Possible food for thought?

In 1970 I was discovered from hundreds of boys to the play the title part in a West End theatre production of THE WINSLOW BOY. I was the first of five boys for that production as we were under 16 and there are very strict laws for child performers.

Sometime later I was told that what made me stand out was the fact I was the only Northern working class boy they auditioned. Almost everyone else they saw was a middle class public schoolboy or stage school pupil. As the weeks went by they kept thinking of the “northern” boy and then gave me the part. They did give me elocution lessons to play this famous fictional public schoolboy, ironically erasing the very thing that drew them to me.

In the 70’s the Rep Theatre, everyone wanted to work at was the Glasgow Citizens. My agent got me an audition, a 15 minute slot in a solid week of auditions. I knew everyone would be doing the same old same old speeches. What to do to grab their attention and make an impact?

I selected the part of an angel in a very obscure George Bernard Shaw play. I forget its name now. After I did, I think, the rather bad interpretation, all three of them interviewing asked me questions about the play which none of them knew. This went on for far longer than the allotted time. At the end, Giles Havergal the artistic director complimented me on choosing something original that they did not know. He would later offer me a small part, which I had to turn down as I was working. He rang my agent saying he wanted the young actor who was the angel. He could remember my name just the speech.

Another time I went for an interview for a TV series called THE NEARLY MAN based upon a BAFTA winning one off television play. Again, they were seeing so many others for a rather important part. On the way to the interview, I passed a joke shop. I went into that meeting wearing a huge comic warty nose. The writer Arthur Hopcraft would later tell me that it was the nose that got me the job. They thought that if I was that bold at an interview I would bring something interesting to the part.

I did try something left field at other interviews and auditions which did back fire. One even resulted in the casting director telling my agent off about my antics.

So many times, when I have employed actors, looking back as I write this, it was often because something made them stand out. More often than not it was the choice of speech they gave.

Recently I co-hosted a networking event in London for actors, writers, producers, directors, casting directors, film financiers etc. I think something like 150 people came and went in the course of the evening. The biggest single group were thesps, some of whom I did not know. My co-host is an actor. As a result, I was sent lots of show reels to look at.

The one that really stood out was from Olivia Bromley.

Her interpretation was good, which of course is very important, but far more crucial were the words coming out of her mouth. In the short monologue, she told a rather chilling, hypnotic tale and I was hooked. I would later find out it was from a play about how Myra Hindley met Ian Brady. Chilling indeed. She became that monster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DR-yGsM22U&feature=youtu.be

The acting was secondary and that to me was what made it so good. So many show reels I see are “look at me mummy aren’t I a good actor”. I am afraid that for me it’s all about the telling of a tale. The minute I notice acting techniques or wonderfully composed shots or marvelous editing then the film or play or TV series has, in part, failed. It has broken the fourth wall and I am aware of the artifice.

It’s such a hard task, finding an audition piece that is so absorbing it does not seem like an audition piece. A contradiction if ever there was one.

The actor is the most important element to any production (many filmmakers have argued with me about this statement) but if that production is to succeed on any level is because those actors become the people they are portraying.

I always think hardest of job interview of all, and not just in our business, is that of the actor. It is a tightrope. They have to accomplish two things- stand out above their rivals AND be that person as written and all within a very short time.

I am a coward when it comes to auditions. I hate holding them as I know that almost all actors attending can play the part they are coming in for, it's why they were pre-selected in the first place. I just don’t have the wisdom of Solomon of choosing just one. 

I want to give all of them the job.

(PS- don't all go to auditions wearing funny noses. Too many do not an impact make....or something).