Aaron Marcus, a veteran actor-coach with 1,300 booked jobs, says the biggest audition mistake is obsessing over the project's size or money, which creates neediness that casting directors sense. Instead, shift your focus from booking the job to just enjoying the audition as a fun, low-stakes performance.
Have you ever gotten news that you're going to be auditioning for a big project? Maybe, maybe it's a huge franchise film that could take your career to the next level, or, or maybe you're going to be potentially reading and having a scene with a famous actor who you, you love and admire, or maybe financially It's going to pay so much money, you're going to have all of your expenses covered, you know, for the next half year. I can tell you that after 40 years of experiences in this business, that is a really dangerous way to go into an audition. I used to think this way, and I've spoken to a lot of actors who feel the same way. But I'm telling you, you've got to make a mind shift before you do your audition. I've learned how to make this mind shift because the fact is, if you don't, it doesn't matter how talented you are, you are going to kill your audition. So stick around and watch this quick tip video, and I'm going to share with you how you can easily make this adjustment so that people viewing your audition will see it as a much stronger performance. Okay, let's get started. Hey, I'm Aaron Marcus, and first I want to tell you there are a number of different ways of trying to prepare yourself mentally for an audition. Some people like to Manifest. They will write things down, say certain things that will help make things happen for them. Some people like to visualize, and they will see themselves walking up the stage during the Academy Awards, accepting the Academy Award and thanking people, and that's what they're visualizing. I tried that one time. And I invited— the agent probably thought I was nuts. I invited the agent, said, hey, I just want to let you know, when I get Academy Award, I want you to be there with me in LA. And I never even got a callback for this project. I— it felt so weird, it felt so uncomfortable. I never did it again. But hey, look, if that's what works for you, fantastic. Let me tell you what I do. And as you all know, I'm very straightforward, I'm very honest with people, and I want to share this with you not to scare you about the industry or to push you out of the industry in any way. I'm just being realistic. Look, booking a job is hard. And look, being successful in any business is hard. I think it's especially hard in the acting industry. And one of the parts that makes it so difficult is it's not just your skills or your abilities. It's not the best actor, it's not the person who gives the best read who gets the part. Yeah, of course the read has to be really good. But there are other factors involved that we have no control over. Your look, your size, personality. Who knows what goes into people's minds when they are making decisions as to who gets cast? So what I've been doing for many, many years is when I get an audition, I am— I'm not even thinking about booking it. And I'm not a negative guy. I don't just say, oh, I'm horrible, I'm terrible, nobody's ever— I just understand the realities of the industry. And so I found that when I used to think about, oh, I really want this, this is a great job, it's a really cool scene with some great people and all that, I felt like I was putting more pressure on myself, and it came out maybe in subtle ways during my audition. And casting directors are really good at being able to pick things up during an audition. This is their job. And when they see somebody who was feeling a little bit needy Or desperate, or somebody who just feels a little overwhelmed because they want this so badly, it doesn't reflect well on the actor, and it might make them feel more uncomfortable about casting you. Because if you are this needy person, who knows what you might do on a set? So here's the mind shift that I make, and try this out. And, and by the way, I gotta tell you, if, if you do try this, let, let us know. Leave a comment. Tell us what the experience felt like to you. Um, I know I'm not going to get the job. I'm not even thinking about it. So here's what I do instead. I actually focus on just enjoying My audition. That's it. I'm thinking it's a Monday afternoon, I get a chance to play this really interesting character or boring character, whatever it is. This is fun for me, and that's what I focus on. I'm not even thinking about booking the job because I honestly don't think I will. Look, I have booked nearly 1,300 jobs. And most of the jobs that I audition for, I don't get. That's just the reality. So at some point, try this out. Let us know what you think about it. I've got— and you'll see this pop up later— I've got a great bonus video for you, and it will just pop up. You can click on it. I don't want to spend time with that right now, but This I have found to really relax me a lot more because there's no pressure. I'm not trying to book it. And, and I think casting directors view that in a really positive way. They see this guy having a good time, enjoying himself, not trying to impress anybody, not feeling any kind of pressure at all. And those are the kinds of people they want to work with. So anyhow, I wanted to share that with you. If you haven't done this yet, don't forget, subscribe. If you find this interesting, click the notification bell, always know when a new video is uploaded, and share it. Share it with other folks and give it a thumbs up. That's always really helpful. The very, very last thing I just want to share with you is I've got— you can get on my free email list. Just go to my website, howtomodel.com, and scroll to the bottom. When you put your information in there, you will get a free bonus video, another free bonus video. It's great. It's 6 Secrets to Mastering Home Auditions. It will be really helpful to you. I'm Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya.
