Secret Agent Man. You always hear about agents looking for types. I imagine developing a roster is a bit like choosing a wardrobe. So you meet a pretty young blonde. She's talented with a great personality and a headshot like the next Hayden Pannatiere (screw the spelling). We all know agents like a fresh young thing. But man, you've already got enough hot looking blondes! You could really use a girl who's hot and ethnic or young but with an edgy look.

Do you get that specific when looking for a type?

Do you care if someone IS young and fresh or if they just LOOK young and fresh? Thanks to extreme vanity and daily exfoliation I still get pegged almost always as college age even though I'm quite a bit older than that. I have that kind of bone structure that photographs well and my headshot puts me in the model type category. I hate the question "how old are you?" in professional situations because i'm always afraid someone's going to hold it against me. I'm not ashamed of my age, but is this a lie I need to tell?

One more thing. I need you to be your usual honest self. I'm black but fair skinned. How big a role does ethnicity play in your decision?

I know you direct your Q to SAM, but You say TYPE, but you talking about AGE and BEAUTY.

TYPE is different from AGE and BEAUTY. you could have someone 15 or 50 and still be the same TYPE. but of different age.

or you can have your beautiful acccountant, or the ugly accountant. both are accountant types..

Yes, agents get very specific when it comes to type. We tend to break our list down into categories, usually by age because that's the easiest way to do it. Within those age catgories, there are different types of actors based on their looks, ethnicity, abilities (comedy/drama), sexuality, and many other specifics.

Good agents don't like to stack categories because it prevents us from doing our job well. For example, if we have three character men in their forties who tend to play "suit roles" (doctors, lawyers, bankers, etc.), there's no need to sign another because we won't be able to service all of them.

On the other hand, if we have three attractive young women who play 21-25, we probably have room for one more because that's a very popular category.

*The needs of the marketplace dictate the types of actors we sign.

And keep in mind that while the young and beautiful will always rule in Hollywood, there are roles for everyone, despite their age or appearance.

As for you, you state that you play college age but you're actually much older. I've never met you but I'm pretty sure you're wrong. You see, it's not just about your beauty products, it's about your life experience. That's what ages you. I will bet a small fortune that if I put you in a room with four girls who are really 19, you will never fit in. You're not one of them anymore. You see the world differently - you see the world as someone who has to worry about age and colleges girls don't think that way.

I have a similar issue where I am much older than I seem. I am 23 but always get called in for roles where I show up to set and am the only one over 18. I think of my "type" is "cute but a little nerdy high school student", which would include my age, right?

I thought this was an advantage that I had because I could market myself for 16 year old roles but still sign my own papers, not have to be accompanied by a chaperone, and conduct myself like an adult (and not tag the walls of the location with a Sharpie as one of my fellow actors did on set!)

SAM, would agents and casting directors consider this disparity between actual age and "type" as an asset? Or would you suggest that I try to market myself as my actual age rather than my perceived age (I often asked if I'm old enough to vote)?

I feel like I'm kind of the reverse of this. I'm 18 but people often assume I'm closer to 25. And as SAM stated, I think it has more to do with my personality than whether I LOOK 18. My face isn't what ages me, but I think the fact that I'm more serious and refined and have had certain life experiences does make me seem older. I had a very dysfunctional family situation which made me grow up fast, and my interests are more along the lines of opera and philosophy than reality shows or what have you. Dunno where that puts me in the scheme of things...