In this YouTube video, Aaron Marcus explains that when a casting director stops an actor during an audition and asks for changes, it is generally a positive sign rather than a rejection. He outlines three main reasons for such direction: (1) the casting director liked the performance and wants to see how the actor incorporates additional information because actors often have only a few pages of script; (2) the director is testing the actor’s ability to take direction and adapt, ensuring they are not a one‑trick pony; and (3) the director wants to confirm the actor can adjust on set, where scripts and direction frequently change. Marcus advises actors to stay calm, view the request as a vote of confidence, and respond constructively. He invites viewers to share their own experiences, offers contact information for further questions, and includes typical channel calls‑to‑action such as subscribing and donating.
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Hey, I'm Aaron Marcus, and if you're watching this, uh, on my YouTube channel, um, make sure you click the subscription button and also the little bell, uh, the notification button. And that way, every time I upload a new video, you will be notified. So here's what I want to talk to you about today. Um, when you're in the middle of an audition and a casting director either stops you, or most likely at the end of your first read, And you get some direction, and casting directors might give you more details about the characters. They might give you some suggestions. They might ask you to take things in a different direction. What exactly does that mean? And I know that for some people— and look, it's easy, I get it, it's easy for us to feel paranoid, you know, in this business— and sometimes it's easy to start thinking The casting director hated what I did. They didn't think I was any good. What I did apparently didn't work because now they're asking me to do something completely different, and they, they don't think I know how to prepare properly because otherwise they wouldn't tell me do kind of the opposite of what I was— There are like a million things that can go running through your brain, but let me just give you a little hint. Apparently they thought that what you did Was really good. Look, the casting director is most likely going to be seeing a lot of people throughout the day, and they're not going to waste their time on people who either they don't think are physically right for the role or that they don't think have the talent to really play this character properly. So what they're doing is they're saying essentially Look, we have a lot of faith in you. We liked what you did, but either you're in the wrong— you're heading in the wrong direction. And part of that simply might be because most of the time, you know, we're not sent the entire script. We don't know everything that's going on, what happened previously, what's going to be happening in the future. So they, they have all the knowledge of what's taking place, and what they can do is they understand we have a limited amount of information. Now, certainly Certainly, you can grab a lot of information from 1 page or 2 pages or 4 pages, but it's limited. And so if they can guide us and give us some additional information, then that's a great sign. That means they liked what you did, and now they want to see if you can take it further with the additional information. The other thing that might be happening is they might really like what you did, And they also might be thinking, yeah, this is exactly how we're going to want this done on the set. However, I just want to make sure that you can take direction, that you as an actor, you can make adjustments, because that happens all the time on sets where a director might give you some additional information and do something a little bit different. And they just want to make sure that you're not a one-trick pony, that you can do other things, and that you are capable of making changes. So sometimes that's why you are given different, different pieces of information to, to shoot a second time. So if you are asked to do something again, that's great. That's a really good sign. And once again, I understand so many things go flying through, through our heads sometimes. But I'm telling you, that's a positive thing. So anyhow, I just wanted to share that quick tip with you. And if there is something that you've gotten out of an audition where you were given some information that you— that would be helpful for other people to learn about and hear, please share it. Share it here just so we can all learn from you. If you do have any follow-up questions, or if there are topics that you want me to discuss, you can always reach me at howtoactandmodel.com. And the very last thing, I would love to have you support this channel, be a part of it. There is a donation button, uh, just scroll down, you'll see there's a PayPal link. And whatever amount is good for you, I greatly appreciate, uh, you helping, uh, keep this, keep this going. Uh, to help make sure this thing looks good and, uh, just to be a part of the channel. So anyhow, whatever the amount is, I would greatly appreciate it. Hey, I'm Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya.
