How to Get a Cast for a Film

On behalf of TVLesson.com, I'm Lori Wyman with Lori Wyman Casting and I'm going
to be bringing you audition tips today from my new book The Organic Actor.

Let’s talk a little bit about slating in character. Now, why is that important? And I’ll tell
you what that’s important.

When you come in to an audition, you need to slate in character, you need to stay in
character, you need to be in character. That is from your personality, your attitude, your
accent, anything that embodies your character you need to become that character from the
time you walk in the door until the time you walk out.

Let’s say your character has a southern accent. Well, when you’re introducing yourself to
the director or the producer, what you don’t want to do is say, “Yeah. Hi. My name is
Lori Wyman. It’s very nice to meet you.” And then it’s time for you to do your dialogue
and you just get into this cute southern accent and you just think because you know what
happens, they know you’re acting. They don’t want to know you’re acting. Don’t ever let
them see you acting. I teach a workshop. And in that workshop I strongly stress, “Stay in
character. Be in character.”

A few years back I was casting an episode of E.R. and I had a girl that I had met at a
workshop who came in to audition for 15-year-old pregnant, white trash, trailer park,
southern accent, backwoods girl. Well, she was actually 26 years old which I knew but
she was such a brilliant actress. And not only that, she also it could look 15, 16 years.

So she came in. She did this fabulous audition. And right when she about to leave, the
director said to her, “Excuse me, how old are you?” And I was standing behind the
camera and I'm thinking, “Oh my gosh. She’s going to tell the truth.” and “Oh, I hope she
learned. I hoped she listened.” And without skipping a beat, she looked at him and she
said, “I’m 15, sir.”

And I was so proud of her. And she walked out, and she booked that role and he never
knew otherwise.