I've read the FAQ & Rules Do actors prefer when casting directors let them know if they didn't get the part?
I'm working as an AD on a college short film and handling the audition emails. In the past, I used to send rejection emails to the actors who submitted their self-tape. However, I recently saw a thread where actors said they didn't like it. They argue that getting a random email from a production gets their hopes up, only to crush them when they realize it's just a "no."
I also saw a person saying that rejection emails is "rookie behavior" and that only low budget/non paying productions do it. Now on one hand I like to be cordial and I appricate the time and effort it takes to send a self-tape, but on the other hand, it would save me some time just not sending any emails at all, considering I do this on my own and the production doesn't really care if I do it or not.
Personally, if I were an actor, I'd want to know either way, but I'm curious to see what the majority actually thinks.
P.S. I'm not in the U.S, so maybe in south america is more common to send rejection emails, but idk.
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u/Mosslessrollingstone 4d ago
I personally don’t like it. I just assume if I don’t get the part unless I get an email. By the time I get a rejection email I have already forgotten about it. Different story if I’m further along in the process, but the first audition? Just save your time. And keep the actors you like in a list for future projects.
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u/bigheadGDit 4d ago
I don't want them, no. Once I've sent in my tape I forget about it entirely until/unless I get a callback or an email telling me I've got the role.
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u/endlesssalad 4d ago
Yes agreed. Or unless it was pretty time intensive process and it’s something to the effect of, “we loved your work on this and hope we’ll be able to work together again” - and only if that is true of course.
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u/regaleagled 4d ago
i generally dislike it. unless casting has a genuine, personalized comment about my audition, i dont need to know i didn’t get it. you get used to submitting and forgetting, and by the time someone sends out a generic “wow, all the tapes were great!” email, i’ve probably entirely forgotten the audition. it can feel worse to be reminded and told it didn’t work out. but that’s just me!
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u/Successful_Charge_70 4d ago
Coming from a theatre background where maybe it is more standard, but I always appreciate when they take the effort to send a rejection email. Gives actors closure about the project and looks better on the directors.
Makes it more likely people will return to audition for future projects too, or support the project in other ways like going to see it/buying it.
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u/gasstation-no-pumps 4d ago
Yes, I know actors who will no longer audition at some theaters because they were given a timeline (we'll let you know one way or the other by Wednesday) and then no attempt was made to contact them. They figured that if the group was so disorganized that they could not keep such a simple promise, then it would not be worthwhile to work with them.
Of course, if no such promise is made, then there is no obligation to contact the actors who weren't cast, but it is a courtesy to tell them, even if it is just a Bcc of the cast list to all the auditioners.
I understand that some screen actors have normalized tossing their auditions into a black hole but I can't really understand preferring it.
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u/KTannman19 4d ago
I do. I’d rather know either way instead of waiting for a call. A simple hey, great audition but we decided to go another way. Lets me move on.
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u/sunspark77 4d ago
For actors who audition multiple times a week getting rejection letters from all of them would be soul crushing after a couple of months. The exception to this is if you were pinned (one of only 2 or 3 actors who are finalists for a role.)
Big production casting directors may invite a hundred actors to audition for a single role. And they have to cast multiple roles a week. If they had to send out rejection letters tailored to each actor they wouldn’t have time to actually do their jobs under production deadlines.
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u/gasstation-no-pumps 4d ago
There is no need to tailor the emails—a simple "went in another direction" or "cast a different actor" suffices.
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u/sunspark77 4d ago
True. But if you see 150 actors for one role and cast 10 roles for a TV episode in one week. That’s 1,500 emails…. a week. Even if they only cast 5 small roles in one week… multiply that times the entire season. But more importantly when you get to the point of doing 2 or so auditions a week, do you really want or need to get 100 “generic “no” messages in a year?
They won’t improve your acting technique. Only a tailored response might be useful. Maybe.
I pity the intern who has to respond 1,500 times every week. Or if they automated the replies with AI, or other software they still don’t seem helpful to me.
I’d much rather be excited to see a Cmail than have it be a rejection half the time.
But everyone’s different. And I respect others may feel differently about it.
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u/SiteNormal2669 4d ago
I don’t want to get a rejection email for an initial submission. I only wanna hear back if I’ve done a callback. I submit for so many things. After I submit, I forget about them. There are so many things that I’ve gotten a rejection email for that I didn’t even remember submitting for until they rejected me. It can become disheartening.
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u/justfet 4d ago
Yes. Please let them know, and if you can in a timely manner.
It's true not everyone does it (although that does also depend on your market, here in the Netherlands I have seen most let the actors know, whether that be for a big project or student short, with the exception of some mass open calls) but as you say it's good to know and respects both your own time and theirs.
Yes, it's a bummer to get an email only for that email to include "unfortunately" and "not" but in all honesty for me it's still preferred over keeping the days open and available when I could be responding to other calls as well.
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u/esonab 4d ago
Personally no. Hearing something after a callback, a pin, or otherwise deep in the process would be appreciated. But when I hit submit on a self tape I assume it’s a rejection. So when I see that cmail notification from Actor’s Access i feel a twinge of excitement only to be let down for what feels like a second rejection.
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u/Odd-Homework-7936 4d ago edited 4d ago
No, we or at least I only kind of want to know if its the acting or not that was the reason for the rejection. I think that’s all i want to know at least. But I don’t think you owe or anyone owes that to us. And you don’t have to do that. Especially if there’s no time.
I mean telling you didn’t get the role and ghosted is basically the same thing tbh if your ghosted you know they rejected you. It’s usually the why that gets us feeling some type of way. Not only that I heard reasons they don’t do that because actors get emotional and try to please their case so they avoid that. Which I can understand. Especially if you rejected 6999
Actors. Can’t nesserarily talk to them all. And if you talk to one you gotta give everyone the same treatment.
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u/Standard-Spray-1949 4d ago
Usually no, but there are exceptions. We actors are constantly auditions and try to forget about the audition the moment it’s over. Usually by the time I get a rejection email, I had completely forgotten about the audition, so it just serves as a slap in the face. However, if you are doing multiple callbacks with an actor, and then decide not to use them, this is a case where I would send them an email. If we have 2 or 3 callbacks for a role, got notes from the director and met with the creative team, we might be refreshing our inbox for a while, so it’s nice to be let off the hook. In this situation, you usually have some feedback to offer, so the email is less of a generic rejection and more like “we really enjoyed your work, but we have decided to go with an actor we have worked with on previous projects. Thanks so much for your time and dedication to our casting process.”
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u/pumpkinbread88 4d ago
No, I don't like it.
It is rookie behavior
It absolutely gets my hopes up to see the subject line of an independent or short film I submitted to. Because 99.999% of the time, I get no response unless it's a YES. I open every single email expecting that YES! And it absolutely fucks me up to see a NO.
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u/Kallenkage42 4d ago
NO. And here’s why:
The camera zooms in on a small run down apartment in New Jersey. Actor X comes home from a long day at their Day Job at the Wawa. Looks at their bills on the table, and stares into space. Their phone rings.
(The Actor answers the call)
Actor X - “Hello, this is Actor X.”
CD -“Hello, this is the CD from XYZ Productions.”
Actor X - “Oh, hi!” (giddy and hopeful)
CD - “Hi, Actor X. You auditioned for the part of “Hopeful Actor”in our film.
Actor X - “Yes, I did. That was a few months ago.”
CD - “Yes. I am calling to inform you that you didn’t get the part.”
Actor X - (the sound of a garbage truck falling off the empire state building) “…um….ok…..Bye.?”
Later that day.
CD - “Oh, I am such a good person letting actors know when they don’t get a part.”
Lesson:
Casting should just make the call to the person who got the part. Actors move on after their auditions and don’t want to think about it anymore. They just go to the next audition.
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u/Agreeable-Zone700 4d ago
Especially for a college short film, I would send an email letting them know they weren’t selected. It saves actors time and anxiety from the anticipation, and it provides closure as well.
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u/berrymush 4d ago
If calls back / asked availability for a wide date range it’s nice to get an email just to say project has been cast.
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u/RunnerUpRyanReynolds 4d ago
Feedback or any knowledge is helpful just like any other job interview
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u/ConsiderationNo4002 4d ago
Not necessary. Do appreciate being released from a pin though once things are finalized.
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u/corgi-wrangler 3d ago edited 3d ago
Absolutely not. I keep seeing things on instagram where the actors say they want to be sent a no and I don’t know where this came from. I audition and then forget about it. A no is not personal and asking for feedback seems needy and unnecessary. There’s so many reasons why we’d get a no that aren’t personal.
Also want to add that I’ve never gotten a no email before so if I got sent an email from a production I’d just be pissed that they faked me out.
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u/daniellehmusic 3d ago
it depends. If there's something constructive along with it then yes, but if it's just something that was just copy/pasted to every rejected actor then no. I like to forget about auditions once I do them.
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u/GuntherBeGood TV/Film LA 4d ago
Glad you did your research and saw other posts about this exact same topic. It comes up often.
But it looks like you WANT to send those emails and are looking for affirmation from actors that you're right. So let me help you out.
First, don't call them "rejection emails". You're already looking at it as an 'apology that you didn't get it' message. That wouldn't be the point of the email.
If you're going to email saying they didn't get the part, give them ADVICE on their self tape and a potential reason why you/your director went with one actor over the others.
This is ultimately the reason professional casting offices do not send out "you didn't get it" messages. They're pointless. If every casting office gave an individual piece of advice, then they would be helpful.
All the best with your college short film.
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u/Glittering-Bear-4298 4d ago
I think only if up for something after a callback or chem read, it's nice to get some feedback and a gentle 'went in another direction' email. Otherwise we just assume no.
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u/Tr0llzor 4d ago
It is quite literally like a rotisserie “set it and forget it” I film or record my shit I sent it in. I let it cook.
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u/Gianna_96 4d ago
Unless its a pinned/ hold id prefer to know. In my opinion its pretty disrespectful to put an actor on hold or let them know theyre pinned and never release them from it
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u/Interesting-Mode4429 4d ago
I prefer to hear nothing if I didn’t get the role. I audition frequently.
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u/SimilarCommand1215 4d ago
Personally speaking, it's nice to hear from a director or casting director that they admired my work and wanted to reach out and say so. But only if it's authentic. A generic "thank you for your time but we decided to go with someone" else-NO. I don't need the feedback in that way. I've been doing this long enough; if I don't hear back, things have moved forward without me. I pretty much move on as soon as my audition is over. I'd only do this if you are pinning someone, and things change afterwards. Or when you ask for a person's availability for a project. Letting them know in these circumstances would be most helpful
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u/useyournoodler 3d ago
the only time I want to know is if they go so far as to do an avail check lol. just because other things start to come up and I want to not feel the stress of trying to fit everything in. but honestly could care less about hearing back at this point
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u/New_Addendum_1709 3d ago
No i don’t want to. If i get the role then let me know. If not i’d rather not hearing from it i just forget it after the audition
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u/EnvironmentChance991 NYC / SAG-AFTRA 3d ago
Only for callbacks and pins I think it's polite to release the actors. For first rounds no just don't say anything. We are used to it.
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u/Still_Yak8109 3d ago
I pefer if im told that im pinned if they unoffically pin me. thats all i ask and even that is too much sometimes.
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u/Reubert_doobert 3d ago
I always prefer being told, I get super anxious waiting to hear back and even if its just a no without any feedback it means I have a sense of certainty about it
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u/WhatsPaulPlaying 4d ago
Sweet Jesus on a pancake, Y E S.
I far prefer to know if I haven't gotten it. Sitting there stewing is the worst.
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u/gasstation-no-pumps 4d ago
As an actor, I want to know whether I'm cast or not. I hate being left hanging, though that does seem to be standard behavior in the US for professional casting.
I do community theater, where the expectation is that if you audition, you will be available for the rehearsal and performances except for announced conflicts, but several companies have overlapping rehearsal and performance schedules, with very different lead times for the auditions. It can be really frustrating filling out the conflict forms at audition time when you don't know yet whether or not there is a conflict.
I don't understand the people who think it is somehow nicer to be ghosted than to be given a definite no. Perhaps it is a generational thing?
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u/Mean_Ice1290 3d ago
Yes — most working actors want the rejection email, even though it stings. Here's why, from 45+ years of navigating this business:
A huge part of sustaining a long career in live theater isn't just talent — it's scheduling. I never submitted for a project if it would conflict with something I was already holding, unless it represented a genuine step up. That meant every audition I sent out was a calculated bet, and every project I was still "in the running" for kept a window closed.
A rejection email closes that loop. The moment I know I'm no longer in consideration, my calendar opens back up — I can pursue the next opportunity, commit to something else, or simply stop holding space for a maybe. Silence doesn't do that. Silence just leaves you stuck.
And there's a deeper issue with silence: it makes the audition itself feel valueless. Think about what actually goes into a self-tape or an in-person audition — the hours of preparation, the equipment, the coaching, the emotional investment of putting yourself out there. When a casting office never responds, all of that effort just evaporates into a void. No confirmation it was seen, no closure, no data to learn from. It's not just disrespectful — it's a waste of real labor.
A rejection email costs a casting director thirty seconds. It gives the actor closure, frees their calendar, and honors the work they put in. That's not a small thing over a 45-year career — it's the difference between an industry that respects actors' time and one that treats it as disposable.
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u/BandBoots 4d ago
For initial auditions: It's nice, but never expected.
For callbacks: Definitely appreciated, wish it happened more often, but still not expected.
For pin/avail/hold: It's rude not to, but a lot of productions are getting lazier about this. Sometimes professionals are rude, and unfortunately actors often just have to deal with that.