‘Stranger Things’ Star Shannon Purser on Getting Cast as Barb
“I had never booked anything, gotten close calls, and then one day I got an email about this new show called Stranger Things, asking for a tape.” – Shannon Purser
Alison Brie on ‘Glow’: “I had to audition many times”
“Of course when you’re told that they don’t think your right for it, I was even more fired up to prove them wrong.” – Alison Brie on Auditioning for ‘Glow’
Ben Platt on How He Found Himself Starring in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’
“Every day is a different sort of vibe and feeling. It can be impacted by anything from like, “Is it raining outside?” to “Are there a lot of old people?”” – Ben Platt
Tony Nominee Corey Hawkins on His Nearly-Disastrous Juilliard Audition
“I remember thinking, ‘I want to go to Juilliard, I want that structure and I want that rigor and that classical foundation.’” – Corey Hawkins
Chris Pratt on His Failed ‘Superman Returns’ Audition: “It just goes to show that it’s all divinely planned”
The old adage that things have a way of working out for the best still applies to some of the most popular actors on the planet, too.
Karen Gillan on Her ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Character and Her Expanded Role in the Sequel
“That was something that I thought, I can grab onto that. I can run with that.” – Karen Gillan on Her ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Audition
How a Failed Audition Started Lucas Hedges’ Career
Hedges reveals how a failed audition jumpstarted his career and how he mastered that tricky Boston accent for the Massachusetts-set film.
Ryan Gosling on Improvising and His True Audition Story That Made it into ‘La La Land’
“I do love movies but I love making them more. I’ve never found something professionally that engages me as much as that.” – Ryan Gosling
Eddie Redmayne on that Time He Auditioned for Kylo Ren in ‘Star Wars’
“With films that top secret, they don’t give you the actual lines. So they give you a scene from Pride and Prejudice…” – Eddie Redmayne
Tom Holland Recalls His Spider-Man Audition and How He found Out He was Cast
“When we did the screen tests, there were six of us all in this room waiting to audition. It felt like The Hunger Games.” – Tom Holland on His Spider-Man Audition
John Krasinski Remembers His Almost Disastrous Audition for ‘The Office’
At the audition, Krasinski he was a bit too honest about his love of the original UK version of ‘The Office’
How John Cho Took A Stand for Diversity Early in His Career
“When one does speak one’s mind, one might be surprised at how receptive people are.” – Actor John Cho
Walton Goggins on Making It in Hollywood and His First Job as an Actor
“I actually got my first job after being here for one week — a role opposite Billy Crystal in Mr. Saturday Night.” – Walton Goggins
Karen Fukuhara on her ‘Suicide Squad’ Audition
“I hit one of the lights, and I remember hearing the casting director and David gasp.” – Karen Fukuhara
‘Veep’ Star Tony Hale: “There’s a reason why I do anxious characters — it comes from a lot of personal anxiety!”
“In your head, actors can be like, I want to have something coming up or having just done something, to have something to talk about, which is a really unfortunate way of thinking.” – Tony Hale
‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ Star Ellie Kemper on Her Former Improv Teacher Jon Hamm and Audition for ‘The Office’
“In terms of playing Kimmy’s naive side, there is always a danger of that being grating or obnoxious for people to watch,” Kemper says.
Charlie Cox on His Starring Role in Off-Broadway’s ‘Incognito’: “As an actor, I saw it as such a challenge”
“I realized I had gotten into a habit of not making eye contact, because the only thing I had done for two years is play someone who is blind” – Charlie Cox
‘Mr. Robot’ Creator Praises Rami Malek’s Audition
“He was shaking. He literally said the script breeds anxiety. It was nerve-wracking. I was like, ‘Is he gonna get through this audition?'”
Rudy Martinez Talks ‘Heartbeat’, Playwriting and Being Away From Acting for Two Years
“As soon as I get in the part and get my costume on and get in front of the camera, I don’t know, I don’t feel any nerves at all” – Rudy Martinez
How J.J. Abrams Ruined Aaron Paul’s ‘Cloverfield’ Audition
“I’ve never given up in an audition. I fight to the end… I don’t want to waste your time” – Aaron Paul