Auditions And Interviews

I have sat in on auditions at one of the biggest drama schools in the world. It is joyful and exciting to watch the candidates come through and give you their best work.

One recurring thing I have noticed over the years is that Acting students sometimes feel they need to be something other than exactly who they are in order to be accepted into drama school. The auditions that really stick in your mind are the flawed ones but where the actor was entirely authentic and fully themselves. I certainly don`t mean that they were underprepared, but rather, that they gave an imperfect audition but showed a spark to be trained.

There is something very arresting about someone who is wholly and unapologetically in their own skin and if you think about actors that you admire, chances are that they possess that quality. I think this is true for life in general and many of the skills actors seek to hone, are vital for interviews, public speaking and general confidence.

The more I work in the industry, the more it becomes clear that a large part of our job is to know who we are, to feel real empathy for others and the world in general and to keep learning.