Agents for actors and performers across the country are concerned about the growing lenient attitude toward “withholding” roles for actors on stage and in movies. Performers may be notified that a role is on hold while casting agents and directors make final casting decisions. art hub We spoke to several performers who have experienced suspensions of up to four months.
“It’s devastating for your mental health,” warns a busy acting agent who works across stage and screen. When actors are suspended for several weeks, their schedules, family arrangements, and even housing are affected. It can be a shock, especially when you are finally notified that the role is not available. Performers will have to scramble to find work to fill holes in their pressured schedules.
To make matters worse, there is a perceived history of actors being punished for asking questions or complaining about unreasonable wait times.
“I had a buddy who played the same role as me,” says actor Trent*. “We were both in quarantine for almost six weeks. He needed to know if we had this gig because he was rehearsing for Interstate and we were also close to signing a lease.” I asked questions and was released immediately. Then I got scared. I waited another six weeks and then heard that I wasn’t getting the role.”
Nationally, actors are at much higher risk for depression and anxiety than the general population, and have generally been documented to have higher rates of poor mental health.
“We’re definitely seeing more of this happening across the country,” said Michelle Ray, national equity director at the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. art hub. “Being on hold doesn’t lock you into a role, it locks you into a desire. As long as you remember that casting directors are responsible for providing a clear yes or no. No problem. Unfortunately, there are major problems, especially in the screen industry. ”
Actors’ mental health at the whim of casting directors
Trent is an established actor who has been active on the national stage for many years. In 2023, he auditioned for a main stage role and received very positive feedback while in the venue. In the end, he was suspended for three months. Meanwhile, his representatives were unable to get a response from the company. He heard through Scuttlebutt that two other actors had been released. Trent took this as confirmation that he was close to securing the role.
My partner decided to quit his job in 2024 because he was afraid to ask questions to avoid missing out. Trent says: art hub“Part of that decision was the idea that we were likely to do this big gig in the middle of the year.”
When it was finally confirmed that Trent did not get the role, he was understandably disappointed. He currently works seven days a week on four different temporary contracts to make money. “It’s all normal [the course] “Being an actor,” Trent says, “and to a certain extent I accept that. But this time I was really pissed off and ended up complaining to higher ups at the company.”
Trent was able to meet directly with people within the company. “It felt like a lot of things were mundane,” he says. “They said I was a senior artist and valuable to the company. But it’s like: So why would you treat a human being like that?
Trent was conscious of not wanting to be portrayed as an actor suffering from sour grapes, and the rest of the cast felt the same way. One actor, who received the role four months after auditioning, declined to comment so as not to appear ungrateful and affect his future working relationships. Those who missed out on roles feared that they would be ignored as competitive actors and would not be able to participate in future auditions. The agent is also concerned about casting and what kind of relationship he needs to develop with the director. Honest dialogue between parties can feel impossible when established power relationships are tilted in favor of casting directors.
‘Feeling less than human’: Actors’ mental health deteriorates during casting process
In theater, casting is part of a larger programming framework, and actors often lack insight.new play 37 Written by Nathan Maynard and directed by Isaac Drandyk. A co-production between Melbourne Theater Company and Queensland Theatre. In co-productions, the cast is often chosen from the production partner’s home city. We see actors from both states audition for roles and out-of-state actors get cast. For those who lose, it may feel like the opportunity to perform locally is being lost. This is particularly painful in states like Queensland, where local residents feel many of their roles have already been moved outside the state.
In film, agents are often frustrated by the casting director’s lack of communication. “It’s rare to receive confirmation that an actor has been fired,” says one agent. art hub. “We follow them. Often these actors are being considered for other roles and we need to see in real time what opportunities are actually available to them, so this is It’s difficult. And of course it creates anxiety for the actor. The actor’s mental health deteriorates.”
It’s also common for inexperienced producers and casting directors to become confused about certain terminology. “Stock check,” “hold,” and “tight hold” are common phrases, but the nuances of their meanings can vary from producer to producer and casting director to producer. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) is campaigning to establish clear guidelines for these Terms. However, anecdotally, these guidelines are far from standard practice.
International stars speak out in defense of actors’ mental health
“I feel like we’re always going through this,” says one actor art hub. “Every few years we have to remind everyone that we are human beings. We want to work hard, but we shouldn’t be exploited or fired. ”
Agents feel the same way. “There are always professional companies that try to circumvent agents,” says one. art hub. “It makes everyone’s life more difficult and unfair to actors.”
Contact outside of business hours is also common. One actor says: “A well-known director, who I had never spoken to, contacted me on Facebook Messenger on a weeknight and asked if he could audition for a role later that week.”
The Australian government recently amended its industrial relations regulations to cover out-of-hours contacts from employers under the ‘Right to Insulation’ legislation, which protects gig workers such as actors who are contacted about auditions. It’s not something you do.
There has also been an outcry around the world over the growing demand for self-tape auditions for theater actors, including heavyweights such as Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman.
“It’s really disrespectful,” Coleman said. indie wire. “That wouldn’t have happened.” [got] If I had to make a self-tape, where would I be? Because I was going to an audition. I knew they didn’t need me, but it was so much fun to win them over. ”
“I had to ask my agent to fight for a local theater company to get me an in-person audition,” Trent says. art hub. “It was for physical, kinesthetic work.”
Accepting financial hardship and lack of stability is standard for any artist, but when workforce imbalances are unnecessarily damaging to actors’ mental health, clearly changes need to be made.
* It’s not his real name.
