An Open Invitation to Audition
A casting call, often referred to as an open call, is an audition process that is open to the general public or a wide pool of actors, rather than being restricted to submissions from professional talent agents. It is a method used by productions to see a large volume of performers, and it serves several distinct purposes in the casting process.
Types and Purposes of Casting Calls
Not all casting calls are the same; they are typically used in two primary contexts:
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Background Casting (Extras): This is the most common use of the open call. A production filming in a specific city will hold a casting call to hire hundreds or thousands of local, non-speaking background actors needed to populate scenes like battles, concerts, or crowded city streets. These events often draw huge crowds of people seeking a chance to be in a movie.
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Principal Role Searches: While most lead roles are cast through agents, a production will sometimes use an open call when they are conducting a wide, often international, search for a very specific or hard-to-find type of actor. This is common when seeking an unknown child actor to carry a film, an actor from a specific ethnic background, or a performer with a unique skill set. The highly publicized searches for the lead roles in the Harry Potter films are a famous example of this type of large-scale open call.
Open Calls vs. Standard Auditions
It is important to distinguish an open call from the standard audition process for professional actors. Most principal roles are cast through a curated process where casting directors solicit submissions from a trusted network of talent agents. This allows them to see a pre-vetted pool of professional actors. An open call, in contrast, casts a much wider, unfiltered net. For aspiring actors without agency representation, an open call can be a rare opportunity to be seen by a professional casting director.