Warning - Opinion Ahead...

[Guest guest]

SO very well said, I read this letter with my mouth wide open because I can

not believe just how right on you are.

I really hope others read this and learn!

[Guest guest]

I have been reading the posts concerning dwarfs in the entertainment

industry and have several thoughts on the matter. You all know that

I am not backward about expressing my opinions so if you don't want

to hear them, you might as well stop reading here...

I think many people are misguided when trying to understand why it

is that LP's usually end up with the bit type roles that a majority

of them play. Usually the blame is placed on the entertainment

industry saying that not enough good roles are provided for the LP

to act out. Perhaps though there is another angle that should be

explored. Perhaps it is not wholey the fault of the entertainment

industry, but rather the lack of usable talent on the part of the LP

as well.

This is idea is not any different than in the mainstream for the

average sized person as well. Year after year countless young people

head to Hollywood believing they have what it takes to be the

next " big " thing. And year after year countless young people find

themselves comprising their principles after finding out they are of

no more entertainment value than the next person. This same

situation holds true for the LP population. There are numerous LP's

who assume they have what it takes to break through and become the

one that changes the views and understands of Hollywood, and thus

the world, toward the LP population. However, much like the other

average sized fallout, they find themselves on the losing end of the

deal.

Yes, every once in a while an LP does come along that breaks the

barrier by having truly marketable talent. This is nothing new.

Harry Earles, Angelo Rossito, Barty, Dunn, and a host

of others all showed they had the talent that was required to

establish a career in a cut-throat industry that cares little about

the composure of the actor/actress over their ability to produce a

profitable bottom line. Currently we see Meredith Eaton in a

reoccurring role on a main stream television program. I propose that

she is not positioned in that role due to her physical stature. I

propose she is in the role due to her acting abilities which makes

her a profitable commodity. While attributes may open a door, talent

keeps it from closing.

So where does this leaving the majority of dwarf talent out there

just waiting for the big break that most likely isn't going to come?

It leaves them in the same place their average sized peers find

themselves. Taking parts that are not of their chosing. Self

effacing humor seems to be one of these. Self effacing humor is not

specific to the LP performers. A few years back there was a young

woman with a form of cerebal palsy on the comic circuit. And her

forte was self effacing humor. She did not go far. Obese people have

attempted the same and only one I can think of has made it to any

degree. Louie has achieved a somewhat decent level of

recognition. But guess what, his career didn't take off until he

began phasing out the self effacing obesity materials. You can only

talk bad about yourself so long and after that people begin to

believe you really think that way about yourself. Maybe some do.

The other path that is followed is that of continuously accepting

demeaning bit parts or stereotypical-whimsical roles. Always

believing the big break is just around the corner. Does one in these

roles never have the thought occur to them that the if the big part

hasn't arrived by now, maybe it is not going to arrive? The excuses

abound; " I need the money " , " I need the exposure " , etc... Each time

an LP appears in one of these roles, their returns are diminished

for the possiblities of achieving a mainstream goal. The limits they

have placed they have done so themselves, not by fault of the

industry.

What is the solution? None that is simple. But a few things to

consider might be in order. First, the hardest of all, is to

evaluate yourself. Long before you make that first attempt, you need

to be painfully honest with yourself. Are you the LP that is really

going to change the attitudes of an industry that chews up and spits

out wasted dreams like a rotten bite of an apple? Or, are you going

to become just another nameless bit player when you don't reach the

lofty goals you have set? Are you strong willed enough to turn

around and walk away from the roles you know will only promulgate

the stereotypical likenesses that we all seem to hate? The decisions

rests soley on you.

Is the entertainment industry squarely to blame? I don't think so.

Perhaps there is equal blame to be shared by those who are unwilling

to accept their limited potential and are willing to prostitute

themselves for a piece of something that never was in their reach

from the start. (Pun intended).

I have observed a curious phenomena among the LP population. It

seems no one wants to introduce the stark reality that says not

everyone, not even LP's, are cut out to be in the entertainment

industry. You hear a lot of back patting, and rarely any criticism.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but not everyone is that good.

For those that are, they find themselves where they should rightly

be. For those that aren't they find themselves in the same place.

M.

[Guest guest]

Very well put. I don't agree 100% but at least 80%.

Karin

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