21 Great Questions to Prepare for Casting Directors & Agents!
Douglas Taurel is a professional Actor, Producer, and Writer of award winning solo show The American Soldier and TV Series, Landing Home.
Most actors walk into meetings with agents and casting directors ready to give perfect answers. You should be asking perfect questions instead. The difference transforms you from someone begging for work into someone evaluating a partnership and is confident about themselves. Casting directors and agents notice this shift immediately.
Your questions reveal more about your professionalism than your answers ever will.
Casting directors fall in love with who you are as a person as much as your craft, and probably even more than your craft. Agents want to know you have something interesting to tell producers and casting directors. Your personality matters. What you have going on in your life, your passions, your hobbies. Do you like to play sports? Do you like to read? Do you like to cook?
The key is keeping it relevant to how you're talking to them and finding interests you think they may be interested in.
Talk about something exciting that happened to you this week, or an excellent play or movie you just saw. Agents and casting directors have movies and TV shows they like, maybe ones they worked on. You can always share that you loved the way the cast of a particular show or film and let them know that you want to work on the kind of movies directed or written by your favorite writer or director.
THE RESEARCH SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
Always search them on IMDB. That's research every actor should do. There's also this thing called the Internet to get yourself more informed on what they've worked on, and to know what you have in common with them. If they were working on a TV series you'd like to be part of, that'd be listed on IMDb. There's a tremendous amount of research you can do on IMDB - it really is the go-to for actors when you want to research a person or film. I strongly recommend that you also consider paying for the IMDb Pro service.
A little effort can go a long way.
Once you find research that you think will be interesting in the interview, you rehearse it a little bit. Have a friend ask you a question about the topic, and hear and feel yourself answer it. The more you rehearse the answer, the more confident and comfortable you will be when you share that information with an Agent or Casting Director. And they will see your confidence, and simply having something to talk about will dramatically help you throughout the whole interview.
Always stay positive and confident in your answers, and always keep your head and eyes up!
Agent questions to you.
1. Tell me about yourself. - This is a very important one!
Requires a 60-second story that covers your background, training, recent work, and immediate goals. Include something personal that reveals your character.
Example: I am originally from Houston, Texas. I moved here to New York in 2000 to get top-notch training and since then I have had the opportunity to work and study with some amazing artists. Kathleen Turner, Alec Baldwin, Edward Albee, and my mentor Wynn Handman. Here, I have booked a lot of edgy-type roles on TV shows like Nurse Jackie, Damages, and Person of Interest, to name a few. I have two children, my son Austin and my baby girl Stella, and yes, they were both named after my favorite two plays, True West and Streetcar. My one-year goal is to book a recurring guest star on a hit show and to have a role in a Sundance-caliber film.
2. What types of roles do you see yourself being cast in?
Say what your dream roles are in television and film- recognizable things that pay money and projects that agents and casting directors are part of.
3. What television shows or shows would you love most to be on?
Important to know what’s happening in NYC and where you fit in. They want to be confident that you know how to market yourself and where you fit in.
4. What do you expect from an agent or manager?
I am looking for an agent with whom I can talk, work, and collaborate to move both of us forward and grow. I will always be sure to be prepared and to do my part in the relationship and ask to have a relationship where I can collaborate and discuss the best course of action for my career.
5. If you weren’t acting, what would you be doing?
Talk about something you're passionate about, and that inspires you. For me, I would be a Chef like my father. I love cooking and creating, and I think being a Chef would feed that for me.
6. What have you seen lately that’s inspired you?
Always have a great indie film that one knows about to share.
7. What was your last audition and who was it with?
Give an example of one and then add 20 or 30 seconds an interesting story about it.
8. What do you know about our Agency?
Google the casting director agency or theatrical agency you are going in for. Know who they represent, what they’ve cast, and definitely if they have won an award. All this info can be found on IMDB.
9. What makes you a unique performer?
Talk about your experience, special talents, and your training. Talk about what inspires you and what type of work resonates with you
10. What are your short-term goals?
Say what your short-term acting goals are. Be mindful of who you’re talking to and if there are connections in what you’re talking about that they might be interested in. i.e., if they are a comedy casting director, you could show them the pilot of your comedy show. Talk about the jobs you’re looking at that are going to make it financially viable for this person. Shows and films that pay money. An actor who creates their material is a good thing as long as it’s working toward bigger jobs and networking opportunities, if the short films are about getting into bigger festivals.
11. What made you decide to be an actor?
Tell a short 1 or 2-minute story on how you became an actor. Example: I was in love with an ex-girlfriend and I wanted to impress her, and then the bug bit me and I fell in love with playing characters. Acting seemed to come naturally to me as I have great empathy for people. I love the idea of teaching through acting and shining a mirror on life to help us look inside.
12. What do you think is holding you back in your career as an actor?
A strong answer would be, I don’t think anything is holding me back in my career, I think it’s just a matter of time to meditate, visualize, and enjoy the process.
13. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Be confident in whatever you say, and it’s ok to be confident without being cocky. Give specifics about the project and roles that you would like to book. In 5 years, I would like to see myself as a recurring guest star on a hit TV show and in a supporting role on Broadway. Then you can turn it around on them and ask them, “Do you think these are realistic goals?” This helps open up the conversation and keep the rapport flowing.
14. How has your training prepared you for your acting career?
Important to take visual cues of what they’re giving you back to. You can do a little name-dropping, but not too much.
15. What are your favorite films and why?
Talk about why they are your favorite films—the director’s style, the lighting, etc.
16.. Describe your most significant accomplishment to date.
Talk about this for about 1 or 2 minutes and why. Example: Taking family and veteran letters and turning them into a successful solo show, The American Soldier was nominated for a Fringe Award, received strong reviews and sold-out shows, and was given 4 stars at the Edinburgh Fringe.
17. Do you have any questions for me?
Look at the questions below if they ask you this, and if you have gone through the questions below, then ask them -
“Do you have any exciting projects you are working on?”
Top 4 QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO ASK THEM
18. What do you think separates your successful clients from the others?
19. What can I do as an actor to make your job easier?
20. Can you describe in your mind what a great agent-actor relationship is?
21. What is a bad one?
In Summary
The key is reading the energy and following their lead. If they're talking about recent projects with enthusiasm, ask about their casting process for that show. If they mention challenges in their work, ask what makes their job easier. If they seem rushed, stick to your most important partnership questions. If they're relaxed and chatty, you can explore more personal territory, such as their favorite films or sources of inspiration.
And remember, the actor who asks thoughtful questions is the actor who gets remembered.