Like so bad that I kept them in hidden folders on my computer in the off chance that someone discovered them. Whatever the case, it made me realize in a very profound way just how fascinating people are, and I wanted to write about them.ĭuring my hiatuses from the show, I tried to write scripts. Maybe they could see how interested I was in their stories. Turns out, people would share some deeply personal things with me. The idea was to create a relaxed environment so they could do their best. I often spent a few minutes before and after the audition chatting with the actor. I bet he doesn’t even have a cat.”Īnother day, a guy who reminded me of George Costanza from Seinfeld came in with a hefty spiked dog collar around his neck, because he “thought his character would wear one.” (I totally didn’t agree, but choices!) It didn’t land him the part, but his quirkiness was absolutely delightful, and that’s what made him so memorable. Later, when I told one of my co-workers what had happened, he smirked and said, “Yeah, I’ve heard that one too. So many thoughts coursed through my mind-the first of which was, his audition wasn’t bad-why is he crying?! I waited a moment and asked if he wanted to try again. One day, a twenty-something actor came in, did his audition, and burst into tears. All those different personalities and energies charged me in a fabulous way. Depending on how many guest and co-starring roles were in the script, I would sometimes see up to fifty actors per day. With both my positions as associate and casting director, my job involved auditioning actors. Following my internship, I landed a job as a casting assistant on The X Files.Įventually, I became the casting associate for Married…With Children and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and finally, I became a casting director for Party of Five.

But I learned quickly, and I discovered I loved the creativity of the job, and the fun of interacting with actors and agents. To be honest, prior to my senior year in college, I’d never heard of the job. I began working as an intern (read ‘worked without pay!’) for a casting director. That was something other people did.įlash forward to my first job out of college. (I still have them all.) So while I was thrilled by what my teacher had said, it didn’t allow me to entertain the idea of becoming an author.

An avid little bookworm who thought getting the newest Judy Blume novel in hard cover was the best gift in the world. The interesting thing is, I never considered that I could be a writer. It was the biggest compliment anyone could’ve paid me. I’m not sure what else she said-she could’ve come home with a litter of fluffy puppies for all I knew-but I was off dancing in the clouds. Back when I was in third grade, my mom returned from a parent-teacher conference with the news that my teacher had said I was a good writer.

Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise