Actingbiz - Auditioning and What You Can Expect (Part III)

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Auditioning and What You Can Expect (Part III)

by Anthony Smith

Auditioning is a funny thing. It's difficult to understand and figure out what a casting director is thinking, what he/she is looking for and why really you have been chosen or why not. The fact is that 99% of the time you never find out, especially the why not. Here are some interesting thoughts, observations and experiences from me.

Notions from a Casting Director
Rob Decina: Once I took a workshop with a noted soap casting director named Rob Decina. He was telling us about the audition process. He told us that for contract roles, which to my understanding are the regular main characters that you see each and every day, he sees 350 actors in NY and then flies to LA to see 350 more. Only a few are chosen to audition again and from them, just two or three are chosen to do a screen test with one of the real actors and after all that, only one actor is chosen! His point was to go audition and then move on with your acting career and your life. If they want you, they will call you. If not, they won't. The chances are very slim, especially for roles such as those.

He also told us something that I alluded to earlier, which is that the reason an actor doesn't get the job might not have anything to do with his/her performance on that day during the audition. It could be because she's just a couple of inches too short or because of the hair color or a certain look. For a male actor it could be because he is too short and maybe his girlfriend on the program would be too much taller than him. There are so many reasons why an actor may or may not be chosen and they will never tell you. So, again his point was just audition and then walk away. Don't worry. Don't call to see if you got the part. Just go on with your life.

I've been in a few situations and when you get down to the wire, it's not always easy to just walk away and not think about it, which leads me to something else that you need to be aware of that could happen.

One Experience
I went in to audition for a big national commercial. I felt good, got there early, learned the copy and felt confident. I had to audition together with a female actor and we had to pretend we were a couple and act as though we were on the red carpet of a Hollywood awards ceremony. I was dressed to a T and felt good.

They called me back! I was excited, because it was one of the first call-backs I had gotten. It was great! I wore exactly the same thing, which was what I was told to do for a call-back audition. The reason to wear the same thing is that, the reason they called you back is because they like what they saw, so don't change it if it ain't broke! Anyway, I auditioned again, this time with another woman and a slightly different situation. This time we had to act like we were getting out of a limousine and pose for pictures.

They called me again! This time they asked me to block some dates, three to be exact. This is called, being put on hold. One was a Friday for the fitting of the clothes we were to wear and the Monday and Tuesday for the actual shoot! It was a national commercial with residuals and everything! I was psyched!

It was Tuesday of the week of the fitting. I waited for someone to call.

Then Wednesday came. No one called.

Thursday came and again. No one called. I called my agent to see if she had heard anything. She had not.

Thursday evening came. No one called.

Friday morning… No one called. I called my agent again. She told me how sorry she was. She had also tried to call to see what the deal was, but she didn't get an answer. At that point, she told me that it was probably safe to say that I had been released. She also told me that this is normal, unfortunately and that I should get used to it. In this industry, things are done in this way. It's not right, she said, but that's the way some folks are.

So there you have it. Sometimes you don't even get a courtesy call! They ask you to be courteous enough and professional and block a date and then they don't even call to tell you they don't need you. The bad thing is that sometimes, as I had to do during that particular period, I had to juggle some other commitments and jobs and on-holds around the dates for that commercial. I told the truth to the others and maybe for that, I missed out on some other opportunities. You live and you learn. That's part of what auditioning is all about.

Anthony Smith left a successful corporate career as a senior manager in Nike and Levi's after 15 years to follow his dream of becoming an entrepreneur, writer, motivational speaker and actor. While enjoying success in his "new" life, Anthony shares his business insight and acting experience with young actors. Aside from acting work, he has created www.actingcareerstartup.com and his first book, Acting Career Start-Up: Four Key Factors For Success, is available now.

Copyright © Anthony Smith. Used with permission of the author. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or distributed.