After over 20 years of professional acting you get used to the atmosphere of a waiting room. I remember when I was 8 years old being at a commercial audition and next door they were casting for Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" video. That is the first time I remember seeing guys hitting on girls at an audition & also the same day that I first smelled the stench of desperation. It's a pungent stink that is part of the actor's life.
Now that I have casted things and produced things, even though they weren't blockbusters, I have gained a new perspective that comes along with no longer relying on someone else for your career (although, to be perfectly honest, I am very happy to let someone else help with my career – this is really hard work!). It is easier now to go to auditions without feeling the same tension that I see in other actors in a room.
There are few things as self conscience as an actor, male or female. Will I get hired? Was I funny? Am I making the right choices? The questions never end and if you aren't careful you can drive yourself crazy. As easy as people think the job is the fact remains if being a good actor were easy everybody would do it.
Today I was at a call-back for a commercial. It was a good audition for me, but it was running about an hour behind schedule. Nothing frees an actors insecurities than sitting in a room with 30 other actors that are all your competition for longer than 10 minutes. It was an excellent demonstration of restraint and coping mechanisms. Personally I text and Tweet when I don't have anyone to talk to. Other guys start spouting off their resumes like anyone else cares and I even saw a knife pulled today, no joke! I did not hear the conversation that happened when it was pulled, but it looked to me like he was illustrating a point with a friend of his, of course no one else seemed to know that so a few nerves got frayed. Who brings a knife to an audition?! Talk about "cutting out" the competition! That was supposed to be a joke.
Anyhow, that's my babble for today. I will ramble more again tomorrow.
See you tomorrow!
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i’ll tell you who carries a knife during auditions. I DO! cuz actor’s are loco.