Should my child audition for this film?

[Coronawireless]

Hi there,
Just looking for some advice. DD (9) was forwarded (by a friend) an application form from a reputable casting agency looking for a girl to take the lead role in a film - no further details at the time. She has never acted but has often mentioned that she’d like to be on TV. Without telling her, I sent off some photos and a description and have now had a reply inviting her to audition. They want to start filming very soon. Details of the film were sent. It is based on a commercially successful novel. The lead character (DD’s role) is very troubled and there are revelations of child sexual abuse and incest involving the character. I think it’s a no from me but a family member has gasped and said I’m potentially ruining her big chance. Can anyone out there advise?

@Palavah

Even if they manage the filming in such a way that your daughter is none the wiser about the nature of the storyline, as soon as she can google herself she'll find out. So will her friends and peers. And you can't control what is written about her character (or her) in media (social or otherwise).

That’s what I was thinking too. I’ve emailed to withdraw. Thanks all!

Then sadly she isn’t going to make it as an actress if she can’t separate acting from real life.

My daughter goes to a stage school and is part of the agency associated with the stage school. To be honest it sounds a bit odd to me a reputable agency would just be asking around for children for a major role. They would have loads of trained children on their books - why would they want to risk their reputation putting forward a child without any acting experience to audition for a major role requiring the child to act traumatised? From my experiece of child auditions and if you think logically...do you think the film agent will waste their time getting a child to do a pleasant audition and cross their fingers they can cope with the tricky scenes? No they are going to go straight in there and get her to do the tricky scenes to see if she has what it takes. It's also not possible to really hide a story line from a child. Film sets are busy places, people are not going to try and make sure they don't talk about the storyline in front of your daughter. If she wants to act, can I suggest she starts sooner rather than later. As children get older there is more competition for parts as more children get interested in acting. I suggest she joins a stage school and an agency.

@ittakes2

My daughter goes to a stage school and is part of the agency associated with the stage school. To be honest it sounds a bit odd to me a reputable agency would just be asking around for children for a major role. They would have loads of trained children on their books - why would they want to risk their reputation putting forward a child without any acting experience to audition for a major role requiring the child to act traumatised? From my experiece of child auditions and if you think logically...do you think the film agent will waste their time getting a child to do a pleasant audition and cross their fingers they can cope with the tricky scenes? No they are going to go straight in there and get her to do the tricky scenes to see if she has what it takes. It's also not possible to really hide a story line from a child. Film sets are busy places, people are not going to try and make sure they don't talk about the storyline in front of your daughter. If she wants to act, can I suggest she starts sooner rather than later. As children get older there is more competition for parts as more children get interested in acting. I suggest she joins a stage school and an agency.

Thanks. Yes, the audition scene raised an eyebrow - it wasn’t sexual but the child clearly had issues. And yes, I doubt she would have got the part. The application was forwarded by a friend whose DD is in stage school but is too tall for the role.

As in, my friend forwarded it because the application stated that the child did not necessarily need acting experience.

@ittakes2

My daughter goes to a stage school and is part of the agency associated with the stage school. To be honest it sounds a bit odd to me a reputable agency would just be asking around for children for a major role. They would have loads of trained children on their books - why would they want to risk their reputation putting forward a child without any acting experience to audition for a major role requiring the child to act traumatised? From my experiece of child auditions and if you think logically...do you think the film agent will waste their time getting a child to do a pleasant audition and cross their fingers they can cope with the tricky scenes? No they are going to go straight in there and get her to do the tricky scenes to see if she has what it takes. It's also not possible to really hide a story line from a child. Film sets are busy places, people are not going to try and make sure they don't talk about the storyline in front of your daughter. If she wants to act, can I suggest she starts sooner rather than later. As children get older there is more competition for parts as more children get interested in acting. I suggest she joins a stage school and an agency.

When the OP said casting agency I assumed she meant casting director.

My son auditioned for Rocketman. The first audition was simply an improvisation based workshop with Jo Hawes & Dexter Fletcher.

It’s very common for casting directors to advertise child roles on Twitter or Facebook or NAPM.

Film sets are busy places but a child is accompanied by a chaperone at all times and not allowed to just “socialise”.

Just googled them and they are indeed a “casting director”.
Sorry - didn’t know there was a difference.

An agency will suggest actors on their books to a casting director. But with children many will cast the net further afield.

Hi! If you are in ROI, I think I know the part you are talking about. The place where my daughter does drama had shared it on their FB page. I sent in photos of my daughter (as it is a legit agency) and she was also asked to do a taped audition. However, once I saw the content of the book as per the email, I wasn’t comfortable with it so replied to that effect. Having said that, the people behind the film & the book’s author could make for a great film - my daughter is def too sensitive though!

My DD was asked to audition for a film but it meant she had to play a younger child. We said no because she had to stand naked outside in a bath. It was being filmed in Morroco.

You will probably find there are dozens of girls being auditioned and their parents are so desperate for their children to be picked that they would agree to Please Dont be that mother.

Would agree to anything.

I'd be ruining her big chance too.
Right thing to do, OP.

glad you've said no. Sounds... potentially dodgy, to me. A kid with no acting experience being flown abroad, expected to be naked onscreen, and 'act traumatised'... It's not surprising there's not many takers.

There's all kinds of rules about kids on set. Hours worked, chaperones, school work, tutors. There's also loads of legal shit that you can sometimes duck out of IF the film is being filmed somewhere that doesn't have strict safeguarding guidelines...

What's the book?

@Coronawireless

If anyone has read or seen “The Butcher Boy” by Patrick McCabe this would be a very rough approximation. No graphic sexual scenes but the character was destroyed by abuse. I actually enjoyed both novel and film. The boy who played the lead was older than DD.

I've read the book and watched the movie too. Yes Francis was destroyed by the abuse he suffered. I wouldn't want my dc playing that sort of a role in a movie.

My child was invited to audition also but I didn’t allow her as I was not comfortable with the storyline for her, she is very sensitive and didn’t know how disclosing stuff at the end would affect her, There are very good safeguarding laws for children here, I’m pretty sure everything else would be done off camera , I do think the film will be very successful and that casting agent she was invited by are excellent! 👍 my dd has had plenty of opportunities in fun child centered castings so if your daughter is interested so don’t listen to others when they say ur spoiling an opportunity for her cause it’s your child and ur decision,

I noticed on FB today that the casting agency are still searching for a suitable child - I’d imagine many are uncomfortable with the material too!

I see filming has started in Ireland. For those wondering, I think it’s fair enough now to say the film is based on the book The Wonder by Emma O’Donoghue. Florence Pugh is playing the nurse. Interestingly, the lead child part they were looking for is being done by a 12 year old whose parents are both actors & the mother is actually playing her mother in the film. The casting agency & company behind it were totally legit but the reason I didn’t go ahead was the sensitive nature of the content…

Is it Flowers in the attic? My niece (who is a child actor) was asked to audition for it and my sister said no due to the disturbing storyline.

Your probably right to say no. if you feel your daughter would be exposed to unsuitable content then that's a definite no. I'm suprisd thet have not called for a much older child/teen for the part. There will be other opportunities if that's what she wants to do.

Just to add though, both my children act. My 3 year old was recently in a scene that was described as upsetting and distressing and had adults screaming and crying at points. My dd was non the wiser as they filmed and edited it in such a way that she was shielded from anything too much. She had a fun day as she always does. There are strict rules and regulations for child actors and I have never seen them broken. I'm very careful and strict with what I would allow my children to do eg not be on set any longer than I/they are comfortable with. My advice is to start your dd on a reputable screen acting class.