Film Courage: Advice for people at a large audition, how are you conducting yourself?
How are you staying in your own space when you can see all the other actors that “Ooohh,
they’re going to get the job over me.”
And the old tapes are going in the head.
How do you stay in your own zone, how do you focus, how do you conduct yourself?
Robin Riker, Actor: For one thing I never try to start any conversation with any other
actor.
There was an actress that I don’t see around so much but I used to see anymore but I used
to see her a lot.
And she worked a lot and I worked a lot and she knows I do.
And when we see each other at an audition, it could be me, it could be her.
It could be one of the other 10 people if you’re talking about the big one and she
always starts talking to me and I mean she’s not a bad person but we’re not friends by
any stretch of the imagination.
And I’m not really interested in her life and I’m sure she’s not interested in mine.
But she “chats me up” and it’s a way of kind of distracting me from what it is
that I need to focus on.
So there’s a process and actors should respect the process.
You don’t go in chatting away.
You don’t talk to other actors in full voice.
If you have someone that you know that you’ve seen again you give them a hug or whatever
and then you give them their space.
And you do not make phone calls.
You do not make a lot of noise in the room.
I always try to find a place off (walking the hallway or whatever).
I like to stay on my feet rather than sit for the most part.
Sometimes the area where you’re waiting is kind of restrictive but I always try to
find a space of my own.
One thing that is hard to get rid of are the tapes that run in your head (that you referred
to) that “Oh they’re going to get it.
Oh this or that.”
You do not know.
None of us know who is going to get it or why they got it.
So many times you get the job because you look the part.
And sometimes it’s decided before you even open your mouth in the audition and three
people in the room said “Well that…no.
That’s not who I see.”
You could be could be brilliant.
You could be Meryl Streep with your talent level and you just don’t look like what
someone has their mind set on.
You’re not in the family of looks.
But you didn’t get it.
But you didn’t get it before you spoke so it wasn’t your work, it wasn’t your audition.
It was something else.
It was very discouraging though on those days you walk in and everybody is dressed exactly
like you are (everybody in the room) and you see people who have done this before, people
who are more experience than you or less.
But the audition is a real mind scrambler for many, many actors even very, very talented
actors.
Dustin Hoffman, there’s a famous story for him auditioning for THE GRADUATE.
And when he does the seduction scene with Mrs. Robinson, that little [imitates whimpering]
sound that he made, was the sound he made in his audition because he was so nervous.
But they liked what he did and they used it.
Auditioning is a very hard thing because we put everything on it, we put all our eggs
in that basket.
So it’s a difficult situation.
But in order to make it you just respect the process.
You let the other actors do their thing.
If somebody it talking and you feel like it, ask them to quiet down.
Or if you leave the room and you can, that’s fine.
But I often see a couple of actors who haven’t seen each other for awhile and they are just
catching up and chatting like they’re having coffee and it messes with everybody in the
room because we’re focusing on what it is that we want to do and we want to make sure
that we get that done.
So again, it’s just common courtesy.
You used a phrase that I wished I used and I think I actually used it in the book “the
acceptable level of discourtesy” that is so prevalent in this town.
And so do unto others as they would have them do unto you.
Be quiet.
Let them have their space.
Don’t muck about with it.
Just do your job.
Film Courage: And then with the casting director, how are you conducting yourself?
Suppose they are like “Okay, Robin next…”
And you come in, slate your name.
Robin: Well I always like to try and ask a question.
Even if you don’t even have a question, it allows you to be yourself and say “What
about this moment?”
And they get to see you.
Now here are you going for?
Is she really…does she mean don’t come back again or not?”
Ask them something so they see a little bit of who you are naturally.
And it breaks the ice a little bit in the room and you’re not just the dancing monkey
that comes in to do the, to behave for them, to perform for them.
So you take a little of the space for yourself and do your thing.
Film Courage: And then it’s over.
Are you thanking them and you’re turning on your heel and you’re out the door?
Robin: Yes.
Film Courage: Okay.
No chit chat?
Robin: No…no.
If they start something, I’ll say something.
Sometimes I say “Do you want to see it any other way?”
But then who told me, one of my New York agents told me, "Don’t ask them that.
It implies that maybe you didn’t do it right the first time.”
So I must admit, I’ve dialed back on the “Do you want to see it any other way?”
But I still ask the question sometimes.
But it’s generally “Thank you very much.”
But I still do sometimes “Do you want to see anything else?” because I love to get
direction, I love it.
And listen as an actor if someone says “I’d love to see it a different way” count your
lucky stars because that’s a fabulous thing.
Because if you can show facility for taking direction, if you can change what you did
and follow direction, you just risen a particular peg on their peg pole of what you have to
offer.
Film Courage: Right because they realize that that is going to be you on set.
Robin: Right and that you can see things another way.
And sometimes they say “Do you have any questions?”
And if I’m pretty solid in the selections that I made I’ll say “No, I just want
you to know that I’ve made a choice about how I’m going to do it but if you want to
see it any other way, I’m happy to do that.”
And then I do my thing.
Sometimes they ask to see it another way and sometimes they don’t.
And sometimes they get the job and sometimes I don’t.