Advice for Actors from Hollyoaks Casting Director Peter Hunt

Mandy members were given the opportunity to work on a scene with Peter one to one, and get some invaluable career advice at this Mandy Surgery session in Manchester.


About Peter Hunt

Peter joined Lime Pictures in 2015 taking up the position of Head of Casting & Casting Director of Hollyoaks. In his position as Head of Casting Peter oversees the casting needs for all Lime Drama and Children’s output.

Peter initially trained as an Actor at The Arts Education School, London and worked professionally as an Actor across various TV, Film & Theatre projects before moving behind the camera to work in production and casting.

Over the years Peter has worked on many popular and well-known productions such as Where the Heart is’, ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Shameless’, ‘Blue Murder’ & ‘Cold Blood to name but a few. In recent years his career has led him to cast an array of productions both for the UK and international markets ranging from Music Videos to TV Commercials, TV Comedy, TV Drama, Feature films and Theatre.


Peter's Top 10 Tips for Actors

  1. Think about what your selling point is and promote this.
  2. Be proactive - find out about what’s going on in your area and find your own opportunities.
  3. The first 30 seconds of your showreel need to be your strongest.
  4. Write to casting directors when you have some news (new footage/new production).
  5. Make each email personal to that casting director.
  6. When talking before the read, make sure you include everyone in the room.
  7. Bring volume right down when auditioning for the screen roles - imagine yourself in a cafe and you don’t want the tables either side to hear.
  8. Make eye contact with the person reading with you.
  9. Keep the pace up, pick up your cues quickly.
  10. If you have energised thoughts you don’t need to ‘do’ too much.

Actor Delegate Feedback

‘I really enjoyed the session with Peter. I found it very informative and his direction on the scene really helped improve my performance. This was a great opportunity and it’s so good that Mandy do this.’ James Oates
‘Had a great session, very professional and friendly. Didn’t feel under pressure and was able to relax and ask everything I need to.’ Sean Huddlestan
‘Very useful and informative. Both Peter and Abigail made me feel very relaxed and comfortable and I felt like I could ask anything I wanted.’ Kerry Whiteside
‘Honest! Relaxed, informal and very encouraging. Fab that Mandy do these.’ Sarah Kenny
‘Great! Such a great opportunity to meet someone as established as Peter. Really relaxed one to one which made me feel at ease.’ Stephanie Hutchinson
‘It was really refreshing. I feel that I have a lot more direction and clarity as to what I need to do to push my career forward. Would recommend to all my fellow actors.' Luke Goddard
‘Very informative. Really comfortable and relaxed. Great to get specific advice and tips for the future.’ Lauren Nicole-Mayes