I’ve recently become involved with a group called Australian Institute for Performing Arts. I will be working next week with a couple dozen actors from “down under” and am very much looking forward to spending more time with AIPA program director Marg Haynes and fellow casting director Kari Harris, both of whom I’ve had the chance to meet several times during their reconnaissance missions to LA, to set up this month’s program. Kari has had me participate in an Australian teleseminar (my first!) and I have in turn had her contribute a POV. Read on!
Being “Right” for the Role
What does being “right” mean to the casting director and what does it mean to the actor?
You may be the most talented actor and give brilliant and memorable auditions, but you aren’t getting cast in the roles you want. Why is it that you can do your best work and then not land the part? Who decides your fate?
Casting directors are usually the first to consider you for a role and there is a deciding process that takes place between the time you are asked to audition and the time the role is booked that you, as an actor, may not be privy to.
The casting director’s responsibility is to bring in the best actors for the project based on the brief from the director. Your job, as the actor, is to create a character that is as close to the director’s vision as possible or, better yet, surpass what their expectations are of the character. We are always looking to be surprised. It is always a great moment when the “right” actor walks in to the audition studio, has done the homework, is prepared to work, and is “right” for the role. To me, it is the closest thing to magic that I can experience.
There are many factors involved in being “right” for the role. The actor needs to be in the right place at the right time, needs to enhance and compliment the overall cast, needs to understand how the character informs the other characters and the overall story, plus many other variables and, at the end of it, everyone needs to agree. Ultimately, it will be the director and the other major decision-makers involved who will provide the approval and give you the job.
Recently we hosted a series of weekend audition workshops and the theme was: “Being ‘Right’ for the Role.” During each workshop, the class went through the process of auditioning their fellow actors. As the decision-makers, they were given a mock project to cast and three notes to consider when casting. The decision-makers saw brilliant auditions and liked the energy and look of most of the actors, but they had to reject most of them because only two could be cast in the roles. It was constantly surprising to the decision-makers to see who would be rejected and who would be shortlisted based on the three notes they had been given at the start of the process. In-depth discussions took place and they strived to stay true to their notes and the overall message of the mock project.
Deciding the shortlist was uncomfortable because they did not want to be the ones to issue the rejections. Being actors themselves, they understood only too well what that rejection would feel like. However, they eventually agreed on a shortlist, selected their favorites for callbacks, and worked with the shortlisted actors until they had found their perfect cast.
During this process, not only did the decision-makers identify with the actors who had not been successful, but they also understood the responsibility they had to their mock project and how staying truthful was paramount to the success of their story. They were now the director, writer, and producer — the decision-makers. They knew through the experience that there were only two actors who were “right” for the two roles. They had the pleasure of auditioning an array of wonderful actors, but at the conclusion of the casting, they only had two roles and they needed to place the “right” actors in those roles.
The workshop experience translated into the decision-makers’ personal experiences with acting because they came away with the understanding that it is impossible to anticipate what the decision-makers are thinking. An actor cannot know what the outcome will be. An actor can only be committed to the work in the audition and if he/she is not called back they must move forward and trust that the decision-makers are staying true to the integrity of the story by not choosing them. However, if one has provided a memorable audition, the casting director may consider the actor for upcoming projects and perhaps then he/she will be “right” for the next role that comes along.
As we know, no one in this business has the magic formula to a successful play, film, or television series. There are those who choose well and their projects are successful, but is this a mere case of the actors being in the right place at the right time? What became clear to the class of decision-makers with regard to auditioning is the importance of relinquishing attachment to the outcome, being open to the experience, doing the work that is requested of them, and trusting that the outcome — when it happens — is as it should be. When an actor is in the right place at the right time and is truly “right” for the role, the planets line up and everyone involved is thrilled.
Auditioning is where the “work” is… even if you don’t land the role. The audition studio is the space where you can do what you love to do. Of course, you want to get booked so you can feel validated, pay the rent, work with other fabulous creative artists, and the list goes on. Whatever your reason for the audition, the key objective to the audition process is to work, grow, evolve, and learn. If you do all of that and get a gig… fantastic.
Over and over I see great actors who are working in the Australian market, yet they are not “right” for this market. They cannot find a way to be noticed. They wonder: “Is it my look, my physical size, my hair color, my accent, my age…?” etcetera, etcetera. It is important for an actor to look at the market he/she is targeting and discover what his/her strengths are. You cannot be everything to everyone, but you can have a strategy and a marketing plan. You must think of yourself as a commodity and a business. You might be small, but you think big and desire big outcomes. Just like any small business, you need to work out your business and marketing plan. Let’s face it; it isn’t called “The Biz” for nothing.
I know an actress who recently decided to move from Sydney to Melbourne because she felt she wasn’t finding the kinds of roles she desired. Since she relocated she hasn’t stopped working. She is in the “right” place and is attracting the “right” roles for her. It took a move to the “right” market to attract the “right” roles.
I am always asked to give actors advice and my stock standard answer is always: “Just keep doing it.” It doesn’t matter if you are in a low-budget film, short film, community theatre, or anything performance-driven. Just keep doing it. Because by “doing,” you are growing, by growing you are evolving, and by evolving you are human and that is what the acting experience is. It is about exploring being human. Last, but not least, have FUN! Fun is why you got into it in the first place so make sure you keep the “play” in your play… especially in your auditions.
Ah, I’m a big fan of keeping “play” in the day-to-day. I mean, if it feels like work, why bother? I’ve talked before about a role that is truly yours never possibly going to another (just like it’s impossible to book a role that isn’t yours). I think the whole concept of being “right” for a role comes down to trusting that you are talented and taking advantage of the best opportunities available to you, wherever you are. The market that is “right” for one actor may not be right for another. The look that is “right” for one actor may not be right for another. Your paths are as unique as you are! Enjoy the journey. Emphasis on the enjoy!
About Kari Harris
Kari Harris relocated from Hollywood North (Vancouver, Canada) to Sydney, Australia in 1995 and has over 20 years of film and television experience. Kari worked as a senior casting director with Prototype Casting (Chopper, The Interview, MI2) for over seven years and established Kari Harris Casting in 2004 after Prototype closed their doors. She has worked on a multitude of national and international film, TV, and advertising projects since 1989.
Kari is a natural collaborator and her passion is to inspire, educate, empower, entertain, and motivate others to pursue and develop their ideas and talents into something that people everywhere can respond to. For further tips on auditioning and industry-related information, please visit www.kariharriscasting.com.
This contribution originally ran at Bonnie Gillespie’s online column on May 1, 2009.