Time is a luxury actors don’t always have. They often work multiple jobs to make ends meet while still auditioning for and shooting projects. But the current state of the world comes with the gift of time for many actors out there. If you’re wondering how to best use your newfound free time, look no further. Casting Director Kim Marie Swanson is known for titles like The Treatment, Showdown at Area 51 and Intervention, and she took time from a number of projects that are in the works to share with actors ways they can further their careers in the midst of a pandemic.

Casting Director Kim Marie Swanson
1. Work on your art.
This is a traumatic time. People have lost their jobs, their friends, their loved ones and all sorts of things. Every day, we see on the TV stats about the number of deaths from and cases of COVID-19, and it’s scary. So it is very traumatic, which makes self-care incredibly important. And we know from a scientific perspective that being creative is good for your psyche. So whether it’s working on a scene or creating your own content, express yourself. There’s a healing quality to it, and you’re growing in your craft while you do it.
2. Create an in-home sound booth.
Voiceover projects are still happening — I’m currently casting one. So if you don’t have one already, make a little sound booth somewhere in your home in which you can record voiceover auditions and projects. The place you choose for it needs to absorb sound well, and make sure you have a decent mic for capturing the audio. Fifteen years ago, we weren’t able to just Google something every time we needed a how-to guide. Today, you have all the information you need at your fingertips to set up a sound booth in your home, and now’s the time to do it, since you can get work on voiceover projects regardless of what’s happening with social distancing.
3. Perfect your self-tape setup.
The only on-camera castings happening at the moment are self-recorded auditions. In the past, some people may have been shooting these auditions on their iPhones in their kitchens without giving a second thought to lighting or sound or any of that. Now you have time to sit back and think of ways to tweak your setup. Maybe you need a less distracting background than what you’ve been using. Or perhaps the sound quality is better in your bedroom than in a kitchen filled with metal pots and pans that are not conducive for good audio. Whatever you need to do to improve your at-home setup for filming auditions, use this time to do it now.
4. Get in an acting class.
I’ve seen actors post on social media about how they don’t want to waste their money on virtual classes, which are the only options right now. That’s very frustrating to me. One of the biggest reasons actors normally say they can’t attend a class is because they don’t have enough time. Well, now is their chance. And if money is tight, a lot of schools and programs are offering discounted rates right now. Another common excuse actors have used in the past is that their commute to an acting class would be too long because of where it’s located. With all these classes being held on Zoom and other platforms, that’s no longer an issue. One I love to recommend is the Brian Cutler Actors Studio. As a casting director, I’ve been invited to sit in on a number of classes, and that is one that stands out to me. Additionally, if you’ve been thinking about moving to another major market for film and TV, such as New York, now’s the time to try out an acting class in that market. It’s a great opportunity to act opposite actors who already live there, which gives you a better understanding of the level at which you’ll be competing should you move to that market.
5. Brush up on your special skills.
I often get requests for actors who can do some sort of accent, and it’s very evident during the audition who has got the dialect down and who does not. I think actors sometimes just give it the old college try, but doing an accent is really a skill you need to work on and refine. Now is the time to take a dialect class or do a YouTube tutorial to perfect any accent you often see requested that fits your type. The same thing applies to all of your skills. Maybe you used to be able to speak Spanish fluently, but you’re rusty at the moment. Find a language partner to practice with or take some refresher lessons. Maybe you learned how to play the guitar when you were a kid, and there’s an old guitar with a broken string sitting in the back of your closet. Order a new string online, put it on there and pluck around for a while to get the hang of it again. It’s great to have a number of skills on your resume, but you need to be adept at them. Now’s your chance to make sure they’re up to par!
Swanson’s advice isn’t limited to just practical ways actors can be using their time, though. She ended her interview with some encouraging words that may help anyone struggling to adapt to this new normal in which we find ourselves. “We will get through this together. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep doing what you need to do,” Swanson shared. “It’s not easy, but nothing of value ever is.”
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This interview has been edited and condensed.
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