General Hospital star Johnny Wactor didn’t do a traditional screentest to win the role of Brando Corbin on the ABC soap opera. He still had to go through a round of readings to earn the part and he has a bit of advice for Hollywood hopefuls — as difficult as it may be, never let them see you sweat!
Johnny Wactor Is Ready For His Close-Up
Wactor tells Soap Hub that his first visit to GH was for a reading with the show’s award-winning casting director Mark Teschner. “He’s got all 300 of those Daytime Emmys in his office,” Wactor says with admiration. “They’re all so well-earned.” An actor never knows for sure whether or not their performance will earn them a callback to go to the next round however, Wactor says, “I felt strongly about my audition. I thought it went well.”
Teschner informed Johnny Wactor that he’d be coming back the next day to read for the producers. A scheduling issue resulted in Wactor coming back a week later instead. However, he was determined not to lose the momentum he felt he had achieved. “When I came in for the producers’ session, Frank [Valentini, executive producer], Mark, and Lisa [Snedeker Booth, casting associate] were there along with other producers I hadn’t met yet,” Johnny Wactor recalls. “I read with Lisa and she was great, really on top of the material.”
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On Keeping Acting In Perspective
Johnny Wactor says there’s more to a successful audition than giving a great reading. As much as performers want that role, he recommends not letting everyone see just how badly it is desired. “I didn’t have any expectations,” he says of being cast on the show. “I wanted it, obviously, but I think the key to going into an audition is to not act desperate because they can smell it.”
Wactor’s fully aware that there’s a conundrum at play in that most actors would love to be able to make a living at performing, but that can’t be part of the equation for decision-makers who need to hire the best person for the job. “It’s tough to mask that,” acknowledges Wactor noting that on some level it’s “impossible. But you have to get rid of that need for it even though you want it so badly. If you don’t, it can be seen and felt and it can take away from your performance.”
General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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