Where do you look during an audition?

Where do you look during an audition?

Mastering Eye Contact and Focus to Elevate Your Audition

(By Ray Reese)

(Photo: Karolina Grabowska | Pexels)

When you’re auditioning, the way you use your eyes can have a profound effect on your performance. Eye contact is not only a way to show the director that you’re engaged with the material, but it also helps to communicate your character’s emotional state and intentions. Whether you’re making direct eye contact with another actor, or you’re delivering lines to an invisible scene partner, the gaze can transform a basic reading into something more powerful and captivating.

For example, consider how Julianne Moore uses her eyes in Still Alice. Moore’s performance as a woman dealing with Alzheimer’s disease relies heavily on subtle emotional cues, and her eye contact plays a major role. In many scenes, her inability to make eye contact conveys the disorientation and fear she feels as her disease progresses. The lack of eye contact in those moments is just as powerful as when she engages with other characters, showing the emotional complexity of her character.

It’s crucial not to let your eyes wander aimlessly during an audition. Blank stares can break the connection you’re trying to establish with the director and may make you seem disengaged or unsure of your performance. Maintaining focus during your audition helps to keep the energy high and ensures that you remain fully present in the moment.

In the audition for The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence avoided distractions and kept her focus, delivering a compelling audition that captivated the casting directors. Even when the material required her to act in moments of emotional turmoil, she kept her focus sharp, demonstrating a deep connection with her character’s journey.

When you’re in the audition room, it’s natural to feel nervous about the casting director’s gaze on you. However, looking at the casting director during your audition is essential for demonstrating confidence and establishing a connection. Directors want to know that you can engage with them and the scene simultaneously, and acknowledging them with appropriate eye contact can signal your professionalism and ease.

Think about Leonardo DiCaprio in his audition for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. DiCaprio didn’t avoid eye contact with the casting team, instead using the moment to engage them in a genuine way, which showcased his ability to be present in the scene while acknowledging the directors’ presence. This ability to balance focus between the material and the people in the room can set you apart from other actors.

While eye contact is powerful, it’s essential not to overdo it. Constantly staring at the casting director or another actor can come across as unnatural or uncomfortable. The key is finding the balance between being engaged and not coming off as too intense. Actors must understand the nuances of when to hold the gaze and when to allow for breaks in eye contact, depending on the emotional content of the scene.

For instance, in The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg’s character Mark Zuckerberg often makes direct eye contact with his counterparts, yet there are moments in which his eyes shift, portraying discomfort, insecurity, or even calculating coldness. This balance of holding and breaking eye contact reflects the internal state of the character, and the actor’s awareness of this creates an authentic performance.

When you’re auditioning with a scene partner, eye contact can be a tool to build chemistry. It helps to establish rapport, convey the relationship between the characters, and communicate unspoken emotions. The way you engage with your scene partner’s eyes can create tension, warmth, anger, or affection, depending on the scene’s needs.

In La La Land, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s chemistry was partly built on their ability to make eye contact. In one memorable scene, their eyes meet as they both struggle with the pressures of their careers. The unspoken communication between them—expressed in their gaze—says more about their emotional states than any words could convey. In an audition, this subtlety can elevate your performance and make the connection between you and your scene partner feel more genuine.

Another important aspect of eye movement during an audition is how you use your gaze to explore the environment. The character you’re playing may be in a room full of distractions, a chaotic space, or a quiet, intimate setting, and your eye movements can reflect this. Directors often want to see how you interact with your surroundings and whether you can show awareness of the space even when no one else is physically present.

For example, in Cast Away, Tom Hanks’s character, stranded on an island, frequently uses his eyes to explore his environment, searching for food, looking at his makeshift shelter, and assessing his limited resources. His eye movements and the way he interacts with his environment are key to conveying the desperation and survival instinct of his character, even though much of the film is spent in isolation.

The way you use your eyes can also be a reflection of vulnerability. In moments of emotional openness or internal conflict, softening your gaze can allow you to connect with the deeper layers of your character. This is especially useful in scenes that require subtle emotional delivery.

In The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith’s portrayal of Chris Gardner includes moments of quiet vulnerability that are conveyed through his eyes. When Gardner is going through a particularly difficult time, Smith softens his gaze, allowing the audience to see his character’s inner struggle. In an audition, showing this kind of emotional depth with a softened gaze can demonstrate your range as an actor and your ability to access complex feelings.

Sometimes, an audition may require you to look at nothing in particular. In these moments, it’s essential to use your focus in a way that still conveys emotion. Looking into the distance or focusing on an imagined point can still communicate a character’s internal world, even if there’s no physical person to interact with. This technique often works well when you’re delivering lines that involve deep thought, memory, or a state of contemplation.

For example, in A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe portrays John Nash’s internal struggles with schizophrenia. There are many scenes where Crowe looks into the distance, imagining people and scenarios that aren’t there. His ability to convey internal conflict through his gaze, even when there is nothing physically in front of him, speaks volumes about his character’s mental state.

During an audition, it’s important to maintain consistency in your gaze to ensure that your performance feels grounded and authentic. Shifting your focus in a way that doesn’t match the emotional arc of the scene can confuse the director and take the audience out of the moment. Directors appreciate actors who understand how to use their eyes consistently to maintain the truth of the scene.

A good example of controlling gaze is in The Revenant, where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Hugh Glass uses his eyes to communicate both rage and exhaustion. His eyes remain fixed in moments of intensity, but when the character feels vulnerable, they soften. This consistent use of gaze helps to create a strong, compelling performance, and in an audition, it shows the director that you can be in control of your emotions and physicality.

The eyes are often referred to as the window to the soul, and for good reason. In an audition, how you use your gaze can be one of the most powerful tools in communicating the depth of your character. Whether you are making eye contact with the casting director, engaging with a scene partner, or exploring your environment, your gaze should reflect the emotional truth of the scene. By mastering the subtle art of eye contact, you can elevate your performance and create a lasting impression in the audition room.

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