Actors and actors’ agents across the country are concerned about an increasing permissive attitude toward putting actors “on hold” for stage and film roles. Actors may be informed that a role is on hold while a casting agent or director makes the final casting decision. Art Hub We spoke to several performers who have taken hiatuses of up to four months.
“It’s devastating to your mental health,” warns one busy acting agent on both stage and screen. When an actor is grounded for weeks, it affects their schedule, their family circumstances, and sometimes their housing. It’s particularly devastating when they’re finally informed that they won’t get a role, leaving them to scramble to find work to fill gaps in their schedules that they felt pressured to keep free.
To make matters worse, there is a history of actors being punished for asking questions or complaining about unreasonable wait times.
“I had a friend who was applying for the same role as me,” actor Trent* says. “We both had no contact for almost six weeks. He was rehearsing across state lines, he was close to signing a lease, and he needed to know if this was a good fit for him. He asked the question and didn’t get a response right away. Then I got scared and waited another six weeks to hear that I didn’t get the part.”
Nationally, actors are at much higher risk of depression and anxiety than the general population, and have higher rates of poor mental health in general.
“We’re definitely seeing more of this across the country,” said Michelle Ray, national equity director for the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. Art Hub“Being on hold doesn’t mean you’ll get a role, but it does put you at a loss for hope. It doesn’t matter if you remember that it’s the casting director’s responsibility to give you a clear yes or no answer. Unfortunately, it’s a big problem, especially in the film industry.”
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Actors’ mental health is at the whims of casting directors
Trent is a well-known actor who has been performing on the national stage for many years. He auditioned for a main stage role in 2023 and got a very positive response from the venue. It ended up being put on hold for three months. During that time, his agent didn’t hear back from the company. Rumor had it that he had heard that two other actors had been fired. Trent took this as confirmation that he was close to getting the role.
Fearing that asking questions would cost him the opportunity, his partner decided to take time off work in 2024. Trent says. Art Hub“Part of the reason for that decision was the idea that this big job could come up in the middle of the year.”
When it was finally confirmed that Trent didn’t get the role, he was understandably disappointed. He’s now working seven days a week on four different temporary contracts to make up for the money. [the course] “As an actor, you accept that to a certain extent,” Trent says, “but this time it really pissed me off and I ended up complaining to higher-ups at the company.”
Trent was able to meet with people within the company face-to-face. “It was all platitudes,” he says. “They told me I was a senior artist and an asset to the company, but then why treat a human being like this?”
Trent knew he didn’t want to be portrayed as a sour grapes actor, and other actors shared his sentiments. One actor who got the role four months after auditioning was reluctant to comment, lest he appear ungrateful and affect future working relationships. Other actors who missed out on the role feared being fired for being sour grapes and losing out on future audition opportunities. Agents are also concerned about the relationships they must build with casting directors. When the established power dynamics are tilted in favor of the casting director, honest dialogue between the parties seems impossible.
‘I feel less than human’: Casting process damages actors’ mental health
In theatre, casting is part of a larger programming framework that actors do not understand. 37 The play was written by Nathan Maynard and directed by Isaac Drandic. It is a co-production between Melbourne Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre. Co-productions often draw casts from the producing partners’ home cities. Actors from both states audition for roles, and see actors from outside the state take the roles. For the losers, it may feel like a loss of local theatre opportunities. In a state like Queensland, this has been particularly painful, with locals feeling that many of their roles have already been transferred outside the state.
In the film world, agents are often frustrated by a lack of communication from casting directors. “It’s rare to receive confirmation that an actor has been fired,” one agent said. Art Hub“We chase them. And it’s difficult because often these actors are being considered for other roles and we have to see what opportunities are actually available to them in real time. And of course, it creates anxiety for the actor. It takes a toll on the actor’s mental health.”
Inexperienced producers and casting directors are often confused about certain terminology. “Check availability,” “on hold,” and “tight hold” are commonly used phrases, but the nuances of meaning can vary from producer to producer or casting director to producer. The Media, Entertainment, and Arts Alliance (MEAA) has campaigned to establish clear guidelines regarding these terms; however, anecdotally, these guidelines are far from standard practice.
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“I feel like we go through this all the time,” one actor said. Art Hub“Every few years we need 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: “I see professional companies trying to get around agents all the time,” one agent said. Art Hub“It makes life harder for everyone and it’s unfair to the actors.”
After-hours contact is also commonplace: One actor said, “A famous director I’d never spoken to before contacted me on Facebook Messenger one weeknight, asking if I’d come in to audition for a role later this week.”
The Australian government recently amended its labour relations regulations to make out-of-hours contact from employers subject to “right to disconnect” laws, but the laws do not protect gig workers such as actors who receive audition calls.
There has also been a global outcry over the growing demand for self-tape auditions by theatre actors, including big names such as Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman.
“It’s really disrespectful,” Colman said. IndieWire“I [got] If I had to make a self-tape, who knows where I would be right now, because I showed up to auditions knowing they didn’t want me, but it was so much fun convincing them.
“I had to beg my agent to send me to audition at local theater companies,” Trent says. Art Hub“And it was physical, kinesthetic work.”
Accepting financial hardship and uncertainty is normal for any artist, but when a power imbalance at work is unnecessarily taking a toll on actors’ mental health, it’s clear that change is needed.
* It’s not his real name.
