Working actors know that essentially, their job is auditioning. Booking a role is a great bonus, so they refine their audition technique, accepting that they will go through this grueling selection process anywhere from once a month, to five times per week (or more!) through most of the year.
Veenu Sandhu is a professional actor based out of Vancouver, BC. Because you have Netflix and good taste in shows you’ll probably recognize her as Prisha from Lost in Space. She is exceedingly genuine, dedicated to the craft, and beyond her acting hustle she teaches audition anxiety workshops helping actors audition with confidence.
Here are three tips from a working actor and coach on interviewing like a professional actor.
Relax and do your homework
Job interviews can be stressful. To thrive in the face of that pressure you need to get some proper rest, avoid unnecessary stimulants that amp up your stress, and take care of your body as you prepare. Control those physical factors and you will be more equipped to handle the physical toll of stress that can hinder you in the interview as well as your interview prep.
Audition homework for actors is a lot like job interview prep. Just like an actor memorizes lines you need to know the details of the posting and the needs of your employer like the back of your hand. Where they need to really understand story arcs and where their character fits into them, you need to understand the organization’s big-picture strategies, goals and objectives. Where they determine and define relationships between characters, you figure out the relationships between employees, departments, and functions.
Understand you are enough
Remember that you don’t need to be someone else to fit the role. Just be your best you. This is a crucial lesson from someone who has to fit into roles for a living. There’s something universal about our human experience and your interviewer will sense if you have strayed too far from your authentic self to try to fit a role. This can be perceived as trying too hard, or maybe even being fake.
Typically, when actors completely transform for a role, they first find where they and the character are most alike and then build from there. Audiences don’t respond well to performances that are too manufactured and not rooted in the universal human experience.
Actors also understand that they might not be the best choice for all roles. That’s what the audition experience is all about. Casting directors bring in an array of actors to find the right fit for the role. The job interview experience is basically the same thing. The gig might not be the right one for you and there’s a chance that you won’t enjoy it even if you do land the job. There’s nothing worse than ending up in a position or an office where you just don’t fit in. Then you’re faced with the choice of changing yourself, change your approach or in extreme circumstances, changing your values in order to make it work.
Get grounded
This is my favourite bit of advice because it’s applicable in any stressful situation.
A good grounding exercise can make all the difference in helping you get – and stay – present, focused, and confident during an audition or an interview. In her workshops Veenu teaches a whole host of techniques in visualization and bodywork to help people work through stressful situations. Here’s one to try yourself.
Start by sitting in a chair and feel the sensation of the bottoms of your feet on the floor. Notice the feeling of all four corners of your feet as they connect to the ground. As you feel those points of connection, imagine there are roots, chains, ribbons, or any kind of long flexible material like these, anchored to those four points on each foot. Visualize that these roots extend from the soles of your feet, down through the floor, down through any foundation below the floor you’re on, then further again, down through the soil and earth, until finally they plug into core of the planet. Then visualize it in reverse, from the core of the planet back up to the soles of your feet so you can land back, present in the room. Most importantly, breathing evenly as you focus on this exercise gives all your senses feedback, allowing you to land mindfully present, exactly where you are.
Stay Grounded
Whether you like the exercise above or you’ve got something else that works for you, once you find your grounding, the trick is to maintain it and remain present as you enter your interview. Veenu noticed that she tends to feel most nervous between the stroll from the waiting room to the audition room. Her advice is to use the introduction portion of your interview as an opportunity to retain focus and confidence.
When you meet your interviewers be intentional in taking in one to three details of each person. Notice something like their eye colour, a piece of clothing, or something they have on their desk. By focusing nervous energy into observing what’s in front of you, there is no option but to be in the moment. It’s a neat trick to bypass the stress of over-thinking during those initial moments and it lets you connect with your interviewer.
Updates for Veenu’s Audition Anxiety Workshops in Vancouver can be found on her website actorveenu.com
Veenu’s next appearances will be in early 2019 on the feature films: A Dog’s Way Home and Child’s Play.
You can find Veenu Sandhu online at:
Twitter.com/vapoureyez
Instagram.com/vapoureyez
Facebook: @veenusandhuactor