Bears, Beets, and Battlstar Galactica start us off.
This Friday Question is inspired by my recent YouTube viewing of successful and failed auditions for roles in The Office (US).
I was amazed to see how, right from the audition, right from word one, Rainn Wilson had the whole character of Dwight Schrute down. Meanwhile, I've seen audition tapes of other actors who ultimately got the role and they didn't even seem like necessarily great actors in the audition, though they ultimately won the role and went on to be great in it.
How do you know when an auditioning actor is right for the role? Is it all gut feeling, or are there boxes you check?
There’s no checklist. It’s all subjective. You’re looking for certain qualities, you’re looking for something a little fresh, you’re trying to keep in mind the entire ensemble and how this actor will fit in, you’re looking for someone funny (if it’s a comedy), and yet all of that is thrown out the window if an actor comes in and does something completely different and unexpected and you say, “That’s the guy!”
There are times you know instantly if someone is right. Other times you’re not sure and need the actor to come back several times. Maybe he has certain qualities you like but needs adjustments to really hit the mark. Like I said, it’s really a big crap shoot.
And sometimes we make mistakes, which is why casting is so crucial — because everything else you can fix. You can rewrite scripts or digitally improve camera angles, but if the actor isn’t right you’re screwed.
Mike Doran wonders:
Lately, I'm hearing this old phrase more and more - and never correctly:
"If you think that things are as bad as they can get - then you've got another THINK coming!"
NOT "another thing coming".
"Another think coming."
Think first as a verb, then as a noun.
Because that's the only way it makes sense.
It's been driving me nuts for years.
Just had to say so.
Well, Mike, I hate to tell you, but I’ve always heard the expression as “Another THINK coming.” Grammatically it might be wrong, and I don’t know the derivation, but that’s the way people say it.
The expression that drives me insane is when a baseball player leaps in the air to try to catch a ball, most announcers will say he “Left his feet.” He didn’t leave his feet. He left the ground.
This is why I need to be the Commissioner of Baseball so I can correct egregious wrongs like that.
From PodFan:
Who are the people you thank at the end of the podcast each week and what are you thanking them for? The mysterious Adam and Susie Meister-Butler and so forth.
My podcast is on the Wave Podcast Network. That’s Adam & Susie Meister’s company, and I couldn’t be in better hands.
Howard Hoffman provided the opening theme and did all the graphics for me.
Jon Wolfert is the president of JAM Creative Productions. He graciously made my singing jingles.
And Bruce & Jason Miller chipped in my bumper music.
Yes, it takes a village. I happen to have a great village.
Chris asks:
How about a Friday question about Friday Questions? Have you ever considered recording Friday Questions as a weekly “bonus mini episode” for your wildly entertaining podcast “Hollywood and Levine”? I think for some questions hearing the answer from you directly could provide additional insight.
I’ve answered a few from time to time, but that’s a good suggestion. I don't want to do bonus episodes per se, but will consider devoting an entire episode to FQ's.
Now if I could just get Alex Trebek to ask the questions.
from By Ken Levine
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