Feedback, not playback…

There was a short span of forty-four years between my first and second "real" auditions. Unfortunately, the first has been entirely forgotten, (thanks to a drug induced stupor, but that's another episode of "Oprah"). I walked out of that second audition forty three years, ten months and twenty some odd days (but who's counting) higher than a kite. I mean I hit that sucker out of the ballpark! (At least I thought so.)

The casting director, (who will remain anonymous) had me go through the dialogue twice, pausing only to give a few bits of direction between the first and second run through. And then came the feedback, "very nice, thank you".

I called my agent and after a thorough interrogation, learned absolutely nothing.

A few months later another film, another audition, but this time a different casting director. This time though different feedback; he said, "thank you, that was very good".

Another call to the agent, more interrogation and then she called back, "______, said you were too big." Too big, how can you be too big for "_________________".

If the common consensus is true and we actors are a totally insecure bunch of psychos, why did we choose a profession that requires a never ending job search?

I don't know, I studied business, economics and history in college, not psychology.

I do know that three times in the last seven or eight months I've received unsolicited emails from directors and casting folks after an audition. In each instance, they were very complimentary of my work and told me I was too old or in one case, the wrong color. In each case, those emails made me feel almost (Note: I said, "Almost") as good as if I'd received a call back or booked the role.

Honest feedback helps me to know what I need to do next time. I bring this up because in a recent meeting with my agent, he asked me about some (in my mind positive) feedback he'd forwarded about me and some other actors from our agency. Apparently, I was one of the few, maybe the only one, who was grateful to get it. (Note to Casting Folks: I promise I won't grovel and claim I can play taller, shorter or a thirty-something female.)

If I can't or don't hire an acting coach or invest in either private or group lessons, then I'll never progress. If I don't have the courage to read reviews of my work or listen to fellow actors at the end of the day, I'll stagnate.

So, at the end of the day, I want constructive criticism and feedback from the casting director, the director or my fellow actors. How about you?

Let's talk about it next time we're together on location, on set or in the studio…