Tips of the trade: how to show your best face

Modern media constantly barrages us with one idea: that anyone, no matter how talentless or boring, can and will be famous if only they try. To make your transition to fame that much easier, MTV’s “The Real World” will be holding open casting calls in St. Louis on Tuesday, April 3. For all of those loyal Cadenza readers out there we here at the paper are rewarding you with all of our insider information to optimize your chances of making the final cut.

I recently interviewed Damon Furberg, who gave me all the details on the upcoming audition opportunity and advice for hopefuls. First and foremost: the bare details. On April 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., casting directors from the Real World will be at Harry’s Bar in downtown St. Louis. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 24 is welcome to apply and all you need is a photo ID and a picture of themselves to help the casting team better remember your smiling face.

But that’s not what you really want to know. You want the inside track, the piece of information that will set you apart from the crowd and get the casting director to notice you among those who audition in that seven hour period. Well, if you are thinking this way you’ve already got the first key. Damon told me that they want people who stand out, but not artificially. “This is not a search for America’s most annoying person,” Furberg said, preferring the term “opinionated.” “Stand up for yourself,” he recommends; “You’ll be in the room with a dozen other hopefuls. Big personalities rule.”

Furberg also recommends not copying behavior you’ve seen before on “The Real World.” “I know it’s the biggest clich‚, but just be yourself. People feel like they have to imitate stuff they’ve seen on the show. Showing us something we’ve already seen is a strike.” What Damon said he was looking for this year was people with specific life goals or people that are driven. “We want people to bring ambitions into the house with them, who will move on after the show is over.” When I asked him if this was to avoid building up the ever-growing group of people whose only job seems to be former “Real World” and “Road Rules” participants, he laughed and replied, “We just want people with career goals, who want to get interesting jobs.”

He does warn that not everybody who is outgoing and goal-oriented is right for the show. “It’s a big commitment and a sole time commitment. You’re on camera, potentially, 24-hours a day.” He said that filming can take three to four months to complete, although shooting is often cut short if the producers feel they have enough footage for an entire show. The season for which they are currently casting has no set location, but will film in the fall so anybody wanting to participate better have a clearable schedule. People who make the next round of casting will know within 24 hours of appearing before the judges so those who don’t make the cut won’t have to wait around for days hoping they’ll get that call.

Both Damon and Harry’s Restaurant and Bar suggest that showing up early won’t help too much, as they expect only 300 to 400 people to show up at the casting call. But for anyone who wants to go, make sure to have a good excuse for missing classes, because you might be down there all day.

Words of wisdom from a ‘Real World’ alum

Now that Andy Warhol has been proven right, and everyone is taking his or her respective 15 minutes, the new fight is not over getting the limelight but keeping it. Mike Mizanin has never had much problem keeping that limelight. He debuted on the tenth season of “The Real World” (Back to New York), and ever since has been a staple on MTV’s reality-heavy schedule. From five appearances on “The Real World/Road Rules Challenge” to his long run on the fourth season of the WWE competition “Tough Enough,” Mike has stayed in the public eye. He has now earned a spot on the WWE’s “SmackDown,” which airs Friday nights on the CW network. This may seem like an odd path for a former reality star, most of whom languish in a state of perpetual semi-fame and return to the public eye only with the release of a new show or a sex tape, but wrestling is something “The Miz” has always wanted to do.
“When I was at home after the show, I looked myself in the mirror and asked if I wanted to do what my parents wanted me to do, which was go back to college and open a business, or did I want to do what I always wanted to do, which was wrestling.” He saw his appearance on “The Real World” as evidence of possibilities and as an opportunity to springboard his small fame to WWE success.
“The Miz” grew up in Parma, Ohio, a small town outside of Cleveland, and the time he spent in New York changed him a great deal. “I moved to L.A. to pursue my career, but also I just couldn’t live in such a small town anymore.” He describes his appearance on “The Real World” as his “first real experience with African-American people,” and speaks about his exposure to the wider world as one that changed him for the better.
He does warn anyone who thinks they want to be on the show that appearing on reality television does fundamentally change one’s life. “If you don’t want people walking up to you in a bar and asking who you are constantly, don’t do the show.” He speaks comfortably as someone who has done many interviews, but he emphasizes that people are rude to him and expect him to be polite in return. He also suggests that this is not uncommon for former Real Worlders.
Mike’s biggest tip for “The Real World” casting success is making yourself memorable and accessible to the people doing the casting. “If you can make a video, do it. It makes it much easier for the judges to remember you.” He also suggests that for more hints you can watch him perform on “SmackDown,” but this particular comment smacked of self-promotion-something that Mike “The Miz” Mizanin has perfected and used to keep the lime-light shining brightly.

IF YOU GO

Open casting calls held at Harry’s Restaurant and Bar

2144 Market Street
St. Louis, MO

Tues., April 3
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Bring a photo ID and a picture of yourself

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 28th, 2007 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Cadenza. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.