How to Audition for Peacock

Like most streaming services, Peacock works with various production companies and creative teams. As a result, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the streamer’s casting process. When it came to auditioning for the role of Joe Exotic’s 20-year-old husband, Travis Maldonado, on Peacock’s “Joe vs. Carole,” Nat Wolff told us he had to fight for his role—he needed the team to see his vision for the part.

“[T]hey said, ‘We like Nat, but we like him for the other husband part.’ I just didn’t feel right for that part,” he said. “There was something about Travis on the documentary series that I connected with immediately. I sent an email to my agents a year before the audition process even happened, and I said, ‘If they ever make a version of “Tiger King,” I have to play this guy.’ 

“I fought to audition for that part when they wouldn’t see me. I came into my audition for Travis as Travis,” Wolff continued. “I worked on the physicality and the voice and spent hours watching footage of him and listening to him. I tried to treat it like I had the part already, which sometimes I don’t do out of not wanting to get too invested in something that might not happen.” Thankfully, his hard work and mindset paid off.

While casting roles based on real-life individuals might come with its challenges, choosing actors to lead the reboot of a beloved series can be equally tricky. For CD Julie Ashton, that task came in the form of casting the new “Saved by the Bell.” “I worked with my dear friend, [co-creator] Tracey Wigfield, and she was just so clear about how she’d written these characters. It wasn’t like we had to match this person. She was very open to diversity—any ethnicity. And magic just happened,” Ashton told us.

“We just had this process of bringing in these amazing kids who made an impact on us and then, of course, did some chemistry reads. Elizabeth Berkley [who stars as Jessica Spano on ‘Saved by the Bell’] was lovely. She read with people and came into the casting sessions,” Ashton continued. “You know when you see it, and you just get goosebumps. That’s how we cast it. It was never Tracey saying, ‘You need to put the round peg in the round hole.’ It was like, ‘Let’s just find great kids.’ Which very rarely happens!”

Peacock has become a hub for successful limited series—viewers are buzzing about Amanda Seyfried’s latest starring vehicle, “Long Bright River”—but not all of its original programming is one and done. As it stands, the streamer has several hit series returning in the coming months. 

Last December, “Bel-Air” was renewed for its fourth and final season, and Season 2 of “Poker Face” debuts on May 8. “The Day of the Jackal,” which airs on Peacock in partnership with the U.K.-based Sky Atlantic, will also return for its second season, and longtime soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” which has called the streamer home since 2022, continues its decades-long run with its milestone 60th season. Although popular shows like “Those About to Die” and “Laid” are still in limbo, there’s plenty to look forward to as Peacock works to widen and diversify its reach.

To learn more about what it takes to audition for Peacock, check out these targeted guides on how to get cast on some of the streamer’s top programs:

• How to Get Cast on ‘Poker Face’
• How to Get Cast on ‘The Day of the Jackal’
• How to Get Cast on a Show Like ‘Long Bright River’

You may also want to explore our guide on how to get cast on “Suits LA” as NBC’s law drama streams the next day on Peacock’s platform. (And there’s no harm in learning how to audition for a soap opera, too!)

We also recommend bookmarking our main casting page, which regularly updates to reflect the new and exciting opportunities featured here on Backstage. It’s where you just may find listings like this one for “Arthur and Bree,” which sought to cast a supporting role for the Peacock film via our platform in 2024.

Peacock has tapped some of the best casting directors in the business. Here are just some of the names who’ve helped assemble the ensembles that have come to define the streaming service:

• Mary Vernieu, Bret Howe, and Christine Kromer cast Peacock’s returning hit “Poker Face.” 
• Victoria Thomas and Leigh Jonte cast the streamer’s reimagined “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reboot, “Bel-Air.”
• Nina Gold and Martin Ware cast “The Day of the Jackal,” a U.K. series, which airs in America exclusively on Peacock.
• Douglas Aibel and Stephanie Holbrook cast Peacock’s newest limited series, “Long Bright River.”

Whether you’re auditioning for a new or established series, Aibel looks for actors who can grasp the vibe of the given work and demonstrate they are the proper fit. “There’s a challenge on any show in the first season because actors are sometimes given a scene that they know very well about the project, but they haven’t seen the show yet. You really have to find people who have that ability, just by their nature, to get that sense that they’re spiritually and dramatically attuned to the style of the piece that hasn’t been released yet,” Aibel told Backstage. “I would think in Season 2 and Season 3, actors auditioning have already gotten the advantage of having some sense of the style and the tone of it. I give a lot of credit to the actors in the first season. They’re sort of like pioneers, they had to jump in perfectly.”

Meanwhile, Vernieu loves second chances. To some, first impressions are everything, but for Vernieu, it’s all about growth. “I’m big about giving people another shot. I’ll always see someone again,” she told us. “People are growing every day as actors; they’re learning every day. It’s all about seeing the potential in someone, and they’re maybe not going to be exactly right for the part. But if they’re a good actor and they’re working hard, I try to recognize and reward that by continuing to bring them back until we can find something that they’re right for.”

Allow your life experiences to fuel your career development: Chibuikem Uche (“One of Us Is Lying”) began his professional career as an actuary. When he transitioned to acting without an extensive creative background, he thought he’d be at a disadvantage until he realized that all experiences are applicable to developing acting skills. “Everything that has happened to you, every bit of life you have lived, is useful for your work as an actor, so long as you see it as a road and not as a roadblock,” he wrote for us. “One of the concerns I had about getting into acting when I did, coming from the analytical world and not the creative world, was that I had spent years learning in the ‘wrong direction.’ Now, I credit my more logical approach to acting as an asset to how I’ve been able to navigate the industry so far. 

“It’s also given me the confidence to tailor my acting education,” Uche added. “Discipline, goal-setting, and the desire to learn are all things I had practiced for years that have proven highly useful in my new career. Skills are transferable because, as actors, we imitate life onscreen, and life appears in a variety of ways. So, whatever you bring to the table is sufficient as a starting point.”

Accept that what’s meant for you will find a way: Ashley Zukerman (“The Lost Symbol”) knows rejection isn’t easy, but ultimately, he notes that those roles he didn’t land weren’t right for him anyway. “If I haven’t gotten things I’ve wanted, I've mourned them and then gone back to work,” he told us. “But typically I really do believe that if I’d fit the project then I would’ve gotten it. And if I didn’t fit it, that’s probably not a project I want to be a part of. I don’t want to be on set trying to work against instincts. 

“I’ve always enjoyed the roles I’ve gotten through auditioning more than I’ve enjoyed the roles I’ve been offered. The roles I've gotten through auditions, I typically think of as they’re seeing something that I’m not even aware of in myself or in my performance. Then I can walk on the set and feel very comfortable. It’s odd how that has kept me very levelheaded.”

For Zukerman, auditioning is as much a revelation for him as for the casting team. “What else happened early on was, if I didn't get a role that I would sweat about, I’d see the project back and think of course I shouldn’t have been in that,” he added. “Of course they needed that person. It gave me ease.”

Use your unique experiences to connect with the characters: Haskiri Velazquez (“Saved by the Bell”) devoted every waking moment to perfecting her craft, but it was not until she tapped into her upbringing that she found ways to authentically bring characters to life. “My upbringing came with lots of learning curves that I’ve used in my auditions,” she wrote for Backstage. “I grew up in the hood, I’ve experienced firsthand what some of these characters on paper are going through. So when I get specific breakdowns, I see how similar I am to them and the ways I can relate to them. I saw how being my authentic self separated me in those rooms.

“For a long time, I didn’t know who I was. But it’s important to know that about yourself, especially in an industry like this, where you become someone else for X amount of months,” she continued. “It’s easy to become ungrounded and lose sight of yourself, and it’s crucial to take care of your body, mind, and soul.” And, as she added, you must ultimately be patient with yourself: “There are so many stories that need to be told, so many roles that need to be filled, and trust me when I say that the right one for you will come to you. It’s all about preparation; the more you work on yourself inside and out, the better prepared you’ll be when the opportunity reveals itself.”