Acing your Acting Audition By Jacques

The following is a reflection of my personal experience as a professional actor/writer/producer/casting director in the entertainment industry spanning across South Africa and New York City over the past 6 years. It is meant to give insight to actors who are entering the business as well as serve as a point of reference for well-seasoned actors…

The first thing to do is to get the audition. You do this by marketing yourself through press releases of notable achievements that you have accomplished or projects that you are working on of notable reputation. Obviously a little “fluff” is needed in the beginning to get the ball rolling. No project is unimportant (unless it’s a school play you’re working on. Rather leave that for the school newsletter.)

As an artist it is important for you to create your own work. Whether you write your own plays and perform them, or take an existing play and put it up in a theatre. About 90% of all actors in the industry have a day job just to support themselves. You will then have ample material to write press releases about and garner some buzz about your projects. This leads to bigger and better opportunities as well as ultimately making a living for yourself solely from the entertainment industry.

The next step is to make sure you have an amazing headshot, but it must look exactly like YOU. I cant stress enough how frustrating it is for a casting director to call an actor in based on their headshot for a part that calls for a teenager and you show up looking like you could play the mother or father in the project. IT’S A WASTE OF EVERYONE’S TIME! If this happens (and it has happened to me before), be sure that the casting agent will remember your deception and never call you in for another project again. You need to take the time to learn who you are and where you fit into the market in the entertainment industry. Ask people who you trust to tell you what they think your “type” is.
We should all be able to play a ‘90 year old person’, but in the real world you will be called in and cast as your type. This is only temporary until you have established yourself in the community as a reliable talent.

Once you have done this, more opportunities will present themselves that will challenge you artistically. A great example that one of my film acting teachers, Larry Collis, once told me: “I know that everyone wants to be a Ferrari. They want to be the best and the most good looking leading man/woman in a play or movie, but we’re not all built like Ferraris. You might be a Mercedes or even an SUV Truck. You need to learn what you are built for and be the best damn Ford you can be.” Don’t over sell yourself. You need to keep casting directors interested and intrigued. If you give them everything up front, then they’ll get bored and forget about you. This means that you shouldn’t be over-bearing in your approach. Only submit yourself for roles that you are suited for. Therefore the lesson here is to always be current with your headshots and make an effort to know what’s happening in the industry.