In the beginning of the year, I got the chance to audition (1st audition of 2017) for a very famous soap opera that has been running for 30 years. Oui, I’m talking about The Bold and The Beautiful! I had just posted my new demo reel online. How thrilling! I got a call back. I didn’t get the part this time, but it was close. They wanted the actor to push the French accent to a maximum so no one could understand what was being said… I laughed as I’d been working on reducing my accent for years and they wanted me to do the exact opposite! It was a fun part, with fun comedic timing. It would be for another time….
Following that audition I noticed that the same casting director was running an Advanced Soap Technique Class in Los Angeles. I was determined to show her what I could do and I asked my manager at Scott Carlson Entertainment what she thought if I took the class. She recommended it so I took part of Christy Dooley ‘s class for 4 weeks. I really got a lot out of it. She demands a lot and will always push you to your full potential. I love that.
I think soaps are interesting and capture the complexity of people. We can find elements of soaps in every show we watch on TV. I’d guess that all of us have been hooked once.
The thing with soaps is that they move fast you need to know your craft and be confident as you usually don’t have more than 2 takes until they move to the next scene, so having your lines, blocking while being in the moment is obviously a must.
After the class, I let it go and was thrilled to be called in about a month after to audition for the guest star role of the French Maid. The scene was taking place in “Paris”, meaning stage 31 of the CBS Studios in this case. I got there early, so I could feel the room, touch the furniture, smell the bouquets that were real. I could even admire the Paris rooftops from the windows.
My scene
What I like about this scene is that it captured the kindness of people in the hospitality service and in France, where a smile and caring for one another makes a difference. It’s the pride of the work well done, a “savoir faire” and “joie de vivre”. I always appreciate it coming from France and Switzerland and experiencing it through my freelance work as a travel host for Visit The USA. Also, there was a nice laugh among us all!
The cast & crew
The other actors, Karla Mosley and Jacob Young were kind, down to earth and on point of course. I got to meet and talk with the show’s international relations representative, the supervisor and see the importance of respecting the writing of the script in a scene as they are editing most of the episodes as they filmed. This is crazy! Thanks to the cast & crew for making me feel welcome and at home.
I shared my dressing room with another actress who had been working on the show for many years. She told me that usually we all have an individual room but this was a busy day filming scenes with many actors. She had great insights. We ran our scenes together a few times before being called. I got to go through the hands of the costume department as well as the hair and makeup department. My costume was fine and cute. I smiled straight when I put it on and immediately felt the part!
The episode screened yesterday. I’m thankful to have gotten the chance to work on a CBS TV show and that it is going to be seen worldwide. Here is the link (USA only).
Merci beaucoup! Caroline aka Claudette (the name I gave to my character) , the French Maid.
Note: I was authorized by the production (casting) to share these photos.
CaroLine Style 
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