THE 4 STEPS TO CASTING A SERIES REGULAR ROLE ON TELEVISION
Part Two: THE CALLBACK
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For the “Monthly Audition Tip” February through May, I will be re-printing an article I wrote for the wonderful actors website BRAINS OF MINERVA last year at this time…. just in time for Pilot Season. This will be a 4 part series “Monthly Audition Tip” covering The Pre-Read, The Callback, Reading for Studio Executives and Testing at the Network. If you would like for me to email you the article in it’s entirety just let me know. As a former Independent Casting Director of 23 years, I probably cast about 35 pilots over the years and as a Senior Vice President of Casting for the Greenblatt Janollari Studio and Director of Casting for CBS, I oversaw the casting of probably about 50 more. The casting process to add a series regular role to a pilot or an existing series has been the same all these years. At minimum, it is a 4 step process… (1) The Pre-Read with the Casting Director (2) The Callback for Producers (3) Reading for Studio Executives (4) Testing at the Network As I sat in those audition rooms over the years, I watched the various ways actors handled repeated auditions, the ways they approached walking into different rooms as the job got closer, and the ways each actor responded to the pressure of testing at the Network. Some were much more successful than others. And the actors who figured out the mystique of the audition process, were usually the one’s who booked the part! And I have to tell you, the part didn’t always go to the most talented actor. Demystifying the casting process and being knowledgeable about the steps an actor must travel through to book the part, is the key to conquering the audition. |
Part Two: THE CALLBACK
The Casting Director has called you back for the Producers because THEY LIKED WHAT YOU DID IN THE PRE-READ! The biggest mistake actors make in a callback is that they change things. They go home and work on it and come up with all these brilliant new ideas to try. The goal of the callback is to be consistent! When you work on it at home, work on making sure the lines are second nature to you. Work on strengthening your intention, clearly define your relationship and get great visualizations as to “place”. The only way to be consistent in repeating an audition is not to ask yourself HOW you said a line, but remind yourself of what your intention is.
The callback is usually in a different space than the pre-read. It is usually in the Producers office on the Studio lot where the pilot or series is being shot. In the callback room will be the Executive Producer, usually the creator-writer of the show, and 2 or 3 other Producers who are either writing or non-writing Producers. The Director of the pilot or episode may or may not be present at this stage of casting. A big difference in Film casting and TV casting is that it is often the TV Producers not the Director who choose which actors will “test” at the Studio and Network. The Director could be off directing another pilot or episode of another show and will rarely be around to direct every episode of the series. So it’s the Executive Producer who makes most casting decisions.
When you walk into this different, larger room with more people in it, make sure you say “Hello”, making eye contact with everyone and locate who you will be reading with. The best way to overcome the room size difference is to make the Casting Director, or whomever you will be reading with, your barometer. They have usually chosen to sit a comfortable distance from you to help you be as real as possible, but also with enough distance so everyone can see you. Remember this is Television, and if the room is really large it should not be influential in how loud you are. One of the biggest mistakes in callbacks is that actors become “theatrical” because they see the size of the room and try to fill it. After you finish you may be given direction. Sometimes this direction is different from what the Casting Director told you. The Producers often have something in mind they haven’t fully voiced to the Casting Director or they may be giving you direction just to see if you can take direction! They will never have you do it again if they don’t like you…they will only have you do it again if they see something in you that is right for the part. So, if given direction it is a good thing! Adjust!
Sometimes you will need to have a second callback for the Producers. Remember consistency is key. That includes wearing the same outfit you have been wearing to the previous auditions. I have seen more than one actor lose the part because they changed what they were wearing and, as good an actor as they were, didn’t “feel” like the character anymore. Remember they have started to visualize you in the part, so help them out by wearing THE SAME OUTFIT to each audition.
An example of this comes to mind when I was casting a pilot several years back and one of the roles I was casting was the part of a lawyer’s assistant. A wonderful actor that we decided to bring in to read for the Studio Executives, had worn the perfect black slacks and dark blue shirt for three auditions. I told him to wear the same outfit for the Studio “test” and he laughingly said, “Wait until you see what I’m wearing tomorrow!”. Thinking he was joking, I didn’t think anything of it. But the next day the actor entered the doors of the Studio wearing a white suit, red shirt and looking like he was going on a cruise. He didn’t look like he belonged in the world of a law office any more! He was a great actor and we wanted to bring him to the Studio to give him a shot, but in truth, his look was a bit “off” from the leading man we wanted. So when he changed his clothes, he wasn’t “right” anymore.
It is at this point that the Producers will decide whether to take you over to read for the Studio Executives.
Remember, when you are out in the lobby waiting to go in for your audition, you should have the mental discipline of the athlete. Get into your zone, bubble…whatever you call it…push those sabotaging thoughts aside, don’t listen to all the other actors chatting in the lobby, and focus your thoughts on what’s going on in the scene.