During a recent roundtable discussion, Naomi Watts, an actress who is well known for her roles in Mulholland Drive (2001), Adore (2013) and King Kong (2005) amongst others shared a memorable and awkward experience. The event organized by The Hollywood Reporter was posted on May 29, 2020 and provided an opportunity for these actresses to share their experiences and challenges in the industry.
Awkward moments
Naomi Watts, a British actress who is aged fifty five admitted that she had the most humiliating moment in her acting career. She once had a chemistry test audition during which she was requested to kiss one of the famous actors. “I Have. Just once, and it was very awkward.”
She further said that they went on with the scene even without hearing ‘cut’ which made it worse. “It was mortifying because we didn’t hear a ‘cut,’ and it just kept going. Then they were like, ‘OK, OK.’”
The importance of chemistry
Watts acknowledged during the discussion that she did not get the part, making her question her performance; she said: “I was auditioning and I didn’t get the job, so clearly I did not do a good makeout. It was with a very well-known actor. And we both were like, ‘Oh, sorry, we didn’t hear…’ I did feel a bit rattled.’”
Chemistry doesn’t assure success during shooting, said Nicole Kidman chiming in. “You can not have chemistry, and onscreen, it’s made. There’s a way you can shoot things. I think just relying on chemistry is lazy. There’s the writing. There’s the interaction. You can literally be directed through it.”
This point was also echoed by Jennifer Aniston as he insisted that chemistry can be affected by the audition environment.“Maybe you’d have chemistry with this person if you were in a different environment and not, like, ‘Create chemistry. Ready? Go!”
She also shared that she had been one of the worst at auditions as she remembered her days working as a waiter before getting her first role in a Bob’s Big Boy commercial.
Thoughts on auditions
This often hurried and impersonal process of auditioning was further described by Naomi Watts. She said that she could feel the energy in the room and felt that she was pushed to be in a hurry. “I’d even go, ‘Yeah, don’t worry, I’m out of your way in one second. You don’t even have to look me in the eye and shake my hand.”
Watts also discussed her unique experience with director David Lynch during casting for Mulholland Drive. She appreciated the fact that Lynch took time to get to know her on a personal level by asking about her background and upbringing. “I was like, ‘Wait really? You want to take time with me? You want to know s— about me and how I was raised and all of that?”
Industry insights
This comes after Anne Hathaway revealed in April how uncomfortable it was for her to kiss ten men while doing their chemistry tests when she started acting. These narratives illustrate some difficult moments of Hollywood auditioning which are usually challenging, bringing out actors’ patience and adaptability essential for success in this industry.
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