Note: I first published this on my blog 10 years ago, but I think the points are still valid so I'm reprinting it to move it up in the queue. Best workshop I ever attended.
Hearing a drama coach tell you to have “the courage to take risks” and “make strong choices” – especially when spoken in the same breath as phrases like “create stunning, three-dimensional characterizations” – can be intimidating for an actor. And much to the chagrin of many drama coaches I’m sure, “take risks” is too often interpreted as a directive to reach down inside yourself and pull out someone totally different from who you are. In short, to “act.”
That’s not it. Not according to
Geoffrey Soffer, casting director for
Ugly Betty and
The Beautiful Life, who grew up in the business. I took notes during a workshop I took with him a week ago. The following is what I wrote down, some of which I knew, some I suspected, and some that came as a complete surprise.
Film and television directors cast personalities (aha!) Film directors are looking for the perfect actor personality for the role. Television directors are looking for the perfect actor personality for the role that also fits into the show. And if they’re casting a principal role in a TV series, they’re looking for a five-year fit so give them the whole package. They’re not looking for you doing Meryl Streep or Bruce Willis; they’re looking for you doing you – your talk, your walk, your look.
Is that limiting? No. Because we’ve all had the experience at some point of being flirty, giddy, jealous, sarcastic, devastated, generous, mean-spirited, pissed off, etc., etc., and when we audition we need to draw upon those experiences as the scene requires. That’s what makes a truthful performance.
Does being yourself take courage? Yes. I know a lot of actors more comfortable being someone else than being themselves, especially if the “risk” is that some casting director may say, “No, it’s not you I’m looking for.” If your personality is on the line, then it feels like personal, not professional, rejection. That hurts.
Know your type. When people meet you for the first time, they form an opinion of who you are before you ever open your mouth. Find out what that is and then do that type better than anyone else. Take a look at Rosalind Russell in the 1934 film
Evelyn Prentice (which I believe was her first film role.) Instead of the brassy, pushy dame we love in
The Women,
His Girl Friday, and
Auntie Mame, we see an actress trying veddy, veddy hahd to be a clingy, simpering member of the moneyed class. It took her another five years in film to stop doing that and find her type.
Network. That doesn't mean running around introducing yourself and asking for a job. Since they’re casting personalities, you are auditioning 24/7. Get out where producers, directors, and other actors can see you. Go to film and theatre industry events: Screenings, film festivals, workshops, happy hours, receptions, parties. Look like a star when you go. Since you’re “on stage” present the most positive you in conversation.
Project a certain surety. This is a business and, despite being referred to as the "talent," actors are low on the totem pole. If you’re a sensitive type who seems to require a lot of hand-holding, directors will look elsewhere. Soffer said that on the set of
Ugly Betty what impressed him was that the actors came across as working
with them, not
for them. They came with answers, not questions. Project that.
SPECIFICS FOR TELEVISION
Again,
the audition is a presentation of your personality. The minute you walk into the room you have to be the one they want to hire. Walk in with a sense of belonging.
Want to be there. Get pumped up.
Don’t bother auditioning for roles that are not suited to your type. You want directors to see you in roles where you are a possible fit, not wondering why you’re trying out for something so totally wrong for you.
If you’re given the sides beforehand,
memorize your lines so you can concentrate on your actions and reactions. Soffer says 98 percent of those auditioning don’t have their lines memorized and having to repeatedly look down at the script is the kiss of death. Have the lines down cold and you immediately set yourself apart from the pack.
Arrive looking your best – the very best version of you. If you’re auditioning for a starring role, look like a star. If you’re auditioning for a character part, dress in context, but not in costume.
If you don’t get the sides until you arrive for the audition, at least the first 5 lines must be off book so step aside and memorize them quickly. During the audition, look up as much as you can. The eyes are a window to the soul.
They want to see your eyes. If it makes sense in the scene, try to use the script as a prop – i.e. as a newspaper, letter, grocery list, etc. Do not, however, roll it up and wave it like a weapon or use it to punctuate your lines.
Be 100 percent committed to your take on the character. What jumps out at directors the most is the actor who says, “This is who I am and I can’t play it any other way.” (I was surprised when Soffer said that.)
Pick up the pace. Television has to tell a story in 23 minutes, 43 minutes. The words need to come much faster. All characters have a sense of urgency. Americans naturally talk fast. Leave out the dramatic pauses. Throw away more lines instead of “acting” them. Come in on top of the reader’s lines. Directors are looking for a dynamic performance, more confidence, more personality.
Don’t play a role, play yourself reacting to what's happening. They’re casting a whole person. Give them you.
If there is humor in the script, be sure to convey it.
Find at least four layers or “colors” of personality to play up in the scene – curiosity, warmth, humor, wit, whatever – four different sides to the character. Find the comedy in the drama and the drama in the comedy. Your job is to convey as much as possible about yourself and your personality during the audition.
In developing the scene,
consider all of the elements. Who are you talking to? Where is the scene taking place? What your relationship to the reader’s character? How are you connecting to that character with your lines? What is your opinion of what the reader’s character is saying? What changes during the scene?
As long as your relationship to the reader’s character feels real, just go with it.
Don’t exaggerate your reactions. Keep it dialed down.
Directors are looking for storytellers.
Make an emotional arc. If you start at one place emotionally, finish at another place. If you’re going with a strong emotion, build up to it. Don’t start with it and trail off.
Glitches to avoid: If you’re sitting during the audition, sit back in your chair. Don’t do the audition leaning forward with your elbows on your knees. If you’re standing up, don’t break “the wall” and advance on the reader. Don’t roll your eyes; it feels false. If the scene involves another person coming into the room or something that changes the dynamic, you must react to that. If there is stage direction in the script that requires a reaction, include it. Otherwise ignore it. After your last line, stay connected to the reader until the casting director speaks. Don't give the impression you can't wait to have it over with.
That’s it. A concise summary of tips to get you in the door. This was time well spent.
