A Headshot headache

As I have made the perhaps brave, perhaps foolish, decision to pursue a career in acting, I have had to take some of the first baby steps, including getting headshots done. Now I am not one to usually enjoy photos. I enjoy the occasions that elicit them, I enjoy being the other end of the camera, but I cannot truly say that the words 'SMILE' or 'SAY CHEESE' don't fill me with just a pinch of dread. Well that is one phobia I am well aware I shall have to overcome, and what better way than jumping in the deep end and getting 600 pictures of my face to wade through. Yes, you guessed it, my social circle has just grown exponentially, and all of this week I have been surrounded by 600 ever so slightly different versions of myself. You'd think it was vaguely narcissistic or self-important, but if anything it's a bit creepy, and very overwhelming.

That is not to say anything negative on the part of the photographer. Somehow they managed to make me look vaguely normal despite the fact that as soon as they picked up the camera I forgot how to smile, where to look, and even sometimes how to breathe. It is amazing what stress and a slightly extraordinary situation can do for one's brain cells.

So that is my task for the week - to dredge out the gold dust from this river of my appearance, and it is certainly in full flow. It's an odd exercise to stare intensely at a group of photos that have such a microscopic difference, trying to decide which one is best. It makes one terribly aware of fault and blemish, and makes you realise that you never realised your eyes did that when you smiled, or what's that small half-dimple on the left side of your face...it has been nothing if not interesting. But soon I will have my face plastered on every conceivable method of publicity, because it is an unfortunate by-product of this industry that one really does have to put oneself 'out there', or at least put 1/600th of themselves out there, whichever they eventually whittled down to be 'the best representation of their face'.

For now though, whilst all these globally important decisions are going on, I will leave you with my current stand-in headshot, that of the show going to the fringe. Yes that's right - it's Ethel. She's back, she's barmy, and she's ready to take on Edinburgh. Do pop in to La Belle Angele at 3:30pm, 17th-26th August if you fancy a few giggles and even more variations of what my face can do.

The props department went wild with this one!