It’s rare you get a chance to know why you don’t book a role. In this case, I did get to find out.
The Audition
I got the Ford commercial audition from my agent for the role of Garage Man. There were 6 other principal roles, but this was the only one I auditioned for. The audition was simple, as most commercial auditions are. No reader, just some action. Pretend to clean my car, then stand back looking at the completed project, then look to the other side of the camera like you just heard a noise, and finally realize it was your family making noise and smile at them.
The Callback
The day after the audition was due, I got the callback cMail in Actor’s Access. It was to be an in-person audition and it was scheduled for the following day. This was my first in-person callback and I was actually really looking forward to it. It would be a new experience and I wanted to see how the process works.
I got to Big Picture Casting 30 minutes early the following day. I don’t trust Atlanta traffic so I try to be early in case something goes wrong. I checked in with the receptionist and sat in the waiting room. There was another actor already in there and we nodded to each other. A minute later, someone came in and had the actor follow them into the back. He was gone for less than 3 minutes before he was back, grabbing his stuff and heading out. Another actor showed up and when the casting director showed up this time, she grabbed both of us. Since I was so early, I was asked to sit in a director’s chair right outside the door while the other actor went in. He was in the room for 2-3 minutes and I was asked to go in.
I entered the room and was greeted by a casting director behind the camera. I saw a blue x on the floor in front of a backdrop and went to the mark. There were two box lights in front of me to my left and right. Sitting at a long table behind the lights were two men; one behind a laptop and one next to him. They both looked like they just got out of college.
I was asked to redo the audition that I submitted. Then I was asked to do it again with new direction. Then they asked me to do other actions. Then I thanked them and left. I was in the room a total of, maybe 8-10 minutes which I took as a good sign. As I was leaving, another actor was waiting outside for his turn.
I’m not sure how many actors were on callback, but my guess is 10-12. I just happened to see the callback sheet before I went in and there were 6 actors on the page and another page behind it. Also, the actors I saw were all black and white, with me being the only Asian actor.
Based on other roles I booked after a callback, it usually only takes a day or two for them to make a decision, so after not hearing by the weekend (two days later), I knew that I didn’t get it. Normally, I wouldn’t care much if I don’t book a commercial, but this was SAG, so it hurt a little.
Why I Didn’t Book It
The following week, I texted a friend to ask if he could read for me for an audition. I had recently moved, so I told him we could do it on Zoom, but he also had a couple auditions he wanted to knock out, so he wanted to make the drive. Also, his 3 year old daughter just booked a commercial and they were scheduled to do the fitting that day and it was close to where I live.
The commercial she booked was the Ford commercial. There was a family role they all tried out for and his daughter was the only one booked. After the fitting, I got another text from my friend. Since his daughter is half Asian, the woman that was playing her mother was Asian and while he was there, he met the actor that got the Garage Man role. He was black. I guess they wanted diversity for the commercial. So yeah, I got screwed over by my buddies 3 year old daughter.
But in all seriousness, sometimes the reason we don’t get booked for a role has nothing to do with the acting. I am really proud of my friend’s daughter and she is super cute, so it’s not surprising that she got the role.
Simon Shih 