Drove into town today to do a sitcom audition. I don't often get asked to act in other people's stuff, though would like to do more. I always thought I was OK when it came to acting, though lost my confidence a little, though have been pleased with the few roles I've had in the last five years.
But I am more used being the one auditioning actors rather than auditioning myself. I know from personal experience that you can usually tell if someone is rightish for the role within about 10 seconds of them walking into the room and nearly always from the first 10 seconds of them reading the script. You can spend days auditioning people and be lucky to find one who gets anywhere near being right. It's rare that you get two people who you think are both great for the part - I can only think of one or two occasions where a casting decision has felt like a coin toss. Though of course if a show or a play goes on to be a massive hit then that 50/50 decision can have a massive effect on someone's career. So far that has not been the case with my own work. I wonder if there was someone else who was nearly Tim in the Office, for example, who might unknowingly have been a heartbeat away from a different career path, but who has now given up and works in an actual office. Luck plays a big part in this job. Though confidence will get you a certain way. Talent can be a small help.
Knowing the mindset of the people on the other side of the table is not necessarily a good thing and though first impressions can be wrong and you have to keep an open mind, I had an unwanted awareness that after the first thirty seconds we might all be going through the motions. It would be horribly rude and offensive if the people doing the casting just said, "Sorry, you're not right for this. Next!" as soon as they knew, but I am not sure that I wouldn't have preferred that candour. At least then you could be sure that if you made it to the end of the audition that you were in with a chance.
As with any performance you just have to get on with it and do the best that you possibly can, but I would ascertain from the fact that I read each piece only once and was out of the room in five minutes that I either completely nailed the part and will be returning to your screens very soon, or that I won't be hearing anything more about this one. I got a couple of laughs from the room (mainly from slightly altering the lines) and I thought I did OK overall, but am pretty sure that I won't be getting the part.
I met another comic (who's done more acting than me) on the way out, sitting looking over his script as I had been just ten minutes earlier. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Same as you, I'm guessing," I replied, before adding, "Oooh, actually, you'd be great in this part."
I meant it too. If I was doing the casting and I had to choose between him and me, I would honestly choose him. I suppose I am in the lucky position that I don't depend on getting such parts for my livelihood (especially fortunate as my last paid acting work was in 2007 - and I cast myself in that role), because even a successful actor will face much more rejection than acceptance in the audition process.
Let's just assume that I nailed it and that the lack of a phone call in the next few weeks is just down to their utter certainty that I am right for this.
