Hey Bonnie!
Okay so, first off, you’re hilarious (as found via your Twitter, and auditioning for you for BITE ME last Tuesday).
Secondly, I have a question that I’ve been asking around so I can get a general consensus. I’ve heard overbearing perfume is a huge pet peeve to casting directors.
What’s your biggest pet peeve as casting director?
Ahh… that question! 🙂
I think actors should ask casting directors what makes them love their job, what inspires them, what gets them so excited about what they do that they can live through the little annoyances (like perfume, props, and actors who don’t look like their headshots).
When actors ask casting directors (or agents or managers or directors or producers) to think about ways in which actors annoy them, that doesn’t get them in a good place or make them happy.
The best questions actors can ask are about what makes us love our jobs. Questions that remind us why we love this, and make us think of actors in the best ways… not remind us what actors do that pisses us off. Same way that you would probably prefer to talk about your craft, the exhilaration of receiving that call learning that you booked the role, the joy of discovering a new layer to a character. You don’t enjoy focusing on hideous traffic or changed sides or long waits or crappy readers, right? So why get into the stuff no one enjoys?
That said, here’s my answer to your question about pet peeves.
I have pretty much zero tolerance for no-show/no-call actors. That’s number one. I give tons of notice for auditions and I provide my number for day-of “running late” or “not coming” contact. So, when I experience no-shows with no call? I’m adding folks to my shit-list on that first strike. There are just far too many people dying to get into the room for a shot at the role for actors who DON’T show up to be forgiven easily. Sure, there are sometimes emergency circumstances, and I take those into consideration. But I always remember the actor who called me from labor to say she wouldn’t make it after all, because her baby was coming early, but asked if she could come in the following week. Yes, really!
Pet peeve number two: Actors not looking like their headshots. See above! Number three: Actors not being able to take direction in the room (being married to their choices) or using props (see above), NOT BRINGING headshots and resumés (Crazy!!! I know you need headshots less, commercially, these days, but for theatrical auditions — and especially if you’re told IN the audition notice to bring ’em — bring ’em!), forcing a handshake when it’s clearly not being offered, wearing too much perfume, being snotty about waiting or parking or having new sides… the usual crap that you’ve heard a thousand times and that often we have no control over either. We hate it too. It’s just a part of the deal, sometimes.
See? Why do you want me thinking about the actors who are less than awesomely professional and going down the path of reflecting on all the little annoyances? You want to remind me why I love this job. 🙂 So, when I think of you and your question, I’m feeling good at the same time. That’s why the pet peeve question is a bad idea. We can all come up with a list of things that piss us off. Let’s inspire each other to come up with lists of things we love and value in one another. That makes this job way more fun, in my opinion!
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/001230.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.