By George, I Think She's Got It!!

So tonight, I was watching an awesome show on Hulu that I just discovered: Chuck -- This is such a fun show, I'm so glad I found it! (But Hulu only has the second season available, hopefully at some point, they'll get permission to put up the first season as well.)

The show is about a computer nerd who accidentally becomes a secret agent/spy. I really love how Zachary Levi brings the character to life, he gives Chuck so much inner strength. And you wouldn't expect a computer nerd like Chuck to have that inner strength or suave. He's the unexpected hero.

As I'm watching, I'm thinking, "See, this is exactly the type of character I want to play. Except the female version. On an Indiana Jones type adventure."

And that's the moment I realized what my type is. And it's not even "the type I wannabe", it is my type: The Unexpected Heroine.

The Unexpected Heroine is the woman who, as Bob wrote, "overcomes a seemingly impossible personal roadblock" to achieve success. She is the woman who you don't think has what it takes, and then she suddenly shows her inner strength and blows everyone away. She is the woman who you, the audience, knows has what it takes, but she doesn't know it, and finds it along her journey. She is the woman who starts her journey at a lower confidence level than most people, but grows to a higher level than most in the end, like Joan Wilder or Beatrix Potter. She can be a nerd like Chuck, or a shy wall flower like Officer Laverne Hooks from the Police Academy movies. The Unexpected Heroine can be a comedic or dramatic character. The Unexpected Heroine can also be a tragic character, she can loose, try her hardest and fail, not break past the barriers and succeed in the end, allow the "impossible personal roadblock" to continue to hold her back. (Sort of like Dr. Horrible.) 

And the reason I say this is my type, is because that's how I live my life. I have the inner strength to do whatever I want, but I usually keep it hidden in favor of seeking approval/permission. I pretend to be a pomeranian, (or a smurf on occasion) but I'm so much more than that. All of my acting teachers have seen beyond the facade to the strength I have inside. I have seen myself grow so far past my initial expectations of myself in several circumstances. 

And the best thing you can do for your business is to sell the character type that you naturally are in real life. 

Now I just have to figure out the best way to capture this type in a headshot...