Aaron Marcus got a casting note to "make it sound like Jim Carrey" for a film audition. He refused to impersonate Carrey, instead amplifying his own strengths and staying true to his voice. He didn't book the role, but says it was worth it to not become an impersonator.
I was so excited to get an opportunity to audition for a feature film. This was many years ago, and I'm going through the casting director's notes, reading everything, you know, when it had to be submitted by, the shoot dates, to make sure I was still available. And right before I downloaded the sides, I saw this note that made me so angry. I wasn't sure what to do with it. I was even questioning whether I even wanted to audition for this project. I can't wait to tell you what this note said, so let's get started. Hey, I'm Aaron Marcus, and as I'm going through all of the casting director's notes, the very last one, it said— it was a description of how the casting director Wanted it read. And, you know, it's one thing for a casting director to give you some details, some information about a feel of something, but here's what was written: make it sound like Jim Carrey. And I don't know about you, but it made me so angry. It's like— And I'll tell you exactly what I thought. I was thinking, you know what, you want it to sound like Jim Carrey, then go hire Jim Carrey. It's like we all do something unique. We can bring something to the table. If she wanted to give it a feel of— make it comedic, make it lighthearted, make it big, okay, I get that kind of feeling. But when you tell an actor to impersonate A well-known actor. It really bothered me. So as a matter of fact, before I tell you what I did, I'd love to hear from you. Have you ever been given some kind of note from a casting director that bothered you, that made you upset, you didn't understand? Please share it here so we can all learn from your experience. But here's what I did, and I decided, of course, I am going to audition for this thing. I'm not going to just blow it off. And I took the information, but I did not try to imitate Jim Carrey. I'm not Jim Carrey. I know what my strengths are. I know what I can offer. I know I can bring certain things to the read, but I'm not Jim Carrey. So yes, I made things bigger than I might have normally hearing that, but still I made it my own. It was my own interpretation based on everything that I was reading in the sides. And I think that is crucial because even if sometimes you're given a specific thing like that, it's up to us. We are the creatives, we are the actors, we are the ones who bring something interesting to make words come to life, not imitate somebody else. That's not my job. I'm not an impersonator. So that's what I wound up doing, and I really liked the audition. I didn't book the job, and I didn't expect to book the job. I'm not Jim Carrey. So anyhow, I wanted to share that with you, and I'd love to hear from you. Please, if you haven't done this yet, subscribe, click the notification bell. If you like it, give it a thumbs up and share. this link with fellow actors. And I also want to let you know you can be on my special email list. I've got— every week I send out free emails to people. And when you sign up, and you can just go to howtoactandmodel.com, scroll to the bottom, fill out the form so I have your email address, I will send you a great bonus video. It's 6 Secrets to Mastering Home Auditions, which will be really helpful to you. I'm Aaron Marcus. I love sharing this with you, and I can't wait to hear from you. See you next week.
