# What do casting directors look for in an audition?

> A clear choice. Catherine Willis told Spotlight in 2024 that casting is about finding people who present a fully rounded character quite early on, and that the worst thing people do is become very generic. Do not try to second-guess what is being looked for. Decide who the character is and commit to it.

## What does that mean in practice?

- Decide who the person is before you start, and play that.
- Use your time. It is your time in the room or on the tape.
- Ask questions if something in the scene is unclear.
- If it goes wrong, stop and start again.

## What if it is a small role?

If it is a small role, do not play the "job", play the person. No character should be purely functional.

## What matters less than people think?

Where you trained, who represents you and where you come from. They matter far less than whether the casting director believes you.

## Is a self-tape judged differently?

No. Casting directors watch tapes because they need actors and want to find them. On tape the technical bar is low: being seen and heard clearly is nearly all that is needed.

## Sources

- [Spotlight: Meet the Casting Director, Catherine Willis, 2024](https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/the-industry/casting-director-catherine-willis-good-girls-guide-to-murder-bbc/)
- [Backstage: how to get cast in a YA adaptation, 2024](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/good-girls-guide-to-murder-cd-how-to-get-cast-ya-adaptation-77579/)

Last checked: 11 October 2026. Page: https://www.cwcasting.co.uk/questions/what-do-casting-directors-look-for-in-an-audition