The Ethics of Commercials

I just landed an agent for commercials. Which is really, really exciting. I'm dedicated to the craft, and there's nothing I love more than Shakespeare and language and real, meaningful theatre that moves people and tries to shake up the world. But I love the idea of doing commercials too. Not because they would satisfy my creative urges, but because they're a good way for actors to make money and advance their careers. There are so few of those out there, folks. You have to give us what little there is.

Why "Sexy" Is a Dirty Word for Me

I’m not, by any stretch of the imagination, a model as we usually think of models. I’m not eight feet tall. I don’t walk the runway. I will never be in Victoria’s Secret.

But as part of expanding my acting business, I’m looking into commercial modeling. Commercial models are people in print ads. A commercial model can be a beautiful woman, or an average-looking and approachable woman, or a seventy-five-year-old man. You don’t have to conform to the standards of fashion-model beauty. What you do have to do is portray a certain “type”—the stressed-out mom, the successful businessman, the ambitious new intern. It’s an acting exercise that falls between acting and modeling.