TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF!
Yes, there’s that question they ask you to answer right after you slate your name and give some stats on yourself. It can happen when you send in a tape or a live zoom or in person. It’s just something that we all feel so awkward about. It’s funny to realize that acting is about expressing your feelings and not being self-conscious in front of others; yet when we’re asked to talk about ourselves, it’s suddenly uncomfortable. Why is that? It’s mostly because when we “act” we are playing a character who in some regards is an extension of ourselves but is not who we really are. So, when we play a character, we can funnel our feelings into that person and whatever the situation is. The thing to remember is that actors are really like writers. They are storytellers. That’s why you need to know what your own story is. Your own story is about your own world. Therefore, it’s very important to ask yourself the question: what is my world? Who are the people in my world? What are the things I do in my world? How do I spend my free time? What do I feel passionate about? What is my point of view about all these things in my life? That’s the story. That’s your story. You just need to connect the dots and tell it like a story from beginning to middle to end. Plus, it needs to be entertaining and full of personality. The whole thing is more about your ability to tell a story and express yourself than the facts.
The problem is that most people think it’s just about the content. They asked themselves questions like what can I tell them about me that’s interesting? So many people fail this test. They say something like: When I’m not acting, I like to sing, dance, and hang out with my friends. That’s all they say. There’s no story or anything.
That answer is a big fat zero! (If I had a buzzer, I would push the buzzer and believe me there would be a lot of buzzing going on because a lot of people just list a few things and that’s it.) Think about it. If you are auditioning to be a lead in a show or film, there needs to be a strength in your ability to engage others and be watchable. That’s the ticket.
It might be good to simply say something like: Here’s a little bit about me.
Or another might be: I’m going to tell you a little bit about myself. Then you can give a brief overview of what your world is like in about 45 seconds. It absolutely needs to be something you have practiced. It is extremely difficult to do spontaneously, and have it come out the way you want. I know it’s not easy talking about yourself but get used to it! If you become famous and go on talk shows, that’s what you do. You tell stories about yourself, about the project you have premiering, and you need to be entertaining.
So, this whole thing about: “tell us about yourself?”, is really a test to find out how engaging and entertaining you can be in the most genuine way.