Model Material


Rhiannon has always been comfortable in front of the camera. I have been photographing her since the time when she was half out of her mother, and probably have about 2,000 pictures of my favorite subject. Rhiannon is a card, and she's pretty, and has personality to burn, so I've always thought about having her model for print advertising, or doing commercials, or maybe a TV show or movie. I had a dream a few years ago where she won the Oscar for Best Actress, and who knows -- maybe one day that dream will become a reality. I'm happy with her just being a kid, or just being another astrophysicist or psychobiologist, but the opportunity to interview at a talent agency presented itself, so we decided to try it out.

One of Jayni's students is a model who is managed by One Source Talent, a known agency with offices in eight major markets. They place "talent" in fashion shows, videos, TV shows, independent and major motion pictures, and have channels like NBC, Fox, Disney, and HBO regularly calling in for casting. One of the big mysteries of how to break in to acting/modeling was where to start, so Jayni's student pointed us to the website and also gave us the scoop on what to expect, how the interviews work, and jobs.

First, though, I talked to Rhiannon:

"Hey, Rhiannon!"

Rhiannon looks a little perturbed at being interrupted from doing princess magnet dress-up.

"What." It is not a question.

"Would you ever want to be on TV on a commercial or something, or in a movie or a magazine."

"Sure." She goes back to playing.

"Okay. I'll see if we can meet with somebody to find out how to do that."

"Okay."

So I go online and click the "Apply Now" link. I fill out basic information and then attach the above photo. Twelve hours later I get a phone call. It's the agency.

"Would Rhiannon be able to make a 1:00 interview on Saturday?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Sure."

"Great. Please have her wear form-fitting clothing for measurements, and try to arrive fiteen minutes early. Do NOT be late. And no flip-flops or gymshoes. You'll be meeting with Dmitri. This is not an open call. You must provide this invitation number to get in."

She gives me the number. I hang up and go find Rhiannon.

"Guess what?"

"What?" She is sunnier this time, and is reading books. I mean, I think she is really reading them.

"The TV people thought you were really pretty in that picture, so they'd like to see you. They'll ask you a couple of questions. Do you still want to try it out?"

"Sure." Back to her books.

Today, we left the house at noon for our 1:00 appointment. Rhiannon, freshly bathed, dressed in culottes, pink sandals, and a Mexican blue-and-white flowered shirt, is quietly singing in the back. I think it's "Wonderwall" again.

The 101 is of course closed, and all traffic is diverted onto city streets. I call the agency from the car to say we are running on-time, not early. No sympathy. "OK, but don't be late." Great.

We finally arrive at the Scottsdale Corporate Executive Building, get to the lobby entrance, and find that the door is locked. It's 1:00, 104 outside, and we can't get in. Then we notice other people on the other side of the building walking in. So we go around, climb the stairs, and get to the office. Apparently lots of people had trouble getting here today. Dmitri even had trouble getting here on time today. We are all relieved.

We fill out a form for Rhiannon that says she's OK with having her picture taken, with maybe getting on TV, and that she is not working for a rival agency. We swear this, and then settle in with about twenty other people to watch The Devil Wears Prada. Ick. But Rhiannon is smitten with Anne Hathaway whom she just saw in Ella, Enchanted. So she is okay with the video.

In a moment, it's time to get measured, which consists of us telling the girl that Rhiannon is 37.6 pounds and is 42" tall, that she is just growing into a size 10 shoe, and wears size 6 (for kids). The tape doesn't even come out. Rhiannon's picture is taken -- she stands where she is told and gives a genuine smile. We return to the seating area to watch Anne Hathaway get abused.

In a moment, the receptionist comes in and turns off the movie. She introduces us to the talent agent whose name is -- I am not kidding here -- Dmitri Metropolis (Metropoulos?). He is about 5'10, tanned, muscled, and about 35, with perfect black hair, Diesel jeans, expensive, black shoes, and a black t-shirt. Modest gold chains. He speaks for about fifteen minutes on how hard this is going to be, that the exit is behind us, that his (and our) time is valuable, and who his clients are. He loves his talent, though.

After this, we wait a few minutes, and then the receptionist comes out and calls three names. Rhiannon is at the top of the list. The three of us walk into Dmitri's office of glass and not much else. We sit down and Rhiannon is asked to remain standing.

D: Hi! What's your name?
R: Rhiannon.
D: How old are you?
R holds up five fingers.
D: Wow! What's your favorite color?
R: Gold.
D: Gold color, or gold things?
R: Things.
D: Do you like jewelry?
R nods.
D: What's your favorite movie?
R: Sleeping Beauty.
D: Aurora is sure pretty in that movie.
R: Yeah.
D: Do you have any pets?
R: Yes. I have two kitties. One is black and one is orange. Tony is the boy orange cat and Clio is the girl black cat.
D: Do you like one more than the other?
R: I like them both.
D: You're really cute. Would you ever want to be on TV?
R's eyes get big. She nods vigorously.
D: On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, what would you say?
R thinks a moment. "Ten".
D: 20?
R laughs. "20!"
D: Okay. He laughs, too.

Dmitri hands us a sheet of paper. "I want her to come back for a second interview with me and another person. She's really cute, so have her dressed like this next time. Bring 5-10 recent pictures."

And that's it. Rhiannon leaves happy, and we have an appointment for 6:00 in the evening on Tuesday to see if she might get a job on a show or in a commercial. We'll see.

Rhiannon hums in the back of the car. "They're going to put me in the moooovieeees..."

Rhiannon. Officially cute.

Andrew (Papa)