How to Bring Your Best Acting Skills to an Audition

Written by Sean Pratt

Every actor is faced with the challenge of being as mentally and physically present as possible during their audition in order to show themselves at their best.

You want the Director and Producer to experience 100% of you. Your goal should be for them to experience you “firing on all pistons” during the short time you’re there. Even if they decide not to hire you for their project, at least there won’t be any mystery as to who you are and what you can do. To use a different analogy, your job is to stand at home plate and knock the ball out of the park…every time! But getting into, and maintaining, that state of physical and mental readiness, during the course of your day, is tricky. It’s called, “Finding your sweet spot.”

The Sweet Spot

For those of you who don’t know the baseball term, “sweet spot” is the place on a bat where a ball is most effectively hit. Find the sweet spot and hitting a homerun is easy…at least that’s what they say. You can use this phrase to describe those moments in your day when you’re totally revved up and ready to go. It may take a bit of trial and error to figure out the things you might need to do in order to get to your “sweet spot” so here are some suggestions:   Read more

Hugh Jackman on the Stage Versus the Screen: “Acting is acting. It’s the same thing”

Where isn’t Hugh Jackman these days?  He not only stars in Real Steel, the #1 movie at the box office this past weekend, but is gearing up for his own show in a return engagement on Broadway in Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway.  But Jackman took a momentary break from his busy schedule to talk to Collider.com about his approach to acting on both the screen and the stage and on the intimidation of his next big role.

One of Jackman’s next major roles is Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, one of the most successful musicals of all time.  Jackman, who says he has seen the musical three times, claims that landing such a role is both intimidating and fun… because it’s the same thing to him. 

“It’s intimidating, and that’s the fun of it. I feel, you have to be a little bit intimidated or a little bit nervous. The percentage is probably 80/20. If 80% of you is really, really confident you’re going to nail it, and 20% of you is genuinely, really not so sure, that’s the kind of percentage you need to push yourself on, to do better than you’ve ever before. If it’s 100%, then I feel the audience can feel it. I feel like Jean Valjean is one the great literary figures in musical theatre. It’s one of the most famous characters of all time. Whoever is playing it, it should be them at their best, you know? That’s why I’m singing everyday and have been for awhile. And, that’s why I auditioned for the part,” he said. Read more

Interview: ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ stars Barrett Foa and Renee Felice Smith talk job security and auditioning

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:19 — 6.4MB)

Barrett Foa and Renee Felice Smith, stars of the CBS hit series NCIS: Los Angeles were at Comic-Con 2011 (yes, I know it was almost 4 months ago – don’t judge) and I got a chance to talk with them about the show, auditioning and if they feel like they have job security even though they are on a top-rated show.

It’s a fun, quick interview and you can tell the two have great chemistry together and it absolutely comes out in their scenes on the show.

NCIS: Los Angeles airs on CBS, Tuesdays 9/8c

Check out our other NCIS: Los Angeles interviews: LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

When do you guys get your scripts for the show?

Renee Felice Smith: Probably the day before. We generally have a table read.  So, I would say, generally, we’ll get the script a day before and the table read is a day prior to shooting, so maybe two or three days in advance to shooting, that’s it.

Barrett Foa: Max.

Renee Felice Smith: Sometimes, it’s a day of table read.   Read more

‘Revenge’ star Emily VanCamp: “I’ve never really had to build a character from the ground up”

Brothers and Sisters actress Emily VanCamp isn’t new to the world of showbiz, but with her recent gig as leading lady of ABC’s Revenge things are definitely changing.  Out to promote the new show where VanCamp stars as the revenge driven beauty Emily Thorne, ABC has placed several billboards of the Canadian actress throughout the city.

Although VanCamp was aware her reaction upon seeing them sounds priceless according to a recent interview with Access Hollywood.  “I was driving on the 101 to work and it was some ridiculously early hour, and there it was… I had no concept of what that would feel like and there it was, on my way to work… My mom was the first person I called after I scared my boyfriend s***less because he thought I was getting into an accident.”

Asked if she was screaming, VanCamp replied, “I saw the billboard, I’m talking with Joseph, I just started violently screaming. I couldn’t believe it and he flipped out, he’s like, ‘What’s going on? Are you OK?’ And [I said], ‘I just saw it! I just saw it! That’s so weird, that’s so crazy.’ He’s like, ‘Emily! I though you were dying.’ Then… I called my mom, and my mom was flipping out with me too and I sent her a picture of it. It’s such an intense thing. You can’t prepare for it. That stuff doesn’t really get old.”   Read more

Q & A: Sons of Anarchy’s Winter Ave Zoli and Kristen Renton on how they got their roles, lack of wardrobe and more!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:21 — 15.4MB)

Sons of Anarchy is always a great ride and this season is no exception. With some of the smaller characters getting their due this year, series creator Kurt Sutter is giving us even more of a reason to love it.

Winter Ave Zoli (Lyla) and Kristen Renton (Ima) are absolutely getting some interesting things to work on this season and it’s going to be interesting to see where things end up by the end of the season. 

I talked with both Winter and Kristen in a conference call about how they got their parts, the most difficult scenes they’ve done so far and their character’s wardrobe. Or lack thereof.

Sons of Anarchy airs on Tuesdays at 10pm on FX

For more Sons of Anarchy, check out our Theo Rossi interview

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

Kristen have you had conversations with Kurt Sutter that your character somehow will have some sort of a redemptive moment.  She’s always been the bad girl, will she ever see the light, or is she being run off? Where your character is going?

Kristen Renton: Good question.  I have not spoken to Kurt about what will be transpiring later on in the coming seasons or anything like that.  “Ima,” I feel like she’s the main bad girl of this show and I don’t think that he’s going to change that.  I think he’s going to keep her there stirring the pot, causing chaos, and it makes for a more interesting character, in my opinion.  I love playing the bad girl.  I think she’s a lot more fun to play than a character like “Tara,” where she’s nice and you’re rooting for her.  Everybody loves to hate “Ima,” so I think we’re going to keep it on that path and see what other trouble she can get into. 

Winter, what about your character?  You’re now a married lady, old lady, can you give us any indication around where you’re going to take “Lyla?”

Winter Ave Zoli: “Lyla” is basically dealing with this new relationship, this new married life, and sort of jumping into a relationship that went really fast.  And I think both her and the “Opie” character are like, “now what”.  Obviously she has this secret that she’s been holding on to, which is the abortion she had last season, so that comes to a head in this season and then it’s just basically then dealing with how they’re dealing with the relationship at this point.  Yes, they have a lot to sort out this season.   Read more

Jerry O’Connell Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice for his Broadway Debut: Living with Mom and Dad Again!

Look, I’m sorry… no matter what Jerry O’Connell does, I’ll always think of him as the chubby kid in Stand By Me.  Although I’m not sure if he’d be so bothered by that, it’s good to know that television star O’Connell is returning to his native Manhattan to star in his first Broadway show, Seminar.

But returning “home” has made things a bit difficult for O’Connell… because like struggling actors a lot younger than him, O’Connell actually moved back into his parents’ place!

O’Connell tells Broadway.com, “I was born and raised in Manhattan, and I’m staying in my parents’ apartment right now.  It’s a little awkward being well into my 30s and living with my parents again, but that’s how it goes.”

Of course, when you’re married to a beautiful woman like Rebecca Romijn it’s obvious that O’Connell won’t be sleeping at mom and dad’s for long.  Romijn is scheduled to join O’Connell in New York and was very supportive of his move.  He says, “When the opportunity to be part of Seminar came up, my wife and I knew it was something I would have to pursue.  It’s tough that we have to move, but I’m no stranger to New York; I take the number 1 [subway] train up here every day. There was no way I was going to turn Seminar down.”   Read more

Trailer: ‘Carnage’ starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly

Carnage: After two boys duke it out on a playground, the parents of the “victim” invite the parents of the “bully” over to work out their issues. A polite discussion of child rearing soon escalates into verbal warfare, with all four parents revealing their true colors. None of them will escape the carnage.

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly
Directed by: Roman Polanski

This film is based on the play God of Carnage that ran on Broadway (and LA) in 2009 and starred Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden. I love John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster and the rest of the cast but I just wish that they used the original Broadway cast. Everyone was nominated for a Tony and Harden brought home a trophy.

In Theaters: December 16, 2011
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Trailer: ‘The Avengers’ starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson

The Avengers: Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security. courtesy of trailers.apple.com

Writer/Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård , Samuel L. Jackson

In theaters: May 4th, 2012
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Trailer: ‘My Week With Marilyn’ starring Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson

My Week With Marilyn: Colin Clark met Marilyn Monroe while working as a young assistant on Laurence Olivier’s “The Prince and the Showgirl.” When Marilyn experienced emotional difficulties during shooting, the 23-year-old third assistant director came to her aid and romance developed. But one week of honesty and fun was not enough to save the doomed star from self-destruction.

Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Julia Ormond, Dougray Scott, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson, Toby Jones
Directed by: Simon Curtis

In Theaters: November 4, 2011
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Claire Danes Talks About Her “Nutty” Parents and the After-Math of Playing Temple Grandin

Refreshingly honest, as she digs into the days as a child actor, Claire Danes of My So Called Life fame has recently been making the promotional rounds for her return to TV in the series Homeland where she plays Carrie Mathison, a bipolar CIA Agent.  Talking to The Wall Street Journal, Danes didn’t hold back about the new series, her parents and the aftermath of portraying the great Temple Grandin.

“They’re nutty”, Danes says of her parents proudly. “They’re just not stage parents. They were always really adamant that I have a life and have an education. I never felt exploited. I was the motor. I was agitating from the age of five to do this and they humored me and then it became impossible to ignore and then we all went to it. It was a serendipitous moment in that my brother was in college. My Dad’s business was coming to an end. My Mom was ready for a change herself so we were already at a threshold. But it [moving to L.A.] was all very disorienting and strange. We were all like ‘What? Huh? Okay. I guess this is our reality now.’”

Danes was also forthcoming about having to take some mental time off after her challenging portrayal of Temple Grandin in the 2010 biopic that followed the autistic woman’s journey as one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.   Read more

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