If Helene Rousse didn’t exist, you’d have to invent her. A former model, a former agent and an entrepreneur, the Montreal native is a wildly successful casting director. For more than two decades, she has specialized in voiceover casting, to the point that she built and opened her recording studio to further facilitate her clients’ work and her own at Total Casting.
Rousse is one of the best in the business, thanks at least in part to her specialized work. She branches out into live action now and again and is cast in the Academy Award-winning documentary Fire of Love (now streaming on Hulu), but voiceover is her primary metier. She spoke to us from her office in Montreal.
Insights: Lessons from Helene Rousse
- Helene Rousse’s success in voiceover casting suggests that actors may benefit from specializing in a particular aspect of acting, such as voice work, to stand out in the industry.
- Always maintain professionalism from the moment you enter the casting office. Your audition begins with how you treat everyone you meet, not just during your performance.
- With the majority of auditions now being self-taped or conducted via Zoom, actors should focus on creating high-quality audition tapes and mastering remote communication skills.
- Avoid excessive apologies during auditions. Present yourself confidently and focus on delivering your best performance rather than putting yourself down.
- A pleasant demeanor can make a significant difference. Remember to smile and be personable, as it can help you make a positive impression in a high-pressure audition environment.
How did you get into casting?
I started modeling at 14, and at 21 I opened a modeling and talent agency just to be able to stay in the field. I’ve done that for many years, and then I did an alliance with McDonald-Richards in New York, a commercial print agency. We were moving models from Montreal, New York and Paris, and eventually, I decided to separate, because Montreal is very much a French market and people had a hard time pronouncing McDonald-Richards. (Laughs)
I changed the name to Focus International, and I did that for 15 years. Then my assistant decided to leave with most of my actors — that was a really big coup. I then decided to sell the agency, took a year off, went to L.A. and just rested my bones. Then I opened a casting agency. That was 25 years ago.
Wow. Two questions. One, you opened your modeling agency at 21? That’s precocious, to say the least.
I come from a family of eight children, and we’re all in business, except for my brother, who was a fireman. The entrepreneurship gene is very much inside of us.
I’m not saying it was easy. I’ve had a few backstabbings, — like that assistant who took most of my actors with her mother, which was shocking — but you learn.
I’m happy about what I’m doing now. I love casting. I think it’s a great challenge to find the best people for a given project. I love what I do. I think it’s so much more gratifying than when I used to be an agent.
That’s my second question. What was it about casting that drew you to it after years of being an agent?
Not having to run after my commissions was one thing, and to work directly with creatives was the bigger one. After so many shots in the back, while I was an agent, I’ve never had that happen to me as a casting director. I can help actors a lot more being in this position than I could when I used to be an agent. I know every level of the industry.
What led to your focus on voice acting?
When I was an agent, we had a voice division, and I found it was very natural to specialize in voices as a casting director. I opened my in-house recording studio, because every time I would book a talent, they would say, “well, which studio do you recommend?” Eventually I said, “mine!”
We record, we ship, we cast and now it’s all over the world. We cast everywhere. We cast people from all over, and it’s wonderful.
Why did you have the voice division at your agency? I wouldn’t think many smaller agencies would have that feature.
My partner at the time was an avid player of video games, so we started to get a lot of voice castings for those. That’s why, to this day, we’ve done over 100 games specialized in animation for voices. Also, I’ve done voices myself for the last 40 years.
I know a lot about voiceover. I’ve been doing phone systems and GPS and stuff like that, which I still do once in a while with some companies that have been with me for many years. I’ve always been involved in that.
I also teach a voice class once a month, and we employ a lot of actors who do voice work locally as well. It’s a passion. There’s such a following in video games. It’s much bigger than what people think.
Is that where most of your business is these days?
Yeah, and we do it in multiple languages. This is our forte, we can do voiceover in Spanish and German, we do Mandarin and Russian, and we do so many different languages for so many different games. It is always fun and it’s always a challenge.
Do you find that there are common mistakes that people make in auditions?
If they excuse themselves too much, saying, “sorry, sorry, sorry!” No need to put yourself down! I think that coming in with a smile is always a plus. Nowadays, 98% of auditions are by self tape, so we don’t have that same direct contact right with the actors, except sometimes in Zoom.
With that in mind, what piece of wisdom or advice would you give to an actor coming to audition for you?
I think the audition starts when you walk into the office, even before coming in the audition room, because the people that are there, an assistant, whoever is receiving you, are as important, and you never know who they are.
Never assume what the person is, and never look down on anybody. It starts there, and then, of course, coming in with a smile, always be pleasant and be yourself as much as possible. The smiling is important. Especially when we’re nervous, we forget to smile, and it’s key. Number one.
Looking for more industry knowledge? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Audition Advice from Casting Directors!
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