Several actors note that more and more roles on Quebec television are distributed without an audition process. The increase in filming costs, in particular, would push producers to make savings on the role distribution process. Consequence: actors deplore having fewer opportunities to work.
This is the case of Mathieu Dufresne, who recently played in the series Red bracelets. “When I started in the business, 20 years ago, I could easily go to five or six auditions a year. Today, I have to go through about one per year. If it was just me, I would understand. It’s a job that comes with ups and downs. We have to accept that there are slow periods. Except that here, I have the impression that it has been widespread for several years. Everyone I talk to has fewer auditions,” explains the one who will be on the next season of Reasonable doubt.
If he is still working, Mathieu Dufresne believes that it is because he has experience, and therefore the chance to be offered roles personally, without an audition process. But he imagines that young actors who come out of school do not have this luxury, they who have few options to shine if they are not auditioned.
The actor is one of those who reacted strongly on social networks to the interview with screenwriter Richard Blaimert that The duty published last weekend. In this article, the author of Cerebrum deplores the fact that Quebec productions have less filming time than before. The actors therefore have the pressure to perform from the first take. This reality, according to him, would encourage the hiring of the same stars, like Julie Le Breton and Claude Legault. “An actor who acts less often may be stressed during the first takes. And that’s normal. But we are limited. If we take more time with an actor, it shifts the rest of the shoot,” maintains Richard Blaimert.
These comments have been contested by several actors in recent days on social networks, in particular by Patrice Coquereau, Dominique Pétin and Alain Zouvi. Some have pointed out that lesser-known actors would also be able to play well quickly, but they still need to be given the opportunity. If we always see the same faces on Quebec television, it is not because of technical constraints, but because roles are assigned without launching an audition process, they retort.
By email, Richard Blaimert returned Tuesday to the controversy that his comments sparked. He clarified that his intention was to denounce the lack of resources and time in Quebec television, and that he never wanted to question the talent of actors who are less accustomed to acting.
“Better budgets would allow us to see more actors and actresses auditioning, thus offering more perspectives and diversity to our industry,” also argued the author, to whom we owe several successful series, such as Charlotte’s world And The ups and downs of Sophie Paquin.
Pressure from broadcasters?
The Union of Artists (UDA) says it is regularly questioned by its members about the few auditions organized. So much so that a survey was recently conducted to measure the extent of the problem. According to the UDA, around 60% of respondents indicated having auditioned in the last year, but only on one occasion “for the vast majority of them”.
“One audition per year is very little. Auditions are the way to get contracts for almost all actors. It’s a tiny minority of actors who are offered roles directly,” laments the president of the UDA, Tania Kontoyanni, who observes that face-to-face auditions have become rarer since the pandemic.
Mme Kontoyanni recognizes that producers have more limited resources, which makes it difficult for them to embark on large audition processes, which can last over a few days. But this is not the only reason explaining the drop in the number of artists called for auditions, according to her. The president of the UDA also cites pressure from broadcasters and sponsors for the hiring of certain headliners.
Despite everything, the UDA is not advocating the establishment of clauses which would force production to distribute a minimum of roles following auditions. “The time is rather for raising awareness among producers and directors of casting », evokes Tania Kontoyanni.
The version of the “casting” directors
The directors of casting, or casting managers, who are hired by producers to distribute roles on a project, confirm they are conducting fewer auditions than before. Pierre Pageau, who has been in this profession for around twenty years, also points out the lack of resources and time, which has increased in recent years in Quebec. “When we do auditions, the director is often with us. During this time, he is not scouting locations for filming, training his team of technicians or revising texts. And the director is very limited in time,” underlines the former president of the Association of Casting Directors of Quebec.
But contrary to what the UDA indicates, Pierre Pageau assures that he does not feel pressure from producers or broadcasters to assign roles to star actors without audition. “The only auditions we still do are for leading roles. We no longer have time to audition for second and third roles. Well-known actors may therefore be required to do auditions,” he says.
Mr. Pageau specifies that even if there are fewer auditions than before in Quebec, actors do not have fewer opportunities to work. On the contrary, he recalls, the number of television series has increased considerably in recent years in Quebec with the arrival of platforms.