film is marketing instead of quality of program; the studios and networks feel it is a harder sell to their target marketing audience if the principals in the production are deemed "outside" of the audience. Think of it in the same way as the old 1960's saying "Don't trust anybody over 30". There is no real rhyme or reason for the viewpoint; it is arbitrary "discrimination" plain and simple...