Audition or Interview: Don’t Hard Sell Your Talents

Jenna K, a commercial and film actress

It is a story that started as way of promoting the soft sell to the training business, but I think the same goes for those auditioning or interviewing. Over-sell or hard sell turns people off regardless so soft sell is the answer either way. With soft sell, those clients with whom you are auditioning or interviewing will remember you fondly–not the jerk who thrust his resume in their faces–oblivious of the fact that they, the clients were looking for a look, and notice the jerk was not listening at all to them–the clients, the very people he came to impress.  Or, over-impress. Over-sell.

While my article above may have been illustrative of a training situation, it may not one common to many of us. It is to me because I am a voice actor, actor/director, communicator and trainer. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to think in terms of absolutes. There is the trend to put everything with a number–the three things you need to know, ten ways to do this or that, five secrets to wealth and posterity.

Pardon my substandard English: It ain’t possible! While the number gives an absolute answer–and absolute answers are comforting, life is too complicated to be set in stone. From my customer service days I have a different perspective regarding clients.

Clients are our livelihood; there is no denying that. Without clients, we cannot survive. But we have to engage them in a professional, oftentimes subtle way. Clients have to want you–and you in particular if your business relationship is be successful.

We all need help, but we like to ask for it. So ask for it–softly. A subtle offering, a soft sell, may be the answer.

***

I played tennis when I was much younger. I used to go off by myself and practice serves in a local court. One day, an older woman in her sixties was watching me play.

“You need some help badly.”

Was I that bad?

I tried to ignore her. I knew I needed to work on my swing.

“I can help,” she continued.

“Really,” I said sarcastically.

I was young and had been taught to respect my elders so I didn’t have a rude comeback–just the sarcasm, which she ignored.

“You can use my Wimbledon racket,” she said.

She got my attention. Her approach was curious, but she got my attention by letting me know in a subtle way she had the “chutzpah” and the “chops” to work with a kid like me.

Eventually, I learned from her. She became my unofficial trainer and coach. She had played at Wimbledon truly, albeit many years ago, and she was still pretty good. When I got to where I could win a set or two occasionally, we stopped–but only because I had school. I had no real designs to be a pro. I played in college, but only for fun.

Play for keeps. A client that needs you and qualifies you in his mind is the one you want.

I think what I learned is that, if I hadn’t felt I needed the tennis training to begin with, no amount of “you need training to succeed” sentiment was going to make me ask for it–let alone pay for it. I knew I needed it and the “older” pro let me know her qualifications–take them or leave ’em. I took ’em.

We need to make our qualifications known in such a way as to draw attention to them in the right way. Not egotistical or arrogantly. I don’t care how good we are, if that’s the way we express our qualifications; that’s how we lose customers, that’s how we lose clients. We can’t get too “big” for them. Bully me into using your services. You might, if I think I need you badly enough, get me once, but not twice.

Better to compliment the good, say you can help. Give potential clients the opportunity to see for themselves or hear from others how you good you are. The likelihood of a fit and long-term relationship is much enhanced.

End of shorter story. By the way, I still have that Wimbledon racket.

By the way, let me know by liking my last post if you want me to continue to post excerpts from my novel. I started with a mild excerpt. I have much grittier ones if you prefer.

Casting: the Director’s Vision

There are casting directors who know in their minds who they want to cast, but can’t afford to cast them.

“I want Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Teri Garr…”

Unable to do that, they look to cast a double. Sort of. As an actor, I think I was once asked if I could be a Jeff Foxworthy type (that was for a voiceover, but it’s the same here). My answer: “Sure I could be.” But I think I should have said, “No, I’d rather be a different type, one like me,” but no actor who wants the part says such a thing.

Directors also like looking for a type or someone like he or she saw in another performance. In Southern California, I experienced this on a big scale. As you might imagine, casting takes on a whole new meaning. I auditioned for “Tom” in Glass Menagerie for The National Deaf Theater Company. Imagine my shock at discovering 200 plus actors in the waiting room who all looked like me. Well, they had similar looks, and I hope had similar credentials on their resumes. Apparently we all looked what the director thought Tom should look like. So far it sort of made sense. Now, you get to the part where I, the auditioning actor, learn this role is for the actor backstage who will be performing Tom for the hearing audience. A signing “Tom” will be in front of the audience. So, did it really matter what we looked like if we were not to be seen?

Should directors cast the roles based on the playwright’s vision? You know, the descriptions in the script. Those aren’t in stone by the way. Most are based on the first show produced and how those characters were played. I suppose, if the director’s vision is to succeed, his or her casting decision must come into play as well to make the work accordingly. Sometimes the availability of certain actors affect the selection of certain shows. Question is how far the director should go, or how much he or she can affect the playwright’s vision.

“I can be taller. I can be this…and that.” Dustin Hoffman‘s frustration with not getting roles led him to dress as “Tootsie.” It worked for him. What didn’t work for him was when he said he could be taller–all for the sake of getting the part. Many actors believe they did not get the role because they weren’t good enough or did something wrong. Too many factors are in play here. In auditions where actors are invited after submitting a headshot and resume, they are expected to be competent actors at least. Do actors really think they didn’t get cast because they didn’t do something correctly and need to correct that? I hope not. Some times it is a look. It may be the way an actor looks along side (tall versus short) another actor. I was positive I wasn’t going to be cast in a role because all of the actors with whom I auditioned were much taller. Ironically, the cast list revealed a short-in-stature cast; the other “auditionees” I had not chanced to see at the audition. It may be that a part is pre-cast and the director isn’t telling anyone yet. Once a part is promised, a director would have to take it back from person who also felt he or she deserves it. Not cool, but it can happen for the good of the show.

My own preference, as an actor, is to know a head of time if a show has certain roles pre-cast; although that in itself is a turn-off to me personally. I think a show should have the benefit of “wiggly” casting. If you can’t cast with who comes to the original casting call, call another casting call, but tell those auditioning and let them make the decision to audition under those circumstances. Some bad shows were pre-cast and other cast members have to fit around that individual rather than being cast as a whole. I think it happens to a director once and he or she doesn’t do it again. Cast chosen as a whole generally can more easily develop a camaraderie that may never surface in a pre-cast show. A show cast together has a real chance at being an ensemble cast.

Another strictly physical casting guideline to keep in mind: The director is also making pictures here. The look of his cast contributes to the whole some times as much as the acting. That’s just one of the factors besides acting ability. Singing ability, if the part calls for singing. Physical fitness. A boxer in Heaven Can Wait, for example, should to look like a boxer, or if you’re doing the film, a football player.

There are other obvious physical factors that can affect casting, right or wrong. Imagine not being cast for a role because you have a tattoo? Really? When make-up is so good these days; mostly tattoos are painted on for characters rather than removed. Elimination on the basis of being tattooed? It does happen; it happened to me, but I think there must have been a need to eliminate some actors from the pool and that circumstance worked as well as anything. Why bother covering a tattoo when there is an equal candidate without it. So many factors play into casting…some are fair, some or not. You can be eliminated for other reasons when the director or assistant director don’t think you’ll you’ll fit with the director and/or cast. For example, say the assistant director wants to do warm-ups and you don’t want to participate because you have a sore back or some other legitimate reason, and despite an excellent read and characterization you did not get cast. Even so, it probably wouldn’t have been a good fit for you and the directer anyway.

Can the casting process be more fair? Probably with more awareness, but an actor doesn’t necessarily why he or she did not get cast unless the director (as a courtesy) wants to point out another or other roles he or she knows the actor is better suited for. That’s information an actor can use and as fair as it gets. The actor can only comply with what the director is asking for in the audition, and if he or she cannot do that, expect the possibility that the actor’s choice can affect the casting decision.

For more information on the subject, reviews, other points of view besides my opinion, check out Stage and American Theater magazines.