AdamBertocci posted:I don't like to be so formal as to sit at a desk keeping me from the actor. I like to engage with them, I walk right up and talk to them, we play. One thing I do that most directors do not—it's unorthodox and (I'm told) a little unfair—is that I incorporate improv to the audition. I like to work with people who are creative, who think on their feet, who can bring more to the project than just what's in my script. For "Love: The Movie", all the auditioners were asked to try and make me smile or laugh, with two rules: no profanity, no dancing. And we had all sorts of brave and beautiful things happen, from stand-up monologues to stories about squirrels to two girls running up and tickling me. For "Pat Gets a Cat", all the girls were made to pretend to be a cat (as happens in the film) and all the guys were made to improv a scene with a t-shirt as if it were a cat. The most important part of auditioning for me is meeting the actor, shaking their hand, talking to them, getting a sense of who they are as people, seeing what kind of spark is in their eyes, what they want to bring to the project, what they want to be. The least important part is when they read lines on a page. Rick McCallum loves you!
