Weirdest Auditions: Transitioning Into a Werewolf, Playing a Vegetable, and More

February 25, 2020 | Cat Elliott

Whether or not you’ve had a weird audition that’s on par with one of the following tales, most actors can relate to how absurd auditions can be. When filming, they at least have the benefit of another actor and an actual set to help them play the scene and suspend disbelief. The audition space rarely offers such luxuries, and sometimes the scene or set-up makes an already interesting situation that much more memorable. Keep reading for other actors’ weirdest auditions stories and see if any sound familiar.

 

Aria Sirvaitis

Aria Sirvaitis

Known for Rosewood and Girls After Dark

I once had a theatrical audition where I had to pretend that I was transforming into a werewolf. And it was supposed to be a painful process. I was told to howl and even scream as I went through it. I figured that as weird as it was, I would commit to it 100 percent. So I started the scene and was really getting into it when I heard the sound of a duck quacking. And it was coming from my phone, which meant my best friend was calling because that’s her special ringtone. I didn’t understand how it was going off, though, since I’d put my phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode before entering the room. Regardless, I ignored it and kept going, hoping my howling would drown out the quacking. It was quite absurd all around, and no one acknowledged that it was happening.

After the scene ended, the casting director said something like, “Wasn’t it so empowering to get to transform like that?” He totally glossed over the elephant in the room, which happened to be a duck in this case. I answered in the affirmative and then hightailed it out of there. As soon as I was out of the room, I checked my phone. It showed that my best friend had called me twice in a row, which gets through the “Do Not Disturb” function. I called her back to see what the emergency was. It turns out, she just wanted to remind me to send her a message on Snapchat so we wouldn’t end our streak. We had a talk about what qualifies as an emergency after that, but I got a good story out of it.

 

Isaac Cheung

Isaac Cheung 

Known for Veronica Mars (2019) and Shameless

My weirdest audition was for a commercial, which makes sense because those types of auditions normally involve weirder circumstances than theatrical ones. And for this one, they essentially wanted me to be a vegetable. They set up the audition by telling me that in the actual commercial, the actor who booked it would have his face changed via special effects so that it looked like a vegetable with human expressions. They would also use some sort of CGI to erase the rest of his body and make it look like his vegetable head was protruding from the center of a table. The point of the spot was that the actor, as the vegetable, would be excited about the client’s seasonal additions to its menu. Those food items would be on the table with the personified vegetable, and it was supposed to try and reach them.

But there weren’t any special effects happening in the audition room. It was just me, standing still. They said I could only move my head and not any other part of my body. I was supposed to show excitement toward the seasonal menu items while straining toward them with only my face. Do you know how hard it is to try and move your head toward something without moving your neck? I can tell you it’s very hard, and I had to do it in all directions. Basically, I was just elongating my face and straining all my facial features outwards. It was such a funny set-up and situation, but the casting directors were all business. They were just like, “This is the spot, this is how it’s written, and this is what we need from you.” It was just another day at the office, so to speak.
 

Milda Dacys

Milda Dacys

Known for Curb Your Enthusiasm and Grey’s Anatomy

I once got called in for a commercial where I knew ahead of time that the audition situation would involve my character’s husband painting a portrait of her. I remember taking a lot of time before the audition to style my hair and pick out the perfect outfit, one that looks good on camera. I ironed it and added some tasteful jewelry before carefully applying my makeup. None of my wardrobe preparations ended up mattering, though. I found out when I got to the audition that my character’s husband was painting a nude portrait of her! We of course only had to get down to our bras and panties for the audition. They’ll usually give you a heads up for something like that, but I must have missed it. As an older, mature actor, it was an unusual request to have to strip down for a scene. A lot of thoughts were racing through my mind. I couldn’t remember what bra I’d worn that day. I was regretting eating breakfast and wishing I’d exercised a few more times the previous week. But I gamely went through all the motions for the audition. I still have no idea what it was for.

 

Next time you’re at a particularly strange audition, you can remember these stories from Sirvaitis, Cheung, and Dacys. There’s solidarity in shared experiences, and actors can always find common ground in the area of auditioning. Share your weirdest audition in the comments and see if anyone else can relate!

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These interviews have been edited and condensed. 

 
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