How to Audition for Disney

Some of the most prolific Disney CDs include:

• Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher: Winners of the 2014 Backstage Vanguard Award and casting veterans at the Emeryville, California–based Pixar Animation Studios, these two put together the ensembles of “Lightyear,” “Turning Red,” and “Coco.”
• Jamie Sparer Roberts: Head of casting for Disney Animation Studios and Disney+, she cast “Encanto,” “Moana,” “Frozen,” and “Baymax!” 
• Sarah Halley Finn: The CD responsible for assembling “The Avengers” also cast other MCU hits like “Loki” and “Deadpool & Wolverine,” as well as “The Mandalorian” and “Moon Knight.”
• Laray Mayfield and Julie Schubert: This pair cast the Netflix Marvel series “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “The Punisher,” “Iron Fist,” and “Daredevil.”
• Judy Taylor and Julia Ashton: These two cast the Marvel Hulu show “M.O.D.O.K.” and the Disney+ original “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”

Known for its ironclad NDAs, Disney goes to great lengths to avoid leaks—so, your audition will more than likely use a heavily redacted version of a script, or a script that has nothing to do with the project you are auditioning for but demonstrates that you can hit the right beats. 

“In order to protect the creative process at the studio, we release very little information about the projects and characters to anyone outside of the company,” Roberts said. “Occasionally the director will share rough sketches with the actor at the live audition. In fact, the sides that we use are not usually made up of material that is in the actual film. For example, most of my ‘Frozen II’ audition material for new roles has been made up of scenes pulled from various existing stage plays that echo the emotion of our film.”

For an actor trying to prepare for an audition with little information, Roberts offers a workaround: “Come prepared to use [your] imagination and, in some instances, improvise. Our auditions are not as much about the words on the page as they are about finding the essence of a character in the actor’s interpreted performance, mixed with the sound of their voice.”

To maintain that shroud of secrecy, Rachel Matthews auditioned for the role of Honeymaren in “Frozen II” using a David Mamet monologue—“so absurd for Disney,” she said—and a song she chose herself, “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak. With those materials in hand, Matthews auditioned for Roberts, her assistant, and “Frozen” and “Frozen II” director Chris Buck.

“It was the most intimidating audition I had ever been in. But for some reason, I felt so at peace,” she recalled. “Chris told me he wasn’t going to be looking at me while I did my monologue; he would be looking at these pictures. He whipped out six hand-drawn pages of Honeymaren. In that moment, I was able to look at her. It was this crazy moment of: I know how to do this; I know how to play her.” 

Even in the live-action realm, auditioning and waiting for that callback from Disney can take months—or years. “In the Marvel world, there were many actors who auditioned for one part in a Marvel film or another project and got cast years later in something else,” Finn noted. “When you do good work and show up every day, we take note. We remember that, and hopefully it turns into something down the line.”

Most Disney acting gigs will likely require you to go through an agency rather than a public casting call when auditioning for any lead, supporting, or recurring role. However, if you don’t have an agent, you’re in luck! Thanks to the massive global reach of the Disney brand, the studio dabbles in both open and traditional casting calls.

“We put a breakdown out that has all of Canada and the U.S., and we even send [it] to England and Australia,” Taylor told us. “We know that there are kids out there who may not have an agent and can’t get to us…. We’ll choose three or four different regions of the country and go there ourselves, or we send casting directors that know how we work and know what we’re looking for. We’ll go to performing arts schools…acting schools, and regular schools if we can, when appropriate, just to branch out.” Taylor noted that Disney also “occasionally [has] a big open call, so that anybody can show up…because you just never know where anyone is hiding or where they might be.”

“We don’t want to miss out,” Taylor added. “We always start with the people we’re already aware of, in addition to the new people we hope to find. And of course, we’re always talking to agents about who they represent. We talk to them on a daily basis; they’re extremely valuable. We really appreciate our relationships with the agents and the managers out there who collaborate with us. It takes a village.”

Old-school practicality still goes a long way in our social media–saturated world. Be sure to research the casting directors for current Disney projects, and don’t be afraid to reach out. “Send them a short note with your picture and résumé,” advised Disney Channel CD Lisa London (“Hannah Montana”). “Tell them that you would love to audition for them. Just be sure to be prepared if this opportunity arises!” 

Social media and online networking are your best marketing tools. Start a carefully curated social media account and create a personal website that showcases your updated headshots, demo reel, and résumé.

Disney unveiled its roster of upcoming releases during its D23 fan event in August 2024, and, judging by the titles in the works, it’s safe to say many of the company’s biggest franchises—“Star Wars,” “Avatar,” and “Frozen,” to name a few—are just getting started. But with much of the details kept under wraps, it’s no surprise that having an agent could be your best shot at landing a Disney audition. If you do not have representation yet, our guide on how to get an acting agent can help. We also recommend bookmarking our main casting page for the latest updates on additional opportunities.

For those who aspire to join the Disney Channel, keep an eye on the network’s talent search page, which promises to update with open casting opportunities as they become available. Those who are especially interested in portraying one of Disney’s iconic characters might also want to audition for roles tied to the company’s parks, resorts, and cruise lines, which are currently casting worldwide. If you have musical talent or dance experience, you might even find yourself eager to audition for Disney on Broadway as it’s currently casting for its stage productions of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” (Our guide on how to get cast in Broadway’s “The Lion King” can help you nail that audition.)

Our in-depth guides on how to get cast in Disney-related and Disney-adjacent projects are always at the ready:

• How to Get Cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
• How to Get Cast in a ‘Star Wars’ Production
• How to Get Cast in an ‘Alien’ Production
• How to Get Cast in an ‘Avatar’ Movie
• How to Get Cast on ‘Loki’
• How to Get Cast in a ‘Spider-Man’ Movie
• How to Get Cast on ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
• How to Get Cast on a Show Like ‘Agatha: All Along’
• How to Get Cast on ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’
• How to Audition for Hulu
• How to Get Cast on ‘Only Murders in the Building’
• How to Get Cast on ‘The Bear’

Experiment beyond the script. “Go back and think about iconic animated characters,” Aaron Drown, executive director of casting for Disney Television Animation, told Backstage. “If you were to try to do an impersonation of what SpongeBob sounds like when he laughs, or what Mickey Mouse sounds like when he laughs, just realize: ‘Oh, an actor came up with that laugh; an actor came up with that noise.’ But don’t expect, in the sides, for the writer to write: ‘Laugh.’ Just be aware of what’s happening around the lines and [what] informs them. The things that aren’t just the written word are important to think about when you’re auditioning.”

As Lyon noted, “For the larger voiceover world, I know that it’s about being able to do a bunch of different voices. So, it’s interesting, because the standard demos don’t really work for us. We still need people who can do great things with their voice, [but] one thing that I wish for when we get demos is that people would speak a little bit with their natural voice.”

Do your homework. “Always do the prep,” said “Cruella” CD Lucy Bevan. “Know the material, and be ready to take notes and make adjustments. It’s hard to do that if you’re not prepared.” 

And as CD Carol Goldwasser (“Austin & Ally,” “Hannah Montana”) shared, that kind of flexibility especially comes in handy for kids and teens in the business: “Have the flexibility to take a note and not be so locked in to your preparation that you can’t move off that mark,” she explained. “With kids and teens, there’s a sensitivity, because when you give a note, sometimes all a young person can hear is: ‘Oh, she didn’t like what I did. She doesn’t like me.’ ”

Be kind to yourself. “Be patient. I think [actors] hear it a lot, but [when] I was three years out, I gave up. I was gonna go to law school,” shared Josh Gad, who voices Olaf in the “Frozen” films. “I called my mother to tell her this news. I thought she would be ecstatic; instead, she was really pissed at me and said, ‘I’m really disappointed in you. You spent 15 years dreaming of becoming an actor and only three years trying. You owe yourself more.’ Then, a couple of months later, I got my first big break on Broadway. The plan was ‘Saturday Night Live.’ The plan did not go as planned. The plan was very: I’m going to be on ‘SNL.’ And it was only after I let go of that dream that my career identified what it wanted to be.”

Emily VanCamp, who plays S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter in the MCU, noted, “When I was younger, I had a tendency to be incredibly hard on myself. That can be really limiting. Looking back as a grown-up now, I would say: Stop being so hard on yourself! Let yourself play; let yourself fail. Those are the most important things in any creative environment—or, really, anything you put your mind to. You have to allow yourself to fail…. You have to learn and grow through the process. In a sense, that’s your experience [and] your schooling. For me, it was learning on the job constantly and just trying to grow.”

Come as your best self. “I’m looking for actors who come in and bring a real acting performance to the character and not bring in [just] a voice,” Roberts shared during an interview on “The Ash Taba Show.” “I don’t want a vocal performance, per se; I want the entire performance. I tend to [hire] actors that are actors and not just voice performers.”  

“I think the most important quality is that [actors] honor their authentic voice. An actor should always follow their instincts and follow their impulses,” Finn added. “As long as an actor is drawing [from] their own life experience and connecting with what’s real in them and bringing that to what’s real in the character, it’s going to be unique.”

John Boyega, who plays former stormtrooper Finn in the “Star Wars” universe, explained: “The worst thing actors can do is listen to John Boyega and go: ‘I’m gonna walk in these footsteps.’ ” He added, “You’ve got to be a sponge. In terms of acting, a great foundation is always information. If your foundation is wack and rocky and muddy and you’re trying to build a five-star hotel, forget it. Go back. Dig deeper.”