It's technically the end of day 27, although I want to write about my experiences predominantly from a few days ago, so allow yourself to be drawn back in time.
The past week, I have been back in LA, although not for downtime and relaxation. A good deal of work has gone on. I have been driving down to the South Bay (about 45 minutes each way) to work on gymnastics with Gabe, which - I am proud to say - has built up to me now being able to do a backflip or back tuck on my own. The next step is to combine this with running up a wall. I am leaving on Thursday to shoot the last part of a documentary I am in. We will be shooting my life/friends/family back in the Houston area, so I am hoping to find some time to go to open gyms or martial arts classes in H-Town.
Outside of training, I have also been busy on other fronts: calling and emailing potential voiceover agents and sending along my demo, going to meetings with reps and with casting directors, talking about a potential voiceover gig with a startup company, setting up an acting coaching session with the friend of a friend, browsing for a new apartment (with room for a training studio/office and a voiceover booth, aka recording closet), getting custom orthotics and new KT tape (to deal with shin splints and knee funkiness), sneaking in yoga and barre classes when I can, catching up on "House of Cards" and "Game of Thrones", and starting to think about research for my next project.
I can't say too much about it just yet, but after a taped audition, an in-person audition, two rounds of callbacks, and two one-on-one meetings with the writer/director, it is highly likely that I will be the lead in an independent feature, where I will play a professional MMA fighter. So likely, in fact, that we are talking dates, money, et cetera. I don't like to count anything in this industry as final until I have signed the paperwork, but this one is looking very promising, and also very exciting. Yesterday, I spent six hours reading with potential supporting actors for the project and chatting with the director.
It was beyond bizarre to find myself seated on the "other side" of the (quite literal) casting table. It was liberating as a reader, and interesting as an actor, to observe these individuals as they came in, not to mention the habits and behaviors of the director and camera operator. Some key things which casting directors have said to me in the past really started to make sense.
Actors, listen up. Most of these you have probably heard before, but as an actor who has "gone to the other side and come back (unscathed!)", I am truly on your side, and these are important jewels to know about auditions.
From the casting director's seat:
1. We want to meet YOU (not your idea of who we are looking for). We don't even know what we are looking for. In the past, I have sometimes gone into an audition trying to be what I think the CD wants to see. While you should be aware of your position within the scene (in terms of your relationships, purpose, obstacles..), you should also trust your instincts, in terms of the choices you make. During one of my callbacks, when I was acting, the other actress turned away from me (ignoring me), and I grabbed her chin and forced her to turn back and look at me. While you should check with other actors to see if they are okay with being man-handled before hand, this simple instinctual choice stood out to the writer and director. Trust the way you have painted the character, and respond truthfully in the moment. Nothing truthful is wrong. At one point, one of the actresses did a really nice read, and although it had not been the way the director necessarily saw that scene going, it made him rethink it and changed his mind about a few things. So trust yourself.
2. Your cell phone going off is only going to ruin your audition if you let it; we will forgive just about anything, just stay in the moment! Another actress was in the middle of a second take, and doing a really solid job, when her phone started to ring inside of her purse. She kept on doing the scene, thank goodness, because it was her best take! If something happens - even if it is embarrassing and your actor mind is telling you the casting people now hate you for life - just keep acting! None of us cared about the stupid cell phone, and it happens to everyone. If you worked in an office building and your phone went off in a meeting, would they fire you? No. Just do your job.
3. Trying to win us over with how cool you are is not going to work (especially if you call half the people in the room by the wrong name), even if you are the best at chair slumping in all the kingdom of Los Angeles. One actor came in, dressed nicely and with pearly white teeth, and proceeded to play Mister Cool for the duration of his audition. By this, I mean that he acted more like he was casually talking to some chicks at a bar, rather than attending a job interview. Even if you know the people in the audition room, keep it professional (yes, you can do this and be friendly at the same time). If you only have a few pages of lines, and you've had the material for a week, there's really no excuse for not knowing the scene (or the name of the lead character).
4. Humility, excitement about a script, and clearly being prepared (off-book and present) will get our attention and make us remember you, even if you don't book this role. This is a great place to move from point three, as the next actor who walked in - and whom you might recognize from some big movies - was completely professional. He was dressed in nice jeans and a simple white t-shirt, with clean hair and sneakers, and a smile. You could feel that he as genuinely excited about the material from the moment he walked in, and so it rang true when he told us how happy he was to be reading for the part. He was courteous, offered us variety in choices without going over the top, and thanked each one of us individually before exiting. Even if this actor doesn't end up booking this role - because he's a half inch too short or too tall, he's the wrong hair color, or he's just a different emotional color than the director sees as a good balance with the other actors in the scene - he will be remembered.
5. If you get a chance to do a second take, make it totally different (but not devoid of energy). Own it! A second take is your chance to wow us with your ability to change direction or levels on the drop of a dime. One actress did the scene - as though she was incredibly bored or had just smoked a bowl - and was then offered the chance to do a second take, at which point she said she would try taking it to the other end of the spectrum. We were excited, thinking we might be able to draw out something a little deeper. And then she did the scene the exact same way (save one bipolar moment of screaming, which was terrifying for those of us behind the table). A second take - especially if the auditions are running behind - is a gift. Use it to leave an impression, and own your time in the room.
6. Wear something nice, but comfortable. I don't want to be more focused on your cute shoes (or by the same token, distracted by your old jeans and worn-out tank top) than I am on your performance. Enough said on this one.
7. If you show up late and expect to be seen in ten minutes (before you need to leave for acting class or whatever), it's not cool to check how long we have the room reserved for and show up again ten minutes before we are supposed to be done. After seeing many actors and actresses, and dismissing our camera operator, the director and I were chatting about some things and getting ready to head home (for some much-needed food), an actress showed up - almost four hours after her scheduled time - to audition for us. So. Not. Cool. Unless you check with casting for a specific project, don't plan on doing this, unless you are Meryl Streep and can 100% blow us away. By that late in the day, and without the proper equipment, her audition became an inconvenience (and a chance for her to complain about also being late to acting class.. er.. ), and that's not how you want to be remembered.
8. For Pete's sake, don't run out of the audition room after you finish, like you have a train to catch or a level five disease just broke out. I would say about half of the actors we saw did this. Now, I know there is a stigma about reaching out to shake hands with the casting people, but at least square your body toward them to say thank you. Angling your body toward the door and just turning your head to say a quick and nervous "thank you" comes off as more of an apology, when you have nothing to be sorry for. If you stay facing the casting team, you can gauge whether or not they want to shake hands (which we did). Plant, smile, and say "thank you."
Hopefully, these will be a good reminder for me when I find myself back in audition situations in July and beyond. And if they can help other actors, even better. There is enough room for all of us, after all.
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