Auditions & Intimacy #1

Let’s assume then that you’ve applied to a casting call and been offered an audition. Here’s what happens next.

Chances are that you’ll be sent a scene to prepare. Read it through carefully and make sure that you are happy with everything that’s mentioned and that there’s nothing you would feel uncomfortable doing or saying.

If you do happen to find something you don’t agree with (think about your boundaries) then politely turn down the audition as soon as you can.

As well as giving you a scene to learn, the audition notice may also ask you to come along wearing particular clothing. It might, for example, tell you that you need to audition in certain clothes; occasionally it may mention underwear or swimwear. This isn’t common but it does happen.

If you are told this beforehand and are happy with this, then no problem. Go to the audition, enjoy yourself and good luck!

But again, if you’re not happy with it just politely refuse the audition and move on.

Just as an aside here, we are not trying to say that any audition which hints at anything intimate is questionable. That’s simply not the case; 99.9% of auditions are perfectly fine! Most actors, in fact, will go through their entire career without a hint of unpleasantness in auditions! But occasionally problems do arise so just go over the audition notice and if you’re fine with it, accept it, go for it, and do your best. If not, then just forget it.

If you decide against the audition for whatever reason, do please let them know as soon as you can. This will give the casting director plenty of time to find an alternative actor for the audition spot and everyone’s happy.

If they ask why, tell them. They may be able to reassure you but as we say throughout this guide: don’t let anyone pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do.

“I was running a casting for a short movie. On the day of the casting two actors simply didn’t turn up and we were sitting there with nothing to do while we waited. It was incredibly rude of them and unprofessional as well. If we had known beforehand that they weren’t coming we’d have been able to book in other actors to see in their place. Needless to say, I have never called either of those actors for auditions again.” casting director William W.

As we keep on saying, by far the majority of auditions are perfectly fine.

However, once in a while as you’re reading an audition notice you may start to have doubts about its authenticity.

Suppose as you are reading you think that something sounds a little “off” with the audition. Perhaps it’s set to take place in a hotel room for example, or maybe it does talk about nudity without saying anything else about the role or film, or perhaps the scene you are to prepare is very intimate.

First things first, if anything sounds strange to you then make a note of it and check it out. For example, having the audition in a hotel room is unusual but not uncommon when it comes to casting, especially if it’s a low budget production or one from out of town. In other words, it’s not an immediate sign that something is wrong, but certainly it’s something worth looking into to reassure yourself.

But how can you do that?

• If you received the notice from someone (e.g. your agent or another actor) then by all means check back with them to see what they think and ask them where it came from.
• If you know the name of anyone associated with the production, check them out on IMDb and see if they have credits listed there. If you can’t find them there or through a general search online, you need to ask yourself if it’s worth attending the audition.
• Do an online search for the film title or production company or anything else you have associated with the film. If there’s not even a Facebook page or website set up for the company or the project then perhaps you should think seriously about the audition and its authenticity.
• Go to any of the acting forums you know and ask there; and feel free to ask us at enCAST.
• Don’t forget that the acting industry is pretty tight knit and someone, somewhere, will know about the casting agent and will be happy to share what they know.
• Finally, if you still have doubts, there is nothing wrong in writing to the production and asking for a few more details. It will only be the questionable productions who refuse to tell you more; a legitimate production will be upfront about their auditions.

What we’re essentially saying is to follow your instincts here. And don’t be afraid of turning down an audition!

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