Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have "perfect teeth"?
Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have "perfect teeth"?
#1Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have "perfect teeth"?
Posted: 3/11/13 at 4:21pm
I've always noticed that the majority of Broadway performers (West End is a different story) have seemingly perfect teeth.
Is this kind of like a prerequisite to getting a part?
#2Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 4:31pmIt probably has more to do with the American aesthetic of idealized beauty. Casting directors are convinced that Americans are only willing to accept those who look a certain way for a majority of roles. Perfect teeth and teeth that have been corrected by braces is one of those traits looked for to determine idealized attractiveness.
#2Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 4:34pmAs an actress, part of the product that you're selling is the way you look. Most people do want to hire someone who takes care of themselves. That usually includes dentistry.
"Get mad, then get over it." - Colin Powell
#3Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 4:36pmWell getting braces is a step above "taking care of yourself". I mean obviously someone can take care of their teeth but still have bad looking teeth.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#4Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 4:42pm
...Right. And actors have to take care of themselves and their appearance a step above what your average person would.
That being said, I can think of quite a few people with solid careers with less than perfect teeth, so clearly it's not a deal breaker.
"Get mad, then get over it." - Colin Powell
#5Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 4:44pmIt's not a case of 'perfect teeth'. Perfect teeth are for perfect gorgeous ingenues. What matters is talent and a **** ton of hard work :) Although, of course you should take care of your teeth so there aren't distracting imperfections (large gaps, missing teeth, etc.).
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#6Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 4:46pmI saw an Audrey 2 one time... yeesh!
Twitter @NamoInExile
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#7Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 5:09pmYes, perfect teeth on Broadway are very important. That's why there are so few British performers making the transition to Broadway.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#8Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 5:12pm
Perfectly white and gorgeously straight teeth does NOT guarantee a role (let alone a career) on Broadway. If the role requires it, special teeth will be accommodated for you, same as if the role requires horrible teeth. Pageant toddlers are not the only ones who use 'flippers'.
'Flippers' are used by many, not just in the entertainment industry. Less expensive than having ALL your teeth bleached, corrected, etc. Many people refuse to get their teeth fixed or even having veneers put in as one looses sensation and taste once you alter your real teeth and the enamel on them, etc.
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#9Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 5:29pmWho is a recent Brit on Broadway with bad teeth?
#10Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 5:31pm
Angela Lansbury
just kidding...
#11Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 5:39pmAm I the only one who thinks teeth-whitening has gone so far it's become distracting? This is less of a problem on stage than on film or video, but I swear some actors have teeth that glow in the dark!
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#12Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 5:49pmI agree^.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
lenstersf
Stand-by Joined: 6/14/12
#13Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 6:12pmRecently saw a musical where one of the female ensemble members had a the largest, whitest, straightest teeth I have ever seen. Distracted me for a good 2-3 minutes because they looked so unnatural.
elphaba.scares.me
Broadway Star Joined: 10/23/04
#14Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 6:17pm
^^
Yes to all of this. I got my teeth laser-whitened (or whatever that procedure is) once and could barely breathe outside that night because the cold air hurt so much.
Now when I see one of those denturey neon-white smiles, I basically have acid flashback pain. Like hearing someone talk or sing with a lot of vocal damage--or way, way back on their cords. Nails on a chalkboard, for real.
trixigold
Understudy Joined: 12/24/12
#15Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 6:19pmAngela Lansbury is an example of someone with a bad smile. Even if her teeth were perfectly white and even (which they were closer to when she was very young, older people often have yellowed teeth), she has a small mouth with a flat smile line (a straight, horizontal smile instead of an upturned happy-face tyoe of smile). It takes more than perfectly straight white teeth to have a really attractive smile that is preferred in American movies, TV, and theater. The mouth has to be large and wide (with a well-defined jawline), the teeth not too huge, and the facial shape and facial muscles making a person look genuinely happy when they smile. You can't fix something like that with braces or veneers or plastic surgery. I think Americans in particular love the big smile. A country like Britain doesn't care as much (maybe because their genetics tend to produce people who have the less-ideal smile and tooth type).
Emma White
Featured Actor Joined: 2/11/13
#16Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 7:50pm
While I find Sutton Foster has nice teeth, when she smiles while she sings, her face looks really weird and distracts me. Anything Goes at the Tony's is a prime example.
CZJ had her teeth fixed, but here's before and after: 
Bernadette Peters has straight teeth, but they're really short and rotting away: 
"Nice is different than good."
#17Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 7:56pmDang! That's a big pic of Bernie. About to eat me.
"Through The Sacrifice You Made, We Can't Believe The Price You Paid..For Love!"
Emma White
Featured Actor Joined: 2/11/13
#18Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 7:58pm
Oh, it's so much scarier on this forum then it ever was on google images.
In case your interested, it's from this hilarious blog that just posts pictures of celebs in extreme closeup.
"Nice is different than good."
#19Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 10:50pmSo agree that whitening has gotten kind of creepy. Glow in the dark teeth are as scary as bad ones.
"Get mad, then get over it." - Colin Powell
#20Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/11/13 at 10:57pmA bit off topic, I saw the movie The Raven last month. The actress who played the love interest was buried underground at one point. There was a close up on her face and her teeth were glowing. I was surprised that the director hadn't done something about them, considering the movie took place in the 1800s when no one had teeth that white. It was distracting.
beaemma
Featured Actor Joined: 11/24/09
#21Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/12/13 at 2:01amI read an article recently which said that it's getting more and more difficult to cast period stories because actors, especially in the U.S., are so artificial in appearance that they don't look right in many times and situations. The article especially mentioned all the perfectly straight, bleached teeth. I personally find all the overly perfect, fake looking teeth creepy. There's a difference between imperfect and ugly. How about some individuality? How on earth can there be only one type of smile that's a good smile? Is everybody supposed to look alike?
#22Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/12/13 at 7:08amI was in a Minstrel show [black face pancake-actually called Negro No2 so more brown than black]with painted white lips and eyes.The white around the mouth made the teeth look yellow by contrast so I experimented with a paint-on tooth enamel that literally,in a stage black out,I would open my mouth and it was like a torch, and the rest of the cast would follow me off the stage without bumping into the scenery.[A bit exaggerated-but that's theatrical licence].
bobs3
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
#23Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/12/13 at 7:54amI know...when I watch GAME OF THRONES I am amazed by the beautiful teeth and well-conditioned designer haircuts the characters have.
#24Are actors less likely to land a role on Broadway if they don't have
Posted: 3/12/13 at 8:01am
An example of too white teeth!
And a good laugh or two.
Ross's White Teeth
