I Had a Horrible Experience
I had a horrible experience on my way to an audition and a booking on the same day.
I decided to take the bus to New York for an afternoon modeling job. It is not how I like to travel, but it is convenient and easier than driving in traffic.
The day before my shoot, I got an email about auditioning for a new episodic TV show for the same day as my modeling job. I had already booked a bus getting me into New York at 11:30 which was 2 hours before my print job.
The agent told me my audition time was 10:00. I told the agent my situation and asked if I could read later in the morning. The casting director (whom I have worked with before) rescheduled me for a 12:20 audition. That was very nice of her to accommodate my schedule.
I knew I was cutting things a little closer than I prefer, but the audition was only 8 blocks from where the bus dropped me off. That gave me 50 minutes to arrive for the audition.
I was a little nervous about the timing, but was hoping for the best.
Things Did Not Start Off Well
The bus arrived around 35 minutes late. Since we left around 8:45, I figured we would miss rush hour traffic and give me plenty of time for the audition.
Things Got Worse
The traffic was horrible. According to my phone, we would not arrive in N.Y. until 12:00. I was still thinking that I could make it to the audition in time. I kept looking at my watch and saw that I would never arrive at the casting directors office by 12:20. We did not get out of the Lincoln Tunnel until 12:00.
What Should You Do When Running Late
If you are ever in a situation where you are running late, always contact your agent. Never call the client (if it is a commercial job) or the casting director. Let your agent handle things. I originally told her it looked like I was going to be 15 minutes late. Then I sent her an update when I realized it was going to be much later than 15 minutes.
I Felt So Embarrassed
I put myself in the casting director’s shoes and know she
has a tight schedule. When people show up late, it can make
things much harder to keep auditions happening on time.
I was also concerned that since I was traveling from out of state
I did not want her to wonder if I could be trusted to show up on
time for the job (if I booked it.)
As it turned out, there were still people ahead of me, so I got a chance to
take a few minutes, get myself in the right frame of mind and have
fun with my audition.
The casting director did not bring anything up about me being late,
and I did not apologize. I was hoping that maybe her assistants were
dealing with my schedule and not the casting director.
As things turned out, I did the audition and made it in time for my
modeling job.
Good News Bad News
About 3 hours after my auditioned, my agent emailed me saying that I had been pinned. That meant that the casting director and production folks liked my audition and were asking me to save the shoot dates.
Yesterday, got another email from the agent saying that the network decided to go with someone else.
Never feels good to lose a potential job, but the good news is that this is a
well known casting director who liked my work and hopefully, I will be
brought back to read for another role for this role or other projects.
If you have ever run into tough situations involving auditions or jobs, feel free to share it here so we can all learn from your experiences.
Great Questions For a Casting Director
You can watch a great video explaining what questions you should
and never ask a casting director at an audition.
https://howtoactandmodel.com/great-question-for-a-casting-director/
Watch Over 200 Free Acting and Modeling Quick Tip Video
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Use the link https://www.youtube.com/c/aaronmarcusactingandmodelingquicktips
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Can’t wait to talk with you again soon.
Aaron
About the Author: Aaron Marcus
Aaron Marcus has been a full-time actor and commercial model for over 36 years.
His new book, How to Become a Successful Actor and Model is an Amazon Best Seller.
Aaron has given his seminar: "Book the Job" over 800 times spanning 3 continents.
He also offers online workshops.
Aaron saves 5 days each month to give private on-line coaching sessions.
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