Here’s what it is really like to audition for Spike Lee.
Spike Lee is one of the biggest directors in filmmaking history. From his early work to his latest award-winning productions, Spike Lee’s influence is world-renowned. So, when an actor gets the chance to audition in front of Spike Lee, it is a huge opportunity, leading to an actor’s big break.
Reflecting on her “big break” with Netflix Queue, the Spode-Man: Homecoming star, Laura Harrier, remembers what it was like.
“I was on vacation in Greece — this must’ve been the summer of 2017 — and I was sitting on a beach with my friends, on an island, drinking rosé,” she explains.
“And I got a phone call from a number that I didn’t recognize. I picked up, and the very familiar voice on the other end said, ‘Laura, this is Spike Lee.’ I honestly thought someone was playing a trick on me. It was his voice. Everyone knows what Spike Lee sounds like. And so I said, ‘Hello, hi. Do you have the wrong number?’ And he replied, ‘So, I want to meet you for my new movie.’ I said, ‘Of course. Oh my God, yes, absolutely. I’m actually in Europe right now, but I’ll be back in New York next week. I would love to meet with you as soon as possible.’ He goes, ‘No, I need to see you Tuesday.’ I replied, ‘Spike, it’s Sunday.’ And he goes, ‘See you Tuesday. Vacation’s over. Bye.’ And then he hung up. I turned to my friends and said, ‘I have to get off this island.’ I had to get on a ferry to Athens the next morning and then catch the next flight to New York. I made my way back within 24 hours.”
She traveled back to the United States in less than 24 hours; Harrier expected the audition to be a standard experience. However, it was not normal at all.
She says, “The next day, I went and met Spike for the first time and did this audition. It was a crazy audition. Normally, you walk in expecting to read with another actor, and the director is usually there watching and taking notes or giving you suggestions. I walk into the room, and it’s just Spike and me. He said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to read the scene with you.’ So I did my audition with Spike, which was terrifying. It turned into this 45-minute improv, and it just went all over the place. We were talking about Sal’s Pizzeria at one point. We finally wrapped, and I got the part the next day.”
More Project Casting Entertainment News:
