Mastering the Audition Room, Soap Opera Casting Tips & Movie Reviews | Ep 50

MAX: 00:12
Welcome back to Two Unemployed Actors. I'm Max. I'm Sam. Big show today. Big show. What we're watching. Because guess what? Cinema's back. And well he's in Australia anyway. Next project. Got tapped on the shoulder for something exciting next week. And uh how to get on a soap as a little sort of instructional guide from a casting director who casts one of Australia's biggest and long-running soap operas in neighbours. So uh interesting, interesting stuff today. I feel like we're gonna reform and educate. Reform and entertainment. We always do on To Unemployed. And for those of you watching on YouTube, Fred is supervising as producer yet again, aren't you, Fred? Good boy. Good boy. The only producer I know who's uh quiet and works for treats. Pretty cheap. Pretty cheap. The first movie when I went back, as I've said before, is Unforgiven, okay, which is kind of okay. And then I went to see Force of Nature with Mel Gibson. It's the one where they're stuck in the he's not stuck, but he's in the scope or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then bad people turn up, and then he happens to still be a great marksman, and his daughter happens to be a great shot, and all these other things come together as they do in those good versus bad movies. It's a really simplified, you know, baddies wear black, guys are good, and the guys never miss, the baddies are bad shots. Always miss certain, you know what I mean?

SAM: 01:24
Always miss, yeah.

MAX: 01:25
I uh I I knew exactly what it was. Like, you know, it's gonna be an escapism, switch your brain off, just go for the ride, enjoy. I had the whole cinema to myself. Private screening.

SAM: 01:34
So class again?

MAX: 01:36
No. In the V Max, which for those that don't go to cinema in Australia, it's uh it was huge. The 1700 seats, it's like massive and comfortable, and literally had the whole place to myself, which is fine. It's fine. Uh so I felt safe. Uh and yeah, no, it was uh it was okay. I was building up though to this movie that I don't know if it's been overhyped or the fact that it's just been because it's been pushed backed and Christopher Nolan being who he is, it's like it's pretty amazing tenant. So I went to see it uh and I gave it its best chance of success, right? Because we're talking a classic theatre in the Orpheum in Cremorne on film, 70 millimeter print, the way it's meant to be seen, apparently. That was the blurb anyway, the way the director intended. Uh so you know, super wide and it's on print because it's one of the few projectors still left in Sydney that that works at the Orpheum. So, anyway, great opportunity. And it was an advanced screening on the Saturday. I think it's out till today when this comes out, yeah, being Thursday. And uh, of course, today is not Thursday. Uh so um, look, I gave it its best shot, and and and we were queuing up on the street to get in, and everyone like I felt safe the whole way, like that ticketless, just scan the barcode, in we go. Not allocated seating, but everyone kind of found their gap. Okay, allowed a specific number of people. They only booked a certain amount for the whole cinema. It was their biggest cinema because they knew it was gonna be demand, and they uh they just sort of you know managed that managed capacity and said, you know, as you walk in, look for a space that's got space in front, behind, and to both sides of your party. Like it's like, you know, and and common sense, we're there to have fun, you know, no one was too territorial. We're all above, below. It felt really it felt really safe, it felt really good, you know. And in New South Wales at the moment, it's pretty good. We're not in full severe lockdown like Victoria. No, um, it's definitely not as bad as other countries, uh not mentioning America or you know uh not mentioning them at all. So it's like so I felt fine, and uh I guess I'm talking about everything but the movie for a good reason.

SAM: 03:31
You didn't like it. Oh no confusing.

MAX: 03:34
I didn't like it. Not that. I mean, for those science buffs, and I used to love science, you know, physics in particular. So there I was getting a two and a half hour physics lesson, and it felt like a long trip.

SAM: 03:44
Because people are saying it's more confusing than inception.

MAX: 03:47
Well no, I think once you get up some a few basic premises in relation to physics, which you're welcome to Google before or after the film, it won't affect it at all. It kind of just felt like action sequences sort of loosely threaded together. Okay. So putting the plot aside, which is okay, it's sci-fi, it's not you know a documentary. Yeah. Um you suspend belief somewhat. Uh, but you could think it's you know slightly plausible in places, but um it felt like they were more explaining, not to confuse or to help you be unconfused, but to cover over some pretty loose storylines.

SAM: 04:21
Well, I don't think you can see it now, because I'm a big fan of Christopher Nolan. Right. And Inception was a very confusing movie that I understood after the tenth time I watched.

MAX: 04:28
But DiCaprio still says he doesn't understand it ten years later.

SAM: 04:30
So But people are saying that in Tenet they needed people like they still don't they were in it and they don't understand. Look, it was fine. It was fine. I love Christopher Nolan and I think it would be very cool to watch.

MAX: 04:39
Yeah, there's a lot of moving forwards and moving backwards, literally. Uh, and you'll get that when you see it. But look, I mean, I just I don't know, it wasn't it was a lot. It wasn't your style. No, and everyone as they were leaving, everyone was kind of a bit muted too. Oh no, it was I I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I think a bit more attention on the story and an hour and a half, and it just would have been bang, bang, bang, like exp just absolutely edgy seat stuff.

SAM: 05:02
So anyway, that was most have you seen the trailer for the new Batman one with uh Robert Pattinson. No, so there's a teaser trailer that came out, it's very dark, it seems like a very, very more dark.

MAX: 05:15
Everyone's trying to recreate what Tim Burton did. Suddenly you're looking at a guy in light blue tights running around the 60s, and then Tim Burton comes out with dark Batman, and then everyone's kind of trying to it's like the Joker. Like how much crazy makeup can we keep putting on these actors? Exactly.

SAM: 05:28
Well, you had Christ Christian Bale, who it was a pretty dark great actor. Yeah, amazing actor. And the the Christopher Nolan Batmans were quite dark, and now you've got this one.

MAX: 05:38
I actually don't know who directed this one, but there's one of them I didn't I think it was the last one I didn't really like that much.

SAM: 05:43
Again, I went to get a uh Batman Dick Dark Knight thing in the beginning or something.

MAX: 05:48
The one where he's in a cave thing and it's like uh I can't remember anyway, but it was um Baines in it.

SAM: 05:55
The guy with the mask.

MAX: 05:56
Yeah, that's Dark Knight Rises. Wait, is the penguin in the next one? Because I saw somewhere I don't think so. There's the penguin in this one. There was a screen. Because I saw a screenshot from somewhere. This is top of mind, haven't even researched it for the podcast remote.

SAM: 06:09
When they had when they said the date that the film was coming out, like the year, yeah, they had like question marks in replace of the twos, uh, which makes me think it's the Riddler.

MAX: 06:18
It's also kind of like every movie.

SAM: 06:20
It's like when are we gonna release Except no, it was only in place of the twos, so it couldn't have been three.

MAX: 06:25
When will we release it? It couldn't have been four. It's a great marketing ploy. If it is in fact gonna be another j another joker, but but also um it's every movie. Yeah.

SAM: 06:33
No, I think it's the Riddler. It's uh that kind of style.

MAX: 06:36
Okay, but the Robert Pattinson like his eyes are like darker and it's like I remember I remember reading about what's the first Michael Keaton. I remember I remember reading about Michael Keaton when he was talking about uh picking up the script, he'd put it down and gone, okay, great, love this challenge, but he talks too much. There's too much script, he's drawn lines through all the dialogue. It's like this this Batman doesn't need to explain things, he does things, and I don't see him as someone who talks a lot. Okay, so tick, so there he is more, and that kind of added to the darkness of it.

SAM: 07:09
That was just Michael Keaton being like I don't I don't I don't want to say any more lines.

MAX: 07:13
Interpreting the character because normally you've got actors fighting over, you know, give me more lines, give me more give me a nice tight close-up for 50 minutes. But um Yeah you know, but uh he's drawing lines through the script, and then another note from After Wardrobe, too, which kind of fell in with the character. He could yeah, he couldn't turn. He couldn't turn. I love it. So there's this awkward thing, and he's practicing, practicing, and finally got it's just the full body turn. So what you ended up with was this dark character was very reserved when he was in character, didn't say too much, which is another point of difference between Bruce Wayne and the Batman, yeah, and also um, you know, this menacing presence because you've got this dark, yeah, quiet shape that turns slowly and silently, the full body, you know, menacing superhero turn.

SAM: 07:56
It's a funny moment in that film where like he j he he pops out of the car and he he pops out and he goes this, and it's it's hilarious, it looks ridiculous. I don't understand you surely you could create a costume in the way you could turn your head.

MAX: 08:09
I mean, it was a pretty cool costume. I remember at the time sneaking out of school to see the movie, and uh all all we'd ever seen until then was you know the Batman and Robin of the 60s and 70s.

SAM: 08:19
Yeah, Robin's just been cut out of everything.

MAX: 08:21
And well, I met I met at the premiere of Batman and Robin. I and I met Joel Schumacher, Chris O'Donnell, who played Robin, and um that was at the at the premiere that was great, and they were they were loving it, was great, it was fantastic. A lot of people turned out in the Queensland for that uh premiere at the movie world. But it yeah, it kind of it's the one like George Clini was in it. He was Batman. Most people don't know that. Even he likes to forget the fact that he played Batman. Wow. I know bizarre. It was that sort of movie that kind of would have been a great maybe animated film, but it just I mean you got Schwartz in there, you got Uma Thurman in it. I mean it's not for the want of talent.

SAM: 08:56
No. Um also in film news, Avatar 2, Avatar 2 is gonna be coming out soon, and apparently, so firstly, Avatar 1 apparently took 15 years to create. And right after they released it, like we we thought that he that um James Cameron, James Cameron forgot about it, but he's been he started straight on to Avatar 2 already.

MAX: 09:19
Yeah, and it's are they making the second and the third movie at the same time? I heard that as well. So but here's the thing because it does feel like it's been going for a long time in good all the time.

SAM: 09:27
The reason both films have taken so long is because if you remember watching Avatar, um not the last airbender, the James Cameron Blue People Avatar. Yes, um, it looked very, very good for its time, the CGI. I originally thought they were suits, they looked that good. And that was because so James Cameron didn't invent motion capture, but what he did come up with was the cameras that sat in front of the face. So then it wasn't like the uncanny valley, so you could actually see the actors' facial expressions and it looked real. So he came up, so he kind of like developed that. Yeah, yeah, and that's why Avatar 1 took so long, and now Avatar 2 he actually wants to film the actors in their motion capture suits with their motion capture cameras in front of their faces underwater. Jesus. Which is something you can play now is. And it's a bit hard to communicate. Yes, and you need stuff on top of the water so the light doesn't uh kind of like reflect and ruin things.

MAX: 10:24
Yeah.

SAM: 10:24
And also underwater white of motion capture.

MAX: 10:28
I'd just be that guy who accidentally plugs things in and electrocutes people in the tank. Yeah, that's that's why.

SAM: 10:32
But also the reflection of the motion capture dots in the water is an issue as well. So that's why it's taking so long. But dots everywhere. Apparently it's coming out in 2022.

MAX: 10:41
There's there's some rather big problems that you talk about. Like that's not small ones to solve, but hey, they got the money in the brain for the bigger. Some of it looks amazing.

SAM: 10:48
It it follows the story of Sam Worthington's characters, kids, I think. Okay. Because you remember in the even Avatar one.

MAX: 10:55
Where's Sam Worthington been actually? Where's he been?

SAM: 10:57
Has he been waiting for this one too?

MAX: 10:59
Or he's has he been in what's he been in?

SAM: 11:02
He was in Fractured, which was that Netflix one. Yeah, that was quite a bit. But he hasn't been, no, he hasn't done too much. But waiting for Avatar. You remember in Avatar he he actually became full body Navi or whatever they're called? Like he stopped being human because he was in a wheelchair and he was like, I'm convinced and so and now I think he's had kids. Anyway. Cool, so that's cool, that's exciting. How the hell are you doing three I mean two films that are that big at the same time?

MAX: 11:26
Like, I mean it's obviously gonna be first of all cheaper, but secondly, uh yeah, I mean it's a lot of you'd want to make sure that you're utilizing the same sort of huge, massive sets as uh the same.

SAM: 11:38
It grossed so much though. But then Endgame took over.

MAX: 11:41
Yes. Yeah. Well, it sounds like fun. Uh it sounds like production has been going forever. Anyway, moving on. Uh I got tapped on the shoulder for a project next week. And I love I love I love getting offers. I know, you know, it's deadly women. Um, it's it's great fun though, and I do enjoy I've been on that production a few times now. Uh but it's great when they send you send your agent something and go, Max can do this. Does Max want to do this? And Max always says, Yes, I'd love to do it because they're a great crew to work through work with. Um and this time I'm a detective and uh I have loosely read the script.

SAM: 12:17
I've got to read Officer last night.

MAX: 12:20
How many lines? Yeah. Uh a few, it's a couple, it's a few scenes. Um not as big a part as the last one where it was Dave Momaha just sleeping with everyone, and uh one of them bumped off the other one that I was sleeping with because she was jealous. So hey, you know, yeah, just poor Dave. Uh but this one, so this one I'm not the protagonist, uh, but the the good old detective who comes in and pieces it all together. So be fun. I feel like I've been planning for that with the interrogation. We heard about that from the guys recently again, uh Jack and Jacob when they came into chat, but uh uh an American detective this time. So that's great, so that's good. So things are happening, things are moving forward. Uh I went and audition in the room again recently uh for another father gig for a television commercial. Oh yeah. And commercial, well obviously, obviously, they must have thought I was too young to be playing a father, so they offered it to someone else. Oh too, you know, because no, nothing. Too old. A little old spot. I still can't get over. Two years ago, eight-year-old, and then last month 18-year-old. So they'll be older than me. So 16. I'm okay. What commercial is it for? What was it? A legal commercial in a regional area. Illegal commercial. Legal commercial as opposed to the illegal ones. A legal one on a law firm in a regional area.

SAM: 13:31
So uh in a regional area close to you.

MAX: 13:34
So it's i the illawarra, to be precise, for those of you in America, I'm sure you appreciate my detail there. Uh and the Eastern Supper. How to get on a soap opera. So I had the opportunity to do a QA along with a hundred or other people, thanks to technology. Uh, zooming with Taylor McLeod, thanks to the MEAA, our union here in Australia, who set it up, talking about you know what they look for, how they find talent.

Speaker 2: 14:02
Yeah.

MAX: 14:03
Um, and just sort of how that demystifying that process a bit. At the moment, it's still being filmed, neighbours is still being filmed in Melbourne. They they for the first wave of the COVID, they had to stop production briefly, and they were one of the first to go back with a plan. Uh so now when they're on the second lockdown now in Melbourne, as they are, they're just plan B as usual. So what she mentioned too is each week she gets character notes for guests' uh guest roles or regular roles if there's a regular one up for grab. She's looking at showcast and casting networks a lot. So the online platforms where you've got to have your stuff up to date, plus hundreds of submissions from agents every week. She has 22 regulars, guests, and the dailies, you know, the ones who are on Walk on Fifty Worders, uh, and they do six episodes a week. She's casting for. I mean, that just sounds like a lot of faces to and she loves getting fresh talent. And one thing I thought, you know, how often do you throw the net to the whole country? Even maybe New Zealand, rather than just Melbourne. Look, with a disclaimer, at the moment, with the virus, it's difficult to get in and out of Melbourne without a ton of paperwork and risk. So it's pretty much just casting locally at the moment. And those who have tested negative for the plague. Uh, but normally she'll go through showcast and casting networks quite nationally and across to New Zealand and brief agents nationally as well, and New Zealand and then start to get submissions. I think she pushes it out Mondays, Tuesdays, and then gets submissions Thursdays, Fridays, and sets up auditions from then. So you yeah, so every week. Yeah, and like even if you're under 17, they've got a couple of different acting coaches that are attached to the program. Okay, as you can appreciate with TV, it's very fast. You know, you get the script in your hand and then you're on set, and then you're being filmed, and you because of the budget, you only get a couple of goes. Yeah. And they're moving on. It's very fast. So it's quite the workload, which is why it's a good training ground, like home and away for actors. Like, look at Chris Chris Emsworth, and lots of actors have come out from that sort of grounding. Because if you can think on your feet and you know, pull it off under that pressure, even as a teenager, like come on, you should it's a great uh grounding, great work experience. So it's nice to know too that they have some coaches attached to the program to help um you know other actors perfect their scenes, which is great. Um, because as an actor, you probably get a few lines to turn up an audition. Yeah. You you you like it's a page, you don't get to know what happened before or what's going to happen. So you've just got to do your best with what you've got for for confidence read read, they can't just send it out to everyone nationally. Um if you're going for a regular spot uh that might give you a few story points. Sure. And she says, always ask if you want to know some something, you know, maybe I can tell your agent something. Uh so don't be afraid to ask. And even if you're even if you're in the room, I'm thinking this is what's just happened. So let's just move forward. Like, and yeah, okay, go for it. Let's see what you can do, and then they'll give them some direction. It's just her in the room because it's so fast moving and she's so many roles going. The directors are busy. Like they've got a lot to do with six episodes a week. What's the casting call? Like, I know you just cloud.

SAM: 17:13
So it's all McLeod casting. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MAX: 17:14
So Taya McLeod, who's the principal, uh, and this is her baby, like just to make sure that I've got the right talent at the right time, all the time for neighbours. Very cool. Uh so you'll you'll find yourself in the room with her, and at times she spent a lot of time, and I've heard this from other casting directors too, when they think someone's right, like they're happy to spend a lot of time working through nerves or whatever it is that might be blocking them if they think someone's right. Because they can see that there's a performance there about to happen very cool. Um, and work to get that best performance because ultimately she's got probably about five or six she wants to push forward to the producers and the director to to pick from. And you know, there'll be one or two she really wants to push. So it's she wants everyone in the room to succeed. So it's all about turning up, you're prepared. Like we've talked about before, you know, you know your lines, you've practiced it so many different ways. But you give your put your best foot forward literally for the first scene, and then you be flexible enough to take the direction.

SAM: 18:06
Okay, there we go.

MAX: 18:07
Um it's uh as complicated as that. I know it sounds so easy, but then just getting your like because people were asking, I don't have an agent, how do I get to you? It's like, well, I do take submissions, but to get onto because there are other shows and films, but to get onto neighbours, they're because it's hard as an actor's hard work, but you've got to have some professional credits to your name, ideally, but also go through an agent. So the question is really, well, if I've got to get there, how do I get an agent? And how do I get an agent? I've got to go out and get some experience, maybe some student films, even show reels. One step to second step to three step to that, you know, before you you you jump, and and you'll be a better actor when you do step on set for these opportunities.

SAM: 18:46
And it is hard, like it it is a bit right place, right time, and dumb luck because it is a bit of a loop. It's a bit like, how do I get an agent? Oh, you need to have some experience, but you can't get really get that too much experience without an agent. But there are plenty out there. There's star now, there's online agents, and you can get it so much experience from that.

MAX: 19:02
And you just gotta honestly, and everyone's journey is different, so there's no roadmap, exactly.

SAM: 19:07
And with agents, you do have to just not to the point of annoyance, but kind of push it. So like I think I've told this story before with my agent. I've I emailed him in 2016, he only got back to me in 2018. Yeah, and that was through my constant emails and persistence. And I that you know, m a lot of people actually like seeing that, you know.

MAX: 19:27
If you give up first go, if you don't ask, you don't get exactly it's that simple because there are other people who are who are just as hungry but asking more.

SAM: 19:34
Exactly, and it was great, and it does take time, but you know, it's worth it.

MAX: 19:38
Um I think it was really interesting for her to sort of demystify the process and also see it from her perspective just how many roles and episodes every week and the fact that simple things still count, like update your showcast, update your online profile. Yeah, make sure you've got your CV up to date with all your roles, make like little things as well, because she's going in there and looking at you've got agents from all different levels going in and looking at your online profiles. So when you update your CV, I always have a thing where I've done a job, I've got to update the CV, and before I can finish the CV and close the document, I've got to make sure it's exactly what shows on Showcast and Casting Networks and IMDB if I need to as well. Uh, just to make sure, then I can close it and go, I've updated my CV because it's updated everywhere it needs to be.

SAM: 20:23
Sure.

MAX: 20:23
And recently I've done my showreel edit with the interrogation in. So I'm gonna look at perhaps sending it to a few casting directors and just saying, hey, look, just drop the interrogation in, and here's where I'm at, blah blah blah. Um let's talk if you can see me anywhere. I think I'll reword it.

SAM: 20:40
Yeah, yeah, maybe not exactly that. They'll be like, what is he talking about?

MAX: 20:44
I might I might put a bit more effort into the introduction, yeah introduction and uh let the agent know I'm doing it.

SAM: 20:50
Exciting news Freddie.

MAX: 20:55
Fred, you do you have to push that button? Obviously, he doesn't think you've got exciting news, sorry. Fred, you fool. He's the producer, he didn't make the cut.

SAM: 21:04
Oh so um I've been talking about this for probably about a year now. That short film that I did not. Not today. Thank you. When is it? It's not today, people. It's not tomorrow. The trailer has come out. Woo! Because I was beginning to think it never happened. Yeah, well it did happen. Not today, though. Um but the trailer has come out, and and if you go to not today shortfilm.com, it's all there, and you can donate because there's a lot of things. I'll be glad to put the link in our Facebook. Yes, I'll send you the Indiegogo link, which is the donation page. You can get a ticket, you can get a ticket by donating at least $15. You can get a ticket for the screening after the cast and crew screening. And the trailer is pretty cool. That's gotta admit it's a good thing. You have to say that because you're in it. But uh, but it's it's filmed cool.

MAX: 21:51
No, it is, it looks great. I like the trailer, it looks good. Scary. Yeah, it is scary. It looks a bit moody.

SAM: 21:55
I sent it to all my grandparents. Just freaking out. I was like, caution, caution, uh Suicide blood. They're like, why?

MAX: 22:04
Why does he have to become an actor? Wild a drama.

SAM: 22:07
But it was, it was, yeah, so that's really exciting. So everyone. Yeah, watch it. That is awesome. It will be on our website. It will be Maxwell Link It.

MAX: 22:18
Watch it. Everyone watch it. It's great. Do you know what I I I discovered last week? Something so simple that can help me so much. And I'm like, because I went into it, I went into it thinking, I don't know.

Speaker 2: 22:31
Yeah.

MAX: 22:31
But it was free. And I had the time. I thought, oh, I'll I'll give it a dodge. But how to be present and effective in the audition room.

SAM: 22:40
So you went to a workshop with her?

MAX: 22:42
So another Zoom organized by the union with Lisa Dallinger who uh helped to talk us through and and like the time flew really quickly, and I actually really enjoyed it. And I came up with a list of things that are triggers for me to help me get in the zone because I'm looking at going how I breathe and all this sort of stuff. Like I'm like, oh I don't know. I mean, just you know, how have I rehearsed is probably just as important, but I'm like, I actually got it. Like I'm basically how I breathe normally when I'm breathing under stress, you know, those short, fast breaths, and then how to get yourself more relaxed and basically centered so that you're ready to walk in the room, your head's up high, your great posture, you're feeling relaxed, you're in the zone, so to speak. Breathing's a massive thing, isn't it? I mean, you'd appreciate it because you're a singer, it's kind of important, right?

SAM: 23:32
But even with acting, like your cat the camera can pick up if you're tense or stressed, if the actor's tense or stressed, not the character. Yeah, and that's about breathing.

MAX: 23:40
And I think there's that extra layer too of well, this is how I've rehearsed the character, how I imagine the character, so this is what I need to change to be in the zone and represent the character to the best of your ability. Avoid the foam or in the waiting room, no hunching, all that sort of stuff. Just basically just chill, observe your surroundings, you know, go through a little checklist in your head, whatever you like to do. Um, get to your natural sort of alignment. This is what I call in the zone, max speak, but uh, you know, and walk with a sense of purpose and energy because these are things I might not do. I'm too busy going, hey, how are you, or whatever. It's like, no, no, hang on.

SAM: 24:12
Get in the zone.

MAX: 24:13
Yeah, you're a professional, get in the zone, walk with your purpose and your energy, and make sure that you maintain that until you know you're ready to walk out. Little things like that. And I'm like, okay, this is pretty cool. Like the hour went really quick, and I also helped me recognise a few things that I was sort of self-sabotaging in a way with how I normally conduct myself in the room. Uh, first of all, keep your clothes on and no, um uh breathing techniques. They don't like that. They don't like that. So it's funny because the thing I thought I'd get the least out of was something where which actually stopped me, and I was thinking about afterwards and had a few little cheat notes, if you like to call them. Yeah, for when I I prepare to go in the room. So I was like Fred didn't do crickets over my story. So it was pretty good, wasn't it, Fred? You've been listening to two unemployed actors. I'm Max. I'm Sam, and that was Fred, and we'll see you next week.