The air within the audition room was thick with the vibrating hearts and minds of my fellow actors. Although we all came from different walks of life, we were bonded by this moment, this time and this place. We were auditioning for a major motion picture, and while there were potentially hundreds of actors vying for only a handful of roles, we all felt that this job was ours.
Sitting in an uncomfortable waiting room chair, my eyes scanned the faces of those around me. There were the typical “Chatty Cathy’s,” who felt it was necessary to talk the ear off the poor soul sitting next to them, and there were the loners who found the corner of the room and put their headphones on. Then there were actors like me, who have done this many times, yet still felt the adrenaline pumping with the anticipation.
Although there were many types of actors in this room, there were two distinct groups – those who were tense and anxious and those who were calm and collected.
As an actor, you must learn to control your thoughts and nervousness at a film audition as a nervous mind and tense body is unable to deliver a fluid performance.
Mental Relaxation
For me, relaxing my mind is one of the most difficult processes of auditioning. While my body is relaxed, my mind is running at 100 mph, and thoughts are leaving just as fast as they come. This mental traffic congestion does nothing but cause me to tense-up and when this happens doubt about my acting ability can creep in.
As an actor, you must concentrate on relaxing your mind while in the audition waiting room. If you do not do this, you run the risk of forgetting your lines, improperly delivering dialogue and rushing through a scene that should not be rushed.
Bodily Relaxation
A tense actor is very easy to see. His shoulders are raised close to his ears, his arms are stiff and his walking gate is strained. Relaxing your body doesn’t guarantee an amazing performance, but it does guarantee a willingness to make adjustments and take chances while auditioning.
While you sit in the waiting room, use this time to relax every muscle group in your body. With your eyes shut, focus on relaxing your muscles starting with your toes and working your way up to your head. Only stop this exercise once you feel your entire body is relaxed and ready for action.
