RT
Casting interviews are great opportunities for actors to land a role be it for commercials, theater or movie productions. Not everyone is given the chance to meet with the casting director, producer or the talent agent for a casting interview. So, you need to cease the moment and go for it.
Casting interviews help casting directors assess your talent and determine what you can offer and how you may be once you got the job. They can be a terrifying moment for most actors, but it doesn’t have to be that way. When you are unsure about some questions in a casting interview, here are six helpful strategies to help turn the favor on your side:
Buy yourself more time to come up with a good answer.
Often, when we’re thrown questions during interviews, we feel pressured to attack the question right there and need, probably as our sort of defense mechanism as we fear that even a bit of silence will make us somehow look incompetent. In a rush, we fail to provide the best answers. What you can actually do is buy yourself time to collect your thoughts and improve your responses. You can use a brief pause or repeat the question while your brain processes your responses.
Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification.
You can always ask for the question to be repeated and don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.
Avoid talking about anything negative. Otherwise, you are setting a bad vibe.
When you are unsure how to answer a question, at least avoid talking about the negative and don’t try to appear desperate. Appearing desperate and asking empathy won’t do any good, and you should always know your worth as an actor.
Don’t resort to babbling and try not to talk too much.
Do away with providing long and lengthy answers or talking too much when confronted with a question you’re not sure how to answer with. This makes you look defensive. Instead, keep your point short, direct and interesting.
Don’t forget your poise and embrace full confidence.
Even if you are almost overwhelmed with nervous jitters, you need to focus on delivering a good response and answer questions with poise and confidence. If something goes wrong, that’s okay. The key is how you manage to pick yourself up and proceed with grace and confidence. Humans as we are we’re not perfect and the good news is casting directors are humans too.
If you feel you’ve thrown out an awkward answer, don’t simply fall apart. What matters most is how you handle the situation.
Make your passion contagious.
Although unlike auditions, you can’t rehearse casting interviews you can still do more by practicing your responses before the moment arrives. This can do so much in building your confidence. Practice good body language and make an eye contact. Let your passion shine and make it contagious. Even if you may not give out the best answer you let your personality shine through and leave them an impression.
