MINORITIES GET MORE ACTING JOBS, BUT AGE BIAS HITS ALL RACES.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

The Screen Actors Guild on Monday reported a 7 percent gain in employment last year and the most roles for minorities since it started tracking ethnic casting in 1992.

The bad news in the guild's 2000 employment report was for actors over 40 and actresses of all ages, especially past 40, for whom casting has not increased over the last two years.

The SAG contract covering primarily prime-time television and theatrical features was applied to 53,134 roles in 2000 even while there was a rise in runaway production to Canada and other non-SAG nations.

Casting in three of the four racial groups tracked in the annual Casting Data Report - African-Americans, Latino-Hispanics and Asians-Pacific Islanders - hit the highest levels in at least eight years. Native Americans' casting was up to 0.3 percent of all roles cast, compared with 0.2 percent the year before.

African-Americans filled 14.8 percent of all SAG roles, while Latino- Hispanic actors played 4.9 percent and Asians-Pacific Islanders, 2.6 percent.

``We're moving slowly but steadily toward the reality of portraying the American scene,'' SAG president William Daniels said in a printed statement. ``We are delighted to see gains for all ethnicities on the large and small screen, but there's no question there's still plenty of room for growth in diversity in the television and film world.''

Anne-Marie Johnson, chairwoman of SAG's Ethnic Employment Opportunity Committee, said she was moderately pleased with the results for minority actors.

``We're not jumping up and down and throwing a party, but we're not as depressed as we've been in the past,'' Johnson said. ``This is good news. It's movement in the direction that we want, but it could be much better.''

Johnson said SAG and outside coalitions have pressed producers for an ethnic spectrum in front of the camera that better reflects the U.S. population.

The newly approved contract, which is retroactive to July 1, should help to prevent any erosion of that progress. Its terms include outside mediation of discrimination complaints and anti-discrimination clauses in which the word ``shall'' changed to ``must.''

The SAG report shows that, although women are a statistical majority in the United States, Hollywood gave nearly twice as many roles last year to men under the TV-theatrical contract, and male actors worked nearly twice as many days as women did.

While adults 40 and older make up 42 percent of the American population, on screen they account for only 34 percent. The age issue hits women harder than men, the report concludes, noting only 26.2 percent of women's roles were for those past 40. Actresses 40 and older got just 20 percent of the leading roles for women.

One of SAG's studies now under way goes to that problem: ``Casting the American Scene: An Analysis of Aging on Prime Time Television.''

Sally Kirkland, an Oscar-nominated actress in her 50s, said the subject comes up often at meetings of the guild's Women's Steering Committee.

``I've been acting since the early '60s in New York,'' Kirkland said. ``I've got more fire in me than ever, and there's no roles. You have to write them, produce them, direct them.''

She said many of the most successful older actresses are married or otherwise attached to members of what she calls ``the boys' club'' - influential directors, producers, writers and actors. For single women past 40, the challenge appears even greater.

``I think it's going to change,'' said Kirkland, who is running Valerie Harper's campaign for the guild presidency. ``It would be too emotionally exhausting not to think that.''

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SOURCE: Casting Data Reports