What is Casting Looking For?

What is casting looking for? Many actors struggle with this eternal puzzle. At all levels in their careers.

No actor ever believes me when I say, “Trust me, they are trying to figure it out too.”

If you could adopt this mantra, “They’re trying to figure it out too,” then your whole audition experience will feel so much easier and lighter!

Trust me, it’s true.

The Eternal Puzzle: What is Casting Looking For? 

You might not realize this about my coaching, but I also work with directors, showrunners, and producers. I see the underbelly of how difficult building a show or a film can be.

Remember, each time you make a film or show, it has NEVER been done this way before.

This production is the first time that this group of people are making it.

People are creating these projects. You are creating it with them. 

Casting Is Always a Work-in-Progress

During casting, they are ALL trying to figure out the best choices for the story and genre. They are ALL looking for lightbulb ideas from actors. They are ALL trying to solve the casting puzzle of pairings and also satisfy creative team visions. Everyone is trying to figure out what they don’t yet know!

If you can truly accept that they’re trying to figure it out too, then you will be freed!

• Free yourself from thinking there’s one way to do this character.
• Free yourself from feeling you missed something after you submitted— auditions are only rehearsals for everyone.
• Free yourself from trying to do what you think they want.
• Free yourself from using any logic AT ALL to understand why you didn’t get cast—there are 5 million reasons, none of which have nada to actually do with you.
• FREE. YOUR. SELF. 

If I work with the team and the actor after an actor is hired, then I also get in the trenches with everyone to play, build, tweak, and throw ideas onto the court!

Now, together, we are all solving a NEW puzzle—crafting the tone of the piece, finding characters’ chemistry, and making acting choices that fulfill the story. This is all just an extension of what happened in your audition process!

During casting, they were using that phase as a way to learn MORE about their project. Sometimes they think they know what they want when they start casting, but then they get confused or inspired and totally change directions!

Casting is just a process that gets everyone to set. 

Free yourself from thinking it should all be figured out already in your auditions. After you’re hired, we got a longgggg ways to go still. 🙂

xHeidi

Want to figure out your audition together? Book a private coaching for audition/performance prep here.

Image: I MAY DESTROY YOU (S1 Ep2) via Shotdeck