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Every Batman actor should have to audition with this scene. pic.twitter.com/jzqKqVo9QO

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) September 26, 2022

How much would you pay to see the audition tapes of Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, and Robert Pattinson? More after the jump including embarrassing deaths, Avatar thoughts, Muppets request, Emily Watson shaming, a brilliant Wes Anderson suggestion, questionable phrasing, and one final round of Dont Worry Darling tweets...

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Interview: Ann Dowd on 'Mass' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' and staying humble when the offers come.

by Nathaniel R

As Ann Dowd and I sat down to talk about Mass, we talked briefly about some work she'd been doing with acting students (not as much as she'd like) and reminisced briefly about the time she guest blogged for The Film Experience seven years ago. In one piece she wrote for the site she doled out advice for young actors about "attending to your life" as she puts it and seeking help if it's needed rather than purposefully 'Suffering for Art'. I reminded her of her own words:

You need an understanding of suffering and pain but you do not need to spend your life doing that to make the work good! 

This advice seems especially relevant today given the heavy themes of her current drama Mass which is about two married couples meeting for the first time years after a tragic school shooting has permanently altered their lives. [This interview has been edited for length and clarity]...

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A Mother's Day conversation between Zainab Jah (Farewell Amor) and Jayme Lawson (The Batman)

by Murtada Elfadl

Jayme Lawson and Zainab Jah play daughter and mother in "Farewell Amor"

In celebration of Mother’s Day I recently moderated a conversation over Zoom between actors Zainab Jah and Jayme Lawson. We'll be sharing it with you in three installments. For the first dispatch Jah and Lawson talked about their performances as mother and daughter in the Sundance 2020 film Farewell Amor, written and directed by Ekwa Msangi, and their favourite mother/daughter relationships at the movies.

Jah has previously appeared in TV shows like Homeland and Deep State but is best known for the Broadway play Eclipsed co-starring Lupita Nyong’o. Lawson is a newcomer and a recent graduate of Julliard who appeared last season in The Public Theater's production of For Colored Girls. She recently booked a major role in an upcoming film that you may have heard of, The Batman (2021)... 

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Auditions: Betty's Audition in "Mulholland Dr"

Our new series from Ginny O'Keefe, who knows from auditions as an actress in Los Angeles...

One of the more iconic audition scenes in the past 20 years of film comes from a film that gives you a great sense of security and comfort before ripping the rug right out from underneath you. It’s David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. Naomi Watts plays Hollywood hopeful, Betty Elms, fresh off the plane from Ontario, Canada. She dreams of being a successful actress and is staying in her Aunt Ruth’s awesome apartment (rent-free I might add) while she is away filming a movie. She’s got a big audition coming up for a movie (with some really cheesy dialogue) and has been practicing like a beast in order to land the part. One of the things we admire about Betty is that she actually puts in the work in order to make her dreams come true. Cut to...

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Auditions: "La La Land"

Our new series from Ginny O'Keefe, who knows from auditions as an actress in Los Angeles...

One of the most notable audition scenes in recent years comes from the sugar-coated musical hit film about how hard it is to make it Hollywood, whether you’re an aspiring actress or an attractive White guy who (for some reason) really wishes jazz music would go back to its roots. [I can’t even tell you how many White guys I’ve met in LA who constantly preach about how we need to save jazz music ... /sarcasm]. Yeah, you guessed it. This week's audition is from La La Land.

This film has its flaws. One of which is casting two A-list actors who pretend to be struggling artists in the unforgiving Tinseltown. (I personally think this film would have come across better if they cast two unknowns for the lead roles. Keep John Legend though, he’s good).  

But one particular sparkly gem in this film is an audition scene which puts Emma Stone’s character, Mia, in the spotlight to show her talent and how good she really is. Sometimes (most of the time) in Hollywood, good just isn’t enough...

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