Last week, you discussed arriving “in costume” for auditions. What about arriving “in character”? I am working with a coach whose advice on audition technique is to arrive in character and remain in character until back in the car. Does arriving in character limit the CD’s choices about you as an actor (cutting off possibilities for work in other roles or other projects) or could I leave there with a CD believing I’m schizophrenic, a heroin addict, a felon, etc.?
I had a conversation with another casting director about this question last week, after having received your email. She and I laughed about our experiences with various actors coming in being the character they were auditioning for. For us, it seems to always be the wrong choice.
That said, I know another CD who just recently was sharing the story of several actors entering an audition for gang member roles. They came together, dressed similarly, and asking the assistant whether they’d found the “right place to be in the movies.” Basically, they gave the impression that they were gang members who’d heard about the audition, not actors showing up in character. This CD said many of the folks there that day were intimidated and not sure exactly what to do, but they went ahead and auditioned the actors (assuming they were gang members) and after the audition, the actors presented their headshots and thanked everyone for the read.
They all booked.
So, back to the discussion I was having last week on this topic: It’s okay to be in character for most of the audition period, but not for every moment you are in the session. A specific example from my recent history is when we needed to see actors for a really evil, bitter old woman character. I saw so much good work that it floored me. There was some really great “evil” lurking beneath some of the “sweetest old ladies” you’d ever imagine! But one actor came in in character, which meant she started out treating my assistant and interns VERY BADLY. She was rude, offensive, and flat-out mean to everyone.
When she came into the room for the audition itself, I could already tell she had mistreated everyone in the hallway. And when she spoke to the director and producer, who were in prereads that day, she was rude and offensive to them as well. Assuming she was taking the character all the way, I let her continue the read. When she was finished, I attempted to have polite conversation with her about the project (its timeline, setting, questions she may have about it, etc.), and she blew me off with an insulting remark. We thanked her for her time and sent her on her way.
Now, here’s the hard part: she was perfect for the role. But we had to imagine, if she would behave like this in pursuit of the part, how would she behave once she HAD the part?!? Could we risk that she would treat everyone — all the other actors, the crew, the on-set tutors, the craft services people, PAs, everyone on the set — like that for the entire shoot? No. Not when we had an as-wonderful actor who was able to read the vibe in the room and go into and out of character to say her hellos and good-byes.
I shared this story with that CD last week, and she countered with a similar story of her own, adding, “We know you can play a diva. You’re an actor. That’s what you do. You ACT the part. But if you come in and make me believe you are the diva, I’m going to think twice about the environment I’m creating for the people who HIRED ME to do a good job, populating their film.”
Is that clear enough?
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Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000047.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.