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Hello my fellow actors.

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Welcome back to casting actor's caste,

the podcast for actors from a casting

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director.

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I'm Jeffrey Dreisbach.

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And today we're talking about something

that might be the most powerful booking

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tool you already have,

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but may not even realize you're using.

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Today's episode is called, how to be

the actor everyone wants to work with.

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Now listen, notice, I didn't say best

actor.

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I didn't say most talented actor.

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I didn't say most trained actor.

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I said the actor everyone wants to work

with.

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Because there's a little casting room

truth bomb here.

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Here it is.

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The industry is full of talented actors.

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It is not full

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of actors people want to work with.

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And yes, those are two very different

things.

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We're going to be talking about, the

actor everyone wants to work with,

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right after this.

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Well, hello, and welcome to casting

actors cast.

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I'm Geoffrey driesback.

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I'm a casing partner with mccorical

casting in New York.

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How are you hope you're having a good

day?

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I'm looking forward to this topic

because actors really need to know how

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their behavior can affect their career.

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It's that simple.

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And we're going to dive into it full on

today but first, this is that moment of

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the episode where I simply get to say,

thank you for tuning in to casting

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actors cast.

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I love that you are here.

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And I want to encourage you to check

out the website, casting actor's caste,

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all one word dot com.

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You're going to find some free bs.

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You're going to find a form that says,

dive into the talent pool, that gives

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me your name and your email address.

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And I don't do anything with that, by

the way, I don't Spam you or sell it or

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do anything like that.

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But it also opens up some freebies.

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You're going to find my new book is

out.

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You're going to find my courses

available for you as well.

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Also there's jeff's jots, which is

corresponding show notes.

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So all kinds of interesting information

you'll find at the website, casting

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actors cas, all one word dotcom.

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So please do check that out.

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And my shout out mccuse me, my shop, to

my good friends at actor's connection.

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Thank you so much.

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Actor's connection to konslash, New

York.

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So we're going to talk about the actor

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that everyone wants to work with.

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And

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we've divided this up into several

different parts.

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So I'm just going to separate these

thoughts by calling them parts one

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parts to, you know, Adam finitum.

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So

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let me just share several of these

parts with you in the hopes that this

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is going to resonate with you in terms

of your behavior in an audition environment.

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The myth of talent

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being enough

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is our first

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topic.

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See, actors are taught, and I mean,

drilled

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to believe that if they just become

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good enough,

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if they just become trained enough, if

they're just prepared enough,

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they will work

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now.

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Listen.

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That sounds nice.

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It is also wildly

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incomplete.

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Let me tell you something from decades

behind the casting table.

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When producers call me after Sessions,

they rarely say, who was the most talented?

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They ask, who felt right,

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who did you like,

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who would be easy to work with,

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who adjusted well, who took direction?

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Do you hear the pattern?

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Not talent

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experience,

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not performance.

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Collaboration?

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Because acting is not an individual

sport.

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It is a team higher.

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You are not

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being cast as a performance,

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you are being cast as a Co worker.

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All right, let's move on to part too,

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the higher ability factor.

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So there is something that I call the

higher ability

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factor.

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I know it's not a real dictionary word.

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But it is a very important industry

word.

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Higher ability

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is the invisible quality that makes

directors say, I want them back.

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Here's what it's made of.

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It's made of, professional energy,

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emotional maturity,

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adaptability,

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listening, ability,

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room awareness,

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generosity,

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onset.

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Notice something missing?

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Yeah,

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talent.

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Because talent is assumed,

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if you're auditioning professionally,

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we already assume

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you can act.

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The question is, can we work with you

for twelve hours a day for six weeks

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without wanting to,

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I don't know, fake our own

disappearance?

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Part three,

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the three types of actors casting

remembers?

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After, I know I'm sounding boastful

here, but after thousands of auditions,

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I can tell you there are three types of

actors casting remembers there's type

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I, the stress actor.

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Technically good, emotionally tense.

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Feels like there.

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I don't know they're fighting the room.

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We remember them

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for the wrong reason.

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Then there's type ii,

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the invisible actor.

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Fine performance.

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Nothing wrong,

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nothing exciting.

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We forgot them before lunch.

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And then there's type three,

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the collaborator.

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Actor,

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prepared,

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flexible, listening, present, alive.

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We remember them

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even if they didn't book.

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Now, listening

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of those three.

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Guess which one works?

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Guess which one works

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consistently.

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Moving on from there.

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Part four,

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what makes someone easy to work with?

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That's the question.

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So let's decode what industry people

actually mean when they say they're

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great to work with.

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It usually means one,

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they take direction

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without defensiveness.

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Adjustment is not criticism

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it's

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collaboration.

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Number two, they stay relaxed under

pressure,

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not emotional storms, no ego spirals.

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Number three,

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they elevate

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others.

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They make Scenes better.

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Now let's move on to number four,

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they don't drain energy.

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Ah, this is huge.

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If your presence lowers the energy in

the room,

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you will not be invited back.

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I can promise you.

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So now let's move on to number five.

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The secret casting never says out.

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Loud

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here's the truth.

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Most actors never hear.

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People hire people.

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They feel safe with

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safe, creatively safe, emotionally,

safe.

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directors are under pressure.

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You know that producers are under

pressure.

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You know that

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schedules are nothing, bud pressure.

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They're not looking to add uncertainty.

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They're looking to add stability.

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If you project stability, you become

valuable

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hope.

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That makes sense

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about number or part number six,

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right after this

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welcome back, are you the actor every

one wants to work with.

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We're working through these different

parts to figure it out.

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Here's part six, the listening

advantage.

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Let's talk about something actors think

they do well.

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Listening.

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Real listening is very rare.

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Most actors wait to speak.

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Great actors respond.

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When casting sees an actor truly

listening.

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We immediately think,

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they'll be good in rehearsal,

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they'll be good in coverage,

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they'll be good in edits.

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Listening actor's book

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talking actors

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audition.

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Here are five behaviors

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that instantly raise your higher

ability.

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I want you to write these down.

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Seriously write these down.

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Behavior.

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One,

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you adjust quickly.

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Right?

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Directors love actors who say something

along the lines of, I got it.

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Let's try it.

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There's no debate, there's no

explanation.

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There's just action.

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Next behavior, too,

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you're prepared, but not rigid.

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Prepared actors are trusted.

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Rigid actors are feared.

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Behavior.

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Number three,

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you respect everyone,

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not just the decision makers,

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crew,

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those crew members, they remember

everything.

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And guess what?

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Crew members become producers,

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moving on from there.

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Behavior.

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Number four,

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you don't apologize

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for existing.

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Confidence is calming.

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is contentious

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behavior.

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Number five, you leave the room better

than you found it.

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Energy

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is your resume.

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All right.

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Let's move on to part eight.

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Here's a casting room story for you.

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I once brought in two actors for a call

back.

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Now, actor one was incredibly

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brilliant, intense, precise.

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Now, actor two was slightly

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less

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polished, but warm,

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responsive, playful.

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Guess who actor got the role?

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Did you guess actor two?

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Why?

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The director said, I want to spend six

weeks with that?

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One

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that's the casting language for they

feel really good to work with.

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Moving on from there.

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Part nine,

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the mindset shift.

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That changes careers.

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Now, most actors ask,

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how do I impress them?

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Right?

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Have you asked that?

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Working actors however ask something

different.

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What they ask,

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how do I support

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the project?

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See, one is self focused, the other is

story focus.

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Casting can feel the difference

absolutely instantly.

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The reputation effect is the next one.

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Here's something

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fascinating about the business.

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Reputation travels faster than it feels.

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Directors talk.

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Producers talk casting talks, and what

they say is almost never about performance.

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They say things like, great energy.

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So easy.

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Wonderful.

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Collaborator,

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total pro.

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That is the language

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of employability.

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Part eleven, your action plan,

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if you want to become the actor every

one wants to work with.

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Practice this,

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practice this checklist,

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starting to day

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before auditions

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arrive, grounded,

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release.

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Outcome during auditions.

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Listen,

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deeply,

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adjust, instantly.

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Stay playful

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and after auditions.

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I want you to leave graciously.

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I want you to leave without any

apologies.

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No.

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Over explaining

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simple,

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not easy,

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but powerful

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here's a final thought.

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Actors often chase perfection.

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But perfection doesn't book careers

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presence does.

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The actors who work consistently are

not always the most brilliant.

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They're the most trustworthy,

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they're the most collaborative,

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they're the most enjoyable to create

with.

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And that is a skill.

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Here's my call to action.

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If this episode gave you insight,

clarity or new perspective, here's what

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I would love for you to do.

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Share it with one actor who needs to

hear this.

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Because the more actors who understand

how casting really works,

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the stronger our entire creative

community.

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And if you want more insiders,

strategies, audition tools and real

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world industry guidance,

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be sure to follow the podcast and

visit.

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Casting actors cast dotcom,

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where we help you prepare smarter,

perform better

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and book more.

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Thanks for listening.

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I'm Jeff dries back.

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See you next