Brett Benner Advises to Keep Your Headshot and Résumé Current

Veteran casting director Brett Benner, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pa., has run Romano/Benner Casting in Los Angeles with his partner, Debby Romano, for 11 years. They have cast such hit TV series as "Cougar Town," "One Tree Hill," "Scrubs," "Psych," and "The Drew Carey Show." Back Stage recently sought his advice for actors prepping for L.A.'s pilot season.

When asked what actors might expect when they show up for an appointment at his office, Benner replies, "For pilots, we see people primarily for series regular roles. They will have their sides in advance and hopefully far enough ahead so they won't feel rushed. About 98 percent of the time, they will be put on tape. Me or Debbie and me, and sometimes a producer, will be there."

He says that the first step is asking the actor if there are any questions about the material. "If not," he elaborates, "there might be stuff that needs to be redirected or tweaked." Sometimes Benner gives the actors specifics ahead of time on what to prepare: "For example, if there are three scenes, we might say to prepare two, though to look at all three. If we don't have the actor do all the scenes, it doesn't mean anything either way. Sometimes after the actor does only one or two scenes, we'll know right away that the person is right, or vice versa."

Does Benner expect memorization? "We don't," he says. "We tell an actor to use the sides if needed, because nerves kick in when people walk in the room. Even seasoned actors sometimes want a particular role badly, and they go up on their lines." Yet Benner believes it is to the actor's benefit to be as familiar with the material as possible. He adds, "I know that many actors, especially those who have been doing this for a long time, can have seven to eight auditions in one day. There's no way to expect them to be off book for eight different sets of sides."

How many actors does he typically see for a role? "It varies. I can see 250 to 300 people, but sometimes it's far less. For a series regular role, it's seldom less than 200. Some roles are easier to cast than others."

Heads Up

When it comes to the all-important headshot, Benner has distinct views on what constitutes an effective one. "The biggest thing we've noticed across the board, beyond pilot season—though this applies more to women than men generally—is that a headshot must look like you," he explains. "I understand vanity, and that people want to look great. However, too many women don't look like their pictures. I find this more with younger women or those who are aging and want to look younger. You might call in what you think is a 30-year-old and someone in their late 30s walks in, and that's a waste of everyone's time. If a picture is airbrushed to death, it doesn't look like the person who walks in the room. And nowadays, we're dealing with high-definition television. People look like what they look like. That's the reality. Many times people dye their hair. You can call a blond, and a brunet walks in the door."

Benner also expects a proper résumé. "If it's a comedy, clearly I'm looking for someone with that experience, whether it's theater or television comedy experience, or sitcoms," he elaborates. "I also look at training. To be perfectly honest, in the crush of pilot season, when there's so many people you're seeing, sometimes it's just about a look. And when I look at the résumé, if there's nothing on it, we still might read the actor. On the other hand, I'm probably not going to do a whole session with people who have no experience. Many people haven't had the break yet. Just because you're with a big agency doesn't mean you're a good actor."

Benner doesn't encourage drop-off submissions, because it leads to a glut. Yet, he says that the company goes through all of its mail. "Postcards are fantastic," he notes. "It's easy to look at a face. We will read people if we see something that looks right from a mailing." He cautions, "On a résumé, sometimes when people are starting out, they'll list extra work on a TV show. Never put that on there unless you want to be an extra. Don't list it if you want to establish yourself as a serious actor."

He also brings up a faux pas that might seem obvious but nonetheless occurs: "Don't touch the casting director. I've had some weird experiences that you wouldn't believe, such as when someone came across the table while reading a scene where he was supposed to be attacking me and literally started doing it. I've talked to other casting directors who have been kissed by the actor. There are ways to connect in a scene, whether you're reading with a CD or an assistant or if they have a reader. If there's a point in a scene where there needs to be some kind of physical contact, I would ask your question before you start reading, such as 'Are you comfortable if I touched you?' "

In conclusion, Benner offers the following: "This is not just for new people; actors need to remember that at the end of the day, it's their career—not their agent's or their manager's. If there's something that you're called in for and you don't think you're right for it, pass on it. There's no reason to go in for an audition if you don't think you're going to do your best or if the role doesn't speak to you or if you feel you can't do something with it. Don't feel that you can't tell your agent, 'I want to respectfully pass.' "