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Did you ever walk out of an audition

thinking, I nailed that.

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You felt connected, prepared, alive in

the scene, and then,

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ah, you didn't book it.

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So the actor brain starts spinning.

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Was I bad?

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Did they hate it?

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What did I do wrong?

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Here's the truth.

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Most actors never hear.

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The best actor doesn't always get the

job.

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The best

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match does.

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And once you understand why, auditions

become a lot less painful,

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there's a myth that quietly erodes

confidence,

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a myth that creates unnecessary

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self doubt, a myth that convinces

actors.

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Every audition is a competition.

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The myth

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is this, the best actors get the job.

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But the truth is,

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the tooth is something very different.

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The best actor does not always get the

job.

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The best match

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gets the job.

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Now I know that statement.

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M may land in different ways for

different people.

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Some actors feel relief when they hear

it.

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Others feel frustration, and some

actors hear it and think, wait a minute.

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If it's not about being the best, what

is it about?

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That's exactly why we're going to

explore this subject today.

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Because once you understand the match,

game, auditions begin to make a lot

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more sense.

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And perhaps

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more importantly,

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they begin to feel a lot less painful.

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This is casting actor's guest.

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Well, hello, and welcome to today's

episode of casting actors cast.

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I'm Jeff dreisbach, casting director

with mccorchel casting in New York.

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Hope you're having a good day, looking

forward to talking about this myth,

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about the best actor getting the job.

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Because intellectually we might know

that that is not true, but it really is

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sometimes hard

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to figure out.

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And so we're going to figure that out

today.

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I'm not going to take up too much time,

but I want to impress upon you an

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opportunity for you to check out my

website.

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Casting actors Cass all one word.

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Gam.

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It's an opportunity because there's a

free book available.

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If you fill, fill out that form that

says, dive into the talent pool, you'll

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get 100 page book on doing voice over

work.

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Plus my new book is out.

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My new audio book is available also

there's a course that you can take on

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audition.

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Technique it's really, I think, a

valuable resource for actors.

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And I encourage you to check it out.

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And speaking of, check it out, my good

friends at actor's connection are still

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doing great work.

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Actor's connection dot com, slash New

York.

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All right, let's jump into this.

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Here's the actor's perspective.

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I want to really begin this to day with

the actor's.

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Experience,

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you prepare the scene.

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You memorize the lines, you make

thoughtful, interesting, creative

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choices.

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You feel connected.

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You walk into the room or

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send the self tape, and you feel good

about your work.

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Maybe you even hear something

encouraging sometimes.

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Thank you.

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That was great.

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And then you don't book it.

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Silence.

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Or maybe you find out some one else was

cast.

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And suddenly the actor,

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the actor's brain begins spinning.

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Was I bad?

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Did I miss something?

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Did they hate it?

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Did I do something wrong?

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Actors sometimes assume rejection,

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equals failure.

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I can tell you from first hand.

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Experience, that's exactly what I

thought when I was an actor.

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I was an actor for twenty years.

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I auditioned a lot.

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I auditioned for everything that I

could.

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And any time I got close, or any time I

didn't make it at all, especially when

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I felt really good about my work, that

was a very puzzling,

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frustrating and depressing place to be.

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But I can tell you now that in most

cases

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the answer was that it just simply

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comes down to alignment.

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Casting.

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In my opinion, is what I call story

architecture.

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So let me take you inside the casting

room for a moment.

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When casting directors and producers

evaluate actors we're not just watching

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individual performances.

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We're not.

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We're building a world, a visual story,

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an emotional ecosystem.

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Imagine assembling a puzzle.

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For example,

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each actor is a piece.

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The piece may be beautifully crafted,

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beautifully shaped, perfect,

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but if it doesn't fit the puzzle in

front of us,

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it cannot complete the picture.

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And that does not make the piece flawed.

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You get.

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It simply means it belongs somewhere

else.

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The invisible factor

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that actors only see,

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the invisible factor that actors only

see is their part of the audition

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process that's it.

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That's all a.

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The world is for the actor.

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See.

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Now, compare that to what casting sees?

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Casting sees the entire board.

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And here are just a few of the elements

being balanced

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On our side of the table,

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we're looking at chemistry with the

lead actor,

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the tone of the project,

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visual story telling,

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age, dynamics within the cast.

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Energy, balances

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between characters,

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audience, perception,

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network notes,

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director preferences,

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producers, instincts,

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studio input,

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sometimes even wardrobe considerations

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that's a lot.

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All of these factors are part of

decision making process.

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And none of them diminish the quality

of your work as an actor.

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Here's a real casting scenario.

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Let's imagine three actors auditioning

for the same role.

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Actor one is intense

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grounded and emotionally

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powerful.

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Actor two brings humor warmth and

subtle irony.

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Actor three has a quiet, vulnerability

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and softness.

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Now, all three actors are exceptional.

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All three actors could play the role,

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but the director's vision for the show

might require a certain dynamic.

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With the lead character,

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the lead actor already brings intensity,

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so that adding another intense energy

might feel unbalanced.

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So

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the casting team chooses the actor who

brings contrast,

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not because they were better,

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but because they created balance.

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That is what we call the match game.

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Now, the emotional trip for actors,

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you know, I have to tell you, actors

often believe they are competing

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against each other.

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But casting is rarely about competition.

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It is about alignment.

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You are

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not trying to defeat other actors.

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You're trying to fit in a story.

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Once actors understand this, something

extraordinary happens.

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Pressure.

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Beauty begins to release.

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Instead of asking was I better than the

others?

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Actors begin asking, was I right for

this story?

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You see, that question is so much more

healthier and much more accurate.

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Let's talk about what you control.

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Let's talk about control.

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In general.

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Actors cannot control the following.

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They cannot control producers, opinions,

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or network expectations,

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or chemistry with another actor,

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or height comparisons,

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or visual tone.

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But actors can control something

incredibly important,

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preparation,

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presence, listening, choices,

professionalism,

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authenticity.

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These are the elements that build a

career.

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Because when casting remembers an

actor, it is not just for one role.

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It is for many future opportunities.

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We're going to talk about the long game

and how important that is.

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Right after this,

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welcome back, we're talking about not

being right for the role, and how

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different that is than being a bad

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actor.

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And we left you with talking and

thinking, perhaps about what we call

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the long game.

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And one of the most important truths

about casting is this.

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Just because you don't book a role to

day,

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doesn't mean your audition was

unsuccessful.

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I promise you, casting directors

remember actors.

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We build mental files.

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We think that actor was interesting,

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that actor had great presents.

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That actor might be right for something

else.

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Many actors book roles months or even

years after their first audition with

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casting offices.

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That's true,

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because the match finally appears.

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The actor who keeps showing up.

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The actors who work consistently

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are not necessarily the actors who book

immediately.

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They are the actors who show up with

professionalism,

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authenticity

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and openness

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every time.

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See those actors become known

quantities,

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trusted collaborators,

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people, casting wants in the room.

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Again,

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releasing the comparison trap is up

next.

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Something to talk about.

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Comparison is one of the most

destructive habits actors develop.

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I know this personally, but I also know

this as a casting director.

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Actors watch other performers, and then

they think, ah, they're better than me,

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or they're not as good as me.

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But guess what?

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Casting

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is not ranking actors.

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Casting is fitting puzzle pieces.

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Your job is not to outperform everyone

else.

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Your job is to bring a truthful human

being to life.

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If that human fits the story you book,

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if not,

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another story will require exactly what

you bring.

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Let that sink in, please.

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Just for quig.

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Bobay,

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so let's talk about freedom in

understanding.

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So if you understand these concepts,

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the match game gives actors,

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I don't know, enormous freedom,

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freedom to stop chasing perfection

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is that you,

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freedom to stop measuring worth through

booking.

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Freedom to focus on craft, instead of

comparison.

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Actors who work with this mindset

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become more relaxed,

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become more present, more watchable,

and ironically

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surprise

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more bookable.

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Here's an audition reframe.

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Think of every audition this way.

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You are offering a possibility.

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You are showingcasting

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how the character might live.

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You are not proving your worth.

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You are contributing to the story

telling conversation.

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Sometimes that conversation leads to a

booking.

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Sometimes it leads to a future

opportunity.

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I promise you both are valuable

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what casting really hopes for.

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Let me tell you, casting directors love

actors who bring authenticity, bring imagination,

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bring presents, bring humanity.

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And when those qualities show up in an

audition,

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there's no doubt we remember them.

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Even when the match is not right.

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So here's the truth that releases

pressure.

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Nine, you just need to repeat something

that every actor needs to hear, I think.

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And you are not competing.

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You are aligning.

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And alignment is something you cannot

force,

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but you can prepare for it.

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By doing your work,

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telling the truth, showing up

consistently and trusting that the

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right stories will eventually find you.

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Here's a final thought.

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The best actor does not always get the

job.

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The right actor gets the job, and the

right actor changes with every story.

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So do yourself a huge favor.

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Release the pressure to win.

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Focus instead on bringing a truthful,

alive human being into the room.

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Because when that human fits the story,

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you will hear the words every actor

loves to hear.

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You booked it.

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So here's my call to action.

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If to day's episode shifted your

perspective, please do me a favor.

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Share with an actor friend who might be

carrying the weight of audition rejection.

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That might even be you.

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Maybe you want to even consider

listening to this podcast again.

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And if you found some value in what

I've just told you, but I've just

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shared with you, I would love it if you

could subscribe, leave a review,

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especially on iTunes, and continue the

conversation with actors who care

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deeply about their craft.

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It's been such a pleasure bringing this

to you today.

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I'm just rise back.

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This is casting actors