I recently had to "fire" the lead actor of a professional gamer web series I've been working on. It was a very hard decision because, while he certainly fit the character and was a joy to have on-set, the distance he would be travelling and his schedule just wasn't feasible.
I began the process to try and re-cast the lead role and I only had one actor submit. Physically, he kinda comes close to what I envisioned for the character, but he doesn't seem like he'd be a good fit. I asked him some off-hand questions about video games and gaming, to which he acted like he couldn't care less. I'm not saying background knowledge or experience was a prerequisite, but it would've helped. I'm not sure what his comedic chops are like. When he came in to audition and read, I saw flashes of the character, but not enough. I followed up with him after a week to ask him if he would be willing to shave for the duration of filming (he said yes). But still, I'm not entirely sold on him.
Should I have him watch the first episode to get a sense of what the role is about? The goal, of course, wouldn't be to imitate the previous actor. I just want him to see what the character is about and get a sense of what we're asking him to do. I'm kind of at a loss as to what else to do because, even before we cast the first actor last summer, no one came to read for the role. I'm not sure if it's because we're unable to pay anyone or because the concept is too "out there." It's a mockumentary about a college grad who wants to play video games professionally. My target is obviously the Internet and people who play video games.
I just don't know anymore.
I began the process to try and re-cast the lead role and I only had one actor submit. Physically, he kinda comes close to what I envisioned for the character, but he doesn't seem like he'd be a good fit. I asked him some off-hand questions about video games and gaming, to which he acted like he couldn't care less. I'm not saying background knowledge or experience was a prerequisite, but it would've helped. I'm not sure what his comedic chops are like. When he came in to audition and read, I saw flashes of the character, but not enough. I followed up with him after a week to ask him if he would be willing to shave for the duration of filming (he said yes). But still, I'm not entirely sold on him.
Should I have him watch the first episode to get a sense of what the role is about? The goal, of course, wouldn't be to imitate the previous actor. I just want him to see what the character is about and get a sense of what we're asking him to do. I'm kind of at a loss as to what else to do because, even before we cast the first actor last summer, no one came to read for the role. I'm not sure if it's because we're unable to pay anyone or because the concept is too "out there." It's a mockumentary about a college grad who wants to play video games professionally. My target is obviously the Internet and people who play video games.
I just don't know anymore.
