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Comedy auditions don’t fall apart because you aren’t funny, they fall apart because you’re trying too hard to show it. Emmy-winning casting director Wendy O’Brien (ABC’s Abbott Elementary and FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) joins actor and host Robert Peterpaul to get radically practical about what booking comedy of all kinds really takes. From grounded mockumentary style series to heightened multicam energy, Wendy shares how to clock tone fast and what she hopes actors do before they ever hit record.
In this interview for actors, you will learn:
- How to utilize improv in comedic auditions
- The underrated skill she wishes more comedic actors had
- What her and the casting team look for on Abbott Elementary
- How to truly understand an audition's tone, even within a subgenre
- Why sometimes the best self tapes don't have backdrops or ring lights
- Why actors don't need to drop big bucks on headshots, plus much more
CASTING DIRECTOR WENDY O'BRIEN has amassed a 35-year career, earning widespread acclaim in the industry. She is an Emmy Award winner for ABC’s Abbott Elementary, having been nominated a total of six times, with additional nominations for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and the HBO drama Carnivale. O’Brien is also a four-time winner of the Artios Award—the Casting Society of America’s highest honor—and has received seven other Artios nominations. Her exceptional work on the series Men of a Certain Age was recognized with a Peabody Award.
Recent credits include the films Brian and Love Language, both premiering at the 2026 SXSW Festival, as well as the Netflix film Bad Day starring Cameron Diaz, along with Little Brother featuring John Cena and Eric Andre. She also cast the new Netflix series The Hawk (starring Will Ferrell) and Kill Bert (starring Bert Kreischer).
Currently, O’Brien is just starting back on the sixth season of Abbott Elementary and the third season of NBC’s Happy’s Place. She also just finished working on the fifth season of Netflix’s Lincoln Lawyer and the 18th season of FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, along with Hulu’s reboot of the series Prison Break and the new Apple series She’s Fine.
O’Brien resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters and continues to row competitively in national and international regattas.
This is - How We Role. Discover fresh casting calls at castingnetworks.com.
Follow Host, Actor and Producer Robert Peterpaul (Amazon's Sitting in Bars with Cake, The Art of Kindness podcast) on Instagram @robpeterpaul and learn more at robertpeterpaul.com.
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