Finding the right lead

Harriet or Carla? The Dressmakers Book of Riddles (Episode one: The Dressmakers)

Creating a character.

I undertook an acting course many years ago and noticed something interesting. Setting dictates power dynamic.

What do I mean by that?

You have probably heard about dominant and submissive personalities. Forget that. This has nothing to do with what I am saying.

I remember all the students in the class had to perform the same role. They were asked to man a makeshift bar whilst a conventional Mamet type scene took place. I remember vividly, some students mastering the space and some struggling with the environment. It did not matter about whether or not they were a good actor, their personality type or even if someone had had bar experience – some just seemed natural and in control.

Ever since then, I have often written two versions of the same role. I call this veteran and rookie. Obviously, this does not work for all roles; the plot for some characters revolve around their length of experience. But sometimes you can tweak this. The following role is one such example.

In episode one (The Dressmakers) of my new series The Traversers Book of Riddles, a time war agent is sent to spy on some fashion designers that could be possible time travellers. Now both version of the agents have been written as new to the job, but in one version, one seems at home in the environment, (Harriet Hughes) the other distant (Carla Vargas).

Which one, do I like the most.......................both!

Finding the right actor is not easy. Not when you are reaching high. I ask a lot from my cast. They have to look a certain way, move a certain and speak in an accent that is often not Australian. (In this case, I am looking for a British RP, or European accent or other , depending on the applicant). Once someone satisfies the above, then we can judge their relationship to the environment. (The camera does not lie).

I think both roles are great and I think the ideal applicant would agree with the notion of best fit, rather than spending their time trying to wrestle with it. At the moment, I am having fun, drawing images of possible looks and sharing them with makeup and casting but the search is on for the right lead.