The Self-Tape Controversy: Six Actors Speak About What Makes It So Maddening (Yet Strangely Convenient) At the Same Time
deadline.comBy the look of Sunday’s Oscar telecast, life had returned to normal in Hollywood. The red carpet was packed with stars, publicists and the media, while the Dolby Theatre was at capacity to celebrate this year’s victor, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The only visible person wearing a mask was Jessica Chastain. But when it comes to auditions, it’s as if the industry remains gripped by the pandemic.
Actors are still expected to produce (and pay for) their own tapes and send them off to casting directors, who are expected to sift through hundreds of auditions for every role they are attempting to fill.
As actor Michael Gaston (Mayor of Kingstown, Five Days at Memorial) tells Deadline, “Now that we’re in a less dangerous phase of the pandemic and things are quote unquote getting back to normal, our business has decided for us that we’re going to stick with this pandemic model, even though that’s not the reason anymore.” We checked in with six working class actors in various stages of their career — Regina Taylor (CSI: Las Vegas, East New York), Jules Willcox (Servant, The L Word: Generation Q), Antonio Jaramillo (Chicago Med, Mayans M.C.), Presciliana Esparolini (NCIS: Hawaii, All Rise), Rose Abdoo (Hacks, Ghosts) and Gaston — to see how they are coping with the new normal.
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