3 Questions to Handle Audition Physicality

Part way down the page of a scene, it says:
--They kiss.

Or perhaps:
--She raises the gun.

Or maybe:
He rises, grabs a hair brush, and goes to work on her hair.

And this is for an audition.

I've been coaching actors for 20 years; I still encounter physicalities written in audition scenes that I've never seen before. And over and over again, actors ask me, "Am I supposed to do that?" Maybe. "Will that look okay on camera?" Also Maybe.

Keep one incredibly important thing in mind: this is the audition. There's no right or wrong way to do it. You have leeway here. You can make your own decisions. Moreover, usually what a writer has put on the page is their version of a physicality that makes the scene work when read on a page. Doesn't mean you have to do it. You might not even do it if you book the job. You don't have to do everything the writer tells you to do. Action lines are descriptive, not prescriptive. And certainly, what I'm about to lay out here is not law. Rather, it's guidance to help you make better choices.

Some actors do ALL the physicalities, and while some of those auditions turned out to look ridiculous, I'm certain that someone somewhere has booked the part like this. Other actors do NONE of the physicalities, and I'm certain they've booked (far more often, in fact, than the ones who do all of them).

In the end, I work off a guiding principle, which I'll lead you to now. If you're casting a project, and you know that actors are putting themselves on tape for you, sometimes in their living rooms... exactly what is it that you're hoping to see? I submit to you that the most important thing, as always with acting, is that you want to believe them, you want them to be real. Next, you want to believe them as the character. And then -given that some audition scenes feature characters playing football or doing other actions that would be loud or move them around too much- you simply want to be taken away by what you're watching. Or, said another way, you want to not be distracted by anything, though for this article: by a physicality or LACK of a physicality.

So here it is. The people who watch your audition tape:

• Want to see the character,

• Understand the scene, and

• Not be distracted.

In general, I submit to you that miming is typically distracting. It simply forces your audience to figure out what you're doing, and while that may take less than a second, that's time away from being connected to you, plus the time it may take them to reconnect to you. Although it must be said that not all casting directors (or producers/directors/writers who may also watch your tape) have the same preferences. Some will actually prefer you to mime, while others hate miming and will wonder why in the world you didn't just use the real object or just cut it. You can’t please everyone, but you can optimize your chances.

Additionally, the people watching your audition tape may not know the scene very well. Any good casting director would, but I'm sure some don't, especially if they're rushed. And some producers -who may make the final decision as to who is cast- may not have read the script at all. This means we can't really rely on them knowing our audition scene.

Keeping in mind that for film and television auditions, actors are typically asked to frame themselves from mid-chest up -leaving not a lot of room to move around- consider a two possibilities:

1. Your character is casually playing basketball on their driveway during the scene: dribbling, moving around, shooting free-throws. They're not a pro player, they're just average.

2. Your character is a professional dancer and is running their dance during the scene.

Once again, in the tight frame that actors are asked to use for auditions, playing basketball or dancing around will typically make for a terrible audition tape. It's simply too much movement and too much noise, creating too much distraction for your audience to really be able to focus on you, focus on the character.

So, if our aim -in terms of physicality- is to allow our audience to see the character in us and understand the scene without being distracted, what do we do? Address the three bolded principles above.

1. The basketball player.

   • Let's say that all the dialogue is about a date your character went on last night. If you remove all the basketball stuff, will your audience be missing something important in terms of character? I'd say no. Would the dialogue about the date suddenly not make sense, reducing your audience's understanding of the scene? No. Would the written physicality be distracting? Almost definitely.

   • Alternately, let's say that somewhere in the scene, you have lines like "This is how LeBron James shoots," and then your character shoots like LeBron. Same questions: If you remove all the basketball stuff, will your audience be missing something important in terms of character? I'd say no. Ah, but would the dialogue suddenly not make sense? I'd say so. And so, if you're going to keep that line -and there's another point to be made about when it might be advisable to cut certain lines in auditions, but that's for another post- it's probably best to keep it... or at least, to do something to keep that moment from being distracting.

2. The professional dancer.

   • Once again, let's say the dialogue has nothing to do with your movements. You could remove it all and the scene would still make sense. BUT, will your audience be missing something important in terms of character? I think so. The character is a professional dancer. The audition is an opportunity to show that you're believable as a dancer. So once again, it's probably best to keep it... or at least, to do something...

There is a third thing to consider, which is whether you as the actor like the physicality. Whether you feel it gives you something or allows you to sit more confidently in the character or scene. When this comes up for me or my clients, when one of us wants to keep the physicality because we like it, I think it's best to simply make sure it's not distracting for an audience. If it is, either change it, or sacrifice it.

Now, to address "or at least, to do something."

Again, if our core principles are that they want to see the character and understand the scene without being distracted -and if we want to make this work in a typical audition frame- then it follows that fully playing basketball or dancing around won't work. So embrace your creativity and do something like it. Try simply raising your arms and showing LeBron's technique (I think there's an important difference to an actor miming and a character miming). Try certain 'dancer stretches' or 'marking' with your hands the way dancers do. Get creative. Basically, if you decide that a physicality shouldn't be cut, then keep it or something like it.

So in the end, here it is. When faced with physicalities in a tv/film audition, ask yourself three questions:

1. Does this moment in the scene stop making sense if I don't do anything physically? If so, keep the physicality or come up with something that works better for the audition.

2. Have I missed an opportunity to show character through the physicality? If so, keep it or something like it.

3. Do I personally miss this physicality? If so, keep it or something like it, as long what you end up with doesn't distract from the scene or the character.

There are two ways to go about this: one by one, or removing all of them at once. Play with both. And keep in mind that doing physicalities out of frame can be a great way to keep them without having them be distracting.

So, if your character hands an object to someone else, saying "This is for you," trying pointing toward an imaginary object instead of miming the handoff. If your character is punched or kissed, try focusing on triggering the emotional response rather than attempting the full physicality. Instead of shaking hands with the air, try a wave or a nod. Cut the physicality of walking into the scene if it isn't somehow incredibly important. Don't suddenly sit down or stand up partway through the scene.

Get creative. Audition physicalities can drive actors crazy, but they don't need to.

______________________________________________

Want more?

This technique is just one piece of a comprehensive approach to acting. In my book Being Human, I walk you through the complete process, from breaking down a script to building emotional connection to making bold choices that land.

Prefer hands-on training? I work with actors at all levels through:

• Weekly classes in LA (small groups, real community)

• Private coaching (in-person & online)

• Audition prep & self-tape services

Book a free 30-minute evaluation and let's talk about where you are and where you want to go.