Getting his foot in the door

 

You know how hard it is to decide on all the variables when you have an audition? You've got to dress appropriately without wearing a costume, be attractive without looking like you're going to a photo shoot. Glasses or not. How much make up, what to do with the hair, yada yada. Then there's the whole question of dialects, style, whether to ask the casting director a question that might or might not seem stupid. It's all a kind of exquisite agony, right? 

OK, stop complaining. Here's an actor named Kurt Yaeger who has a whole 'nother consideration. Read on, Macduff, and ponder your blessings, like I did.

Kurt needs to decide, every time he auditions, "Do I show my disability?"

Here's his story:

"My leg was amputated below the knee following a high speed motorcycle accident. I had the good fortune of being a former professional athlete, and thanks to my athleticism have been able to mask any indication of my missing limb. My walk is smooth, my gait is even and I still even swagger from time to time. My fellow classmates at Howard Fine Actor Studio had no idea that I had one leg until I revealed it. I was cast as the lead role in Michael Anderson’s feature film ‘Tenderloin’ and neither the writer, producer or Michael were aware that I was an amputee. 

"Even so, I am constantly presented with the question 'do I show my disability?' If I'm up for that “Iraqi War Vet,” showing the leg is almost always a shoe-in for the role (pun intended). Any audition with an injured character, commercial or theatrical, I flash the leg and the role is mine. But do I really want to label myself as 'that amputee guy?' Hell no. I want to be recognized for the effort I put into bringing a character to life, for the fire in my eyes, for the layers, and the reality of that character in me. I want to be just a plain old, call-on-me-when-you-want-the-job-done-well actor. 

"To show or not to show is always my question. My disability creates some opportunities while taking away others. Fortunately, I'm blessed with agents and management who see me as an actor who can play any role; I sort of have the best of both worlds. They trust in my ability and go out on a limb for my missing one. 

"Yet I empathize with casting directors, directors, and writers who haven’t dealt with this before. Your jobs are hard enough. Trying to convince producers and studio executives that this or that actor is perfect for the part is already close to impossible, but add in the word 'disabled' and, well, good luck. And those producers and studio executives, not to be left out of the empathy umbrella, are responsible for the bucks and if they mess up, well, they're just plain old -- fired. But if you stop and think of it as another layer, a subplot of a subplot, an opportunity for far more depth, more story ... it would resonate with viewers, which would mean higher profits and better ratings.  

"20 million Americans live with disabilities. They go to work in countless  professions and are protected under the American Disability Act. Disabled people can not be discriminated against, they cannot lose their jobs or be denied employment because of their disability. But somehow they are still discriminated against in the TV and film industries. It's not that I'm asking for equal employment, only equal opportunity. Don’t fire a disabled person before they even get the chance to audition. They might just blow you away."

   Kurt Yaeger