Jeremy Gordon and I first met as we watched actors do scenes and monologues for a panel of fellow CDs and agents, managers, producers, and directors last year. Since then, he’s been a big supporter of my columns and the Cricket Feet Showcase, which is really cool. One of my favorite things about becoming friends with young, up-and-coming CDs is that we all seem to have this passion for “sharing our toys” and being more accessible to actors than casting directors have historically been.
Helloooooooo Actors!
I am very excited to write my first column to you all. A big “thank you” to Bonnie Gillespie for asking me to contribute. I love actors and I love my job in casting (and I love talking, so this is right up my alley). And now I must get to the point with my 1000 words. There are so many topics on which I could dole out advice and so many important things an actor needs to and has the right to know. After all, a more informed and professional actor only makes our job easier. That said, let’s start out by talking about sense and sensibility. No, not the movie, but your own sense of logic.
I teach workshops all over LA and I have a very popular and successful Facebook group (Casting Directors for Actors — come check it out. Actors are scoring auditions and booking gigs from this group) and all too often I am asked the most basic questions, even by actors who graduated from top drama programs and have been hitting the pavement for any number of years. Questions are good, so always ask them. However, there are some things that only take a little sense of your own logic and few minutes of your time to suss out. Just as you take the time to prepare an audition scene, you should also take the time to figure out the most basic things about your audition.
So here, in no particular order, are some fundamentals to think about for any audition.
What are you auditioning for?
You’d be surprised how many actors come to audition for us over at the TV show Psych thinking it’s a drama simply because it’s an hour-long show. It’s 2008; that line of reasoning is long gone. If you prepare your scene as a drama for a comedic show, that’s just not gonna fly and it will hurt your reputation, lowering your chances of being seen again for that casting director. If you don’t put in the time preparing for your audition, then that is exactly how it will come across. I remember my scene study classes back at good old Syracuse University where they drilled us to spend hours and hours prepping a scene. Spend some time researching the project you are reading for. Perhaps watch a few episodes to see the specific vein of comedy (or drama) it falls under.
Be able to read the room.
Some casting directors are not up to hearing your horrific story of why you are late or how difficult it was for you to find your way across the lot. Some casting directors love to chitchat and to take a few moments getting to know you. However, don’t let your nerves get the better of you or you’re likely to ask one of those questions you should never ask. For example, the dreaded, “So how much does this gig pay?” or, “When can I expect to hear about the callback?” Oooooh, no no no no no.
For the love of all that is good and pure, come to every single audition with your updated, undamaged, stapled and sized headshot and resume.
Unless you are a household name, don’t ever, ever assume that we have your picture on file and have memorized your resume. Don’t put the burden on us to contact your agent and request your headshot, which sometimes requires numerous calls and reminders. This is Auditioning 101. I have been noticing more and more actors who do not bring their headshots and resumes and it’s simply not acceptable. You need to keep a stack of headshots in your car in a nice box so they don’t get damaged. As important as bringing one is how you present it. It blows my mind to see the HUGE number of actors who hand their picture and resume to us without having stapled them, therefore expecting US to do THEIR job. Usually these resumes have been crumpled or they have torn corners, handwritten updates, incorrect contact numbers, old agent information, and are poorly laid out.
Kinko’s charges a very small fee to have your resumes cut and sized to headshots. Do it! If your resume is not the same size and isn’t stapled or only has one staple at the top, it’s extremely likely that your resume will become detached from your picture leaving us with no way to contact you or even know who you are (YES, print your name ON your picture). When I receive a headshot not stapled to the resume or one that looks like crap, that’s exactly what I then expect from you and you have already put a negative spin on yourself before you even begin the audition. It makes a difference. Be a professional.
As I wind down my first column, I want you all to know that a casting director is just another person. Don’t put us on a pedestal and get yourself all nervous before an audition. We WANT you to do a kick-ass job in the room and we want you to have fun doing it. That only makes our job more enjoyable and much easier. Take a deep breath, take control of your audition, and show us what you can do. Ask (good) questions, be informed, and demand respect by showing up as a professional actor who made different and specific choices, who took a risk, and who left us with enough to remember who you are.
I look forward to the columns to come and I hope our paths will cross in the near future.
A big thanks to Jeremy, whose enthusiasm about his job and respect for actors is obvious! Regular readers will recall that Jeremy gave me the heads up on a potential actor scam he’d become aware of, in a recent Your Turn. I look forward to seeing more of what Jeremy has to share!
About Jeremy Gordon
A former child actor, Jeremy Gordon made the jump to casting director and producer, working his way up from the days of direct-to-DVD horror films to working on features with A-list actors and producers. After attending Syracuse University’s drama program, his first job in the business was as Head of Casting for Full Moon Features. Jeremy then landed himself a job casting — 13 indie features in 2006 alone — with Michael Hothorn. A few years ago, Jeremy and his business partner Joe Dain started their own production company, Shoot Productions. Right out of the gates they landed a multi-picture deal with Full Moon Features and Talos Entertainment. This past year, Jeremy and Joseph took on two additional partners, producer Jason Koren and Emmy-winning producer James Allen Bradley, to start a new company, Empyreal Entertainment, which is now the parent company of Shoot Productions. Empyreal has multiple projects in various stages of development and production, including the current indie horror thriller, The Portal.
In 2007, Jeremy went to work on American Girl with casting director Nancy Nayor Battino. They held open calls in three cities to find the lead girls to star opposite Abigail Breslin in an audition process so popular that Saturday Night Live incorporated a skit about the auditions on their show. Currently, Jeremy is working with Liz Marx casting Psych and Back to You. Most recently, Jeremy was voted into the Casting Society of America and within months was elected to the Board of Directors. He is very excited to be at the forefront of incredible changes for casting directors and associates everywhere.
This contribution originally ran at Bonnie Gillespie’s online column on March 1, 2008.