Actresses Like Ever Carradine, Merrin Dungey & Sprague Grayden Lament Cost Of Audition Tapes; “We’re Never Ever Getting Back In The Room”
02.03.2023 - 23:37
/ deadline.com
Several actresses like Ever Carradine (The Handmaid’s Tale), Merrin Dungey (Big Little Lies) and Sprague Grayden (Hightown) turned to Twitter this week to express frustration over the pandemic-era trend of (costly) tape auditions and whether in-person tryouts are truly a thing of the past.
Carradine began her social media rant by noting how an ad popped up on her Instagram account for a “respected casting director’s office offering self tape opportunities for a fee. If we can go to casting and tape, can’t we just go to casting and actually read without paying $50 an audition?”
When someone asked if actors now have to pay for an audition, Carradine replied, “No, but you have to pay a facility to tape and read with you. In the before covid times, this was a last resort and most auditions happened in person in the room with casting, producers and the director. Self tape was like one out of 20 auditions. Now it’s 20 outta 20.”
She went on to say, “I’m not faulting them for offering their space or helping actors tape. Not at all. It’s more about getting in the room again.”
Carradine’s tweets were shared by Dungey, who replied, “This is some real bullsh– right here. It’s bad enough we can’t go in, and to get a great tape you have to use a service because you need a reader/lighting/editing. We are paying to get jobs now. With no notes. No communication. Lengthy sides. It’s not ideal.”
To which Carradine replied, “We are also paying for the jobs we don’t get.”
Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary) suggested that Dungey run for a union position, while actress Grayden weighed in on the trend by saying “self taping has given my family and I the room to move to a city that is much healthier for us. I think of the young/ unknown