Jennifer Aniston, in a roundtable discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, discussed how awkward auditions can get. The roundtable featured other esteemed talents such as Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Sofia Vergara, Jodie Foster, Brie Larson, and Anna Sawai.
Jennifer Aniston, Sofía Vergara, Nicole Kidman, Brie Larson, Anna Sawai, Naomi Watts, and Jodie Foster in The Drama Actress Roundtable | The Hollywood Reporter
Aniston opened up to other actresses about the disadvantages people often face in an audition room, and how the situation can quickly get uncomfortable. Other actresses at the table seemed to agree, given that these were all industry veterans who had faced their fair share of uncomfortable auditions.
Jennifer Aniston called herself a ‘terrible auditioner’
Jennifer Aniston in Friends | NBC
Jennifer Aniston opened up about how quickly the audition room can get awkward, especially when it comes to chemistry tests with other actors. Aniston clearly stated that she was a ‘horrible auditioner’, such that the situation became infinitely worse when the audition involved getting intimate. She said (via The Hollywood Reporter):
When you’re in an audition room, you’re already at a disadvantage. Maybe you’d have chemistry with this person if you were in a different environment and not, like, “Create chemistry. Ready? Go!” And I’m a terrible auditioner, always was.
I waitressed forever before I could finally get something, which was a Bob’s Big Boy commercial. So, if you’re a nervous auditioner to begin with, to then say, “Now let’s have you make out with a complete stranger,” it’s very uncomfortable.
Other actresses at the table wholeheartedly agreed with Aniston’s assessment, talking about how awkward they would feel in similar situations.
The conversation was largely focused on how Anne Hathaway had come out with her story of having to make out with actors for auditions, something that she was not excited about.
Naomi Watts revealed a situation where such an audition got very awkward
Naomi Watts in King Kong | Universal Pictures
Naomi Watts, just like Aniston, opened up about how auditions can get a little awkward, especially when another actor is involved and the participants are asked to get intimate. Speaking with her fellows, she revealed:
I was auditioning and I didn’t get the job, so clearly I did not do a good make-out. It was with a very well-known actor. It was mortifying because we didn’t hear a “cut,” and it just kept going. Then they were like, “OK, OK.” And we both were like, “Oh, sorry, we didn’t hear …” I did feel a bit rattled.
Awkward auditions are something every big-time actor has faced, but sometimes the situation is too tense for anyone to perform properly. It is difficult to simulate intimacy and chemistry with someone that you have just met, which changes the way you deal with the scene at hand.
