Today I want to talk to you about something that is so very important when it comes to your mental clarity and empowerment when you walk into an audition. It has everything to do with how you perceive the Power Players. And in this instance, I’m talking specifically about the Casting Director.
Casting directors, I feel, are so misunderstood, especially by us actors. Let’s all admit it, shall we? So often we look at that casting director like they are the big, bad wolf! - and that they are there to judge us, and we’re never enough, and they’re evaluating our every move, blah blah blah! That is exactly what I used to feel before I worked in casting, and when I became that very person [the casting director] who used to intimidate me the most, I realized I was completely wrong! I just didn’t understand them or their day.
One of the biggest mistakes we make as actors is perceiving what is going on over there with the casting director in terms of their behavior, their seeming “lack of interest,” we perceive what is going on with them as being all about us, and it’s not – it’s just not the case.
There are a few things that you must understand about the casting director:
There is a great book called The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. Such a fantastic book, especially if you want to audition well. One of the four agreements says Don’t Take Anything Personally. Let’s read for a second what Don Miguel Ruiz has to say about Do Not Take Anything Personally. He says, "Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering." This principle applies so beautifully to auditioning. Let me tell you a little bit about what that casting director, who might be in a bad mood during your audition, is going through: they are under a tremendous amount of...
Bottom line. Whatever is going on in that casting director’s head that is resulting in whatever behavior is coming across their face and behavior, that is none of our business as actors! It’s just not.
Before I worked in casting, so many times I can recall as an actor I would walk into an audition and I would evaluate in my mind every single little thing that that casting director was doing to be a reflection of me, that it meant something about me. And when I went into casting, and I actually became that person dealing with all that pressure, dealing with my own human circumstances, dealing with the time constraints – I would find myself – and I’m a very actor-friendly person, because I am an actor – I would find myself saying, [in a very blunt & indifferent tone while drinking a cup of coffee], “Hi, come on in…do you have any questions...uh great we’ll start whenever you’re ready…yeah, go ahead.” In looking back on this I’m sure I must have came across horribly uninterested, but I can promise you that in my mind I was very present and taking the actor in fully, “Ok, nice look, uh-huh, that’s nice, oh I like this, yep ok ok.” but was I interested in showing that to them? Hell-to-the-no. Why? Because I had a million pressure-filled things going on in my brain at that moment!
Do not misinterpret the casting director’s lack of visible interest during your audition as a sign that they are truly uninterested.
Even if that casting director picks up a donut and starts eating it in the middle of your audition! (Yes, I’m serious). Do not be offended by that. Maybe they didn’t get to eat lunch and they’re hungry! Trust that that casting director can eat a donut, read with you with their mouth full, and really be connected to you; be fully present to you while eating a donut. Because they can! (Again, quite serious here, no joke). I know some actors who, if that happened to them, their entire day would be ruined because “I can’t believe that casting director picked up a donut and ate it throughout my audition! They were so uninterested in me!”
When we audition, we have the choice to either come from a place of fear or come from a place of faith. Often we end up projecting onto the casting director our fear of what we think that casting director’s going to think of us. And unfortunately the way that the mind works, we often jump to the worst conclusion. Being able to walk into an audition and extend empathy to the casting director if they seem frazzled, if they seem like they’re not in the best mood, coming from a place of faith, saying to yourself, “Oh, whoa. Ok that’s not about me, that’s probably about them. I hope they’re ok, I hope they’re not having a bad day. I’m going to do everything I can in this moment to not contribute to their bad day, hopefully I can make it a little better.” You are there to contribute. You are not there to get something from them. You are there to give something to them. In a beautifully way you, as an industry colleague to that casting director, are in your spirit supporting them and their day by not taking it personally and by not letting it interfere with your work or your choices.
Try it on. Look at it like a lab experiment at your next audition. Assume, no matter what happens, even if that casting director looks at you like you are an alien – assume that’s not about you, it’s all about them. This happened to me once on an audition where I booked the role. I walked into the room and I swear to you the casting director the whole time was looking at me with the most incredibly puzzled look on her face, as if I was some kind of freaky alien from another planet or something. Honestly, it was so very odd, and I remember thinking, “What is up with that?!” But I was fresh out of working in casting so I just chose to take it on faith – whatever’s going on over there is probably not about me! And if it is, well, that’s ok too. Because not everyone has to respond to me like I’m all that! And that thought relaxed me, and allowed me to enjoy the moment and my work. At home later that evening, I got the phone call that I booked that job! So clearly, whatever had been going on in that moment…I mean, maybe that casting director had gas! Maybe she was holding back a sneeze! Maybe I looked like someone she knew and she just couldn’t place it, you know?
The most important point I’m trying to make here is that if we take things like this to heart and make the casting director’s behavior during an audition all about ourselves and not consider that it could simply be about them and their day, then it’s just going to mess with you and cause you to get inside of your head in the room, which does not help you deliver your best work in the room!
So at your next audition, decide for yourself, before you ever even walk into the room: no matter what happens, no matter how that casting director looks at you, make the agreement with yourself, “I’m going to assume that’s not about me. I’m going to assume that’s all about them and their day, and I’m going to refocus in this moment on my work and why I’m here.” And then after your audition, come back here and leave a comment. Let me know how your audition went taking on this perspective, taking on this most powerful agreement of Do Not Take Anything Personally with yourself!
Go get 'em! 😀👍
One of the biggest mistakes we make as actors is perceiving what is going on over there with the casting director in terms of their behavior, their seeming “lack of interest,” we perceive what is going on with them as being all about us, and it’s not – it’s just not the case.
There are a few things that you must understand about the casting director:
- On your side. That casting director is not against you. That casting director is for you. That casting director is hoping that you’re going to be the actor who walks into the room and makes their day easier. Think about it. In a casting session, if they don’t find the right actor to play that part, who is going to have to answer for that? The casting director. It is on the casting director to make sure that they bring in great choices for the role, so if the role does not get cast, casting has to answer for it. They would not invite you to audition for that character during that session on that day if they were not hoping that you were going to be a strong possible choice for the role. So it’s really important that you try to eliminate that thought that says, “They are not rooting for me” , because it’s just not reality.
There is a great book called The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. Such a fantastic book, especially if you want to audition well. One of the four agreements says Don’t Take Anything Personally. Let’s read for a second what Don Miguel Ruiz has to say about Do Not Take Anything Personally. He says, "Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering." This principle applies so beautifully to auditioning. Let me tell you a little bit about what that casting director, who might be in a bad mood during your audition, is going through: they are under a tremendous amount of...
- Pressure. The job of a casting director is constantly full of pressure. They have lists, they have sessions to set up, they have scripts they have to read, agents that they are dealing with, managers that they are dealing with, pitches, network notes, writers, taking meetings regarding the next potential project that they might cast, etc., and the list goes on. Take a second and just imagine that you are the casting director – having to welcome every single actor that you audition that day with the brightest smile and the most outgoing personality… “Hi! Come in!! It’s so good to see you!! Thanks so much for coming in, we really appreciate it!! I’m excited to have you here today!! Do you have any questions?!!” No, that is likely never gonna happen. You’re tired, you’re exhausted, you have so much on your mind. And also, you trust that you don’t need to be that gregarious with every actor coming in because you assume that they understand that this is a professional environment, you assume that they know you’re busy, and it’s business! That casting director might be thinking to themselves “Oh yeah, nice…” but are they going to show that to you? Probably not. They’re not gonna show their cards! They’re just thinking it in their head. Or they might be thinking, “Oh yeah, really right for this other role."
Bottom line. Whatever is going on in that casting director’s head that is resulting in whatever behavior is coming across their face and behavior, that is none of our business as actors! It’s just not.
- Time. The time constraint that is place upon the shoulders of the casting director to accomplish the day’s tasks and make things happen for their producers is enormous. So when you walk into that audition room, and the casting director seems a little frazzled, appears like they’re half-way paying attention to you – that’s not the case! They’re just frazzled.
- Multi-tasking. Casting directors become very good at multi-tasking. You walk in to audition – and the casting director has a million things going on in their brain at that moment that you walk in – they are able to be present to you and at the same time coming across like they’re not because they’re doing other things or they’re looking down but - trust me – they are very present to you. They just have a lot of things that they are juggling in their own head. Unfortunately this can come across like they are not interested.
- The CD is a human being. Casting directors are no different than you and I. They have good days, bad days, pressure-filled days. They’re human! Maybe they had a fight with their spouse the night before your audition. Maybe they got into a fender-bender on the way to work on that day. Maybe they ate something for lunch, and it’s just not sitting well with them! So every audition that you have is actually an opportunity to walk into that room and extend empathy to that other human being who just happens to be casting the role.
Before I worked in casting, so many times I can recall as an actor I would walk into an audition and I would evaluate in my mind every single little thing that that casting director was doing to be a reflection of me, that it meant something about me. And when I went into casting, and I actually became that person dealing with all that pressure, dealing with my own human circumstances, dealing with the time constraints – I would find myself – and I’m a very actor-friendly person, because I am an actor – I would find myself saying, [in a very blunt & indifferent tone while drinking a cup of coffee], “Hi, come on in…do you have any questions...uh great we’ll start whenever you’re ready…yeah, go ahead.” In looking back on this I’m sure I must have came across horribly uninterested, but I can promise you that in my mind I was very present and taking the actor in fully, “Ok, nice look, uh-huh, that’s nice, oh I like this, yep ok ok.” but was I interested in showing that to them? Hell-to-the-no. Why? Because I had a million pressure-filled things going on in my brain at that moment!
Do not misinterpret the casting director’s lack of visible interest during your audition as a sign that they are truly uninterested.
Even if that casting director picks up a donut and starts eating it in the middle of your audition! (Yes, I’m serious). Do not be offended by that. Maybe they didn’t get to eat lunch and they’re hungry! Trust that that casting director can eat a donut, read with you with their mouth full, and really be connected to you; be fully present to you while eating a donut. Because they can! (Again, quite serious here, no joke). I know some actors who, if that happened to them, their entire day would be ruined because “I can’t believe that casting director picked up a donut and ate it throughout my audition! They were so uninterested in me!”
When we audition, we have the choice to either come from a place of fear or come from a place of faith. Often we end up projecting onto the casting director our fear of what we think that casting director’s going to think of us. And unfortunately the way that the mind works, we often jump to the worst conclusion. Being able to walk into an audition and extend empathy to the casting director if they seem frazzled, if they seem like they’re not in the best mood, coming from a place of faith, saying to yourself, “Oh, whoa. Ok that’s not about me, that’s probably about them. I hope they’re ok, I hope they’re not having a bad day. I’m going to do everything I can in this moment to not contribute to their bad day, hopefully I can make it a little better.” You are there to contribute. You are not there to get something from them. You are there to give something to them. In a beautifully way you, as an industry colleague to that casting director, are in your spirit supporting them and their day by not taking it personally and by not letting it interfere with your work or your choices.
Try it on. Look at it like a lab experiment at your next audition. Assume, no matter what happens, even if that casting director looks at you like you are an alien – assume that’s not about you, it’s all about them. This happened to me once on an audition where I booked the role. I walked into the room and I swear to you the casting director the whole time was looking at me with the most incredibly puzzled look on her face, as if I was some kind of freaky alien from another planet or something. Honestly, it was so very odd, and I remember thinking, “What is up with that?!” But I was fresh out of working in casting so I just chose to take it on faith – whatever’s going on over there is probably not about me! And if it is, well, that’s ok too. Because not everyone has to respond to me like I’m all that! And that thought relaxed me, and allowed me to enjoy the moment and my work. At home later that evening, I got the phone call that I booked that job! So clearly, whatever had been going on in that moment…I mean, maybe that casting director had gas! Maybe she was holding back a sneeze! Maybe I looked like someone she knew and she just couldn’t place it, you know?
The most important point I’m trying to make here is that if we take things like this to heart and make the casting director’s behavior during an audition all about ourselves and not consider that it could simply be about them and their day, then it’s just going to mess with you and cause you to get inside of your head in the room, which does not help you deliver your best work in the room!
So at your next audition, decide for yourself, before you ever even walk into the room: no matter what happens, no matter how that casting director looks at you, make the agreement with yourself, “I’m going to assume that’s not about me. I’m going to assume that’s all about them and their day, and I’m going to refocus in this moment on my work and why I’m here.” And then after your audition, come back here and leave a comment. Let me know how your audition went taking on this perspective, taking on this most powerful agreement of Do Not Take Anything Personally with yourself!
Go get 'em! 😀👍