What Happens When Your Child Actor Auditions?

Child Actor Auditions –

So many times, I took my daughter to auditions and then wondered about exactly what happened in the audition room while she was in there.  How can you really know what happens when your child actor auditions? (Technorati: HHM5YUTKMSEY)

If you are like me, you wish you could be a fly on the wall so you could see exactly what your child does as well as what the casting director and others in the room do during an audition. As a parent, once your child actor goes behind that closed door, all you can really do is sit and wait for your child to come back out and hope that all goes well.

For more about what happens in child actor auditions in general, refer to, “What Happens at Movie Auditions for Kids?” and “What Happens When Your Child Is Auditioning for a Kid Commercial?”

From time to time, my daughter would come out of the audition room looking less than happy. And on a couple of occasions, she got really upset and cried after she came out of an audition.

I remember one particular audition when the waiting room was filled with kids and parents. We had to stand for a while before we even found a place to sit. Then, it was another 40 or more minutes before she got called in to audition.

The atmosphere in the waiting area seemed tense. It was crowded, warm, and noisy, and parents and kids all seemed restless or annoyed over the long wait.

My daughter finally went in to audition, and in a few minutes she was back out.  She came walking towards me and then broke into tears.  I was concerned and even felt embarrassed by her reaction, as everyone looked to see what the problem was. We hurried outside.

This was the first time she’d cried after an audition, and it was very upsetting to me. I couldn’t imagine what could have happened that was bad enough to make her cry.

As soon as we got outside I asked her what was wrong.  Through her sobbing, she managed to tell me that the casting director was grouchy and was “not nice” to her. She had not said thank you or good job, but just “OK.” and then “You can go.”

I hugged her and told her I was sorry. And then I asked her probably too many questions.  I was trying to gain some insight into what happened and determine whether it was as bad as she thought. I also hoped to prevent her from getting upset like this again.

We always called after auditions to tell her talent manager how they went. My daughter was so upset that we did not call this time. The manager called the next day about it, and when I told her it went badly, she said she’d call to get feedback.

A little while later, I got an email from my daughter’s manager saying that the casting director said she did a great job and her tape was one of the few that she sent on to the director for review.

Well, that was a relief.  But it made me wonder about why my daughter’s perceptions had been so wrong and why she had gotten so upset.

So I told my daughter what her manager told me. And we discussed the behavior of the casting director and what happened in more detail. I pointed out a few things to my daughter.

Perhaps the casting director was having a bad day and it had nothing to do with her or her audition. And perhaps her “okay” was really more of an “o-KAY” which could mean “good” or “got it.” I also pointed out that she was running behind and probably in a big hurry.

In any case, if you are ever wondering:

“What Happens When Your Child Actor Auditions?“

— there are some things you and your child should keep in mind.

When your child actor auditions, whether your child comes out happy or confused or sad, the following are things you and your young actor should remember:

1. No matter how hard you try, you can never be sure exactly what is going on in the casting director’s mind or how the audition went!
   
2. Casting directors are people, too. They have good days and bad days. And how they respond in an audition can be affected by many things.
3. Some casting directors are just naturally more friendly, while others are more quiet or perhaps even grouchy — just like all other people are.
4. Sometimes casting directors are in a hurry (especially if they are running behind or only have a very short time to cast a role) and may be focused more on the task at hand and less on how you/your child actor is feeling during or after the audition.
   
5. Never take the casting director’s behavior personally — before or after the audition.  Try not to even think about the casting director during the audition. Instead, focus on the audition. It is likely to go much better if you do.

For the above reasons and others, it is always best to just forget about an audition after it is over. This is hard to do, though, especially if you have a manager (as we did) who likes to always hear about how the audition went and who likes to get feedback and share it with you and your child and even your child’s coaches.

But do it anyway! Just forget about it!

Then if a callback comes or you book it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

For a parent, since you can never really know exactly what happens when your child actor auditions, it truly is best to move on and prepare your child for whatever the next audition is.

And since you can’t change what already occurred, even if you suspect the audition went badly, there is no need to dwell on it or worry about it.

For more on what to do when an audition does not go well for your child, check out “What Should You Do When Acting Auditions Don’t Go Well?”

After all auditions, it is a good idea to write down basic notes about what happened during the audition. Include any redirection your child received (e.g. if they were told to do it more a certain way) and whether or not the audition was put on tape. Be sure to list the project name, role, location, casting director, and callback and filming dates if you have them.

And don’t forget to write down what your child actor wore to the audition since you’ll need the same dress for the callback if your child gets one.

Then it’s time to move on.  There will be more auditions.

To your success,

Debbie Sikkema