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I Just Learned Something New
Whenever I have auditioned for a film/TV or a commercial, I am always very familiar with the words, but only on rare occasions will I have them memorized. In most situations, I will have the words memorized for a call back, and certainly have them committed to memory for the job.

I just had a chance to sit and talk with a manager and a casting director who are based in L.A. The manager works with some really successful actors and the casting director is currently casting a kids, TV show. They both said the same thing to me. If the actor is given the script a few days prior to the audition, they are expected to have it memorized. I was really surprised.

So now I know, if I am ever auditioning for a project that is being cast on the West Coast, I will do my best to have the lines memorized for the taping. For projects being cast in other locations, I would recommend you ask your agent to see if the lines need to be memorized for the audition.

After 25 plus years in the business, I am still learning new things all the time.

Let me know your thoughts. Add a new comment.

If you have a general or personal question, feel free to add it to the forum on this site: Forum

If you thought this was helpful, imagine what you will learn while reading Aaron's book: How to Become a Successful Commercial Model

 

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Memorizing lines.
written by Ivan , July 17, 2010
To me, memorizing lines is very important. But I feel as if some actors get too caught up in it sometimes! They are always thinking about the next line instead of listening and reacting to what is being said; this is when they almost sound like robots. When I act, I try to just react to what is being said, and listening to the other actor helps me remember my next line so much better. This sometimes leads me to improvise a little with lines
(forget a word and replace it with another; nothing too big!) , but the people I have worked with usually like it better because it seems more realistic.
But this is just me, I think it depends on the person. Not one rule applies to everyone..
Aaron Marcus
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written by Aaron Marcus, July 18, 2010
Hey Ivan:

You are 100% correct. Acting is all about listening and reacting. You do have to be careful sometimes about changes words. Every director works differently. Some are fine with improvising, and others need to have the words said exactly how the writer wrote them.

Thanks for the interesting thoughts.
Aaron Marcus

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