You’re never too late to start your acting career, and Darren Anselmo is living proof. A jack of all trades, Anselmo connected with the craft years before he began, but between working in multiple careers and family, he didn’t have time to pursue it. Anselmo was in his 50s when he finally dove into acting.
Although he’s only been in the game a few years, Anselmo has made up for lost time by booking work on commercials for major brands and Netflix shows. He shared his story and advice for his fellow actors.
How did you decide to become an actor?
It’s a bit of a long story. I’ve had many careers. I was a firefighter, an elevator mechanic, a hair salon owner and stylist. I’m still licensed in Florida as a hairstylist [and] a cosmetologist.
Every 10 years or so I get bored, so I decided to trade the hair salon for a farm and I got into farming. I did farming for 10 years. I was a beekeeper. I raised chickens for the eggs.
I had a farmer’s market, an ice cream shop—everything on this one property. We built our house there, and I had it for 10 years and I got bored of that. I decided [to] sell everything, get a townhouse, chill out awhile and retire.
Three months into retirement, I didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t good though. I was sad and depressed because I [used to be] out working every single day, and now I’m sleeping until [noon], one o’clock in the afternoon.
It got very, very depressing. My kids were like, “You’ve got to do something, Dad. What are you going to do?” A long time ago, I did this show when I had the hair salon and I got hooked [on] acting, but I was not able to do it because of my careers and everything. I said, “You know what? I think I’m going to do acting.” They’re like, “Okay. You’re going to become an actor?” When people tell me stuff like that, I go do it.
How did you discover Casting Networks?
I googled “How to become an actor.” What comes up? Casting Networks. I’m like, “Ooh, let me check that out.” I go on there and I subscribe. I paid whatever the fee was. I [didn’t] know if it [was] real or not, but I [tried] it anyway.
I had a nice picture of myself, turned it into a headshot and put it on there. In a week, I got my first job and I was like, “Wow, this is pretty cool.”
When I went to my first job—it was a background job at the time, it was in Miami—I started networking with other actors. I’m like, “Hey, where’d you get this job from?” I was getting agent names and stuff like that.
I’m 53 years old. I want to tell people who are getting into this [that it’s] never too late. I started two and a half years ago, so I was 51 years old when I started. I didn’t know anything about acting. I was shaking at my first job, even though I was just background.
What was that first job? Were you able to turn that into another role?
It was Bad Monkey. It’s a Netflix series that’s out. I’m working right next to Vince Vaughn, and I’m this random guy who just started acting. It’s my first day doing it, and he’s talking to me. I’m like, “Man, I’m next to these A-listers!”
At first, I was kinda nervous about it, and then I realized they’re everyday people, too, behind the scenes. It’s really cool. You’re never too old to start [in] the acting industry.
I was playing a detective role, [and] I took pictures of myself in the uniform. The next thing I saw was a “police job” for a background role. I’m like, “You know what? I’m going to send that picture in.”

It just snowballed from there. Now, I’m working with like, 10 different agents. They all have me on their Casting Networks [rosters]. It’s really cool.
It snowballed into commercials, movies, reality stuff, everything. If it fits my category, I apply for it. I apply to probably 50 things a month.
I’m always applying, and because I always post my stuff on social media, people [always say to me] “Man, you are so busy. You get so much work.” What you put into Casting Networks is what you get out of it. They’re like, “Does that work for you, this and that?” Yeah, it does, but I’m on it.
I go on it for an hour a day before I go to bed. Instead of doing something stupid, I go on Casting Networks, and I go through all their job opportunities. If it fits me, I click it and I apply and that’s it.
I really like the [Role Tracker] feature where you can see if somebody is considering you or if they picked you or whatever, because then you’re like, “Wow, I got the chance to be on this.”
Tell me about some of your favorite jobs that you’ve booked from Casting Networks.
Well, recently—like in the last couple of weeks—I did a Rolex commercial. And I got a job [on a series] called Pulse.
Pulse is a Netflix series that’s coming out. It’s like Grey’s Anatomy, but geared toward a younger group of people. They asked me to be a doctor in the show, so I sent a picture with my daughter and she got a role, too! She’s not even an actor. I get so many [jobs] from you guys. It’s crazy. Like, constantly.
Tell me more about the Rolex commercial. What did you have to do for the audition, and what was it like when you got on-set?
The Rolex commercial said “luxury watch commercial” on your listing. I had no idea who it was for. First I had to do a quick self tape. Then I got a callback. They asked for either me or, if I have a family, to be sitting on a couch and have them behind me or next to me.
It was a Zoom meeting, so there was a whole big group of people in it. Other people were on the callback, too. They paired me with another guy and they had me look this way, and I guess they had him look that way, so it looked like we’re on the couch together.
On the screen, there were prompts like, “LeBron James just made a basket. Cheer for him.” We’re like, “Yeah!” Then we’re looking at each other and cheering like that. I had my family behind me—which was cool—and they’re doing the same thing. We’re looking at each other and high-fiving and all that stuff. It was maybe a five-minute callback.
A couple of days later, they said, “You got the job.” I went to the set. It was in Miami at a really fancy house in Coconut Grove. I mean, the money they must have put into this project. There were trailers and wardrobes and everything. We did a wardrobe fitting a day before the shoot in Miami Beach at a hotel right on the ocean.
I did the fitting, and I got a nice outfit to wear for it. When I got to the job, it was pretty much like a living room scene that we did where they paired us up as family. I had a new wife, new kids, and a couple of new friends and we just hung out on the couch.
We’re watching a big screen where they’re showing us prompts from the callback, like LeBron James shooting the ball and making it, and a couple of others. It was a lot of reaction-type stuff [that we had to do] and it was a good payday.
What are some other successes and high-profile jobs you’ve booked from Casting Networks?
I just got this one [for a law firm] off Casting Networks last week and they already sent the link to me. I saw the casting on Casting Networks on January 16 and I applied at 8:10 in the morning. The Casting Director sent me a message. They wanted me to do a quick self tape audition saying a few lines, so that’s what I did and sent it back. By 12:30 or so that day I got notification that the casting director and client wanted to book me as a spokesperson for Bush & Bush Law Group.
Four days later, I was filming the commercial in studio in Miami, Florida, and it’s already completed. That’s how fast things go when you’re subscribed to Casting Networks.
Are there any other interesting roles you got from Casting Networks?
Another thing I get a lot of from Casting Networks is UGC (user-generated content) that I do at my house when I’m not on-set. I put all those UGCs together and I made a reel for that, too. When somebody has the opportunity [and is] looking for [someone] my age and for UGC, I send them those reels.
It’s just like being on social media—you’re putting content out there every day and you’re posting this and posting that. Put your stuff on Casting Networks, because what you put into it is what you get out of it.
That’s the main thing. It’s not going to work for you. It’s what I put into it every day [that gets me work]. It takes time, but you get a lot out of it.
How do UGC jobs work? Can you give me an example?
Sometimes on Casting Networks, it’ll say, “UGC. We’re looking for people that can film themselves.” Mostly all of it is raw footage. If they pick me, then what they do is they send me a shot list. They send me briefs. Everything is so organized and it’s on one little script.
They’ll send me pictures of what they want. They’ll send B-roll of everything they want. They send it to you and they’ll send you the product.
You have usually like, five days from when you receive the product to do the UGC content. Then you WeTransfer it back to them or put it in a Dropbox. They review it. They’ll say, “Hey, can you change this?” Or, “It’s perfect.” Then you follow that company on social media and you’ll usually see your commercial there.
What would you say helps somebody succeed on Casting Networks?
Be persistent with what you put into Casting Networks. Go on there like I do every night. Try to just get yourself out there.
If you get a self tape opportunity, do it, even if you don’t think you’re going to be great for the character. I had jobs where I did self tapes and I didn’t get the part [that I auditioned for], but they gave me a part. It was another role in the same show. Sometimes a producer or a casting director would call me months later and they’ll be like, “Hey, we saw your self tape six months ago on another job, but we think you’d be great for this role.”
Take that opportunity. Get out there in front of those casting directors, no matter what you think it’s going to come out like. It doesn’t matter. They’re always looking for somebody.
Have a good photo on Casting Networks, too. It doesn’t mean you have to take professional photos. I never took a professional photo in my life, but the stuff that I put on Casting Networks, I take them with the iPhone.
All those photos are from when I go to a job and I’m in a costume. I have somebody take a nice picture of me in that, and then I upload it to Casting Networks. Casting directors could say, “We’re looking for a cop,” and then they see a picture of you in a cop uniform or a doctor’s uniform, or [dressed as] a gangster [on your profile].
Try to [get] as many different character photos [as possible] so that you can have a nice reel. Even if you don’t have one yet, if you’re ever on different jobs, like music videos or commercials, record them, put them together, make a nice little reel and put that on there, too. I do that all the time.

What’s the best way to approach an audition? Do you have any tips or advice for your fellow actors?
When you’re approaching an audition, just be yourself. Try to do a little preparation, too. When you have a role for a character, they’re going to send you a script, of course, and what you have to do for the audition, right? Try to do a little research on that character. See inside the script. What’s he doing? Is he interacting with somebody? How is he interacting?
They usually tell you everything in the script, so just try to get into that character and just be yourself. Don’t try to make up the character. A lot of people will see, for instance, [if it’s] a gangster mafia movie, they’re going to try to put this accent on. Be yourself because you don’t want to be concentrating on an accent. Then you’re not concentrating on what you’re supposed to be doing in the actual role as the character. That’s why I say, be yourself and just do the self tape.
I hear so many casting directors say “I’ve sent out 50 self tape audition [requests] to 50 different actors and I got five back.” Put them out there because they want to see you. Submit and forget. That’s what I do. I submit them, I forget about them and then later on, if you get the job, you’re surprised.
Another thing with self tapes — don’t wait until the last minute. A lot of them give you a deadline. They could have picked somebody already on the first day, because once they see the person they want for that job, that’s the person. Sometimes they might find somebody later on, but usually they know who they want, so get it in early and do what they say.
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