7 Strangest Things Actors Had To Do To Win Movie Roles
"Before we hire you... can you pretend to crap your pants?"
Because casting is often such a secretive part of the filmmaking process, we sometimes forget that actors have to fight hard for their movie roles.
When you're watching a superhero flick, you don't really think about the many, many times that the lead actor had to stand in front of the producers, reading their lines while desperately hoping that they're portraying the character in the right way. It can be a difficult, lengthy process, and even the biggest of movie stars have to go through it.
But auditioning - or simply proving that you're the right actor for the role - isn't always as simple as reading a scene to a bunch of filmmakers.
In fact, there are some actors who were asked to do strange, complicated or embarrassing things in order to win the parts they were up for, even if these things didn't have anything to do with the character or the movie itself.
So, the next time you're having a bad day, just look at it like this: at least you didn't have to show a complete stranger what your assorted sex faces look like...
7. Vilhelm Blomgren Had To Walk Through The Woods Before His Audition (Midsommar)
Ari Aster's Midsommar is one of the most unnerving movies of recent years, a disturbing yet transfixing horror tale set within a detached Swedish commune.
A vast chunk of the movie is set outdoors, with the actors filming their scenes in a large field surrounded by a forest, and this beautiful location actually influenced the film's rather strange audition process.
In an interview with EW, actor Vilhelm Blomgren (who plays Pelle, a member of the commune) said that, in order to secure his role, he had to adhere to some weirdly specific notes from the casting director - he was told to walk through some woods for thirty metres immediately prior to recording his audition scene:
“I was actually just finishing up a Swedish HBO series, and the same casting agent was a part of Midsommar, so she called me. She was very specific about the self-tape, like, 'Can you start by walking thirty metres' - or something - 'in the woods, and then you do the scene.' I was like, 'Okay. Yeah, sure.' But that eventually got me the part. Maybe."
Perhaps they just wanted to put him in touch with nature? Or, maybe they just wanted to see which actors would actually adhere to such an unusual request. Who knows.