Acting advice from casting director Anna McAuley

At Mandy.com we believe in helping our actors succeed, which is why organise regular surgery sessions which give our actors the opportunity to meet in person with established experts in the industry.

Our recent #MandySurgery session was led by casting director Anna McAuley. Anna has worked with directors in Film and TV Michael Winterbottom (known for 24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart and The Killer Inside Me), Adam Smith (known for Trespass Against Us, Skins and Dr Who) and Jonathan Glazer (known for Under the Skin, Sexy Beast and Birth). Anna has significant experience in search work and street casting. Her feature films include Grimsby, Trespass Against Us, Swallows and Amazons and The Falling.

These sessions are very popular. For those who didn’t secure a place, we’ve summarised Anna’s top tips for actors. Keep an eye on Mandy Actors Surgery page or follow us on Twitter and be the first to hear about new Mandy Surgery sessions as they’re announced.

Anna’s Top Tips

• Be yourself and remain grounded in an audition.
• Don’t focus on the negative, keep positive.
• Everyone is human so come across as one!
• Avoid montages in your showreel - lots of CDs don’t like them.
• Don’t have a one note showreel - allow people to see all of you.
• Don’t be generic with your cover letters.
• Go to casting workshops - but be selective.
• Be proactive and seek opportunities to meet industry people and casting directors.

Mandy Surgeries are an exclusive opportunity for Premium members to book a free one-on-one career advice session with key figures in the industry. Sign up today and get 30 days Premium trial.