What was your worst-ever audition?
Matthew Atkinson (Thomas, B&B)
“Oh, man. There was one time I met with a dialect coach for a big movie, Jack the Giant Killer. They wanted an English actor from the region where the story originally took place, so I went really deep with the dialect coach. I went into the room with me in my head, making sure I said things right. It had nothing to do with being connected with the other person. I walked out with my head dropped low. I felt like I just failed. I failed the accent, the audition and myself. But I also learned from that audition that you can’t take anything too seriously.”
Inga Cadranel (Harmony, GH)
“When I was around 30, I was flown to L.A. to do a screen test for the biggest show at the time,
24. I hadn’t eaten all day, and they finally called me in. I was shaking, dizzy from hunger and probably dehydrated, too. The room was full of suits and an exec asked me,
‘Have you seen the show?’ I said,
‘No,’ and right away, I knew I lost the part. With my tail between my legs, I left and ended up passing out in the taxi back to the hotel.”
Charles Shaughnessy (Victor, GH)
“In a way, it was also the best. I auditioned for The Producers, the first time I ever auditioned for a musical. I auditioned for Susan Stroman and the entire creative team and I had to sing and I was absolutely terrified. The [audition] was an absolute train wreck, but they couldn’t have been nicer and I was so relieved at just surviving it!”
Patrika Darbo (Nancy, DAYS)
“Having to play a sleazy
Madonna bimbo-type with all these 6-foot-8, blonde women. I was the short, squatty person dressed in a leopard outfit. I got the part — it was a Keanu Reeves film, THE NIGHT BEFORE — but it was the worst audition I’d ever been to. I’d never been so mortified in my entire life.”