Until an actor has reached “offer only” status, auditioning for roles is par for the course. And while some actors love the opportunity to compete for a role, others aren’t as comfortable with the process. Alexa Demie, who stars in the hit HBO show, Euphoria, admits that she finds the whole process embarrassing. But just why does she have such an aversion to going out for roles?
Alexa Demie had a long audition process in order to join the ‘Euphoria’ cast
Demie has been candid about the long audition process she went through before landing a role in the Euphoria cast. She went through multiple rounds of auditions before she was selected to portray Maddy Perez. Fortunately, for the actor, she received a lot of synchronicities from the universe that made her confident that the role was destined for her. She also had people like Augustine Frizzell (who directed Euphoria’s pilot episode) and Sam Levinson (writer and creator of the show) cheering her on, to support her through the arduous audition process.
Why the actor finds auditioning embarrassing
Obviously, Demie nailed her auditions for Euphoria, because she booked the part. However, in a conversation for A24, the actor shared that she doesn’t like auditioning at all. “Well, auditions are terrible,” Demie revealed. “I’m embarrassed auditioning.” Continuing on, the Waves alum shared that she experienced no small amount of anxiety before going into auditions. “I would get incredibly nervous, like shaking, before I’d go in.”
But what was it about auditions that made Demie so flustered? “You walk in a room and these people are sitting there just ready to judge you,” Demie explained. “They’re usually as*holes, and they like to be as*holes because they have a lot of power. I mean, not every casting director is an as*hole. But, you know, they’re sitting there and it’s just like, ‘Well okay, show me what you got.’ You know? And some days maybe you had a really bad day or maybe couldn’t find parking and you’re really flustered, or maybe someone in the waiting room is really anxious and you feel good, but they’re anxious, so then you feel anxious.”
How did Demie work through audition anxiety?
But how was Demie able to work through her nerves to give solid performances when she auditioned? According to Demie, time and consistency helped her out. “There’s a lot to it, but I think I got better at it because I went to so many that it just became routine,” the “Leopard Limo” singer explained.
We can see how doing so many auditions helped Demie build up a tolerance for them. Who knows if she feels the same way about auditioning now that she’s on a hit show and a household name. Some high-profile actors have shared that they still get nervous auditioning even after decades in the business. Others have expressed gratitude that they no longer have to go out for roles. And, of course, there are plenty who truly love going in for auditions or putting themselves on tape. It certainly seems that auditioning is a polarizing subject among actors regardless of experience.
