The Perfect Quick Guide to Impressing a Casting Director
Try these tips for how to stand out to a casting director
Going for an audition is one of the most feared and, occasionally, brutal times in an actor’s life. Getting the part often comes down to impressing a casting director. If you can figure out how to stand out to a casting director, you’ll stand a much better chance of being successful in your auditions.
Read on to get tips on getting a casting director’s attention and landing those pesky auditions.
How to get a casting director’s attention
People try all sorts of things to get a casting director’s attention, from wearing bold and exciting hats to backflipping into the audition room. And that just might work! However, there are also some more tried and true methods for getting a casting director’s attention.
Look the part
Make the casting directors job as easy as possible. Dress to assist with the story, DON’T overdo it, just simple clothing that assists with the scene popping, is always a better choice.
It’s about making the scene pop, that’s how you impress the casting directors.
Professionalism is a plus
As important as it is to hire the person who is ‘right’ for the role, casting directors will often have a natural inclination to recommend people who seem as though they’ll be easy to work with. In short, keep it professional. There are very simple things you can do to impress:
- Learning your lines
- Taking direction
- Being polite, warm and friendly
- Showing up on time
- Speaking clearly
- Know how to slate
- Don’t come across as needy or desperate
It sounds simple, but you’d be astonished by how many people fail to check those boxes. Try maximising professionalism, and see for yourself just how much of a difference that can make in terms of standing out to a casting director.
Look for signs a casting director likes you
Part of the genius of the Meisner technique of acting lies in looking externally, not focusing too much on the internal aspect of what you’re doing. That’s a principle you can use for your auctions to impress casting directors.
Some casting directors are hard to get a read on. They stare, stone-like and inscrutable, and it’s very hard to tell whether or not you’re doing a good job. On the other hand, some casting directors are extraordinarily expressive. There might be signs a casting director likes you or likes certain choices you’re making with your audition, and these are helpful to look out for. It might be things like:
- Nodding enthusiastically
- Smiling
- Saying positive things like ‘ooh!’ and ‘I like that!’
- Laughing in a supportive and genuine way
The best way to impress a casting director is with your incredible acting technique. For acting classes in Sydney, check out The Actor’s Pulse.
Billy Milionis is one of the few Australians to have ever studied under the legendary master teacher, the late Sanford Meisner. Billy has also studied story structure and scene analysis techniques with John Truby and later at UCLA. He has also spent several years doing improvisation in Hollywood with the L.A. Connection. In addition, he trained in the technique of Stella Adler, Practical Aesthetics and Lee Strasberg’s method.