Parents Play a Huge Part in a Child’s Acting Career
This is because most casting directors look at other factors before accepting them. They look at the life of the child outside of acting and what extra curricular activities do they engage in. The ideal child actor they are looking for is someone relaxed and confident in his or her abilities.
But the casting director will also look at you, the parent because they know that when the child has a project, you will be the one to bring them to work. They will also need your help making the child memorize the lines in the script and encourage them to do their best in front of the camera.
Before you get the part, one major hurdle that every child has to face is the audition.
Some parents hear about the opening from an ad in the newspaper or in television. If you have an agent working for you, he or she will give you a call and tell you when and where it is going to take place.
Make sure that your child is wearing the right clothes. Ideally, this should be a shirt or blouse without any logo. Never let your child wear the part even if the ad states that they are looking for someone to play a certain character.
Just like applying for a job interview, leave the house early and make sure that you get there 30 minutes before the start of the audition. Once you get there, find the office so you can sign up your child. If it asks you to write down your child’s Social Security Number, don’t because this could easily be stolen and used by someone else.
Your child should be ready to perform the skit the moment their name is called so make him or her relax by letting them do something else like play with their PSP or Gameboy. When it’s their turn, hand over to the casting director your child’s resume and headshot.
If it is a closed audition, you won’t be able to watch it so you will have to wait in the holding area until it is all over. If you are allowed to stay, just watch and keep quiet. There will be time to ask questions later when the child is done and you can talk about it once you walk out the door.
The support you give to your child must never cease regardless of the outcome of the audition. If the casting director says no, cheer them up and tell them that there will be other auditions in the future. Give them positive feedback of how they did up there then later on tell them where they can improve on.
If the casting director has accepted your child, be happy and be prepared to help them excel in their craft because this could be the start of their acting career which could continue well into adulthood. Should they become famous, one of the people they will never forget and have a debt of gratitude to is you, the parent because you encouraged and pushed them to become a star.