David Giella began his career as a New York actor at seventeen. He worked steadily in both theatre and commercials but found himself interested in the production side when he started assisting as a reader at Hughes-Moss Casting. Within a few months, he was casting for them, while still continuing his pursuit of an acting career. In 1987, he moved to Los Angeles after realizing that he enjoyed casting more than acting. He began his new career at Reuben Cannon and Associates, where his work included What’s Love Got to Do with It, Geronimo, Blind Justice, several Rockford Files MOWs and the series Under One Roof. In 1996, he started his own company, casting such hit series as Touched by an Angel and its spin off, Promised Land; and films Desperado, Blank Check and Village of the Damned.
I had an epiphany. I had just come from a final callback for the lead in a feature film that I actually got. Walking to my car after the audition, it occurred to me that I’m very good at what I do and yet, if I spend 99 percent of my time acting, I’m only spending one-half a percent of my time doing the kind of acting that really makes me happy or allows me to contribute in the way that I want to. At that moment in my life I was, for the first time, more interested in being happy than in being an actor. Even though I was a good actor, I wasn’t making a difference on the planet. And so, I went on and it’s led me to a place where— through my expertise in acting and directing and coaching—I feel that, on a weekly basis, I can impact 25 million people on a series called Touched by an Angel. As a casting director I can make an enormous difference and a huge contribution. I was an actor every second up until the time I wasn’t, up until life led me to a point where I realized that the journey was taking a turn. And I’ve never regretted it for an instant.
I tell people that if they want to be a doctor, they’d have to do ten years of training before they cut into anybody. The same goes for acting. I believe you need to learn craft and technique and then practice it for ten years. When I started acting it wasn’t until probably ten years into it that it became organic and just how I breathe. Train somewhere; go do theatre and plays; get jobs in student films and finally, in TV and film. Then in ten years you’ll know. I’m speaking of having a career that will sustain decades. There are always going to be people who can get off a bus, get a pilot and a TV series and work for a couple of years if they’re lucky. But in the course of that time, if they don’t learn the craft, then I doubt they can sustain a successful career.
That depends on where you’re more marketable. If you can sing and dance and have lots of energy with a bright personality and a sense of depth, go to New York and get into plays and musicals. Do theatre. Many of our top television actors in the half hour world come from theatre. Christine Baranski is a Tony Award winning actress from the theatre. Jason Alexander, Tony Award winning actor. John Mahoney. Do what you’re best at and television will find you. You just need to go to a place where you’re strong, good and marketable; a place where you can compete and win. That’s where you want to be.
I know, it breaks my heart to be working on two shows that are hits but we only cast the big name talents from Los Angeles. The reality is that these shows shoot in Salt Lake City, so many of the roles that would be open for the majority of the acting pool are just not available because they’re cast in Utah. And guest leads on Touched by an Angel are tough roles. They attract stars who are not normally interested in a standard guest role on a television series. It’s like a lead on an MOW. The actor not only has to be responsible for his part, but for the whole story. A lead on our show is on fifty-two of fifty-four pages. The angels, who are the series regulars, most of the time take supporting roles in the particular leading character’s story. So you can’t just hire a good actor; you need somebody with the charisma and accountability for the whole show. And unless somebody has carried a series or feature film, it’s rare that they have the muscle developed to be able to deliver that.
Yes, I do go. But people shouldn’t be upset when casting directors come to your play and leave after the first act. It’s usually not personal. It’s just that we’ve seen what we need. We’ve already been working since early in the morning. We’ve worked on Saturdays. I’m usually in the office until 7:30 p.m. and then I go to see a piece of theatre. By 9:15 p.m., I’m tired of working. I deserve my life.
I don’t love them but...
Oh no, you absolutely can. Look, I’ve been in this active investigation of talent, acting, technique, presence and star quality since I was seventeen. If you walk into a doctor’s office they can just look at you and get a sense. A good therapist will sit down with somebody and in two minutes they’ll be able to determine if there’s been physical abuse or if this is a child of an alcoholic. It’s present in the room with you. The actor walks in the room and everything is out there. Your talent, your presence, your nerves, whether you can do a series regular or a guest or recurring role. All of that stuff is present in the room with you. As casting directors, we’re aware of that. We know and we’re hardly ever wrong. Every once in a while I’m surprised. Somebody who I didn’t expect to do very well does. And every once in a while I’m disappointed. Somebody who’s just great in the room and in the meeting will read and you think, “What happened?”
For me there are not a lot of rules. Some casting directors will say never to bring props, for example. When you do, it pisses them off. Reality is that casting directors say never to bring props because nine times out of ten they just don’t work. They get in the way, ruin your audition and they make you look amateurish. The casting directors are just trying to help you. If you’re using a prop, it had better feed the moment. You can come in with your phone, if you have to do a phone conversation. But you don’t need to bring in food, for instance, unless it’s a choice that’s going to make a moment brilliant.
Now costumes. From an acting standpoint, clothing can make the character. But if you’re auditioning for a nurse, I don’t have to see you in a nurse’s outfit. It probably would be inappropriate to wear high heels, though. If you’re making a choice of clothing to wear because of the character, the feel of the clothing should feed your acting. If it doesn’t, don’t bother. As a nurse you might want to wear the kind of shoes that make you feel that you’ve been on your feet all day. Character appropriate attire is fine, but nobody needs to see you in the costume, unless you’re a six foot two and half inch muscle man and you’re coming in for the role of a drag queen.
It’s not a good idea to touch the person you’re reading with. If there’s a scene and somebody kisses you, you don’t need to feel the lips to act the meaning of that moment. You just need to know what that moment is, know what that moment means, and then act it. Same thing for hitting or for a gentle touch on the arm or holding hands or anything else. You don’t need the physical... it’s all the meaning of the moment. The audition is always the close-up. I don’t need to see you moving around the room. You don’t need to do blocking, unless movement is vital to the meaning of the scene. Otherwise put your butt in a chair or plant your feet somewhere and stand and just act like it’s your close-up.
As an actor, if you ever come in and do something because you think it’s what they want you to do, then shame on you. As an actor, you need to be an expert in human behavior and know the way a human behaves in this given situation. You never want to come in and give us what you think we’re looking for. You want to come in and give us your very best acting. I’d be interested in practicing my best acting always, regardless of whether I’m gonna get the job I was auditioning for or not. Because if every time I opened my mouth, good acting came out, in five years I’d have a good career. Whereas, if I were constantly second guessing and adjusting my nature and my instincts and my craft to match some casting assistant putting people on tape, I might be compromising my sense of truthful behavior and ultimately, my best acting.
Many actors in Hollywood would do better giving up their careers and pursue acting just as a hobby, because most actors don’t have a career. If your life is working, if you have an agent and you’re happy and content with booking two guest spots or two day player roles a year and your life is filled and creative and happy and you’re not complaining about your career and you’re not suffering, then that’s great. If, on the other hand, you’re booking five day player roles a year and you’re not happy and your agent drops you and you can’t get another one and you’re complaining and miserable and you’ve been in therapy, maybe it’s time for something different. I don’t believe in following your heart. But I do believe in letting your life educate you as to the journey that it desires you to take. Maybe there’s a different course that actually will bring you a much more fulfilling life that will satisfy you. I went in the direction the world was pushing my life and that is what allowed my dreams to come true.
David Giella
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