Casting Director Renee Godbout talks about the qualities that all daytime actors must have to become a soap legend
By Renee Godbout
Don’t forget to read Soap Opera Idol: Part I!
A few weeks after meeting Vanessa Marcil and Tyler Christopher, I volunteered to help at a fan meet and greet event with actors from all different soaps. It was my job to keep the line of autograph seekers moving and not let anyone stop the flow of traffic.
By this time, soap opera actors were old hat to me and I had never felt star struck by anyone but Vanessa. During the day I talked a little with Adrienne Franz, who at the time played Amber Moore on The Bold and the Beautiful and who now plays the same character on TV’s most popular soap opera, The Young and the Restless. She was close to my age, filled with energy, and very personable to everyone. I still have a photograph of her in one of my photo albums!
After that day, I made it a point to start watching The Bold and the Beautiful and I was hooked. A few years later she received a Daytime Emmy for Younger Lead Actress and her status as one of my new soap idols was complete.
I think soap opera actors have such a strong fan base because they are more accessible than most actors. Every day while interning I would drop off each actors fan mail, every single piece of it. I would even see some of them opening their letters before I had left the room.
I know I’m not the only one out there with a soap idol. Even some soap stars themselves have their own idols. So if you ever become one, remember your fans because they’re the ones that will remain loyal to you in whatever other endeavors you have. It’s your built-in fan base that sometimes makes you even more attractive to casting directors.
Renee Godbout - Freelance Casting Director. Renee Godbout recently worked on the first season of The CW's popular teen show Gossip Girl at Grant Wilfey Casting. Some past projects include 2 seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the pilot for Dirty Sexy Money, and the Jonathan Demme-directed Rachel Getting Married.
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