7 Effective Strategies to Help Your Young Actor Craft Unique Characters for Auditions

Casting

Mar 18

Encourage Your Young Actor to Create Unique Characters

One of the key ways to stand out in a self-tape audition is to create a memorable character that truly embodies the role. Here are seven fun and unique strategies to help your child actor create memorable characters and stand out from the competition.

The Audition Is The Job

This should be your mantra!

7 Hot Strategies for Memorable Character Creation

Draw Inspiration from Real Life
Encourage your child actor to look to their friends, family, or even people they observe in public as inspiration for their characters. Maybe their uncle has a funny laugh or their best friend has a distinctive way of speaking. These real-life references can add depth and authenticity to their character.
Embrace Character Types With A Twist
Often, characters in TV and film fall into recognizable types such as jocks, nerds, queen bees, or teacher's pets. Encourage your child actor to embrace these types and bring their own unique spin to them. What makes their jock different from others? What kind of nerdy hobbies or interests does their character have?
Use Physicality To Bring Characters To Life
A great way to bring a character to life is through physicality. Encourage your child actor to think about how their character moves, gestures, or even twitches. Perhaps their character always fidgets with their hair or has a habit of tapping their foot.
Experiment With Different Voices & Accents
Encourage your child actor to experiment with different voices or accents for their characters. Perhaps their character has a lisp or a Southern drawl. These choices can make their character stand out and add another layer of depth to their audition.
Explore A Range Of Emotions
Characters often have a wide range of emotions, so it's important for your child actor to explore the different emotions their character may experience. Maybe their character is typically bubbly and outgoing, but has a vulnerable side when they're alone. Or perhaps their character is angry and frustrated with the world around them.
Develop A Compelling Backstory
A great way to add depth to a character is to create a backstory for them. Encourage your child actor to think about where their character came from, what their family life is like, and what motivates them. This can help them understand their character on a deeper level and bring authenticity to their performance.
Incorporate Props & Quirky Clothing
Finally, encourage your child actor to incorporate props into their audition. Perhaps their character always carries a certain object with them, or maybe they have a quirky piece of clothing that defines them. These props can help their character stand out and add an extra layer of authenticity to their audition.