Dear Tombudsman:
This is my second year of seriously pursuing work as an actor. I am a SAG member. I have a great headshot by a top photographer. I had no trouble finding two really hardworking agents who send me out for commercial and theatrical auditions on average of twice a week. I have auditioned for most of the busy casting directors in Los Angeles, and I have been brought back in for other calls by the same casting directors.
In 1999, I had more than 100 auditions—mostly for commercials, but a significant amount were for small roles in film and television. I keep a diary of each audition, including date and details, so don't assume that I'm exaggerating the number. Despite the strike in 2000 I had 50 auditions, and I never auditioned during the strike. I know a lot of working actors, and I get a lot more auditions than any of them. I get callbacks about 30 percent of the time, so I suppose the CDs must like my work.
I have a friend who is a retired director (Clio award winner and Academy nominations) who loves my work. He sees no reason why I am not being cast in commercial and theatrical work. I have had commercial callbacks at which the client and advertising agency were present, and a couple of times they went so far as to slap me on the back, shake my hand, and tell me what a great job I did and how much they loved my work. Everyone tells me this is unheard of.
I have attended several commercial classes that cost me a lot of money, and I think about 99 percent of them will be of no use. I have no money for classes anyway. I am a member of the SAG Conservatory and have attended several excellent classes there on auditioning. I believe I have learned a lot from them.
I have not been cast in a single commercial, film, or television show since I joined SAG, found my agents, and began to go out on auditions. The common wisdom is that on average an actor must audition for 100 to 150 commercials before he or she gets work. I have also been told that I will most likely get a lot more work after I have done a couple of commercials. The bottom line is, I am not getting work, and I can't figure out why.
Dexter
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dear Dexter:
Your letter is a real eye-opener. It's at once perplexing, nearly unbelievable, sad, and very compelling. I truly want to help you out here, but you might be a guy who needs no help at all—you're possibly just on the far end of the statistical chart.
On the other end of that chart is some talented actor who for no good reason hasn't had an audition since the '70s. As you no doubt know, almost everyone else who is a professional actor is somewhere in the middle—just a handful of good auditions and a few decent bookings. The short answer is that you may need to just hang in there and wait for the fruits of your labor, which very much appear to be nearly ripe.
Let's look beyond that for just a moment. On the surface it's kind of difficult to even perceive your problem as a problem. After all, you've had more auditions in two years than most working actors get in a decade. But the fact remains that you've thus far not gotten a single job, and given your overloaded audition count that's pretty amazing to me. We all know it takes a lot of commercial calls to get work, but well over 150 and nothing? That's incredibly disheartening. I really feel for you and know how it feels to go out for a few auditions and not get something. But 150-plus calls later and you're still waiting for your first gig? I don't think many can relate to your predicament, but I think the rewards you might get at any time might be equally unrelatable to the average actor. The question is, do you have the patience to keep at it?
There are so many things at work here, but I think we have to start with your amazing streak of luck. You and I spoke on the phone, and it was a very entertaining conversation at the least. If I had any initial doubts about your story, I didn't once we were chatting. It seems like everything came very easily to you when you got to Los Angeles. While some of your friends told you not to bother trying to get an agent, you still mailed out a handful of headshots and almost immediately got a bunch of appointments, eventually landing you at your current and very good agency. That initial good fortune led to a stupefying 100 auditions in your first year alone, and that's something probably 99 percent of working actors cannot claim in any year. You've also managed to get repeated callbacks, been brought back time and again by some of the top commercial casters in town, and even had agency people showering you with praise. I'm sure from this perspective you would have preferred a little less back slapping and a few jobs instead.
This really seems to be a commercial issue at this point, as you told me that maybe 85 percent to 90 percent of your auditions are in that area with film and TV parts coming in only once in a while. You also told me in our call that 2001 seems to be following your pattern. You've already had several auditions, but, I'm sorry to report, still no work. Now, maybe my readers, that collection of good actors both new and seasoned, are going to have some trouble relating to your story or feeling much sympathy, but that doesn't mean they won't be rooting for you when you get that first spot.
Dexter, it seems like you're doing everything right. You could probably give me and a whole lot of other people advice on what to do to get commercial auditions, but it ultimately doesn't have much satisfaction when you aren't bringing home the bacon. You've only been seriously acting for two years, so no one would expect much from your theatrical resumé at this point. The fact that you've had maybe 15 or 20 theatrical auditions is impressive for a relative newcomer.
Hang in there. Commercially, yes, you would figure that something would have popped by now. I'm not going to argue with you about the common wisdom that it might take far more than 100 commercial calls to get a job, but they hardly ever come in such rapid succession in a two-year period.
I spoke to a casting assistant at a major commercial facility who had some great insights. She said that a 30 percent callback rate is very good, but that you're not alone in that range. According to her, there could be a wide range of reasons you're not getting the job—anything from freezing up at callbacks to being too edgy for the client, or maybe another actor is just as good as you but an inch taller or shorter. She said the casters might love you, and the director and agency people might, too, but if they think you'll be a hard sell for their client, then that might be hindering you. She definitely agreed that you've had tremendous success at getting calls for such a short period and that it's way too early to think about re-evaluating your career if you were leaning that way. She mentioned that if you had those numbers over 10 years without a booking, there might be real reason for concern.
The best piece of advice she gave was to start getting some answers—you deserve it with your audition count. You told me that your agents have gotten zero feedback on your auditions and callbacks. Well, according to this caster, you've earned the right to get some information from their side. Have a sit-down with your agents, and tell them you must get some feedback from the casters who have repeatedly brought you in to read. Good or bad, you've got to hear it and make whatever changes are necessary, if there are any changes needed at all.
Add to her information what another commercial casting director told me two years ago. It's not uncommon for an actor to have 20 to 30 callbacks before he gets his first jobs, and then sometimes he'll start booking like crazy. There's always hope.
As you promised me, Dexter, you'll give us a call when you get that first commercial. It sounds to me like it's a "when," not an "if." And to you newer actors who might be under the mistaken impression that all you need to do is get an agent and meet a casting director to become successful, Dexter's story should be a real lesson. It's about perseverance.
