How to Stay in Character for an Audition

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 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 and until
the time you walk out. Let’s say you’re character has southern accent, well, when you’re
introducing yourself to the director or the producer, what you don’t want to do is say,
“Yeah, my name is Lori Wyman. It’s very nice to meet you.” And it’s time for you to do
your dialogue and you just get into this cute southern accent and you just think that
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 the workshop 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 old. So she came in and she did this fabulous audition
and right when she about to leave, the director to her, “Excuse me, how old are you?”
And I was standing behind the camera, and “Oh, my god. She’s going to tell the truth.
Oh, I hope she learned, I hoped she listened.” And without skipping a bit she looked to
him and she said, “I’m fifteen, Sir.” And I was so proud of her. And she walked out, and
she booked that role and he never knew otherwise.