Well this is pretty special. Nic Azad, an actor who auditioned for the roll of Wynn Schott, took some time out of his day to answer our questions about being an actor in Hollywood, what its like to audition, and how he prepared for his read-through for the part of Wynn Schott. You can see his audition video here.
Supergirl.tv: First of all, tell us a bit about yourself, how long have you been acting? What got you into acting?
Nic Azad: My name is Nic Azad and I am 23. I was born and raised Orange County and grew up going to the beach and playing guitar. I started acting almost by accident. In high school, I had a friend who was in the drama club and he told me that the upcoming show needed a guy who could play guitar. So I showed up, they gave me a pair of dance flats and the rest is history! I can’t dance to save my life, but I fell in love with the concept of storytelling and getting lost in the world of the script. I went on to study acting at the University of Oregon for two years before finishing up my degree at NYU Tisch.
Supergirl.tv: How did you hear about the roll availability for Wynn on CBS' Supergirl?
Nic Azad: My managers, Jesse and Mark, emailed me the sides (selected scenes for an audition) for the part along with a few other projects.
Supergirl.tv: How do you prepare for doing a read through like this? Did you look at any of the Wynn Schott's previously?
Nic Azad: I am not going to lie, I didn’t realize the scope of the project when I was working on my audition. The sides I was provided made no mention of the studio, so I thought it was a new comedy someone was working on. It wasn’t until that night, after I sent my managers the tape that I realized what I had just applied to. Needless to say I had a minor freak-out knowing I had just submitted for the next big superhero show. That said, I prepared for the role of Wynn much like any other part; I read the script, tried to establish what the character wanted in each beat, then I asked myself how I would go about it if I were in his shoes.
Supergirl.tv: Do parts like this come with any descriptions of the character to help you get what they are looking for?
Nic Azad: The breakdown comes with a short description of the character, but the descriptors are generally broad. For example, the breakdown might say something like: Male, Mid-late 20’s, Shy but endearing, he wants to be liked but tries too hard. They give you an outline, but the performance comes out through each person’s interpretation of those various blurbs.
Supergirl.tv: How often does a script change from auditions to real production?
Nic Azad: The script change really varies from project to project. I’ve worked with people who have cut words or phrases that they thought sounded weird coming from me. I’ve also worked with people who encourage improvisation, at which point, the lines might change from the first to second take. I have been on a few projects where the writer/director ask that you be word perfect and do not change any word or punctuation from the script you were initially sent. Like I said, it really varies.
Supergirl.tv: Is there anything you can tell us about the character Wynn that we might not have known?
Nic Azad: This one is tough haha. I feel like I should be asking you this question. In the time I spent working on Wynn, I found him to be, while shy, a very passionate guy who is actually very funny. I pictured him as the male equivalent of Emily Bett Rickards’ Felicity on Arrow (that show is my guilty pleasure). His mind is racing because he is so smart but also because he is watching and analyzing the things he says as he says them because they are said so fast.
Supergirl.tv: When you received the script, was the part marked as a guest roll or a full time roll?
Nic Azad: Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you on this one. It wasn’t made clear on the copy I received.
Supergirl.tv: At the time of your read, did you know that Melissa Benoist was cast as Supergirl?
Nic Azad: When I auditioned, I didn’t know anything about the casting, which I am happy about. Once I realized what I had just done, I told my girlfriend and we both kind of just stared at the script for a long while.
Supergirl.tv: Who does the read through with you? Why are they taped? Is this a common thing as opposed to visiting in person?
Nic Azad: Ah the filming portion. I live with my amazing girlfriend and she is kind enough to read opposite me for all of my taped auditions (she is pretty damn good now). We have had this arrangement for just about a year now, and it is pretty efficient. She knows all of my little weird nuances and makes sure I don’t make too big a fool of myself on the final tape. I think filmed auditions are means of convenience. Instead of sitting in a room for 8 hours and watching 500 people come in, you have those 500 people shoot a video and you watch it in your office or at home. From there, you can call in 10 people for an in person callback (which is usually the case).
Supergirl.tv: Do you prefer the villain or the hero?
Nic Azad: I like playing both the villain and the hero. However, I think that playing the bad guy goes against my type (the way I look at first glance), so it is always an extra fun challenge to sell that. In the short I wrote, I opted to play the villain and it has been in incredibly rewarding endeavor.
Supergirl.tv: What sort of character would you prefer to play?
Nic Azad: I prefer to play characters that require subtlety. While it is really fun to play expressive people, I enjoy when I get the chance to play someone who doesn’t wear their intentions on their sleeve. Exploring tactics and the use of body language when paired with spoken words is such a tantalizing experience.
Supergirl.tv: Finally, do you have any up coming projects we can look for you on?
Nic Azad: I am currently rapping up filming on a short film I wrote titled July. That should be done and up online in the next couple of weeks, I can definitely keep you guys in the loop about that- I’m pretty excited about it. Aside from that, a film I did a few months back, Caitlin’s Next Idea should be going online soon, and I am going in for a reading for a couple full-length features next week, so I am keeping my fingers crossed!
We want to thank Nic for taking the time to answer our questions. Its so nice to get this kind of perspective on how roles are cast, what actors have to go through and his perspective on the character, Wynn. Please visit his site nicazad.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter! What are your thoughts? Did you think the process was different? Let us know in the comments below!
