Drama teachers implore you to be decisive in your character choices for an audition. They train you to plan and deliver specific actions. Most audition sides and character breakdowns include detailed instructions on what a character does and how they react.
And what happens in the room? The actor faithfully delivers that action. Because they know that they must deliver that specific action. Because that is what is required.
Wrong.
After over 30 years of auditioning actors the one thing I know, is that no one knows. They may give the impression they know. If it is a drama teacher, an acting coach, a director, a head of network, they will deliver their opinion with authority and confidence. But it is only that: an opinion, not a fact.
Many times I have seen actors say in the room, “Just tell me what you want, because I can give it to you,” as if there is a locked down, known version of the character and you just have to deliver that version.
When a casting director makes recommendations to a producer that they should cast a specific person, we do not know they are the best. We are trusting our instincts, our opinion.
If all creative people involved with casting and performance had knowledge, then every character on every show would be…well, perfect.
The director, the casting director, the writer, and yes, you the actor, must follow your instincts. And never stop. When you explore, you will find unmapped territory for your character.
An actor in an audition is trying to minimize mistakes. So you plan exactly what you are going to say, the inflections, the pauses. You know. You lock things down.
In auditions we are seeing actor after actor delivering the same lines. When we see an auditioning actor create previously unseen moments for a character, we pay closer attention. We are interested; we have been inspired. Not because the actor has delivered the exact character we have been trying to find, but because your version of the character has shaped our thinking. It feels right. But nope, we do not know.
We have an idea what we want, a concept of who the character is, but it is not set in concrete. It is up to you to approach every audition firm in the knowledge that no one knows. And if you can do that, then you will constantly search for a version that feels right in your audition prep, in your audition delivery, in rehearsal, and again when you work on set.
Great screen actors, directors, and writers are great because they do not stop searching for the right balance. They keep trying new things, moving closer and closer to the right balance. They keep searching, exploring, experimenting.
Think of it like this: If they all knew exactly what to do, why do they occasionally make dud movies, deliver bad performances.
They fascinate us because they keep us guessing. And they keep the audience guessing by continually guessing themselves.
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