Some Advice For A Young Actor

05-08-2010 by admin



The actor who had the problem, hadn’t been training much at all. Somehow though, he got through the audition process and got the job. He didn’t have a technique to fall back on. He didn’t know how to create a character. He didn’t know how to access the emotions he needed for the part. So he relied on what he ‘thought’ was right and he was ACTING instead of BEING the character, because he just didn’t know how.

1 phrase and 1 question

So many young aspiring actors often say two phrases, the first of which is an affirmation and the second one is a question. They are:

I want to be an actor. Where can I find auditions? Or

I want to be an actor. How can I get an agent?

What they sometimes fail to realize is that between wanting to become an actor and the auditions and/or getting an agent, there is a very important step. That is training.

Long-term or short-term. Which do you prefer?

You can have a short-term strategy or a long-term strategy as an approach to your acting career. The short-term strategy has you being impatient, jumping right in to audition or trying to get an agent with no training. Statistics say that if you go about it that way, you will not have much success in the long run.

The long-term strategy has you building your base first, getting into a good acting class/school, learning the industry, learning who the players are, who casts what, trends, etc. It has you gaining experience in community theater or as an extra for example, to help to build your skill level.

Before rushing off to try and get an agent, remember that people in the traditional work force aren’t the only one’s who get fired. Actors can get fired too.

Your best bet is to get some good, solid training going. I would say that is your number one priority.

Extra work, community theater, commercial print work can help you get your feet wet and build your confidence and skill while you are studying.

When the time is right it will be time to look for agent representation. That will be the subject of the next article.

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Auditioning and What You Can Expect (Part III)

02-06-2008 by admin



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 flys 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.

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