Inspiring Women : November 2020

piano. Singing, dancing, and performing acted as my nourishment, and because of that, it followed
me in whatever path I took.
Over the years, I’ve encountered many obstacles in my career, but the
biggest one I’ve faced as an actor is ageism. It's a known fact that it's
pervasive in the industry and it's definitely not a level playing field. You
don't often see women in their 60s being cast as romantic leads, and yet
you will see men in their 60s being cast opposite co-stars who are
decades younger. Unfortunately, the majority of mainstream films and
casting decisions continue to reflect the dreams and desires of the
mostly white male creatives. I truly believe that if more women occupied
executive and creative positions at the studios and behind the scenes,
we would see more roles featuring female characters of all ages.
But it’s not all bad. My most exciting role was when I got a co-star role a couple of years ago on the
new Hawaii 5-0 series. I had met and worked with the casting director of the show during an acting
workshop before. She commented on how much she liked my work, so when my agent submitted
me for the role, she remembered me and after auditioning 20 other actors, I got the part.
On set for Hawaii 5-0
It was very exciting, and it gave me the confidence to move forward, especially since the role called
for a “30-something” actor and I was in my late 40s. In addition, I was beyond thrilled that the casting
office was owned and operated by a woman and the person who would be directing my episode was
also a woman. Of course, being paid a gazillion dollars (OK, not really) and flying first class to Hawaii
for three days was an experience not to be forgotten. I still get residuals from that episode….the last
one I received was for 68 cents…. No lie!
During my career, I’ve met some notable people: Gregory Hines, Charo, Troy Donahue, Ann Miller,
and Jack Nicholson, to name a few. I met Charo and Troy Donahue in 1996 on the SS Rotterdam’s
South America Grand Voyage when they were both guest performers onboard. Troy took a liking to
me, and he recommended me to his big-time agent in LA, which represented me for a couple of
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