Modeling auditions

I had a friend who registered with a local talent agency during his last year of college, to try and transition into the world of working artists. They said they would send his name and headshot and resume out to casting directors. And indeed, he did end up going on a few movie auditions - although he's mostly a stage actor and did not get any theatre auditions from the agency of note. But his gigs from the agency mostly fell under one category: modeling. Specifically, underwear modeling.

These agencies handle a lot of local modeling. They've got the market cornered, from baby modeling to plus-sized modeling: if you are a local company looking for a model for your ad, television commercial, whatever, these talent agencies will find you your man, or woman. And for some reason, my friend was pegged as an underwear model from the beginning. He's trim, androgynous, Asian - I'll bet they liked the ethnic feel as well as the intangible "prettiness," although why that should be particularly appealing to underwear companies...search me. He just kept getting gig after gig to model underwear. And it's not that he isn't comfortable with his body, but underwear modeling leaves you, well, exposed...a lot...to lots of people.

"I don't understand," he would say to me. "My friend Sally is registered with the same agency, and all she gets are film auditions, film auditions, film auditions. Or the stupid fourteen-year-olds that I always see in the office - don't underwear companies need teenage models? Shouldn't they be having auditions for teens? Why is it always me they want to prance around in their briefs and boxers?"

A year later and these underwear gigs are still where he's making the bulk of his rent money. All I can do in response to his lamentations is shrug, sigh, and smile in what I hope is a somewhat rueful, sympathetic fashion. "Who understands the entertainment industry?" I say to him. "At least you're getting paid for all of the prancing." And it's true - he'd do the same for free if it were a bit role with a local theatre company.