Lucky stars

>> Local talent agent wrestles with the big and powerful

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Andi State

Job title: Talent agent

Age: 28

Salary: "Not enough."

Years on the job: Three

Bio: This voluptuous Plateau resident is the person to bug if you are looking to hit it big as an actor in the film business. With more energy than you can shake a stick at, Andi worked as a stage manager in the theatre for several years before answering a "help wanted" ad in the fine publication you presently hold in your hands, launching her very successful career in artist management. So trusted and beloved by her actor clients that she generally works without a contract, she has just formed her own company, Encore Entertainment, and, along with representing some of the biggest names in the domestic film industry, has just started to dip her delicious toes in the shark-infested waters of the music biz.

Primary job requirement: To find actors work.

Best part of job: The "thrill" of landing a great role for one of her deserving clients.

Worst part of the job: Dealing with screaming producers and other heavy-handed people who like to go on about how big and powerful they are. "Sometimes you just don't have time for the power-game bullshit."

What producers like to scream about: Money.

On the subject of the casting couch: "The casting couch phenomenon doesn't exist so much in Montreal because most of the casting directors are women who, I think, are generally less inclined toward that sort of thing. But there are plenty of producers and cheesy men in the business who still try to pull this kind of stunt."

Number of times she personally has been tempted to lure an aspiring young hopeful on to the couch: Zero. "I'm not interested in actors sexually."

Can she get more money for her actors if the producer wants them to get naked onscreen? Sometimes. But if nudity is integral to the role then it's just part of the job and therefore unreasonable to ask for more money.

Has she ever been forced to pass up a prime role for one of her actors because said actor refused to whip it out for the camera? Yes. One of her male clients recently declined a plum job because the script called for him to be fellated by the film's luscious starlet. He didn't want to risk having his children someday watch him shoot his wad on-screen.

Does she feel matronly toward her flock of thespians? "Yes, big time. I develop very close relationships with them and it is my job to protect them and look out for their best interests."

How often friends and relatives nag her to try to make them movie stars: All the time. Everybody she meets these days seems to be an actor. "But people don't realize what it takes to be an actor. It really isn't easy. It's a very, very difficult job."

Does she think that celebrities are super-human? No.

Favourite place to drink: Blizzarts

Last book read: The Information, by Martin Amis. She's also a big Charles Bukowski fan.

Favourite recent film: Before Night Falls

Favourite bands: Gazelle, Tom Waits, lots of local bands.

Something else she does: Editing, writing and taking photos for her online magazine, statethis.com.

Current ambition: To rule the world.