I love it when I get feedback on The Actors Voice: POV. Sometimes I worry that regular readers of The Actors Voice forget it even exists. (Psst! Did you see the amazing four-part series from Nancy Bishop, in which she covered the world of casting by summarizing an international casting symposium? Awesome stuff!)
Well, this time out, here’s some not-so-positive feedback on The Actors Voice — POV: Casting Associate.
Immediately prior to going on holiday (some months ago), I printed off the July newsletter to read on the plane. Obviously I did not do this as the newsletter somehow appeared on my desk this morning.
I was shocked when I read “A Casting Associate’s POV.” Wow, this girl (I assume it’s a girl) really should be looking for another job. She’s got a bad attitude. Does this person not know that whatever the sign on the door says, she is simply dealing with people? I’m sorry for the actors she comes into contact with.
As an agent for a lot of years, I have found that actors in general are a grand bunch of people. Yes, there are some who are better for a short time than a long time, but that’s life. I was brought up in “retail,” where the customer is “sometimes” right. Perhaps the writer is getting back what she deserves. If she is treating her actors badly, they will give badly back.
But, ah, maybe she is not a casting associate now. Maybe she has moved on to a job where she can sit behind a glass screen and not really be in touch with the real world. I certainly hope so. Actors at auditions deserve better. My website points out that a casting director actually wants an actor to be right for a job or they would not be invited in in the first place. Maybe an unruly actor is simply getting into character for his/her audition?
Robert Smith
Starcast Actors
Canada
Well, I wholeheartedly agree that we get back what we put out there, that casting directors absolutely want the actors to be great for the role or else we’d never even invite them in to read, and that actors are generally awesome people!
That said, I actually think this is a great example of an opportunity to apply my advice from last week’s “Toughen Up” column. (And I mean that both for people this casting associate encounters as well as the casting associate herself!) Yeah, there will be casting people who are gruff, who don’t have the sunny disposition you’d prefer to encounter at your audition, or who — themselves — need to toughen up about the realities of their jobs. But that too is a reality of life.
To me, it is always beneficial to demystify the casting process. Actors learning the why behind an attitude they may encounter in their auditioning routine, in my opinion, is always a good thing!
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/000788.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.