Whether referred to as “casting director traps” or “actor traps,” let’s face it: Unless actors are laying audition traps for themselves, what the term really insinuates is that casting directors, and often screenwriters, lay traps for you. They set these traps, either intentionally or inadvertently, while actors are auditioning for the very commercials, television shows, or movies that they wrote, or are casting in that moment. This suggests a conspiracy: that casting directors and screenwriters are in cahoots to sabotage your audition.
Why on earth would anyone do that? Why would we set audition traps for the actors we bring in? I know that my job, as a casting director, is hard enough to find good actors who don’t fall apart in the audition. Why would I plot to make it harder? And, more importantly, when would we have time to plan them? Chances are we just got this project the night before, and first thing that morning started seeing people. That would just be a waste of time.
Casting is a strange job in which you interview hundreds of people for a single job, wanting every single one of them to be the right one for said job. We don’t bring in anyone who we don’t think is going
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