If They Want You, They Will Have You

Many actors receive coaching to put additional skills onto their resume; like stage fighting, accents and dialect, all in an attempt to improve their chances of work. This is all well and good but is it entirely necessary?

Depending on the budget of the production if a part requires further skills then you will usually be trained in them - generally to a standard satisfactory enough to get the right take.

There was an incident a short time ago where a little girl, who only knew two phrases in French, bluffed her way to a young lead in a major Hollywood film. When the charade was uncovered did they replace her? Non!
The well known director merely ordered she have French lessons.

My best friend won a part in a musical in Germany though he didn’t speak the language. Was this a problem? Nein!
They taught him German!

I myself recently went for an ad casting which called for a knowledge of tennis. The role required me to perform a serve - and trust me, me and balls do not mix!

Never played the game? But got the look they want? Is this a problem? “You cannot be serious!”
The morning of the shoot they simply gave me tennis lessons! My coach was great and taught me everything I needed to know to deliver the perfect serve and that was it. That was all I needed to know.

So the next time you’re on the courts and see a fit, agile athlete give a serve that would have Serena standing behind the baseline, then that’ll probably be me… Just don’t expect a great return!