Confessions of a Casting Director

by Jen Rudin

  •We actually got to cast our top choice for the role.

  •I’d predicted this when Anika and I met back at Disney in 2004.

  •The movie opened well and brought some much-needed success to Disney’s animation division.

  Me with Anika Noni Rose at the L.A. premiere of The Princess and the Frog, 2009. (ARDEN RODGERS)

  ASK THE

  ACTOR

  * * *

  What was it like to voice the role of Dash in The Incredibles?

  For most ten-year-olds, the concept of excitement is usually surrounded by things like staying up past nine on a school night or watching an episode of South Park while their parents are asleep. So for me, landing a lead role in a Pixar film at such a young age far surpassed excitement and delved into a realm that can only be described as frantic euphoria. It was thrilling, it was scary, it was hectic, and it was probably my first taste of accomplishment. Although I didn’t quite have the brainpower or maturity to come to terms with how big a deal it was, I just felt this immense pride for what I had gotten myself into. The experience itself, missing a week of school to spend two insane days at Pixar Studios working with the insanely genius ball of human energy that is Brad Bird, and to see firsthand the process of creating an animated film, was more than I could have ever imagined.

  —SPENCER FOX,

  age eighteen

  VOICE-OVER AND ANIMATION AUDITION DOS AND DON’TS

  If you want to pursue the voice-over/animation area, here are some important tips to remember:

  DO take a voice-over/animation class or workshop. Seasoned animation actors like Bob Bergen and Pat Fraley teach workshops in Los Angeles and New York. Visit www.bobbergen.com and www.patfraley.com to see when their next workshops are. Spend time in the recording studio practicing and learning from these guys.

  DO keep your reads well paced and in your regular voice, unless the role asks for big, cartoony voices and characters.

  DO think real. Voice-over has evolved, just like commercials. Throw lines away. Be casual and conversational instead of announcer-y and formal.

  DO talk with a smile.

  DO use your vocal highs and lows. We use different vocal tones of our voice every day. Listen to what you sound like when you’re asking for something, talking to your mother, or talking to a five-year-old child.

  DO spend money on a good demo. Ideally your demo should have different sections—animation, promo, and commercials. The quality needs to be professional.

  DO consider building a home studio.

  DO know your medium: watch a lot of animation and understand the differences in tone. Tom Kenny’s vocal pacing is fast and energetic when he’s voicing Spongebob. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Craig T. Nelson’s Mr. Incredible voice sounds like a real person who just happens to be animated.

  DO send your demo out to voice-over agents, once you make a good one.

  DON’T try to make a demo on your iPhone.

  * * *

  JEN’S LAST WORD

  Just because you’re talented in one area doesn’t automatically qualify you as an expert in all areas. Be honest with yourself about your strengths. Take classes and workshops to improve your skills. Voice acting is largely about pacing, vocal texture, and quality. Sometimes an actor needs hair and makeup and the camera to tell their story; their voice is just not enough. Actors may want to be skilled in all areas, but no one is superhuman. Except maybe Dash in The Incredibles.

  * * *

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  * * *

  CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

  COMMERCIAL AUDITIONS

  I’m eleven years old and at the final audition for a bologna commercial. My mother has insisted I wear my sister’s bright pink OshKosh jumper, which I hate. When the director instructs me to eat the premade bologna sandwich on the prop table, I make a face and tell him I hate bologna. The next day I find out I’ve booked the commercial.

  The next week, my mother and I arrive at the commercial shoot. I gasp when I spot a prop table with about fifty premade bologna sandwiches on thick white Wonder bread. “I can’t eat them,” I whisper to my mother conspiratorially. Her response: “Eat the bologna, Jennifer, and think about the residuals.”*

  She was right. The bologna commercial aired for close to ten years. The residuals paid for braces, a Macintosh laptop when I graduated college, and some travel abroad. I’ll never know why I booked the commercial—was it my glasses, my scowl, or that horrid pink OshKosh jumper? Thirty years later I still can’t look at a bologna sandwich on white bread without feeling nauseated.

  Can You Hear Me Now? The Post-9/11 Search for the Verizon Guy

  Right after September 11, 2001, I was a casting associate at Susan Shopmaker Casting, and we were hired to cast a campaign for a new phone company called Verizon. We were tasked to find a spokesman distinctly different from Carrot Top on the 1-800 Call ATT spots and the businessman in the suit on the Sprint commercials. I auditioned hundreds of men of all ethnicities and ages for weeks on end, all saying that now-famous line: “Can you hear me now?” The actors would crawl around the audition studio talking on the Verizon phone, pretending to be in different locations such as a tunnel, the desert, or a mountaintop in Nepal.

  On one of the final casting days, Paul Marcarelli walked into the room. I just knew he’d book the spot before he even slated* his name. Paul was engaging and hip and wore cool black glasses. He got the commercial. The campaign went global and the commercials are still on the air. Lesson: Go to any and every commercial audition. You never know when you’ll be the perfect fit.

  * * *

  AGENT’S

  CORNER

  * * *

  What’s your best advice for actors who want to work in commercials?

  Treat commercials like a job. Be professional by confirming appointments, showing up on time, dressing appropriately, and being prepared. The commercial world moves too quickly to accommodate “artistic temperaments.” Also, communicate with your agents: always discuss issues of availability and ask any questions about potential conflicts. This will head off any potential problems before they cause difficulties for casting directors and producers and, consequently, agents and talent. Finally, the most successful actors in commercials enjoy the process—they like getting to play different roles, to meet the various people involved in the business, and get dressed up and act in front of the camera. They approach it like a business but also a little like play. They are interested and happy to be in the room. This spirit definitely communicates itself and makes everyone want to work with you either now . . . or in the future.

  —TRACEY GOLDBLUM,

  Abrams Artists Agency

  Logistics of Commercial Auditions

  Commercials auditions are fast and furious, with a potentially lucrative outcome. Casting sessions are often very last minute. It’s not uncommon to get a call in the morning for an audition later that day. When your agent calls you with the audition information, they’ll often tell you the role you’re auditioning for, such as young mom, office worker, doctor, tech geek, hipster, or waitress.

  In the 1980s the actors featured in commercials really sold products with big voices and dramatic flair. Today commercials tend toward a more “realistic” feel, both cinematically and from an acting perspective. Less is more. The humor comes from the situation, rather than from actors punching up the comedy.

  The commercial business has also changed financially and creatively over the years. To save money, many advertising agencies now hire nonunion actors and offer a buyout fee for the shoot (paying one lump sum up front instead of residual payments over time). There are fewer national network spots. Today commercials are often unscripted. In these cases, actors are given a scenario, then expected to improvise in the audition room.

  Next time you’re watching television, instead of fast-forwarding through the commercials, watch a few spots. Describe the acting style and overall tone of the commercial. This will help you prepare w
hen you start to audition.

  ASK THE

  ACTOR

  * * *

  Are improv classes helpful for commercial auditions?

  Improv classes teach you to be present, to listen, to think quickly on your feet, to be able to speak as a character, and to work well with a partner. Don’t try to be funny. Play the character sincerely and the humor will come. Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) teaches actors to play at the top of their intelligence. Never pander or play “down.” Your audience is smarter than you think.

  —REBECKA RAY

  The Commercial Callback

  If you’re lucky enough to get called back for the commercial, the callback will take place with the director, producer, and various people from the advertising agency. Actors are assigned specific appointment times at the callback, and are often mixed and matched and brought in in groups. You may be asked to do more improv or get paired up with different actors if the commercial calls for a family or a group of office workers. Be patient. Prepare to stay. Many times the creative team needs to look at groups of actors together to assemble and ultimately populate the perfect cast.

  There are many creative and business people involved in casting commercials. Final casting choices are made by the director, producers, and advertising agency executives. The top talent choices are presented to the client (the people who work at Charmin or Hasbro or whatever company is selling the product), who weigh in with their final approval. When you have millions of dollars at stake with every commercial, it can create an obvious pressure cooker.

  Don’t get freaked out if twelve people are in the room eating sushi or texting and appear uninterested. They are. And even if you don’t book the commercial, you should still feel good about getting a callback. Someone on the creative team liked you, and that’s a good thing. In the end, you may go on dozens of commercial auditions before you get cast, but keep trying and take every audition as an opportunity to be seen.

  AUDITION STORIES

  EPIC SUCCESS

  * * *

  A friend called me after her audition for a Playtex Bra commercial. She said, “Rena, you have to get an appointment for this commercial! They’re looking for funny girls with big boobs who can do improv!” I called my commercial agent, who informed me that I wasn’t the right type. They were looking for larger women, and she couldn’t get me an appointment. I asked if I should crash the audition. She said, “We don’t recommend that, but if you feel strongly about it then just know we didn’t tell you to do it.” Well . . . I felt strongly about it. I walked to the casting office. The casting director was finishing her lunch. I said “Hi. I’m a 34DD and would love to audition.” She told me to go in the back and put on a Playtex bra. They put me on tape. I ended up booking the Playtex 18 Hour bra campaign, which ran for two and a half years, paid my rent, and got me three years of union health insurance.

  —RENA STROBER,

  www.RenaStrober.com

  * * *

  AGENT’S

  CORNER

  * * *

  How has the commercial business changed over your many years as an agent?

  The biggest change in the past twenty years has been in the proliferation of nonunion commercial work. The Internet has prompted huge changes in the commercial business. As a platform for viewing commercials, it allows advertisers to target their market much more specifically and at a much lower cost. As a tool for the casting process, it allows more actors from a greater geographical area to be considered for the same role, as more commercials are regularly being cast in multiple cities. Coupled with the commercial business’s demand for new types, this has generated more commercial actors in the business, creating greater competition for the better jobs.

  —MICKEY SHERA,

  Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency

  COMMERCIAL AUDITION DOS AND DON’TS

  DON’T experiment with new clothing, especially on the day of the audition.

  DON’T wear turtlenecks, stripes, or crazy patterns. They can be distracting to the viewers watching your audition.

  DO dress in solid colors.

  DO purchase a white “uniform” shirt, for when you’re the waiter, server, cashier, nurse, doctor. A white blouse or dress shirt will suffice. And conversely, a dark shirt works best for a cop.

  DO buy a nice suit to play an upscale businessperson, lawyer, or detective. Nice also means well pressed. Splurge on dry-cleaning when you can. Or buy a steam iron at any drugstore.

  DO write down what outfit you wear to each commercial audition. Then plan to wear the same outfit to the callback.

  * * *

  ASK THE

  ACTOR

  * * *

  What’s the craziest wardrobe request you’ve had for a commercial audition?

  For theater, film, and (most) TV, they don’t expect you to come into the audition dressed in costume for the character. Just something respectful, maybe the suggestion of a costume. But for commercials, it helps to show you’re the character through wardrobe.

  I remember getting a call once from my commercial agent. She said: “You have an audition tomorrow to play a clown. Wear something bright and colorful. If you own a clown suit, please wear it.” I didn’t own a clown suit. And I didn’t get the part, either.

  —JASON KRAVITS,

  www.jasonkravits.net

  * * *

  STAGE MOMS’

  CORNER

  * * *

  Kids should arrive to the commercial audition in regular clothing, unless your agent says otherwise. Converse sneakers, jeans, and a solid shirt are perfect for most commercial auditions. Many times kids will be matched up with actors playing other family members. Looks, likability, and personality are key factors that determine which kids get cast.

  JEN’S LAST WORD

  The world of commercials is more fast-paced than other types of auditions. Here are a few final tips to remember when auditioning for commercials:

  •Have fun. Seriously, if you can’t have fun at a silly commercial audition, get a job crunching numbers at a desk.

  •Be flexible.

  •Think on your feet.

  •Once the audition is over, try to forget about it and get on with your day. Who knows, maybe you could book a bologna commercial or a new campaign for Verizon when you least expect it.

  * * *

  CHAPTER NINE

  * * *

  DON’T TWEET US, WE’LL TWEET YOU

  USING TECHNOLOGY TO HELP YOUR CAREER

  In 1982 my family bought our first answering machine. The machine came with a device to check the messages, and we loved calling in to hear the new messages. My heart always skipped a beat when my manager would leave details on the machine for an upcoming audition. In 1985, we celebrated my TV movie airing by purchasing a new VCR to replace the old VHS machine my grandma Betty had loaned us. In 1988, my sister left for college with an IBM computer, and in 1989, I used my first Macintosh SE computer. The technology story goes on and on!

  Here we are today, trapped in the digital age and a world of instant celebrity stardom. We’re addicted to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, and Vine. Our hands are busy all day texting, blogging, and e-mailing from our various devices. Our attention spans are shorter. We’re constantly consumed by new sites, new apps, new phones, and new gadgets. We can’t imagine any other world. Information attacks us from thousands of websites and blogs that provide information about auditions. As a result, actors often find themselves drowning in an oversaturation of what can frequently be the wrong information.

  In some ways, technology has made our lives easier. We have PDF versions of scripts and JPGs of head shots. And much of the casting process takes place online: breakdowns are released electronically, submissions are viewed online. Demo reels and voice-over demos are all digital. Actors can send in self-tapes for projects that are casting. Our technological world is moving faster and faster. Our brains must keep up or we’ll miss out.

&nbs
p; Technology can help your acting career, but only if you navigate it carefully.

  Making a Website

  The first step for any actor is to create a basic website that includes a contact link, photos, a résumé, demo reels (if you have them), and reviews or other press clips. Check out your actor friends’ websites, or those of the many actors interviewed throughout this book. Decide what design and style elements you like, then hire a web designer to create your own. Darren Orstman (Darren@19prince.com) did mine and I love it.

  If you have time to learn, you can design your own website easily these days with WordPress or other user-friendly sites. An actor’s website should be simple and easy to use. I love my website (www.jenrudin.com) because it’s not cluttered and gets the information out in a clear way. Your website address should be listed on your résumé and with any additional actor profiles on sites like Actors Access or Casting Networks.

  Your website should be broken into sections. Take a look at my friend Rena Strober’s site (www.renastrober.com) to see her sections:

  •Now appearing

  •Press

  •Résumé

  •Photos

  •Audio

  •Reels

  •Video

  •Album

  •Contact

  Make sure all your links work. Just like on your résumé, make sure not to list your home address, social security number, or other personal information on your website. You don’t need to watch a Law and Order marathon to know that we live in a scary world. Protect yourself.