You don't audition for Netflix itself. Each Netflix series or film hires its own casting director, who finds actors mostly through agents and Breakdown Services, sometimes opens roles to actors on Actors Access, and these days usually asks for self tapes. Reality shows are the exception, with their own official site. We asked 16 casting directors whether actors without an agent can submit.
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A casting director, hired for that one project. Netflix commissions the show or film, and the casting office runs the search: it releases the roles as breakdowns, takes submissions from agents and managers, and sends its favourite auditions on to the director and producers.
So "auditioning for Netflix" really means auditioning for whichever casting director is on that series. Casting director Greg Apps told us about a Netflix film he cast without meeting a single actor face to face. As of November 2026, we couldn't find any official Netflix page offering open auditions for its scripted shows.
Rarely for scripted work, and when it does, it's public and official. In November 2018 Netflix's own newsroom announced a worldwide casting call for the lead in the film Tall Girl: girls 13 to 21 and at least 5'10", submitting through a dedicated site, with the casting director named.
Kym Jackson says real open calls tend to be for under-18s, very specific looks, languages or skills, because those are hard to find through agents. Her test: look up the casting director and their credits, and never pay to audition.
In practice, it's the main route. Lisa Beach told us her breakdowns usually go only to agents who represent union talent, so an unrepresented actor may never see the role. Kerry Barden goes through agent and manager submissions first, then Actors Access.
A rep can also get an uninvited tape watched (more below). Start with how to get an acting agent.
Sometimes. We asked 16 casting directors whether unrepresented actors can submit on their projects. Ten said yes; six said it depends on the project or whether they release it beyond agents.
The door is usually Actors Access. Victoria Burrows said unrepresented actors only see a role if casting releases it there. Ricki Maslar always does, but warns: only submit if you fit the role's age and description. Rachel Sutton finds some of her best discoveries unrepresented, and still tells them to get an agent. Seth Yanklewitz was blunt: if they want you and you're not in the union, they'll get you waived in.
For how the system works, see what Breakdown Services is and our guide to casting sites.
Almost always, at least at first. Greg Apps' advice was to assume and expect self tapes, with in-person meetings only on some productions, such as those with a teenage cast. That makes you the producer of your own audition: light, sound, reader and framing are all on you.
Our self tape tips and slate guide cover what casting directors want.
Only if there's a relationship. We asked 20 casting directors whether they'd ever hired an actor from a tape they hadn't asked for. Seven said yes, two thought so, and eleven said no or couldn't recall.
The stories they told had a pattern. Scot Boland and Victoria Burrows both told the story of a manager they knew well sending an uninvited tape that got the actor hired. Ricki Maslar cast a young lead after an agent pushed her to watch one. Blair Hickey and Brian Wold say a cold tape to a stranger has slim odds; a note to someone who already knows your work is different.
Kym's line: if your agent is getting you out regularly, ask them to send it, so you don't go around them.
Be specific and build relationships before you need them. Blair Hickey and Brian Wold told us about a year one of them spent without an agent that still brought seven TV bookings, through relationships with casting directors and short, personal notes when a role truly fitted.
When you self-submit, Blair and Brian say, make the submission answer casting's problem: who you are as a storyteller and why you fit this role, not "look at me". Kerry Barden finds new actors at theatre, sketch shows and online, and Lou Mitchell keeps a list of unrepresented actors from her workshops (see casting director workshops).
Scammers use big names. In December 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission warned about texts from "talent scouts" offering auditions for well-known titles, virtual "open calls" that turn into a sales pitch for photo shoots or classes, and any request to pay or share bank details. Its rule: paying to get a job is always a sign of a scam.
Other red flags from our experts: a site selling access to "real Hollywood castings" (those copied breakdown lists are illegal), and any project you can't trace to a real casting director. Breakdown Services vets the projects on Actors Access, and you can contact them to check one. Never pay to audition.
Unscripted is a different process, and this one Netflix runs itself. Netflix Reality asks for a one-minute video of you being yourself; as of November 2026 it says you must be at least 18 and live in the US, Canada, the UK or Ireland.
A Netflix Tudum article explains you can register interest in a series even when it isn't casting. Check anyone else claiming to cast a Netflix reality show against that site.
The same way as adults: through an agent, breakdowns and self tapes. Child acting expert Karen Workman told us children's auditions are listed in the same places as adults', and that an agent is the best source.
Open calls are more common for young roles, so the scam checks above matter even more. See how to get your child into acting and how to audition for Disney.
Not as a regular thing for scripted shows. Each project has its own casting director, who works mostly through agents and breakdowns. The rare official open call, like Tall Girl in 2018, was announced by Netflix and named its casting director.
Sometimes. Ten of 16 casting directors we asked accept unrepresented actors, usually when they release a role on Actors Access. An agent is still the main route.
Through the official Netflix Reality site, which asks for a one-minute video. As of November 2026 you must be 18 or older and live in the US, Canada, the UK or Ireland.
Check that a real casting director is named and has credits, and never pay or share bank details. The FTC says paying to get a job is always a sign of a scam.
The same way as adults: through an agent, breakdowns and self tapes. Karen Workman told us an agent is the best source of auditions for children.
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