I totally just rocked an audition.
Everything went exactly as I had planned, and I knew I’d booked it.
As we all know, auditioning is scary. As an actor, you’re putting yourself on the line in every audition, and most of the time, you hear crickets. It’s easy to start getting in your head and questioning whether you’ve got what it takes.
I’m a firm believer in leveraging one’s strengths in all facets of the business, and for me, that includes audition prep and the moment I walk into the casting room. That’s what my Magnetic Actor Method is all about, and it has transformed the way I approach auditions. Here’s what it might look like in the the audition room, and how it worked for me.
An Ounce of Preparation
Aside from learning your lines, search for clues where your strengths are aligned with the character’s strengths, and how they might serve the character's motivations and intentions. It’ll help you understand who the character is and which part of yourself to amplify or tamp down.
The Meet & Greet
Do you ever leave an audition feeling like it wasn’t you in there? That out of body experience is your fear taking over. To wrangle your fear, put all of your focus on the other people in the room. Greet them like you – and they – are real people and you’re actually happy to see them. The Casting Director chose to bring YOU in, remember? Find a way to connect, even if it’s just looking them in the eyes, and saying “Thank You” on your way out the door.
Do the Work
Once it’s “go time”, take a moment to ground yourself. Trust that you’ve done the work to prepare so you can be fully present. Really hear what what the reader is saying so you can get out of your own way and create real moments. This is what acting teachers mean when they say, "Make sure you're letting it land."
The Shakedown
After an audition, we actors start to think about all the things we shoulda, coulda, woulda done. If you’ve prepared the Magnetic Actor Method way, you’ll walk in the room grounded in self-certainty and knowing you’ve gotten into the character’s skin in a new way and in a way no one else has. Subpar work notwithstanding, booking a job is of your hands. So let it go.
Revel in the Glory
GUESS WHAT? I didn’t book that job. I didn’t even get a callback!
But I’m still so confident in the work I did in that room, and the ecstatic feeling I had when I walked out. Those feelings don’t lie. I prepared my butt off.
I nailed it, pure and simple.
Even though I didn’t book, I’m proud that I took control of the only thing I could control. Me.
I’ll tell you the truth, I realllly wanted to book it. Of course I did! But I felt so damn good about my audition (and I still do!) that my spirit was strengthened, not broken. And that’s pretty freaking powerful.