So I heard back about the commercial I’m on hold for… they accidentally erased the audition tape, and they needed to show the producers their final selection for actors. What does that mean? An unexpected callback!

My manager called me just before closing (of course, it always happens that way#–not their fault, but the client always has these kinds of disasters late in the day) and told me that I would need to be at another audition the following morning at 11:55AM. Audition times are always exact like that. But they rarely run on time. When you get an audition on a "five" (11:35, 12:55), you can count on it being even further behind. I’m not sure why this is, but it’s almost a universal truth.

So the casting director (or client) accidentally erased the videotape of the audition, and they wanted to see me do exactly what I did the first time I auditioned. A smart actor will wear to a callback the same outfit (exactly) that he/she wore the first time. Why? Sometimes casting people don’t remember our names, so we become "the guy in the black tee-shirt and the tight jeans" or "the girl in the red sweater with the deep v-neck". This is not a bad thing, but it can work against you if you come to the callback in a different outfit. Seriously. They loved the guy in the black tee-shirt from Wednesday, too bad he never showed up on Friday for the callback (he did, he was just wearing a blue polo).

When you come back and fulfill the role in exactly the same manner as the first time, you’re doing your job well. This is critical#–adding new flourishes and flairs is not a good idea. The reason you got the callback is that they really liked what you did the first time. By and large, the reason for the callback is not that they would like to see you do something different, but that they’ve weeded the pack down to a smaller number and are presenting you to someone new#–a decision maker that was not in on the original audition.

This was the scenario I walked into#–whereas in the first audition three people were in the room evaluating me, this time around there were at least ten. I’m not sure who everyone was, but they were all a part of the process. I’m sure someone was there representing the client (product), someone was there from the ad agency, someone was there from the production team, and the rest were a combination of the above. This can sometimes be a bit crazy as these people may all have a slightly different idea of how the commercial should finally look.

I did my audition, which was basically the same as the first time around. The commercial is funny, so when the people in the room laughed, I knew I was on the right track. They gave me some basic direction and all told I was in the room about ten minutes. They immediately told me they would be calling my manager, and wished me a great day. As I started to leave the room, they pulled me back in again#–aparently there was some issue with my union status. The commercial may or may not fall within union jurisdiction, which may or may not interfere with my getting the part (I’m a member of SAG and AFTRA). The length of time they took to go over the situation with me lead me to believe I had booked the role, but this would be the only obstacle. CRAP. It’s always something. :o

I left with assurances that they would look into the logistics and call my manager. Within thirty minutes, my manager called to let me know I was on a "strong hold" and that they would let me know what happened next. So here I am on Monday, still on a "strong hold" for tomorrow.

I booked the commercial, I know, but I might not get to do it. Poopy. Ah, such is life…