A Stand

Unpaid but this plumbing job will look fantastic on your CV.

We would not stand for this.

I can't even provide expenses but this bus route does pick up some really influential people.

We would not stand for this.

We have decided, to appeal to a wider audience, to 'skimplify' the uniforms of our female staff.

We would not stand for this.

Male office workers are expected to wear a full suit. Female office workers are expected to wear a bikini.

We would not stand for this.

I can't afford to pay you but I will film you teaching and you can keep the footage.

We would not stand for this.

We are hiring women in this hospital as we need some eye candy for the men.

We would not stand for this.

Of course, we understand just how difficult it is being a doctor. No pay.

We would not stand for this.

Due to budget constraints, we won't be paying MPs.

They would not stand for this. 

You must be more than a 7 out of 10 on the beautiful scale to join our HR team.

We would not stand for this.

You must be thin to represent our accounts team.

We would not stand for this.

All females applying to join our firm must be attractive. All males must speak Spanish.

We would not stand for this.

I can't pay you but this call centre does have a fantastic vending machine.

We would not stand for this.

To avoid time wasting, the manager has requested full frontal nudity in the interview.

We would not stand for this.

The company prefers nurses who will work for food.

We would not stand for this.

We may require you to eat less to perform well as a train driver.

We would not stand for this.

As the majority of our audience are male, all female prison officers will be wearing minimal clothing.

We would not stand for this.

Despite a turnover last year of £12 million, we will not be paying our retail staff.

We would not stand for this.

So why, as actors, are we expected to? All of these examples are modified examples of genuine casting calls I've seen. And if you're a musician or a writer or a comedian or a crew member then chances are you're expected to put up with similar too.

There's a difference between collaboration and exploitation and some employers are deviously blurring the boundaries to make sure we do as much as possible for their gain and our loss.

Enough is enough. This industry will never change if we don't start to make a stand. If you see an exploitative casting call then tell the site or tell Equity or, if you're really at a loss, then tell me. If we call out the bullshit then maybe, just maybe, it might start to go away.