Top 5
Amateur
Actor
Phrases
What acting
amateurs say at auditions that the
pros do not......
Think back to your last job
interview. You came prepared, with a
few rehearsed answers, a folder-full
of resumes in case they wanted more,
and you wore some of your Sunday’s
best, complete with well-pressed
shirt, tie, blouse or skirt.
Now imagine if you went to the same
interview in a baseball cap and
swimming shorts. You showed up 2 hours
late. And you answered each question
with a one-word answer. What would you
say your chances of getting the job
would be?
Your audition is a job interview. It’s not the place
you want to look unprepared or
unprofessional. YOUR AUDITION IS A JOB
INTERVIEW. You don’t want to show up
in clothing that don’t represent your
character. You don’t want to
excessively talk and make noise. And
you don’t want to say any of these
five amateur phrases…
“Damn it, I
messed up, can I start over and do it
again”
There is not
necessarily anything wrong with this
phrase by itself. In fact, it is
somewhat commonplace for you to start
over if you stubble over some words or
lose your place in the audition sides
or script. However, starting over
simply because you didn’t like your
performance is usually unacceptable
and amateurish. Everyone usually
thinks their performance wasn’t their
best. Besides, the casting director
has too many actors to see to let you
do it over and over again until you
get it right. Accept your weak
performance and use it to enhance your
next.
“I’m so
nervous” Repeating this phrase
is the equivalent of placing a sign
over your forehead entitled “amateur”.
In almost every audition, no matter
how seasoned the actor, most everyone
will be nervous on some level. But
vocalizing your nervousness shows that
you are too inexperienced to handle
the pressure.
“That’s it!”
You just gave your audition and, at
the end of the scene, you yell out,
“That’s it!” What a mistake! Allow
your performance to sink in to the
casting directors. The fact that you
stopped talking is enough to let them
know you’re done. The pros simply
pause after the performance and then
give a nod to the casting director in
silence. The amateurs, in their
nervous panic, hastily yell, “That’s
it!”
“Sorry I’m
late, but traffic is terrible” Three words for this
crowd—No one cares! The casting
directors don’t care why you’re late.
They just know that you’re late and
you are now interrupting or holding up
the auditioning process. Remember the
golden rule: If you’re early, you’re
on time. If you’re on time, you’re
late!
“How did I do?”
The surefire amateur phrase is asking,
“how did I do”, after a performance.
Never ask the casting director how you
did. Asking him this is like asking
your girlfriend why she broke up with
you. She’s not going to be honest and
tell you it was your excessive back
hair that did her in. Likewise, a
casting director is not going to tell
you you did a lousy job if you did a
lousy job. However, if you did great,
don’t worry, it will surely be written
all over his face.
