I had two auditions Saturday, one down at Loyola Marymount at 10:00 a.m. and the other nearby at 3:00 p.m. The first one was fine, though the auditions were held in a classroom, and not soundproofed. Usually, you can’t hear your fellow actors doing their thing through the door, which, if you’re the last to go, as I was, can help you tweak your performance a bit to allow you to stand out. This time, I noticed there was a lot of shouting going on. It surprised me a bit, since the scene didn’t seem to me to call for it. I played an assassin who’d been in the biz a long time, confronted by my former protege in an alley. Gross Pointe Blank has John Cusack in a similar role, and he plays it very low key and matter-of-fact. I thought I’d play a game with my scene partner, using the subtext of our history and my self-confidence in my abilities to be casual and a bit sarcastic on the surface. The director didn’t quite see it that way. I’m used to getting direction after the initial run-through. But this one kept pushing me to be more aggressive and angry. Not the choice I would have made, but, like the customer, the director is always right.
The second audition was as a black market surgeon in a comedy. I was crammed into a waiting area that was far too small for the eight of us who were waiting. I was going over my lines when somebody came in and asked what film I was there for. I drew a complete blank. What film was I there for? I had to glance over the sign-in sheet to remind me. Duh. It was a very over-the-top piece, broad comedy, and was lots of fun to read for. The director, although still a student, has good instincts and I think if he stays in the industry he’ll have a shot at a career.
