I love auditions where my agent calls me last-minute to go into casting. Usually, a last-minute call means they haven’t found the right talent yet, or they’ve had so many cancellations, they’re trying to fill slots with actors who are available to show up. In the voice over world, it’s a great thing to be called into a casting director or producer’s office to audition because your shot at the job is much greater than auditioning virtually against 2000 other MP3s. Instead, you’re up against 15-50 other actors.
If I’m called into a last-minute audition, I’m fully aware that I wasn’t in the first round of “scheduled” actors who came in earlier in the day. Heck, I may not even be in the second round. But if I get called for a last-minute audition, I know that my agent has specifically pitched me for the role as someone who can go in there and nail the copy. Also, once I get in the room, I know that the audition specs and direction have had time to work themselves out over the course of the day, so that by the time I arrive, they have a pretty good idea of where we’re gonna go with the copy. Lastly, whenever I have a last-minute audition, I’ve had no time to over think it, get attached to it, or create any anxiety surrounding it, purely because it’s new, fresh, and important that I just get to the audition and knock it out.
So whenever possible, always try to make those last-minute auditions and don’t take it personally that you weren’t the first called in. Even if it’s across town in rush hour traffic. Go and have fun auditioning, oftentimes it can work out quite favorably.