The Actor's Ladder Of Success - LA Style

Not only do actors in LA come in all shapes sizes, nationalities, and ages, they all stand on different rungs on the ladder of success. I'm not going to try and tell you how many rungs are on that ladder, as quite frankly, I don't know. I suspect the number of rungs on that ladder change depending on who is discussing them. I have also been in LA long enough to know that how I see things now, may not necessarily be the way I will see things, as I become more experienced in the ways of Hollywood.

However, I can identify some of the major rungs on that elusive ladder of success so many of us are climbing. First, and most obvious are the top and bottom rungs of the ladder. At the top, are the established stars. They command huge salaries per picture, they sometimes delve into the production end of things (like George Clooney), and they sometimes direct (like Clint Eastwood). They have arrived. They are the standard. They have set the bar. At the opposite end of that ladder, is the bottom rung of people who almost never get cast in anything. Bless their hearts, they try, sometimes for years, but for whatever reason, it just never falls their way. I'm excluding newcomers like myself from being on any rung, since it takes probably at least a year to find even your starting place in this town. So we newcomers must first find the ladder and then begin our climb.

On the next rung up the ladder are those people who work in various projects (usually non union) like small commercials, independent films (short and feature) and so forth. As I said, I don't yet consider myself to be standing on any rung on that ladder, but I may at least have a hand hold on the rung I just mentioned, on the strength of a commercial I recently shot, and because of the small part I have in a non union film, which is shooting over the next two weeks.

Above that rung are the people who work fairly regularly. Some may be non union, but most are union, and they have carved out a reputation for themselves which keeps casting directors bringing them in for auditions and often casting them in small parts, sometimes in major films and television productions, other times in lesser productions. Strangely, there are a few in this group who do mainly extra work. Again, they have become known by the people who cast extras, they have an interesting look, and they are reliable. They are professional extras (almost all of whom are SAG, AFTRA, etc.) and work quite steadily.

On the next rung are the people who work larger parts in films and TV shows. They are not the guest star on a TV show, or even the second guest star, but play the judge, the girlfriend or wife, the detective asking questions, the bartender with the friendly ear, the doctor talking with the family after an operation, the first lieutenant to the crime lord, and so forth. They work enough that you recognize their face when you watch television or go to the movies, but you just can't quite remember their name.

Next, are the guest stars on television, and maybe they also are seen as the third lead in a film, or in a strong character role. You certainly recognize these actors and many times you do remember their names. They have become known quantities. They have arrived, but are still a couple of rungs from the top.

Then you have the recognizable actors who get the second billing in films. Most do well financially, are respected actors, and are just a short stones throw from the top rung. Some are older character actors, while others are lead types who will be the next generation on that very top rung.

Of course being on any rung is not permanent. All of us who are not on the top rung, are striving to get to the next rung, and then the next and so forth. The people who occupy the top rung are striving to stay there. And, of course, a few icons, are on the top rung for as long as they care to be. They are permanent fixtures. Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Robert Redford, Tom Hanks, and many others are permanent residents of that rung. Paul Newman was a permanent fixture there until his death.

Some people go up the ladder, some go down, some fall off, and some get off the ladder by choice, as their interests change. Occasionally, a newcomer to town hits the ladder and whizzes straight to the top. It's rare, but it happens.

So, with my feet still on the ground, but with a hand clamped around one of the lowest rungs on that ladder of success, I am but one of thousands determined to see if I can climb it, and if so, how far. Whatever the outcome, I have already learned, it's quite an amazing journey.

More to come........