What Happens at Movie Auditions for Kids?

Universal Studios via Wikipedia Movie Auditions for Kids

It is a little unnerving going to movie auditions for kids, especially at first.

I was particularly nervous when my daughter and I went to her first few movie auditions for kids in Hollywood. I still find it stressful, even after going to quite a few of them.

I remember going to one of my daughter’s first film auditions on the Universal Studios lot. After I’d found the right gate to enter into Universal Studios and the right parking lot, we still had to find the audition.

Getting Lost Before an Audition is Not a Good Thing!

The guard at the gate just pointed to where we needed to go. After we parked and exited through what must have been the wrong door out of the parking garage, I was completely turned around.

We walked around in the hot sun for what seemed like an eternity (thanks to my poor sense of direction) before we finally found the building and room for the audition.  I really knew we were in trouble when I saw the tram for the Universal Studios Lot tour go by!

I tried to stay calm, but running late for an audition for a lead role in a major motion picture really upset me, especially since we’d arrived at the gate 30 minutes early. My daughter’s mouth was dry from all the running around, and she was looking tired and wilted from the heat.

Avoid Distractions if You Can

As we stepped into the room, we immediately saw Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning’s sister) and her mother sitting on the sofa in the waiting room. Being a big fan of “Daddy Daycare,” my daughter immediately recognized her and started excitedly whispering to me about her.

I signed  my daughter in quickly and took her out into the hall to go over her sides (lines). She was so excited about seeing Elle Fanning that she could barely focus. I thought taking her out into the hall would help her focus and give her the chance to go over her lines.

I’d learned from the very beginning that it was best to avoid distractions right before an audition, particularly before a theatrical audition (an audition for film or tv).

Unfortunately, our unintentional Universal Studios Lot tour and seeing a well-known child actor were too much distraction before a film audition.

Since there were only three or four kids signed in ahead of my daughter, we went back into the waiting room quickly. I did not want the casting director searching for us. Elle had already gone in for her audition, and I sat and chatted quietly with her mother, who is also from the Southeast (Atlanta).

I’m not sure exactly what happened when my daughter went in for her audition a few moments later since we can’t watch or listen. I just know she did not book the role. But neither did Elle, and neither did hundreds of other little girls who auditioned for it. Only one got that part.

So, that leads us to the topic of this post, “What Happens at Movie Auditions for Kids?”

There is a lot of variation in what happens at movie auditions for kids.  There are some similarities, though, particularly in auditions with the same casting director.

In the L.A. area, movie auditions for kids are held at major studios such as Warner Brothers or Universal Studios or Fox, or at any one of the smaller studio offices scattered all around the L.A. area.   Additional time is often needed at the major studios for checking in at the gate, parking, and finding the room for the audition.

When you arrive at the specified audition location, you often do the following:

1. Check in at the gate (if there is one), providing your name and your child’s name, the name of the film, and the casting director.  As the parent, you may have to show an id, proving that you are who you say you are. At Universal Studios or Warner Brothers or Fox or any of the big studios and even some of the smaller ones, you get a parking pass, visitor passes, and a map.
2. Park your car in the designated parking lot/area. Your agent or manager may give you parking instructions, or there may be street parking nearby.  If there is a gate, they typically give you instructions on parking, so listen carefully to what they tell you as it can be complicated.
3. Walk to the building/room where the audition is. You may have to stop at security to have your bags checked as you enter from the parking area. There may be signs with the name of the movie or casting director with arrows directing you to the room for the audition, or you may just be given a room number.
4. Sign-in on the sign-in sheet when you arrive at the audition, providing the requested information, usually including your child’s name, talent agency or manager, and role for the audition.  If you do not see a sign-in sheet, there may not be one, or the casting director or assistant may be holding it.  Quietly ask another person in the room or ask when the casting director or assistant comes back to the waiting area. Often another parent sitting in the room will let you know before you even ask, or there may be a receptionist or casting assistant sitting at a desk in the room.
5. Take a seat in the waiting area. Be very quiet as casting directors do not appreciate noise when they are casting. If you must talk, talk very quietly.
6. Follow directions on any signs you see. Sometimes signs will be posted telling you what to do or asking you not to stand or talk in certain areas. Signs may also be posted telling you where the restrooms are. Don’t bother the casting directors unless you have to.
7. Find a quiet corner or hallway and review your child’s sides (lines) with them, but do it quietly. Try to help your child focus on the audition, and avoid distractions if possible.
8. Listen for your child to be called, then send them over to the casting person with their headshot and resume. Have them take the the sides (if your child reads and the audition is more than a few words).  You will NOT go back with your child for the audition.
9. Greet your child with a big smile when they come back from auditioning, get your things, and leave quickly and quietly. Don’t ask your child  about the audition until you get outside of the waiting area or building.

Your child may or may not want to tell you exactly what happened during the audition.  Once you’ve asked them how it went and a couple of other questions, it is time to move on.

It is useful to know which scenes they did (if there was more than one), whether the casting director filmed the audition, whether the casting director gave any direction, and whether they did the scene or scenes more than once.

Since you are not in the room with your child, what happens in the audition often remains somewhat of a mystery.

The basic format of the audition is likely to be something like this:

1. The casting directer or assistant walks your child back to the audition room, typically chatting with them along the way, though it depends on the casting director. Some are friendly and smile and chat; others remain serious and don’t say much.
2. The casting director sits down and has them either sit or stand across from them.
3. The casting director may ask some questions and allow your child to talk a little, or may proceed directly to auditioning, telling your child what scene to start with and perhaps what scene or scenes to do if there is more than one.
4. The casting director then tells them to start when they are ready or perhaps asks your child to let them know when they are ready to start, and the audition starts.  The casting director may read with your child or there may be an assistant or other person there to read with your child.  There may be someone filming the audition.
5. The casting director may have your child do more than one scene and may have them do the scene or scenes multiple times, perhaps giving them some direction, and possibly filming one or more of the repetitions.
6. The casting director may ask your child some questions (such as their age) and chat with them at the end of the audition, especially if they did not chat at the beginning of the audition.
7. The casting director will thank your child and send them back to the waiting room. At that time, you can leave.

Since all casting directors are different, it is often difficult to read what they are thinking. The demeanor of the casting director is often not an indication of whether your child will get a callback or not, so it is best not to speculate.

It is normal to want to know every little detail about what happened while your child was in the room with the casting director, but avoid asking a zillion questions.

Don’t ask your child if they messed up or if the casting director liked what they did. Avoid criticizing them if they tell you they did something wrong.

If your child messed up, it can’t be fixed now, so it is best not to dwell on it. Tell them they should be proud they got selected to audition, since even just getting called in to audition is a big accomplishment.

When an audition is over, it is over, and it is time to move on to the next one.

As a parent, the best thing you can do for your child is to be supportive. Be a good listener, and if they are not happy with the audition, you can ask them what they think they can do better next time, but don’t lecture.

Young children in particular may find auditioning fun, so the best thing you can do is promote these good feelings about auditions. As an actor, your child will do much more auditioning than anything else!

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With your success in mind,

Debbie Sikkema