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Even if you dont know Vanessa Chester by name, her face and voice will be immediately familiar.
I remember being in kindergarten like, I know that Snuffleupagus is two people, and you dont.
After a while, my agent suggested we move out to California to see what its like.
Wed given a friend a ride to a commercial audition for Softsoap.
All of the girls were in pageant dresses, and I showed up in overalls.
Later, booking a Barbie commercial was the game changer.
Only when I was around 8 did I start to understand money and how to make some.
I came home and told my mom Id made $27.
She was upset that Id vandalized the property but impressed that I understood flipping something for a profit.
This is all to say that numbers have always been a part of my life.
When I got it, I remember being terrified.
I had a friend who got his and bought a car.
I bought a new cell phone for $300 and decided not to spend any more.
It was weird to me.
For so long, my main focus was honing my craft.
But I started to realize that this is a business too.
Technology has changed that business.
When I was younger, I remember hopping in a taxi with my mom after school.
Id be in my uniform, and wed go to some office building.
I would learn my lines there.
Everything was basically a cold read.
Thats definitely no longer the case.
Self-tapes have always been around, but they were never the primary source of sampling actors talent.
Then in 2020, we couldnt meet up, so self-tapes were the only way to audition.
Of course, there are positives to self-tapes.
Its great to not have to get on the freeway and be stuck in traffic for two hours.
But Im one of the lucky ones.
I can just go into my office and tape, then watchThe Peoples Court.
For newer actors, its a chance to build a relationship with a casting director.
But now, its just throwing things at the wall, hoping something will stick.
you could pay for a self-tape studio so youre going to turn in an incredible tape.
Other costs have shifted onto the actor.
Now, Im buying one at least every month or every other month.
How does anyone watch 500 three-minute tapes?
One thing that Ive been told is I have a really unique voice.
I heard your voice, and I recognized it.
Are you cool with that?
How do you then quantify how much of my likeness is in that?
And how does that translate to me getting acknowledged and compensated?
Regardless of where you are in your career as an actor, its a threat.
Thats not the case anymore.
A lot of actors arent making enough for health care.
Were not making enough to pay rent.
We gave away syndication in exchange for new media, but new media isnt even new anymore.
Netflix can drink its more than 21 years old as a company.
It makes no sense that were acting as if we dont understand the technology.
They know that theyre supplying something we want, yet theyre stingy about paying the people making them relevant.
Because my mom had kept an audition book since I was 4 or 5.
It has every audition Ive ever been on, how well I did, and what I wore.
And sometimes its like, Why are you wasting my time?
Because if youre bringing me in, it cant just be to show that youre doing the equitable thing.
Youre going to have to pay me.
At the very least, Im getting $541 for the performance, and I can reinvest that.
For a lot of actors, the amount of money we put into this is not sustainable.
But I think the tide is turning.
The last time we had negotiations was in 2020, when my friends and I were at home.
You just never know.
Finally, the actor community showed up.
I joke that actors think SAG is like Raya.
Theyre like, Ive got to get in.
Im on the wait list.
Have you heard anything?
Can you recommend me?
What do I have to do?
But its not just for clout.
And I think actors are starting to realize that weve got to pay attention to the numbers.
Give them a mirror.
And we were like, Excuse me, no.
All I want is for actors to stop devaluing their time, to know what theyre worth.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
