Ouch!

John Rayment
Actor

Applied for a job a couple of weeks ago, and was pleased to see that the employer viewed my application quickly, looked at my profile, etc.

They viewed my application again the next day, and again every couple of days for the last week or so, occasionally looking at my showreel, voice clips, etc a few times as well. I even got quite optimistic about getting an audition out of it... until today when I got the dreaded "Application not taken forward"!

Rejection is of course part of the business, but that was a bit more tortuous than usual.

So I thought I'd ask about your worst/best?/most bizarre rejection scenarios...

Just for fun - I've done my moaning :)


  • 13 years ago
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Nathan Head
Actor

my most unusual i think i posted on here a few weeks ago, i got emailed/messaged three times a rejection. haah three times. just in case i didn't get it the first time

another (which has happened a couple of time on a rival casting site) i got rejection letters for jobs i never even applied for.


  • 13 years ago
  • 1

In their defence, sometimes it is really hard to make a decision and you have to show lots of other people in the process...

My worst was being inviting the audition by video- but not being able to asked to audition in person, and was turned down.

A week later I'm invited again to audition by video and have to explain again that I can't- this time they mention there may be auditions too.

Then they email to say sorry, the part is male, so they won't be auditioning me this time.


  • 13 years ago
  • 2
Private User
This profile is private

I really hate the

'It was between you and someone else'

That gets under my skin...

Had one that said 'You are the best person for this part...I can't believe im saying this, I just cant cast you!' the conversation went on for about 30mins... 30mins of rejection!


  • 13 years ago
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Nathan Head
Actor

yeah i really do appreciate it is a delicate process and the slightest tiniest differences in someone performance or appearance can sway the scales. I really do get that, it's all part of the job.


  • 13 years ago
  • 4
Private User
This profile is private

I applied for a job almost a month ago and they've viewed me numerous times, often several times a day and even on a Sunday evening!! Yet still no contact from them at all! Can't decide if they're teasing me, going to offer an audition (or the job!) or there's someone who fancies me there!!? It may just fizzle out and be none of the above after all. As much as it's a negative, it's nice to get the 'thanks but no thanks' than simply nothing at all and wondering whether it's worth still holding onto the hope!


  • 13 years ago
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John Rayment
Actor

Hehe, sometimes I think I'd rather have the forlorn hope than the "thanks but no thanks"

But I am a bit odd :)


  • 13 years ago
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Farah Sardar
Actor

I once applied for the role of 'Muslim Woman' - Oh I was so confident when I clicked the 'send' button but guess what, I didn't hear.


  • 13 years ago
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charles delaney
Actor, Singer

I get people who make the mistake of not casting me...
It's a bit strange really !

'POLE'


  • 13 years ago
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Farah Sardar
Actor

Ahhhhh, you'd make a good Muslim Woman!


  • 13 years ago
  • 9
Private User
This profile is private

I sometimes get the 'application not taken forward' mail and then get an audition invite shortly afterwards which is weird.

I've was also cast in a feature early this year and then after being told that shooting was being postponed while monies raised (par for the course where features are concerned) now have all my communications ignored, it's someone I have a professional relationship with too. According to their website the film is still on hold so it doesn't appear that the've re-cast and are just embarrassed to tell me... Not sure what's going on there and seems no way to find out.
Ah well, onwards and sideways


  • 13 years ago
  • 10
User Deleted
This profile has been archived

John I had one where the director, writer, producer and choreographer all said I was perfect for the role and checked dates I was free immediately after the audition.

Director said he was really looking forward to working with me and called me twice the same day to tell me how great it was that I was on board.

Needless to say I didn't get the role!


  • 13 years ago
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John Rayment
Actor

That's pretty impressive, Colin!

Did you ever hear why?


  • 13 years ago
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Private User
This profile is private

Several years ago I applied for a short film, and was offered the part and sent the full script to learn.

I contacted them several times afterwards regarding the exact shooting dates (as they were only pencilled in on first contact.)

My emails and calls were ignored only to be told eventually that they had given the part to someone else!


  • 13 years ago
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Lee Ravitz
Actor

I have been cast (in a part I would have appreciated performing), had the role confirmed with my agent and been negotiating the contract, when the offer was rescinded, and the part given to somebody else. Short of being literally replaced on the set, I am not sure things can get more frustrating than that. But the company involved were pretty professional about the situation, and their reasoning, I suspect, was justified: the key mistake was, in fact, offering me the part before all parties in the decision making process had come to a final agreement with one another. So, sometimes, I suppose, you *can* rush these things detrimentally!


  • 13 years ago
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John Rayment
Actor

Crikey, Lee, that really *is* an ouch!


  • 13 years ago
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User Deleted
This profile has been archived

Hi All,

Once I applied to a very culturally specific casting on CCP (actress who must have Singapore/Malaysia/Thai background, nothing less). My agent was contacted about an audition. So I travel all the way up to Manchester, sitting hopefully in audition room when all of a sudden Casting Director changes mind and was accepting ANYONE didn't matter what background they were from as long as they looked the very slightest bit Oriental.

I totally understand why looks rule over real nationality in terms of casting, but er...I probably wouldn't have spent all that money travelling to Manchester just for a casting that fits hundreds of hopefuls...(they were seeing loads of non-actors too), so that was a bummer. Needless to say I didn't get the job.

xx Ava.


  • 13 years ago
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Toni Brooks
Actor

I once auditioned for The Wright Show (taking over from the woman who takes the phone calls while she had a 3 week holiday). I was the only one to get a call back and did another audition with full make up etc and everyone said I was perfect for the part and that it was more or less in the bag. I didn't get it and the part was given to a large lady of colour so the total opposite of me :-))


  • 13 years ago
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Kirk Moore
Actor

I was cast as a minor role in a western film earlier this year. The director was very keen to have me on board, etc etc...

Then, the actor playing the main villain had to pull out of the production at the last minute, so I was asked if I wanted to play this somewhat more substantial role... which I was more than happy to, so I dutifully started trying to cram in all the new lines...

The director contacts me again.... some of the funding has been withdrawn, and, since the period costumes were so expensive to make and source, would I be prepared to work for no pay and no expenses, he asked...

Um, how about: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

So, I was re-cast...

On the other side of things, I just got a very nice rejection letter from a production company I did a TV Pilot audition for... basically, it was down to me and one other bloke, and it was the hardest casting decision they had to make, etc... fine, i said, tell me the other blokes name, and I'll go Tonya Harding on his A$$...

Well, in my mind, I said it... still, it was a nice rejection! :-)


  • 13 years ago
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Was cast in Corrie one time and it was cancelled.....too complicated to go in to


  • 13 years ago
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Michelle Ashton
Actor, Singer

The weirdest and nicest rejection I ever had was:

"We wanted someone babyfaced. And, well you are babyfaced but a bit too babyfaced. You make [Actor who also wrote the piece] look really old when you're stood next to her, so we can't really cast you."

I ended up being their stage manager in the end!


  • 13 years ago
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