Finding value.
Had an audition today for a comedy where I couldn’t find the funny. This is peculiar because I love comedy and I think I’m an acute miner of it’s treasures. Not this time.
When I first taped for this part (in Toronto), I was unaware it was a half-hour, single camera comedy. The scene – to me alone – read like a drama. For that reason, I couldn’t view it through any other prism.
There are three interesting things to consider:
- Labeling something one way and then not finding a way to be flexible is an excellent argument against stereotyping based on appearance. (Just saying.)
- My audition was excellent from an acting standpoint and poor from a genre standpoint. I know this because…
- THE CASTING DIRECTOR TOLD ME! Right after we finished the audition he told me exactly what I did right, “You’ve got chops young man.”, and exactly what I did wrong, “You need to do a better job of understanding exactly what you’re reading for.”
That was a laser like assessment. My counter – that I accidentally got stuck in the “drama lane” and couldn’t switch back – is irrelevant. Which is why I listened to everything he said. This casting director, a big casting director, will see me again. He’ll cast me, eventually.
There was value in today.
