Student Blog: Your Type

What is your “type” as an actor? What does this mean for which auditions you should and should not attend? And how does your type differ from who you are as a person? Simply put, your acting type is how others perceive you based on your looks and energy alone. But it can be challenging to understand the differences between who you are and what other people think you are.

Type can be a tricky topic. While it is important not to put yourself in a box as an actor, it is also smart to understand that sometimes people are going to expect certain things from you based on your appearance, your energy, and how they perceive you. This can affect what roles you get called in for, so it is clever as an actor to understand what your type is. In my opinion, the best way to learn your type is to ask teachers, mentors, and actors how they see you, and what roles you’d be good for. From there you can start to research roles that interest you. Personally, I tend to lean toward a girl-next-door type. This means that while I might end up playing a more mean-girl villain type at some point in a specific project, I will more than likely shy away from those characters, and tend to lean more toward the protagonist or best friend type in shows. Type is all about what others think you could be like, but often people confuse their personality as a human with their personality as an actor. You can be the sweetest human alive, but people perceive you as more of a villain type, and you have to be aware of that while auditioning.

So how does this impact what roles you audition for? Type is important, but it also goes hand in hand with your personality, your age, and your style as an actor. For instance, I tend to have a folk/pop style when I sing, so those genres suit me well. Someday, I would absolutely love to be Jenna in Waitress because of this, but I have to also consider age as a factor. When I audition for musicals I keep this in consideration as well as my type. While I will be right for that role someday, I need to be honest with myself in that I should not go in for that role at this moment in time.

Type is a tool for you to decide what roles and auditions may be right for you. But at the end of the day, the creative team will decide what’s right for you based on their more detailed idea of the character. How people perceive you is subjective, and every creative team is going to have a unique opinion of you based on how you enter the room that day. Not only that but so much more goes into a role than just type. There are many other factors to consider based on the show as a whole, including basic things like height, age, and acting choices they want you to make. They may decide you’re more suited for another character in the show and they’ll have you read for them instead. This is why, while it’s important to understand the kinds of roles you’re suited for, you shouldn’t stress out too much about it, because you never really know what the team is looking for. 

There are tons of roles out there that you’re right for, you just have to understand the roles that people expect to see you playing right now. Type is used for organizational purposes to ensure that less time is wasted on people who don’t fit the vibe of a role. It has nothing to do with who you are as a person, and while it is somewhat important to be aware of, try not to get super in your head about what roles you can and can’t play. It isn’t necessary to put yourself in a box creatively because even with a type, there is still plenty of room for versatility. Chances are, your type is more broad than you think.

So ask people in the business that you trust what your type is and what roles you should be going in for. The answers may surprise you, but it is helpful as you’re going out into the world of auditioning. That being said, don’t find yourself losing sleep over this answer, because it has nothing to do with who you really are and it doesn’t even begin to cover what you’re capable of as an actor.