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Actors love to get feedback on their auditions. They want to know why they didn’t get cast so they can “improve in the future.” Let me tell you why this is one of the dumbest things actors do.
First a short lesson for people who don’t know what I’m talking about. Actors go in for auditions and then leave. Most of the time no one calls to say they didn’t get the job and so actors sit at home and wait for the phone to ring. Now we have cell phones so we can sit at Starbucks and wait for the phone to ring, yippy. Actors sometimes wonder, “why didn’t I get the job” when days turn into weeks and it’s obvious they’re not getting hired. So actors seek out ways to get “feedback” on their auditions hoping they can improve in the future.
This probably stems from normal job interviews where candidates call back a week later and hope to get feedback on their interviews. Typically in job interviews the same types of questions are asked all the time so it’s legitimate that someone could improve their interview for the next time. Also this is an excuse to call back a recruiter who might say, “you were great but we had to hire someone’s cousin, luckily there’s a better job opening up next week I’d love to talk to you about.” Really that’s a pipe dream and the real goal is to improve for the next time.
Actors lie to themselves when they say they want feedback. Problem is, they’re never going to audition for that part again. Actors aren’t asked, “what is your biggest weakness,” they’re given a part to read. The part they’re given next week will be completely different. Notes like, “you should have been angrier when you told him you were leaving” are useless.
Truth is actors want this to be their feedback, “you were amazing but we had to hire someone else’s cousin, we’ll bring you back in next week for this amazing guest star role.” That’s an ego stroke, nothing else. Actors just want their egos massaged since they didn’t get the role (shocking). If they honestly loved you they would have brought you back in next week anyway, even if you didn’t convince your agent to call the casting office. Yes, it’s another excuse to “stay in their mind” but you also come off as a little needy.
No matter what they say there are only two pieces of feedback you will ever get, “this role no longer exists/it’s now a role for a fire-breathing midget” and “someone else was a better fit.” Any other way the feedback is sugar-coated is simply someone trying to be creative or nice. You could have been perfect for the role and someone decide to cut the role out or someone else was simply better for the role (sound familiar?). Yes, being a cousin of the producer counts as “better for the role.” Why? Because to the producer this was more important than giving the best audition. Sucks, but he’s the producer and you’re not. It hurts to think you didn’t give the “best audition” or have the right look for a part but that’s the reality of Hollywood.
When you’re asking for feedback you’re really asking for validation of your skills as an actor since you didn’t get the ego petting of getting the role.
Here’s all the feedback I need: did I get the role? No, then I should probably work harder in the future. Even if the role was cut or went to a teenage Asian girl (really happened once) I can still improve, everyone always can.