Remember “Married With Children” ? Remember how all the fat women were not only made fun of, but they actively participated in it, either by saying lines that set them up for put downs, or just acting stupid. How could any of those women think very much of themselves when they know their roll was to be purely put down objects?
Now I believe that we should all have some sense of humor when about ourselves, our age, weight, gender, skin color, nationality, and everything else, but there’s a fine line between no harm intended humor, and put down humor, and those women were purely there for the put down humor.
Anyway, I’m done ranting and raving. I’ll just post this and check back for responses.
Umm…are you sure that was a question?
I think there’s a ‘flame’ board somewhere else on the site…but as long as it’s here, I’ll post my bit:
Some people, like it or not–are just completely devoid of self-shame, like a dog. 
Believe me, Columbia Tri-Star was already perpetually ‘on a limb’ as the producers of MWC. Recieving constant protest and complaint–usually from women’s groups.
If there weren’t fat women -willing- to be a little cynical about themselves for the sake of earning a purse and not having serious self-esteem issues afterwards, Columbia Tri-Star would probably not have invested the extra effort in paying serious money for those the professionals that -would- have.
-Ashley (I really miss that show…)
I’ve wondered the same thing, about actors whose role it is to play the unattractive person. I suppose it’s at least somewhat obvious to most obese people that they’re obese, so if the casting folks solicited auditions for “An obese man in his mid-40s” you could just look at yourself in the mirror, remember your drama classes, and say, “Hey, I fit the bill!” I’m not saying obesity doesn’t cause self-esteem problems, I’m just saying, getting an acting job based on that wouldn’t necessarily make it worse.
But what about those casting calls that are obviously for “ugly people”? I mean, there are definitely people cast to be the ugly girl in movies, or the funny-looking guy. The craggy old man, the scary-lookin-lady-with-too-many-facelifts. Some of this can be done with makeup, of course, but probably not all of it. How would you like it if the only job you could get was reading two lines in a part for “Butt Ugly Guy Behind Counter”? Well, I wouldn’t.
On the other hand, I suppose it’s all part of acting. I mean, it just seems (and I have no direct experience) like such a heinous career choice for 98% of the people who choose it. What are your choices if you’re lucky enough to be classically attractive? Not necessarily much better. You could end up being the mute beefcake that doesn’t say anything, or the dumb blonde that everyone ignores except when they’re trying to get her into bed.
As far as Married With Children, yeah, that show tended to amplify all the stereotypes out of all proportion. The whole idea of the show was pandering to everyone’s lowest expectations of other people. The fat women would naturally be portrayed as stupid, to emphasize their uselessness; attractive women would also be portrayed as stupid, to emphasize that no pesky brainpower existed to interfere with their uses.
I live in Southern California, and know a few “actors”. Most of them are really waiters or bartenders, but that’s just “temporary”. They consider dressing in a chicken suit and standing on the corner with a cardboard sign advertising a fast food restaurant to be a valid acting job. Landing the role as “Butt-ugly guy behind the counter” would be a godsend for most of them. It’s not about self-esteem, it’s about getting a job in the field they want to pursue. Seems crazy to me, but I’m sure they consider engineering to be purgatory, too.
Kevin B.
Money.
You get paid a LOT for a speaking role on a TV show. A few days of scale work will save many a struggling actor from eviction.
Lack of good looks never hurt Walter Matthau, I don’t imagine he had low self-esteem either.
I suppose it would not be too hard to come up with a list of less than beautiful people who are stars in films and tv.
The “monkey guy” from [italic]The Golden Child[/italic] wasn’t exactly handsome, but I’ve seen his face pop up in different movies through the years. (I thought it was Michael Berryman).
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Anyway…check out http://www.what-a-character.com .
it’s kinda like the chicken and the egg. Why do heavy set actors play unatractive characters? well, when have the writers ** written ** characters as heavy set but attractive.
Camryn whateverherlastname from the Practice, I read had arguments with the writers on the show. They had a scene with her and Bobby running across the street, while she was supposed to be carrying a doughnut (fat people of course, always eat doughnuts on the street), she got to do the scene with her handing the doughnut to Bobby instead. They also originally had a dish full of candy as a prop for her desk until she objected.
Ranting and Raving? This sounds like a job for The BBQ Pit!
Take it away, Pitizens.
There is a casting agency in Vancouver that specialises in odd-looking people. If you weren’t conventionally beautiful, and wanted a role on The X-Files, that’s where you’d submit a resume and headshot. If you had graphic tattoos, a too-big head, etc, they wanted you in their stable. If you wanted an acting job your self-esteem didn’t matter.
And the rest (that isn’t make-up, of course) is acting, which is what actors want to do. How do you think Steve Buscemi manages to look normal in one movie and completely psycho in another?