Being successful as an actor depends on a few things, but actors tend to let themselves get distracted by a lot of stuff that really doesn’t matter.

A few days ago, I sat down with one of the most respected Casting Directors in the industry. She has an incredible eye for discovering new talent and for helping actors get to the next level.

Anytime I have the opportunity to speak with her, I get tons of incredible information. We’ll be talking about it quite a bit.

Today, what we are going to start with are the top 3 things Casting Directors look for during the casting process.

If you truly want to be a professional actor you have to know how to give CDs exactly what they are looking for...

Let’s start with the number one thing Casting Directors look for...Talent. Of course this one is a no brainer, but stick with me.

Casting Directors want to see actors that are extremely talented. If you can’t deliver a world class performance, then making it in the industry is going to be extremely difficult. CDs are always looking to work with the next rising star.

However, it can be extremely difficult to show a CD how talented you are during an audition. If you are in a traditional setting, you have a few minutes with them at best.

If you are submitting a self taped audition, you have even less. This is why casting looks to other things to get a better idea of your talent and who you are. Which brings us to the next point...

Determination. This tells Casting Directors a lot about you and it gives them confidence that you will deliver on set, no matter what. When actors are determined to succeed, they will do whatever is necessary to deliver a great performance on set.

That gives actors a ton of confidence and it comes across in their performance.

You would be surprised at how many actors show up on set unprepared. That’s why CDs are so hesitant to cast actors they don’t have a relationship with. More on that in a bit...
Being determined to succeed also goes hand in hand with being coachable on set. When actors are able to put ego aside and trust that production will look out for how the project turns out, it makes a huge difference.

Sometimes, that means playing the character a little bit differently than you would have liked to, and trusting that the director’s vision will keep everything on track.

As important as that is, what can really put you over the top is identifying your X factor. If you have been in the industry for any length of time, you have likely noticed that being a talented actor is not all that matters.

If you look at the most successful actors, the ones who are at the top levels of the industry, you would notice they have something that sets them apart from others. That’s their X factor and it goes beyond what happens on set.

Sometimes, your X factor can work its way into the characters you play. I’ve seen actors who are incredibly talented musicians that bring that with them to practically every character.

That becomes an advantage for you, because it allows casting to get creative and take characters in a different direction. Maybe having a musical solo would make perfect sense, but it never crossed anyone’s mind, until you read for the role. Often, that’s what makes the difference during casting.

Everything we talked about were big difference makers but what made a difference to casting directors, more than anything else we talked about, was finding an actor who can bring attention to the project.

It was clear that this is probably the most important factor of all.

Actors reach the top level of the industry when they can move an audience to tune into a project or show up at the box office. A project can be mediocre and still be incredibly successful if it has a cast that is made up of actors that can bring attention to it.

I’m sure you can think of at least a few examples. Studios and networks know this, so they often attach a well known actor to a project for this reason alone.

More and more often, the well known actor that is attached to a project ends up being someone with a big social media presence.

Casting Directors know that if you have a big and dedicated following, your followers are likely to support your projects. So, make sure you are highly visible to the industry in all ways. Here’s a great place to start.

You will be posting about it on social media and that will lead to excitement around your involvement in it.
This is why you see CDs actively searching for social media influencers that can also act, but that’s pretty hard to find. So, if you can be that for them, then you become the logical casting choice. So start to put yourself in a position to be able to bring attention to the project. Here’s how I can help you get the ball rolling.

What I shared with you is just the tip of the iceberg, and we’ll be talking more about everything over the coming weeks.

We’ll be going into the details on what it really takes to make it in the industry. We’ll get into more over the coming weeks but there is something you should get started on right now.

Every Casting Director stresses the importance of keeping your industry reputation in good shape. That’s why I created this to help you with that.

So, what do you think about what we went over today? Let me know in the comments or shoot me an email.

I’m always happy to help, even if you just need someone to bounce ideas with. If you have any questions about this or anything else industry related, get in touch because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott