I want feedback. When I know I did great and don’t get cast, isn’t it my right to ask for feedback? Why is feedback so hard to get?

This is interesting. When I first started casting, I was very big into giving feedback. Every actor who made it to callbacks on the first three or four films I cast got an email detailing my notes from the audition sessions and any opinion expressed by the director that may be useful. I’d get calls from agents and I’d give quite a bit of thoughtful feedback, hoping it would help the actor build toward better self-awareness and an understanding that most of the time that an actor isn’t cast it has nothing to do with that actor’s work.

I remember a fellow casting director telling me why he never provides feedback: “Actors don’t want feedback. Actors want to know why they didn’t get cast.” Early in my casting career, I hadn’t seen much of that for myself, so I didn’t really mind investing the time and energy into the feedback process. Eventually, I began to feel taxed by the amount of “bargaining” that went on, during these feedback calls or exchanges of email. Why the bargaining? Maybe it’s simply one of the five stages of grief actors go through, when they come close and don’t win the role.

Anyway, by the time feedback is given to an actor, someone else has been cast in the role. So, the idea that any conversation could result in an epiphany on the part of the casting director (“Eureka! We cast the wrong guy! You’re IN!”) is ridiculous. Therefore, for feedback to be truly useful, it really does need to be requested and delivered with an agenda of actor self-awareness and improvement.

Useful feedback includes information like the confidence with which you deliver the lines; level of commitment to the choices you make; how much you look like your headshot; whether your type is being accurately conveyed in your headshot, pitch, and read; your understanding of the text and the project itself; and how you come across in the room. I’ve been able to tell agents and managers that they rep an actor whose work I love, but who wasn’t right for a particular project for specific reasons (which I’ll share). This helps the actor know that he will get in front of me again, but that this role wasn’t the right match. I’ve also been able to inform actors that the fact that they regularly “leave behind” a backpack or purse or phone or script in the room (whether accidentally or with the intention of getting back into the room) is growing tired, seems obnoxious, and is perceived as high-maintenance by the decision-makers.

So, why is it hard to get feedback? With me, specifically, I know it’s become tougher due to the amount of time I used to have between film casting gigs vs. the amount of time I have now (lately the jobs seem to overlap). This, along with the fact that I’m spending more time answering the, “Why didn’t I get cast?” question than the, “Do you have any feedback?” one makes feedback harder to give these days. Do I still give feedback? Yes. Definitely. In fact, if the actor came very close to being cast, did wonderful work, was my absolute number one choice for the role, but the director went another way, I’ll be sure to let the actor know that. I know it’s frustrating to think you’ve misread a room. Feedback can ensure the actor understands he didn’t misread that room; the folks beyond the room just had other ideas.

If you’re not getting enough feedback, try asking your agent or manager to get it for you. I can usually have a much quicker conversation with your rep than with you about what worked and what didn’t work in the room and therefore am more likely to deliver the feedback you’re seeking. Of course, this means that you’ll be hearing feedback second-hand (which leaves room for misinterpretation), but at least you’ll get some information that may help you next time. Don’t have an agent or manager? I know some actors who use “return-reply cards” (like postage-paid postcards for surveys). No idea how often those get returned and how valuable the check-box responses may be, but it could be worth a shot!

Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!

Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000262.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.