Here’s a quick list of my top casting director interview questions.
In casting director interviews, it’s very common to pose these questions:
- What qualities do you (or don’t you) look for in actors?
- What are the common misconceptions actors have about casting directors?
- Should actors _____(dress the part, bring headshots, ask for notes)?
- What should actors _______ (look for, know, not do)?
- What are your pet peeves about ______ (self-tapes, actors, auditions)?
These can lead to some informative answers, but to be honest I think casting directors have better things to do than advise actors on how to maximize their chances of getting a job.
On top of this, I find the answers to these questions vary widely—what one casting director recommends, another will advise against strongly.
I’d like to ask casting professionals a different set of questions because I think they aren’t asked often enough—and the answers could really help other casting professionals enrich their practice.
Here are the casting questions I’d like to ask:
Highs and lows of the job
- What is the most difficult part of working in casting?
- What is the most rewarding part?
Standardization
- How much do you think casting procedures and criteria differ from casting director to casting director?
- How useful are the software and tools you use? What problems or inconveniences do you consistently come across?
- How do you think most independent casting professionals learn to set their rates?
Stress and mental health
- How long is your average work week?
- Do you take a lot of work home?
- Do you feel stressed?
- Do you think casting professionals suffer from burnout?
- What is job security like for casting directors? Do you think most CDs feel steady, or do they feel like they’re on a roller coaster?
Questions about the future of the field
- How do you see your role in the bigger picture of creating stories? How about changing culture at large?
- What do you think the casting practice will look like 3 years from now?
I think the answers to these questions could help us all understand where the casting field is headed as a whole and understand casting professionals in a more holistic way.
