RT
When watching your favourite actors on television, there are times when you may envy their careers, wanting to be as successful as them and it can be quite disheartening. However, just because they got this specific role, doesn’t mean they haven’t been turned down before. Even the notorious Alan Rickman had his days where he didn’t receive the role he wanted, and that may not even be his fault. The acting industry is tricky and have various reasons why they may not accept you for a role.
When applying for a role, it is important to remember that there are many other people who are almost exactly like you applying for the same role. There may be hundreds of applicants who all apply for one role. The casting directors must make a decision early about who they want to call in for an audition. It is easy to be discouraged when the person called in is not you, but being able to understand why this may have been the case will help you from being discouraged next time.
Not Quite What They Were Looking For
Casting directors often have a very specific idea of what they are looking for, height, hair colour, ability to do a certain accent, and even though you think you fit the bill (or else you wouldn’t have applied for the role!) when the casting director looks at your headshot or watches your showreel. there may just be something about you that isn’t what they want on this occasion.
Someone Else Was Exactly What They Were Looking For
On the other hand, it may be that the casting director didn’t even have chance to look at your cv/headshot because they found the perfect person for the role before they had scrolled through the hundreds of applications they received. Although this isn’t great to hear, take solace in the fact that it is something that is completely out of your control and something you couldn’t have changed.
Treat every application as a potential opportunity, not a given one. Every time you put yourself forward for something, remember that at that moment in time, you have not been offered anything. If you never hear back and don’t get asked to audition, then you are in no worse of a position than you were when you applied for the role. This means that on the occasions when you do get called into the room, you will be able to appreciate it more and it will feel like more of an achievement.
There are many reasons why you may not get called in for an audition, but knowing that most of these reasons are out of your control can prevent you from being discouraged. Treat every application as a potential opportunity -not a given one. Know that you may not have been chosen because of something, as trivial as the colour of your hair. Remember that on some occasions, due to the sheer volume of applications, the casting director may have just found the right people before they even get to see your application.
