The audition process can be a daunting and sometimes weird experience for any actor wanting to get a role – especially one you love.

Thankfully, if it all works out for the best, you’ll be on set hearing the director yell ‘action!’ before you know it, and soon you’ll be a star of stage and screen and picking up some shiny new statues to sit proudly on your mantelpiece.

So now we’re going behind the curtain to see what it is exactly some of our faves have had to do in order to bag their role.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, the cast of The Umbrella Academy were first up to reveal the secrets behind how they impressed the casting bosses.




In their own words, here’s what Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Mary J Blige and Cameron Britton had to do to end up in Netflix’s latest smash hit.

Tom Hopper didn’t meet Emmy until they were on set together. (Picture: Netflix/Getty)

Tom Hopper – Luther [#1]

‘I did a bunch of chemistry reads with some early Allison choices and potential hires, because I was the first to be cast in the show so I was asked fairly early on. So for me it was a lot of waiting around and going “who else has been cast?”. I think Ellen was the next one, but yeah, I got taken over to LA to do some chemistry reading with Allison options and so we went and did that. But they couldn’t find an Allison for a long time, and we were doing all these chemistry reads.

‘But then, what’s so amazing about it is that, I found out Emmy got cast when we turned up in Toronto and me and her just hit it off straight away and we just got on so well as mates that it made it really easy.

A lot of the casting process is about who we are as people, our personalities

‘I think we were both concerned that we hadn’t had a chemistry read and Steve put so much weight on this relationship in the series, like the Allison/Luther relationship but we just got on and if we didn’t it would’ve been a problem, and so we were really lucky.

It’s down to them as casting people as well. A lot of the casting process is about who we are as people, our personalities, who’s going to get on, who’s not going to get on, who’s going to clash.’

David auditioned solely online and so had no idea who he was talking to (Picture: Netflix/Getty)

David Castañeda – Diego [#2]

‘I was on the other spectrum where I didn’t get to meet Steven until I actually got the gig. I did several self-tapes, just across the world while I was doing other projects and all I would get is just notes from this random computer pretty much, it was like “can you try this and this” and I had no idea who I was talking to. It was like Her! I fell in love with the notes. Drink tomorrow? 6pm?

I had no idea who I was talking to. It was like Her! I fell in love with the notes

‘I had no idea about the comic book or anything I was just trying to get my next job to be honest with you. And then, you know, I didn’t even test for it, because it was just so interesting that I showed up to LA two days after I wrapped another project in Bulgaria and they were like “Hey, so it’s yours” you know. So I was like “Woah. Cool. What is it? Let’s do it!” I mean I knew, obviously I wasn’t that dumb, I knew what it was called and who I was. But it was great. It was great to not know the weight that it had, and I had no idea how much Netflix was already looking forward to this.



‘So, because I was never in LA which is like the mecca of auditioning for these things, it wasn’t until I came back after Toronto that people were just like “I went in for your role” and blah blah blah. I was like “Goddamn”.’

Emmy Raver-Lampman revealed Allison’s ex-husband originally had a bigger role in the show (Picture: Netflix/Getty)

Emmy Raver-Lampman – Allison [#3]

‘I had to do the very first scene in the pilot when Vanya walks into the house and I come down the stairs and greet her. There was a longer version of that, where like Diego and I went back and forth for a really long time, like sibling banter and making fun of each other.

‘Then there was the moon scene, when Luther’s sitting in the windowsill looking up and I come out, that also was a really, really long scene that got condensed. Then the one in the office, when I come in with Patrick.

‘At one point there was a weird, Patrick, Allison’s ex, was like an actual character for a while, so there was also a scene with us fighting about custody over Claire.’

Robert probed for more info on the character before signing up (Picture: Netflix/Getty)

Robert Sheehan – Klaus [#4]

‘I did a tape in London, pretty traditional, got the material, sort’ve fooled around with it, did a tape, they saw the tape and then I had a couple of conversations then which took me beyond the first episode. Which was important, you know, because you have to make the decision with care. Especially because if and hopefully when it’s a success, you’re committed for quite a few seasons, and that’s what you want.


‘So you want to make sure it’s the right thing and everything because you can’t be in two places at once unfortunately. There’s not enough months in the year to do everything that you want, or what you plan to do. So I had long conversions about where specifically the character goes and what I’m going to be doing for the next six months.

I knew that the journey was rich with lots of meat and potatoes to get stuck into

‘I knew that the journey was rich with lots of meat and potatoes to get stuck into, so all of that stuff seemed very unique you know? Seemed very, very like, something that I’d never seen or heard of before, so I thought that would be a very cool journey to go on. Once I’d had a bit of a more in-depth chat about the overall journey, I was like, yeah! This is the kind of stuff that I love. I’d be mad to [say no]. So that was really it really, a series of conversations.’

Mary didn’t have to audition to land the role of Cha Cha – but had to learn martial arts (Picture: Netflix/Getty)

Mary J Blige – Cha Cha

‘It came through my agency. I didn’t have to audition…I just had to read the script, and I got it!

‘When you commit you have to have the time to do it, so I knew I had the time to do it. It was five months in Toronto and it was like, “Why not?”.

I just had to read the script, and I got it!

‘It was about five months of training for the martial arts – that was the longest, hardest part for me. The guns were easy, I knew how to shoot a gun before I got to set; I didn’t have to train for that. But the martial arts was very hard. Very hard.’

Cameron was given fake sides and knew nothing about the role when he first auditioned (Picture: Netflix/Getty)

Cameron Britton – Hazel


‘When I auditioned, they were still kind of sussing out what they wanted Hazel and Cha Cha to be, so when I showed up I had this comic book of these adorable maniacs, and I read the script and it wasn’t syncing up to that. I went into the audition, you know, prepared what I could, but I did the rare thing of asking the director “Can you tell me a little bit about this character?” and they said: “We have no idea. We don’t know what they’re doing”.

They wanted to keep it so secretive that a lot of the actors that were cast were given fake sides.

‘So they just trusted and stayed open and looked at the list of actors and felt like they liked the direction I was taking it, and so they started writing from there. I think I auditioned maybe September/October but didn’t know I’d got it until February. I didn’t even know what the project was. I had to ask “What project is that? Oh yeah, that’s right!”

More: The Umbrella Academy The Umbrella Academy season 2 ending rewritten after unexpected snowstorm The Umbrella Academy: Baby Pogo stunt actress Korina Rothery takes us behind-the-scenes Robert Sheehan fans listen up: Misfits is coming to Netflix The Umbrella Academy 2 star takes his behind-the-scenes for *THAT* grim death scene

‘It was really different. In fact, I think they wrote, and wanted to keep it so secretive that a lot of the actors that were cast were given fake sides. Doctored up some silly sides – it was a scene with Hazel and Agnes though to start with.’

The Umbrella Academy is available now on Netflix.

Got a showbiz story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you.

MORE: Mary J Blige did her own stunts for Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, proving she’s an absolute boss

MORE: The Umbrella Academy season 1 review: Ultimate anti-superheroes led by Ellen Page and Tom Hopper is addictive fun