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   149

   

   8-20-10

   David H. Lawrence XVII says:

   Answer: Producers and casting people have different categories for different types of actors – it’s a quick way to explain to other members of the production team what kinds of roles certain actors can play. One of those is the ingenue, a young, pretty leading or supporting lady that can provide the love interest for the leading man.

   One of the first goals you have as an actor is to refine and then market yourself as a particular type. If you’re young, female and good looking, from the time you’re in your late teens to your late 20s, you may be cast most often as an ingenue. That’s the word that casting directors, writers, producers and other members of the industry will use when describing you.

   By the way, the word “ingenue” is pronounced like this: on’-zhen-oo.

   Here’s the word “ingenue” pronounced for you.

   What makes an ingenue? First and foremost is looks. Pretty, beautiful, good-looking – call it what you will, if you’re an ingenue, you probably won’t be playing character roles. Instead you’ll be the attractive lead in a romantic comedy,

   
   

   There also needs to be an element of innocence and danger to your character, whether it be the damsel-in-distress in a thriller or horror picture, the smart but good looking nerd that needs to prove herself to the popular group and so on. The hero of the story is often in charge of coming to your rescue, and sometimes, ingenues do some rescuing of their own.

   You might be playing the girl next door as the ingenue, but likely your character doesn’t know how hot she is, and she may go through an ugly duckling to swan makeover as the story progresses. Your opposite in the story, most likely a great looking male character, often doesn’t realize what beauty your character may possess – or, he may very well know and spend his time trying to convince you of your good looks.

   Usually, ingenues have no hidden agenda. They are positioned in stories as the good girl with obstacles. The ingenue rarely has anything sneaky or suspicious about her – she is, after all, the character the audience hopes to succeed.

   
   

   Ingenues usually are the target of the villains in the story, and the hero comes to the ingenue’s rescue. Even the smartest of ingenues have little to do with their own rescue – we as an audience need to feel danger for her, and a conflict between the villain’s treachery and the hero’s goodness. Almost always, the ingenue makes the right choice (or has the choice made for her) and ends up with the hero of the story.

   Playing ingenues on stage, on television and in film are all similar approaches to the character. You need to look for the innocence, the purity and the wholesome nature of the character. As you explore your character, leave the guile to the bad girls and villainous women in your production, and concentrate on being sweet, tender and loving.

   As an actor ages, eventually the concept of being a leading lady (or character actress) takes over in the minds of the casting team. Some actresses have a difficult time making the transition from being an ingenue to an older casting choice, and those actors face some serious reality checks when the auditions for ingenue roles begin to dry up.

   Other actors make the transition smoothly, and will find that the audience usually accepts the graceful aging of an actor, delighting in the transformation from child-like innocent roles to those with more depth and meat. Here’s hoping if you find yourself in that position that you will embrace the joys and challenges of moving to a more mature station in the casting rainbow.

   
   

   What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

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