I have been on the other side of the room for the past month…and by that I mean I was in the casting director’s chair. There were several things that happened consistently with actors that could easily be avoided.
1. Be aware. We had a breakdown on Backstage looking for female identical twins. It was very specific and yet we had quite a few submissions from actors who did not have a twin. We also had male actors submit. While I appreciate the enthusiasm, it is a waste of everyone’s time. Pay attention and be aware of what is asked for or needed.
2. Be compulsive. This is actually something that goes against the artist’s nature. It did mine for a long time. I have written this before but it’s worth repeating. Get Type A on yourselves. Have all your materials in order and available. When you email, double and triple check that you have everything that is asked for in the one email so you don’t send more than one. (I am guilty when it comes to this one…working on it though!)
3. Do not be entitled. I have written quite a bit about empowering ourselves as actors, as it’s something I believe in 100 percent. That should not be confused with entitlement. Nothing is owed to me and I never take an audition for granted. I bring a ton of confidence to my work yet am consistently humbled by the art. For the movie I am producing we went out to many actors and, interestingly enough, it was the ones who had worked the least that gave the most attitude. Our production is union, we have some great names attached, and our producers have some very successful films under their belts. What we found was that many of the actors who had very little on their résumé felt that they should put us through the ringer because they were owed a role. I was surprised at how many actors didn’t see the opportunity and instead lost the chance to work because of their attitudes.
4. Keep the emotion for the work. What I have found is that we tend to react emotionally; we are actors, after all. I know I certainly have been known to do this. Big time. However, as I get older I am learning how to stop and take a breath before replying and reacting. I have had some very emotional responses from some of these articles and not all that is written is nice. Sometimes I have wanted to jump on and email back a terse response, but nothing is accomplished that way. First and foremost I have to be a businesswoman, because that is what makes me successful as an actor. I didn’t learn this while getting my BFA; it was taught by the school of hard knocks that is Hollywood.
There is a lot to be said for not being such an “actor” when it comes to having a career. I was able to see this when I started coaching. Suddenly, it became painfully clear how we get a bad rap, so I encourage you all to try being a CEO for a while and see how it affects your business as an actor.
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