Don't get cute
First, rehearse and play what's on the page. Don't read a love scene and decide he secretly hates her. He doesn't. As theatrical casting director Judith Holstra put it, "Don't look for hidden meanings . . . they just ain't there, folks." Second, don't start "improving" the script by purposely changing the lines. The "help" won't be appreciated. "I put no limitations on an interpretation or how a scene should go," says director Leslie Martinson, "But never ever change the lines. That's a no-no. An extreme no-no."
Don't create a "character"
Whenever an actor asks theatrical casting director Judith Holstra, "How old is my character?" she replies, "How old are you?" In theatre, you merge and adapt yourself to the character; in film, you merge and adapt the character to you. In other words, play yourself. (That's a lot of people. "You" can be a doctor, lawyer or Indian chief. "You" can be angry, loving, murderous, shy.) Forget limps, aging yourself up or down, nifty speech patterns, accents, etc., unless the role specifically calls for that. "I look for naturalness, not 'acting.' Don't hide behind a character," says director Gary Nelson. "When an actor comes in and acts and talks one way and then, when he picks up a script, acts and talks differently, I get scared."
Immunize against the "I'm not right for this" syndrome like silly mistakes? Here's a lulu: You're a brunette, who's, well . . . pretty, and you look around, seeing nothing but gorgeous blondes. What do you do? You become your own (negative) casting director. You decide you're not right for the part, and give up before you start.
Well, Dummy, as theatrical casting director Bobby Hoffman says, "A part isn't born till an actor gives birth to it," and you have no way of knowing how they see the part. Maybe they're vacillating between a Farah Fawcett type and a Jo-Beth Williams type. Maybe they're positive they want the next Marilyn Monroe until just HI' ole kinda-pretty you walks in, blows them away with your reading and they, in Hollywood terms, "Change the concept." Or maybe they only cast you in a different and bigger part.
If you've been called in, assume you're right for it - period. (Besides, the worst thing that can happen is you get called in later for another part.)
AFTER THE AUDITION
Always call your agent, and, unless you're positive the audition was a disaster, simply say it all "went well." Don't worry your agent with a lot of yammer about all the mistakes you think you made.
Then, if you're upset, go home and kick a door. And forget it. Your reading is only a part of the casting process. You may have read beautifully but be too tall or too short; the role may have been all but cast before you read; the producer's wife may want the part; the part may be cut; the budget may demand an actor who will work for less. "Quite often it has to do with pairings." says commercial producer Bob Wollin. "The best people aren't always cast."
"If you don't get it, it could be for a million different reasons, sometimes very subtle," says director/cinematographer Bruce Logan. "For example, I'll say I like what this actress is doing and I like what that actress is doing, but the character is supposed to be genetically related to this other actor whom I've already cast, and the first actress doesn't look like his daughter."
Not enough for you? How about this one from theatrical agent David Westberg: "It may be a 'pay-back show.' When they get down to the end of the season, and there are 21 or 22 episodes of a show in the can, with only one or two episodes left, there are favors all over this town that are owed to friends, relatives, the brother-in-law of the guy who put up the money to back the show . . . It's the pay-back show where all those roles go to pay back favors done throughout the year."
It's hard to generalize, but, in television, you often know within days if you "got it." However, that painful time span can vary from five minutes to five months depending on the project.
Don't expect your agent to call when you don't get a part. Nobody has the time. The casting director only calls the agent if you're cast or (rarely) if you were absolutely embarrassing. If the role is special, you can ask your agent to inquire, but don't make this request every time you read. If you miss this "bus," eventually there'll be another.
CALLBACKS/SCREEN TESTS
If your reading was for the producer or director and was only a few lines or speeches, you won't be called back. But don't be surprised if you're called back half a dozen times for a major part or a continuing role in a series. (Call-backs, even for one word, are very common in commercials.)
If you read for a casting director (as a screening process) he'll either call you back or take you to meet the producer/director on the spot.
Regardless, remember: you did something right. Do the second reading just like you did the first. Don't outsmart yourself by changing things (that's called "improving your way right out of a part"). We'd even wear the same clothes.
Unless you're up for a major role, you'll almost never be asked to do a screen test.
FINALLY…
We promise you'll never learn to cold read just by studying a chapter in a book. You're going to have to practice, at best in a good class, at least with fellow actors at home. And the time to start is not when you get "the call."
And never forget that everyone involved in casting is on your side. "The greatest moment for us," says theatrical casting director Jane Feinberg, "is when the director says 'Him.' "
