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Veritaserum's interview with Valerie
Veritaserum.com:
What prompted you to go to the Cho Chang auditions?
Valerie:
A deep desire to be an actress. I went there to fulfill my dreams. There's so few oriental roles in the Western Society, so I thought that I cannot miss this wonderful opportunity, even if it meant that I had to travel miles!
Veritaserum.com:
How far did you travel?
Valerie:
I travelled all the way from Glasgow, a 6 hour journey.
Veritaserum.com:
How did you find out that the Cho Chang auditions were being held?
Valerie:
A few years ago I had the desire to play the character Cho Chang. In January 2004, I surfed the Internet to find more about how to audition and found a few helpful sites and message boards. I found out from a friend that I met, who also wanted to audition. She saw the article on the CBBC newsround website.
Veritaserum.com:
Your first report states that a casting girl called you prior to the auditions asking you to "give her a wave" at the auditions when you saw her. Do you know how many people received a message similar to yours from her?
Valerie:
I'm not sure. I am aware that a casting girl had called up a lot of Cho hopefuls who had sent their packages to the Leavesden Studios prior to the open auditions held in London, including myself. However, I had missed the call as at the time I was attending school. Shortly after the call I received a letter informing me about the Open Auditions held in london. She also included her number for any queries so I contacted her straight away.
Veritaserum.com:
At the open auditions, was everyone in an orderly line, or did people just wait around in the masses in attempts to get closer to the doors? After all, a line of 3,000 people would be incredibly long.
Valerie:
The line was relatively neat. There was a man employed to keep us in line and clear from the shop doorways. He carried a large umbrella with him to give him an indication of the maximum width of the queue.
Veritaserum.com:
Once you got into the first auditions, could you describe exactly what happened?
Valerie:
Well, basically 20 of us were admitted into the studios and went down a flight of stairs into a room. There were two casting girls. They spoke to us for a few minutes and thanked us for coming. They paired everyone in groups of 5 and took Polaroids of groups. She [the casting girl] told me to stay behind a minute and took a singular one of me. Oh, and they also collected our forms that we filled in.
Veritaserum.com:
Is that all they did once you went into the audition area?
Valerie:
Yes. It was very quick.
Veritaserum.com:
All that waiting for just a short period of time in the auditions! Did you get to see anyone like the director, casting director, etc?
Valerie:
No. Not at my first audition.
Veritaserum.com:
How long did it take to receive a response from them, who responded, and what did they say?
Valerie:
The response was very fast. I received a phone call after a few days. The casting girl simply told me to go back down to London for a Drama Workshop for about an hour. And, that they will reimburse my traveling expenses.
Veritaserum.com:
Did they tell you what you would be doing during the workshop?
Valerie:
No, she did not give me any details.
Veritaserum.com:
Once you went to London for the second time, what happened (in chronological order)?
Valerie:
Well, I got there about 12 noon and I was told to wait in the cafe upstairs. There were already a couple of girls waiting there. I noticed there was already another group in the hall that the workshop was being held in. I sat down. The casting girl noticed me and recognised me and gave me a form to fill in (the same one that we filled at the open auditions) and took another polaroid. I sat down and chatted to one of the casting girl for awhile before it was our group's turn to go in. [To read more from Valerie's Cho Workshop report, click here.]
Veritaserum.com:
What were some of the highlights during the workshop?
Valerie:
Being able to work with all these talented people and meeting the director, Mike Newell. Most of all, having so much fun and the opportunity of such a rare experience!
Veritaserum.com:
Did you get a chance to meet or chat with any of the other Cho hopefuls, or was the time mainly filled with work?
Valerie:
The time was mainly filled with the workshop. However, I managed to get to chat to a couple of girls after the workshop. During the workshop where we had to find out facts about our partner, and I got to chat to my partner, Jessica, for a bit.
Veritaserum.com:
Did Mike Newell say anything directly to you?
Valerie:
No. None of the auditioners got the chance to speak to him personally. Although, he was very pleasant and thanked us all for attending.
Veritaserum.com:
If there is a next step in the process for you, do you know what it will be?
Valerie:
I think there will be a third round of auditions held for only around 5-10 lucky auditioners. That could possibly be the last audition.
Veritaserum.com:
Would you say that your Cho Chang auditioning experience was worthwhile?
Valerie:
Absolutely, 100%. It was an amazing learning experience and it will develop me for further auditions, outside of Harry Potter.
Veritaserum.com:
Do you have any last notes for Veritaserum's visitors?
Valerie:
If you weren't able to audition for Cho because of either location reasons or any other reason please do not give up hope in acting. If you have a real desire and passion in the acting industry, there are many opportunities to come! Remember, success comes with determination and hardwork. So, please do not give up hope!
Veritaserum.com:
Thanks so much for the interview and I wish you luck in getting the role!
Valerie:
Thank you!
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