Be Confident Even If You Aren't

First of all, if a casting director called you into an audition that means they want to cast you.  Seriously they do, because if you come in and are perfect for the part then their job is done and they won’t have to sit through another 100 actors who look just like you.  Trust me they want to like you, they really, really do.

But, we are actors and think everyone is judging us constantly and we need validation.  This makes us seem needy and lacking confidence.  Which is a problem, because over and over again the actors that get callbacks and book parts are the ones that exude confidence the moment they walk into the office.

For those of us that lack that natural who-gives-a-hoot-what-anyone-thinks-air, here are a couple basic traps many actors fall into:

Don’t Walk into an Audition Apologizing

I helped at a casting session that involved singing.  The first thing a bunch of the actors said the moment they walked in the door was, “I’m so sorry, but I’m not a very good singer.”

Now everyone in the room is thinking, great this is going to be a waste of our time and then we are going to be stuck in the uncomfortable position of having to coddle you after your audition and tell you that you weren’t as bad as you thought.  Since, you told us that you were going to be bad, I am going to go over my grocery list in my head while you are singing.

And truth be told, most of these actors weren’t that bad and if they hadn’t made everyone biased against them the moment they walked in they may have had a chance.

Don’t Come in with Excuses

I can’t tell you how many actors have walked in and the first thing they said was an excuse as to why they were late, or don’t have their headshots, or why they don’t know their lines.

Here is the answer to all your excuses:

1. Yes, you live in LA; traffic sucks.

2. No, your agent didn’t send over headshots for you.  Here’s a hint: They never do.

3. There are other actors up for the same part who had the material the same amount of time that do know their lines.  Guess who looks better on camera. 

How can you seem more confident? 

1. Be pleasant and greet the casting director, but don’t start rambling on.  When they ask how’s your day going they are just being polite and don’t need to hear about how your cat threw up on your bathroom carpet (true story). 
2. When they ask if you have any questions, they are doing two things: offering to answer any intelligent questions you have about the scene and they are letting you know that it’s time to start.  Don’t ask a question just to ask a question and don’t ask something that you should have had answered before you came in.  What should you have found out before you stepped into the room?  Things like: is this a comedy or drama and how are these characters related.
3. If you feel like things are going supremely terrible it is okay to stop and ask to do the scene again, but only do this if you are going to do the scene differently and you are sure it will be better.  Also, know that even if you think you are doing terrible usually you are doing fine.
4. Once the scene is done say thank you and leave.  I have seen more than one actor talk themselves out of a role after they did an amazing scene by going on and on once they were finished.  The need to fill dead air with talking shows a lack of confidence in yourself.

There are those that are born with confidence.  For the rest of us who weren’t, may I suggest faking it and eventually you might find some of that confidence inside you.  Not that I have, but it could happen.

Have You Tried Asking?

A couple months ago I came across this video on YouTube: Please Give Me One Million Dollars.  This guy does these videos asking for, well, one million dollars.  Funny video, right?  About a month later I saw this: Please Give Me One Million Dollars - Success!  That's right, someone actually gave him one million dollars and all he did for it was ask.  My first response naturally was that is ridiculous!

My second response, why didn't I think of that?! 

Then I started to think about what I really want, even more than a million dollars, the chance to work in my chosen profession as an actor.  (Although, if anyone wants to give me a million dollars I will gladly accept it.)  That's when I went on YouTube and asked for a part in one of my favorite series, Battlestar Gallactica, in An Open Letter to Ronald D. Moore.

Has it worked yet?  Well no, but it took four years for Erik Weiner to get a role on "Boardwalk Empire" after his brilliant video One Line on the Sopranos.

While I wait to see if Ronald Moore ever contacts me, I might as well try for something else, like a role in the new Star Trek film:

 

So, what do you really want?  Why not just ask for it?

How to Fight the Negativity Monster

You know what I hate?  When someone tells me to be positive, like it will somehow solve all life’s problems. When I’m in a not-so-happy place, having someone tell me to be positive makes me want to punch them in the face.

But, and I really hate to say this, the positive people do have a point.  Being positive makes people want to be around you and work with you, so being a positive person is advantageous to your career.   

Since being uber-positve is not my forte, here are the steps I take to help me move away from the negative and into the positive.

1. ACCEPT THAT REJECTION IS PART OF THE GAME.  In Hollywood it seems like people are always looking for reasons not to give you a job.

I was in a producers’ session for a straight-to-DVD sequel of a not-so-great movie.  One girl came in and hit every note perfect, actually got the comedy, and was gorgeous.  I was sure she was the one and then a producer said, “She was great, too bad her eyebrows are so bushy.”  And just like that she didn’t get the part.  I wanted to scream, I mean I could send her down the street for a waxing and have her back in an hour, but it was too late, the producer had made up his mind.  Rejection is always going to be here, but know the reason for your rejection can be something ridiculous, like a producer not understanding that hair can be waxed off.

2.  DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR CAREER.  When I’m feeling down and think no one is ever going to cast me in anything ever again, that’s when I know I need to go out and be proactive.  But acting generally requires more than one person and an audience, so what can you do on your own?

 

A.  CREATE WORK AND CAST YOURSELF.  Here are some examples of proactive actors giving themselves jobs:

 

• An Open Letter to Ronald D. Moore

It’s all about asking for what you want and yeah, it’s shameless self-promotion.

• 127 Seconds (A Parody by Gibbon’s Tail) 

This went viral and was even featured on a news program in China! 

 

•  Ally Quest

 A history based travel show from actress Allison Wottowa who combined two of her loves: travel and history.

 

•  That's What She Said (a Web Series) 

Each episode went from story idea to finished product in less than two weeks!

 

There are so many high quality, inexpensive cameras available that it is easy to just go shoot something with your friends.  All it takes is an idea.

           

B.  TAKE A CLASS.  Here are some of my favorites:

• SAG Foundation which offers free classes to SAG, AFTRA, and Equity members.  Their classes cover everything from Casting Director Workshops to How to do your Taxes.

• Hollywood Happy Hour is another place that offers free seminars to it’s members and membership is free.  If there isn’t an event right now then go over to their Yahoo Group and get in on the discussion that covers all aspects of the Business.

 

•  Or you can just sign up for any of the amazing acting schools all over town.  Get your improv on at UCB or delve into the Meisner technique by auditing a class at Playhouse West.  Find a way to work on your craft so when you do get in the room you will nail it.

C.    WRITE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES in this ridiculous town; like how about starting a blog?

3.  TAKE A DAY OFF.  I know it’s hard to give yourself a break, but giving yourself a mental health day will make you a better, more relaxed actor.  I got an annual pass to Disneyland for the days when I’m feeling down.  But this is LA, there are a million things you can do: hang out at the Getty, sit on a beach somewhere, or get happy hour margaritas at Cabo Cantina.  Find something that brings out your smile and just go do it!

So, now you don’t have an excuse.  BE POSITIVE!

Fencesitting is uncomfortable, so make a choice!

A popular phrase you hear in acting classes is make strong choices. I would always eagerly nod my head along in agreement, sure choices sound good and strong ones sound even better.  But, in all honestly I never had any idea what that meant.

It took many years of working as a reader in casting offices for me to finally figure out this whole choice thing.  I'm pretty sure it means to have opinions about what is going on in the scene ... right? 

Every scene in a film is there for a reason and every line is important, if it wasn't then it would be cut.  One phrase I absolutely hate is that's just a throwaway line.  I'm sure if you asked the writer they would disagree.

If every moment is important, then you should have an opinion about every moment, especially the moments when you aren't speaking.

A wonderful example of this is Ed O'Neill's audition for Married With Children.  The scene started with him coming into house after work.  The moment before he came inside Ed stared at the prop door and let out a big sigh.  This moment was not in the script, but it showed he had strong opinion about what coming home after work meant to Al Bundy.  Because of this sigh, he got the part.

Some choices work, but some don’t so you have to be flexible with dropping a choice you made when asked.  I see actors get so caught up with choreographed moves or accents that they can’t drop them or they stumble through the scene once told to change it.

I was a reader at an audition that involved a lot of physicality and one actor’s choreography involved approaching me and ripping the script from my hands.  The CD immediately stopped the audition.  He may have been worried about my safety or the fact that I needed the script for my lines, but mostly he stopped him because the actor stepped out of the area that the camera could catch.  The actor was so frazzled after being stopped and told he had to change his movements, he had a hard time completing the scene, forgetting lines that he knew a minute earlier.

Make choices, but be flexible with them.  Plus, you get the added bonus of looking directable.

The worse choice you can make is to not make a choice.  The forgettable actors are the fencesitters who are worried about making the wrong choice. Don’t fear incorrect choices, you aren’t selecting the Holy Grail here and I promise you won’t rapidly age and have your face melt off because you chose poorly.

Form strong opinions and go balls to the wall with them!