The Most Important Element of an Audition

Maybe it isn’t surprising that a casting director would say that the most important part of an audition is confidence-but then casting director Benton Whitley (Stewart/Whitley Casting) goes on to explain how he defines talent, and it might actually transform the way you approach your craft and the way you handle yourself at your next audition. As it turns out, skill is not necessarily the same as talent, and it's time you stopped thinking so.
Breakdown
0:09 - What every actor has to bring into the room
0:29 - Are you insecure in your performance?
0:45 - Fun is important
1:10 - The definition of the word "talent"
1:39 - Four words to live by as an auditioning actor
2:10 - Show biz is about escapism
2:50 - What you need to do in the next audition
3:44 - The secret to performing
3:55 - Can you still feel validated in NYC or L.A.?
4:29 - Remember why you do what you do
Go to Backstage Casting to view and apply to over 4,000 roles:
www.backstage.c...
Learn more about Stewart Whitley Casting:
www.stewartwhit...
Follow Benton on Twitter:
/ bentoncastman
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/ stewartwhitleynyc
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More Casting Tips
Casting director Benton Whitley explains how the process of casting theater begins and concludes-from the CDs' research to whittling down the options for the creative team.
www.backstage.c...
Casting directors are definitely interested in what you have to say on social media-so is what you're saying something that an actor who gets cast should be saying? www.backstage.c...

[@jennigraham8012]

Fake it until you make it! Confidence is easy to convey when you go into the Room knowing you're trained, prepared and know "you've got this".

[@thaliasjourney]

well said

[@dianaalvarado4677]

I really find a lot of comfort as an actor to watch this video. I just have no idea how to turn off that insecurity switch, I wish I could.

[@EnderHeart5911]

It's easy to be confident when presenting a speech or project that is required. For me, the hard part is being confident when it comes to things that I enjoy/that I want.

[@heyboo9943]

Pro tip: Make yourself an alter ego, or base one off of a movie character/celebrity! When you're pretending to be that person, you should feel more confident! Beyonce has an alter ego that she made called Sasha Fierce. It's up to you!!! It's basically a more complex version of "fake it til you make it"

[@wampaproductions1152]

or just be yourself!

[@heyboo9943]

@@wampaproductions1152 Yes, of course! I think what I tried to forward in this comment was, be confident in yourself. Act like you believe it, even if you don't and it'll work out :)

[@75smurfette]

I'm still in the training stage of my acting aspirations, but this is the BEST audition advice I've seen so far, and allows me to know that if I can "bless & release" as Mr. Whitley so nicely put it, I can make it work. Thanks so much Mr. Whitley!

[@AugmentedActor]

Super helpful advice! It’s comforting to know that you don’t have to be the best performer in the room to give a solid audition and secure a role.

[@destineygay7904]

"Bless & release" NEEDED THAT 😩

[@2000wattz]

Girl, he is speaking to ME!..

[@solomoncastillo7311]

I'm not an actor or currently in field of entertainment and I LOVE this video! This message of confidence is so great! I have many friends who are moving to L.A and NYC and other great show biz cities and I am sharing this video with them.

[@Orchid_cchild]

Executing skills with confidence. Confidence is very important

[@kayyyp4939]

His advice is spot on! Great to hear that from a CD

[@lollol6946]

What if you are auditioning for an insecure character 😂

[@karolina-hd5rt]

Walk in as yourself with confidence, then when you become that character shift to insecure. Self explanatory.

[@mikejohns498]

Lol Lol don't walk into the room in character! Bad idea.. ha ha

[@ginacoronado3833]

Kramer walked in the room as himself, perfect casting (Seinfield, later season when Jerry and George made a show about Seinfield's friends) so...

[@GeorgeAyvazyan]

The scene starts when they call “action” 😉 the moment when you walk into the room is just yourself, not your character. There always has to be a separation between a character and yourself in this business, or else you’ll go crazy.

[@allisoncastellano6580]

Great video! Benton Whitley has obviously thought a lot about actors and the nature of the industry. Thanks for featuring him, Backstage!

[@MarvinCorea1]

Wonderful video summarized here: "Executing skills with confidence" 1:39 I still recommend you watch the whole thing.

[@jenniferchiang8759]

Very great share ! Yes fake it til you make it ! Don't forget about the reason why you love the path you choose 😊

[@charitycrews7550]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I needed to hear this!!!👌🏻🙏🏻🙌🏻

[@lumbeeskywalker9185]

Thank you executing skills with confidence excellent advice

[@thaliasjourney]

I can sing and act but, I'm a really bad dancer.

[@ISSYX]

Tiara Smith Me too. Let's keep trying though!

[@thegigadykid1]

That's enough for gigs

[@madisyn1486]

felt that except i cant sing or act so uh hehehe

[@niamh830]

Same lmao

[@cicidiaries]

Sounds like good advice, but now I'm just even more anxious because now I'm anxious about me being anxious

[@crzbelvev6319]

Woaw we are preparing to go for auditions after corona this will help me

[@pamelawise9836]

This is truly enlightening, thank you Benton Whitley.

[@DanishF]

Wow, I really needed that. Thank you!

[@FredoWfpb]

I love this channel!

[@BackstageCast]

Glad you're enjoying it :D

[@viggofranco8522]

Thank you for this. I often forget about confidence.

[@MRDOA66]

We all have it. You have to tap into that God given talent given to you. Great advice!

[@OnetrueGirl]

very well said! loved this tip video

[@whatdoyousuppose]

this is immensely helpful, good food for thought

[@LesKnowsBest]

this is brilliant. thank you

[@ashleegillespie3933]

Great advice! Thank you!!

[@billjordan5507]

Stellar advice! Also applicable to the voiceover world.... Brilliant.

[@sandratauzin]

Excellent advice. Love it!

[@LeesaUnique]

Great info it’s so important! Thanks!!

[@AngelineBatimala]

Awesome...love to check it out...Cruise ship ...I only had done TV Promotional .I wouldN't mind trying out the audition for film when the time permits...thank you for you kind info., good to know...Oyasumi !

[@pankajkamane2091]

Great suggestions that actually improve the actors inner skills at the root

[@youtuberkira4139]

this is very helpful, thank you :) I'm currently preparing my audition for university and this is very useful

[@JorgePrietoNYC]

Great practical advice. Just joined this channel. Love this guy.

[@tylerw.jacobs872]

This was great!

[@Rebecca58]

I absolutely love this! Thank you!

[@krystenc002]

Good advice Benton. Thank you.

[@lisawalkeractor]

Awesome, thank you Benton!

[@harmonylynncalhoun]

Great video!!! Loved it! Thanks for sharing :)

[@jpgrdnr]

Does he mean people who probably are great in their own way, but then just kill the performance out of nervousness? I would agree there, nothing worse than having to sit thru basically a botched performance because of gitters or anxieties, acting does attract these emotional sort of people. But casting is completely weird too, you might have to cold read scripts and have no idea for the context, its also not based on acting either. Too tall, too short, just not a good fit, whatever. Its a completely savage process, and theatre and musicals I'm sure is much more brutal because its all dependent on the performance. In movies or shorts you can kinda get by as long as they aren't completely terrible. Lawrence Tierney was famous for being a problem on Reservoir Dogs.

[@AJR-zg2py]

He absolutely is referring to people who are objectively and unquestionably skilled but have the mental toughness of a toddler. No matter what job I've worked, I've seen lots of people who are "better" than me just kill their chances because they lack confidence and can't "close the deal" in getting hired. I've seen many people who aren't necessarily as skilled, but they exude confidence in the abilities they currently have and often show a willingness to learn more and get better. For cold reads, casting directors (in my experience) look more at your ability to break down a character/script without context. They want to see if you can make something out of being given essentially nothing as far as the background of the play (assuming you're not familiar with it). If you can make a character leap off the page even lacking further knowledge of the show, casting directors are immediately confident in your ability to interpret a character when actually given the rest of the context. Cold reads are intended to back an actor into a corner; the test is to see if the actor can formulate a plan to break free. As for Lawrence Tierny... yes, definitely a bit of a diva (not as terrible as Brando, but still). But based on his run-ins on film sets in his later years, he absolutely had significant undiagnosed mental issues most of his life. We're talking about a guy who stole a kitchen knife from the Seinfeld set when he was a guest star and MADE A STABBING MOTION WITH IT IN HIS HAND directed at Jerry Seinfeld... and then tried to play it off as a joke. That is NOT something someone of sound mind does. The guys on Seinfeld loved his acting - but he wasn't brought back because of his mental state.

[@lumbeeskywalker9185]

Gr8 knowledge

[@animevibes6050]

thank you so much for this vid this gave me a huge cofidence boost

[@teslacoil3286]

Well said.

[@g.rossbridgman9479]

Very helpful and incisive.

[@Stucrompton1]

excellent video thanks for the valuable info

[@MasonPace]

Great advice. Thank you.

[@marinaxeix]

Great advice!! Thanks!!

[@ArtBrownVO]

Great. Thanks!

[@Canaan6384]

I got so turn on into cutting my hair that my hair looking practically in a buzz cut. I don't look the way I went to the casting room anymore during fitting.. What should I do to keep the job?

[@dehilster]

Brilliant advice!

[@notsurex]

i really needed this

[@Darkendevoures]

Thanks man.

[@Maria-kg1nh]

nice. thanks!

[@JulietteVeronica1201]

My family and friends are brutally honest so they tell me the truth when they don't like something. My parents might try to sugar coat it just so my feelings wouldn't get hurt but I always tell them I won't.

[@TehPompkinHead]

solid advice

[@realpapimami]

Nailed it!!!

[@goldjudge1]

God damn Amazing video, great advice! thanks a lot

[@cal_2553]

Where do you look when you sing in a theatre audition?

[@LovelyCasauay]

Yeah ikr? Dk whether to look far off in the distance or at the panel lol

[@nicfolson5617]

@@LovelyCasauay Never look at the panel, it's just awkward and makes people really uncomfortable. Really just picture what the topic of your song is, whether it's about a person, or an "I want" song, standing there in front of you.

[@LovelyCasauay]

@@nicfolson5617 Thanks for the advice! :)

[@Dallex_]

give me confidence I said give me confidence I brushed my teeth today..low confidence I wore cloths today l..low confidence 😂😂😂

[@urgay9102]

?

[@janellerollins5893]

#crushingonBenton

[@tandemtalk6884]

I have a question. So I am 13 and 4 foot 10-11 inches. Do you think I am too tall for Broadway?

[@curryhoarder4559]

4 feet isn't tall?

[@local_disk]

Who else was forced to watch this by their theater teacher to watch this?

[@jackrabbit4088]

just like getting a girl, you need confidence

[@rowan404]

Why does Benton Whitley appear to have 2 Adam's apples?

[@bragladish]

I totally disagree with this, there's too many huge stars who were and still are terrible at auditioning. Harvey Keitel, Meryl Streep, Josh Brolin, to name a few, and they found their way. So if yr incredibly talented don't stop showing up to auditions, just keep going and going until you condition yourself out of the fear. This guy thinks that you can somehow magically go off on your own somewhere and build confidence...that's not how self esteem is actually built, it's built by conditioning yourself to the environment that causes anxiety and to face the anxiety anyway. I wouldn't give two flying fucks if you make the casting director uncomfortable, who gives a fuck how he feels, how comfortable he is, it's his job to deal with this stuff and complaining about it is just unprofessional.

[@lanwangji]

That's probably why you are not a casting director. Anecdotal evidence of some A-listers who you assert are bad at auditions doesn't invalidate the advice of a working casting director who was asked for his input. The bottom line is simple: insecurity and neediness is generally unattractive in a professional setting. Competency breeds confidence.

[@vigorlilover]

Allen Logue Actually it’s a good thing you’re not one. He’s not wrong about that. There are a lot of actors who are very shy but still go because it’s what they love. Aspiring actors should always show up.

[@Marilynschannel]

ten years from now this casting directors will be more on point, less words and specific. Watch

[@nathansimpson2363]

This guy's casting at the level of a 3

[@idontknow950]

Nathan Simpson what does that mean

[@katoness]

Fake It To Make It Folks.

[@Fearless-Hyena]

i couldnt get anything and i paid for 2 months i have professional headshots

[@PinProductionsNYC]

Casting directors equals frustrated actors!

[@junejinya4763]

What a bunch of bullshit! All of the best actors are the most severely insecure people, De Niro, Pacino, Frances McDormand, ooze insecurity. Al Pacino’s first audition for Godfather he oozes with humanity and insecurity. I think to “act” is to “ hide” ANYTHING except the characters reality. Sometimes insecurity is the key.... this mentality is why there are no new Pacino’s De Niro and Mcdormands being hired these days. Only Scarlett Johansson talentless faces. Because true artists are not confident. You think Christopher walker was confident during his audition in Deer Hunter?! What a total crock of shit.