Reckless Truth is a Supernatural Contemporary Fantasy book, the first in a series, and will be a fully narrated audiobook/drama. I'm looking for Scottish and American actors at any level of experience willing to commit to a relatively large project that I may call you back for future entries of. A narrator has already been chosen, this role is for dialogue only.
Due to complicated laws I'm afraid we can accept 18+ ACTORS ONLY for this project. I'm sorry about that but governments gonna govern.
THIS PROJECT IS AI FREE. YOUR VOICE WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE USED BY OR FOR GENERATIVE AI IN THIS PROJECT.
BLURBWhen they were children, their brother was stolen and their mother killed. Elyan and Lydia Moore have dedicated their lives to finding out what really happened that night, and where their brother was taken - but the truth will throw them into chaos they could never predict.
Combining sci-fi fantasy with interpersonal drama, Reckless Truth is a story of finding love and overcoming fear; about testing our deepest personal perceptions and learning to live and love beyond what is expected of us. It is about grief and trauma, and the different ways those things are processed and overcome -- and the scars they leave with us forever.
PAYThis is a paid project on a tight budget, calculated as fairly as I can stretch it. Listings reflect your final pay. Minor characters are paid at a minimum of £3 as some roles only have a few words and I still want to pay y'all something.
Pay will be handled through PayPal unless otherwise arranged. As I am in the UK, Cashapp is NOT POSSIBLE.
EXPECTATIONSWhile I don't expect everyone to have the same equipment or a whole studio to work with, I do have to make sure this project reaches the minimum requirements for audiobook quality. Therefore I expect all actors to use a high quality microphone (XLR ideally) and record in a quiet environment with a minimal noise floor.
Feel free to send in multiple takes of the same lines and to audition for any characters you like/feel to ! I want to hear your range and get a real feel for how you roll <3
While most characters have a location/nationality, I don't expect localisation to be exact! If you can do Scottish but not to a specific city, feel free to audition regardless -- same with American roles, if you're not from or able to replicate the exact state a character is from but you want to give it a crack regardless don't fret too much! As long as the vibe is right I'll consider you <3
TurnoverI hope for this audiobook to be released before the end of the year, therefore I expect to be able to work with you through September/October (the month following the audition deadline).
This can be otherwise negotiated on an individual basis but if you know for sure you won't be available around then, please do not audition.
CommunicationFor the sake of my sanity I will be communicating with you all via Discord AND/OR email. You can decide to join the Discord or send me your email (or both), neither are mandatory (but you do have to pick one :P)
THE FUTUREAs this novel is the first in a series, most of the characters in this story are recurring and I may call you back for future projects, potentially with a larger or smaller workload.
I recognise it's expecting too much for everyone to be willing or available for "the future" but if you are willing to come back in future for the same role that would be fabulous.
Apologies for the delay in getting back to everyone! Rest assured that we are still going through auditions and finalising our decisions, things are just moving slower than expected due to Life Happening I'm sure you can understand.
Thank you all so much for your patience.
As of right now, this project is officially CLOSED TO AUDITIONS. Anyone who submits from now will not be considered.
Thank you to everyone who had auditioned! I could not have imagined the response my little passion project would receive. I am absolutely blown away by how much amazing talent I now have the daunting task of making a decision on 😭
I'll be endeavouring to go through everyone's auditions and make my decisions within a couple of weeks, and I thank you all for your patience in the meantime <3
Happy September and keep up the excellent work!
Hi and thanks again for so many submissions! Keep them coming and tell your friends!
Just a quick word to say that if anyone is struggling with or would rather not use CCC for this audition, the full casting call is also available on google docs, and you can submit your audition files through the google form if you prefer!
Keep up the great work! <3
Thank you for all the submissions so far! We're absolutely blown away by how many of you there are already. Just wanted to add a short notes addressing a few things:
1. Please submit your audition in one audio file. This will help us keep everything organised and save jumping about from post to post!
2. Please read only the lines provided for your audition! I appreciate how enthusiastic you all are but putting your resume in the audio file will make it harder to go through your actual work!
Any relevant information you have that might help your case can be left in the written notes of your audition or in your profile page (we check everyone's profile for more information!)
3. Similarly, please read ALL of the lines given! We hand-picked dialogue for each character that we feel will best show us your range and suitability for the role, and if you only read one or two (or none!) of the lines we won't have the full picture!
Thank you again to everyone who has auditioned so far and everyone who is thinking about it! Keep them coming, and if you know any other actors you think would fit with the project please send them our way! The more the merrier <3
Age: 22
Gender: Woman
Nationality: Scottish
Ethnicity: Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Major
Lydia is the hot-tempered younger sister of Elyan, also from Dundee. Her accent is stronger and more clipped than Ely's due to her more aggressive, hardened personality. She can be impatient and her mental health issues have given her a hair-trigger temper that will often blow at what seems to be the slightest provocation. She masks her insecurity behind anger and sarcastic humour, saving her softer side for Elyan and, later, Tori.
Lydia is a deeply passionate and emotional character who cares deeply for the people around her -- especially her brother, who has been her only companion for most of her life. They take care of each other: he knows how to deal with her temper and she knows how to take care of him through his psychosis.
[groaning] "I don't need your voice in my migraine right now, ta."
[stressed to breaking point, near hysterical] "If being here and telling us shit is such a fucking nightmare then just go!"
[to Elyan during his psychosis; gentle, emotional, but urgent] "Whatever they’re saying, whatever they’re telling you: don’t you dare listen. We need you here. We need you, Ely."
Age: 22
Gender: Cis Woman
Nationality: Scottish
Ethnicity: Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Major
Tori is the soft-spoken, anxious (and kind of ADHD) supersoldier who blundered her way into the Moores' life alongside her honourary brother, Erik. She is often likened to a Disney princess -- the girl is so damn gentle it hurts. She could be described as 'squirrelly' -- she speaks fairly softly, often with an anxious stammer that gets worse depending on the topic. Tori tends to speak the clearest when she's in "storytelling mode": she takes on an airy, distant, tone when reminiscing, likened to a story told by campfire.
Don't let appearences fool you, though -- she has as much of a checkered past as any of the soldiers she grew up with, has a stern "mother hen" tone that often shows when healing a stubborn 'patient', and is capable of extreme violence when pushed.
(WARNING: Tori has trauma regarding forced serilisation in her past. While it isn't the primary focus of her character, please be aware that there will be a scene addressing this directly.)
" Oh! I’m so sorry, I was just starting to worry and I thought maybe you wouldn’t wake up and I didn’t mean to scare you!"
[airy, 'storytelling' tone, relaxed and soft] "I can feel them next to me, in my head. Like we're the same. I feel everything they feel and know what they want and what they need; even see through their eyes if I need to. It's hard to explain, but I can influence them to do what I need them to, or let them pull me to what they need me to do. That's why she's so calm when you're here too. She can feel that I trust you."
[hissed, furious] "He took my choice. He reached into our bodies and pulled out our choices one by one before we even understood what it means, and every time I think there's something he doesn't have control over he makes it worse."
Age: 29
Gender: Man
Nationality: Scottish
Ethnicity: Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Major
Elyan is a 29 year old ex-detective from Dundee, extremely intelligent and mostly mellow. He has Schizoaffective Disorder and experiences auditory hallucinations and paranoia. He is a generally calm and soothing presence, but isn't afraid to be firm when needed, often being likened to a strict father when he does so.
Elyan's tone is mostly flat or at least neutral, often taking on a cool, stern edge when annoyed. He rarely raises his voice even slightly, so when he does it's a sharp contrast to his usual demeanour. Often due to his disorder and anxiety, he struggles to form words or organise his thoughts, leading to a more stuttered and broken manner of speech that trails off often.
[muttered to himself/his hallucinations during a stress-induced psychosis episode] “I don’t want to talk to you right now. I don’t want to have this conversation right now. Talk about it later."
[controlled, barely-there aggression, slightly raised voice] "Enough! Like it or not, we need each other."
[distant, reminiscent, an old and painful memory] “I don’t know why he didn’t kill me, but-.. When I was back from hospital Josh was gone. All the furniture was back in place, the blood was cleared up, and the whole thing was treated like it never happened. Called it a car crash and left it there.”
Age: 24
Gender: Nonbinary/Genderqueer
Nationality: Scottish
Ethnicity: Middle-eastern, Sephardic Jewish and Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Major
At first impresions, Erik is the strong, stoic type. His PTSD from being a supersoldier -- and a commander, at that -- can lead him to be confrontational and overprotective, even controlling at times, but at his core he is a gentle soul and the most observant, caring friend you could have. He is flirtatious, playful and smooth-talking, extremely comfortable in his sexuality and charisma.
Erik has Mutism and is Profoundly Deaf, so the majority of his dialogue is through written word, sign language or telepathy -- but all will be voiced for the purpose of this audiobook. I will be adding notes to the script to specify when Erik is speaking through sign, telepathy or writing. Feel free to disregard these or give them your own creative spin, it's open to interpretation.
(Though Erik uses masculine pronouns and terms in this book, he is genderqueer and this will be explored in later entries. Genderqueer or otherwise trans/nonbinary VAs preferred, especially if you have a low or androgynous voice)
[[telepathic]] [understanding, knowing, grim] "You can always stop. Start over. There's more to you than fighting and drinking and maybe you need to step back to see that."
[[written]] [guarded but concerned] "I had to hold a group of fucked-up kids together when I was just a fucked-up kid myself. I’ve seen all kinds of meltdowns and sometimes aye: I’ve caused them. I want to know what to look out for and I want to know how to avoid it."
[[signed]] [upset, tearful, hurt] "You waltz in here like you never left trying to be our brother again but where were you when we needed you most?”
Age: mid-20s
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Secondary
NB: THIS ROLE IS FOR MULTIPLE CHARACTERS IN A PLURAL SYSTEM. As such you will be voicing multiple characters with multiple accents.
SYSTEM MEMBERS (not all present in this story, but may appear in future entries):
Jackson: A smooth-talking Texan man, highly social and prone to speaking in riddles and poetry.
"Shadow": A Scottish man with a gentle, soothing voice. More withdrawn than Jackson, but still wih a cheeky/flirtatious edge at times
Dark: A slightly feral fourteen year old vampire with a rumbling voice, any accent.
Lawrence: A fairy-tale knight and protector of the system, any accent
Laine: Formless, timeless being. A ghost. Any accent. (does not feature yet)
[[DARK]] "I know what you’re thinking. Don’t. We don’t stand a chance.”
[[JACKSON]] "There’s a shadow that cloaks us all: the caution covered carefully by ill-considered charm, that we might hide ourselves in the guise of another…"
[["SHADOW"]] "I know what I did wasn’t fair. You have no idea how much it ate at me, but Erik... you don’t know my troubles any more than I know yours. You don’t know where I’ve been, what I’ve done–”
Age: 21
Nationality: Scottish-Korean
Ethnicity: Korean
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Secondary
The mysterious character who approaches the cast through bold, green text that appears on their electronics. Nobody knows who they are, or where they came from, but they have invaluable information that might just save their lives...
Without spoiling her reveal, this character is female and Scottish-Korean. She was raised in Scotland like the rest of the cast, and is profoundly deaf, blind, and a (slightly) ambulatory wheelchair user. She speaks in a slow, almost melodic voice when calm and is usually quite soft and patient with those she loves. She rarely loses her temper, but can frequently become bitter, sarcastic or even arrogant when annoyed -- she is devestatingly cutting with her words and attitude, quick to make her displeasure known if needed.
I would especially love if you have a Deaf accent for this role, as Green canonically has one.
(This character's real identity is technically a spoiler. I've added enough details for you to know the sort of job this is, and further details will be given once I cast you!)
"Listen. The energy here is not an accident. Runaways, dysfunctional families… they come here. So do inhuman people. It draws the lost to it."
[fond, sad] "Take care of yourself, baby bird. I want to see you fly again."
[annoyed] "Don’t tell me how to do my job, Moore. I guarantee I’m better at it than you."
Age: middle-aged, 40-50 ish
Nationality: Scottish
Ethnicity: Scottish
Role: Secondary
Recurring: No
Paul enters the Moores' life with little more than a warning -- or is it a threat? "Stop looking for Joshua Dayton Moore."
He is the right hand man of the mastermind behind the evil they have endured, but there is far more to him than meets the eye.
Paul is described as 'fatherly'. He carries a mournful, tired air about him, like the weight of what he has been forced to participate in follows him everywhere. He is protective, gentle, and far too kind for a man forced to participate in the torture of the people he has come to be a father figure to.
[sincere, urgent, shaken] "You need to stop. Both of you. You’re prying into things you can’t possibly fight or understand."
[sympathetic] "Oh, lad-.. I’m sorry. Let me get Evie situated and I’ll explain properly, aye?"
“Both of you, breathe. Nothing’s going to come from bickering like this. There’s bigger problems at hand."
Age: 46
Nationality: American (Boston, MA)
Ethnicity: White American
Role: Minor, Villain
Recurring: Yes
Cathy is the helicopter parent of an autistic child. The disappearence of her daughter is the inciting event of the plot, and Cathy herself will play a pivotal role in its conclusion.
Without spoilers, Cathy will get a little messed up towards the end of the story, so anyone able to distort their voice slightly (as if mutated and injured) will be ideal!
[snapped] "Watch your language, young lady!" [calm/softer] "There's a young child with you, isn't there?"
[dismissive] "Ah, yes, the Controller's little nicknames. Whatever you like, dear."
[distorted, throat full of blood, fake-sympathetic] "I've read your file. Your brain is sick but you raised your sister to believe every word out of your mouth. Every delusion. And now look where it got her."
Age: appears middle-aged
Gender: Cis Man
Nationality: English
Ethnicity: White English
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Secondary
The Controller is the main villain of the series. He is an effortlessly imposing figure, carrying himself with the "stiff upper lip" of a true English Gentleman. He is calm in all things, methodical, and rarely feels the need to raise his voice. He is the ultimate persistance predator.
The Controller has absolute faith in his goal: to create a new world where none need to suffer under disability or illness. He sees himself as the ruler of this new world, and the prime example of how it should be. The evils he inflicts are a necessary, justified thing and he genuinely believes he cares - he just has to remove himself from personal connections to achieve his goal. Confidence and unnerving calm are key!
[jovial, like addressing a friend] "Jameson! Giving our newest recruit the tour, I see."
[booming announcement, commanding attention] “Intelligence and strength! These are most valued qualities in the eyes of the Purpose. To know our enemies and crush them; to keep our heads high and stand tall above them!”
"A pity you were such a disappointment. No discipline, no loyalty… still, your mindless brawn certainly made up for your lack of... intellect. You were useful enough.”
Age: 8
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: Scottish-Korean, American (Kentucky)
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Secondary
One of the Controller's most coveted creations, Mist is an extremely powerful child with the ability to control rock and earth down to its atomic properties. He is an eager and bright-eyed child with a passion for people, and enjoys nothing more than being helpful to the adults around him. Mist has albinism, and is a transgender boy. He is eight in this story but will be aging over the course of the series.
[tearful] I'm sorry. I’ll help next time! I won’t break stuff, I’ll help when the bad people come instead of hurting people!"
[conversational] "I can change stuff. Make it bigger or smaller. I can break stuff and fix stuff – sometimes I break lots of stuff but I don’t mean to.”
[screaming] "Stop, stop, STOP! I hate you, I HATE you, I want you to go away!"
NB This is a role specifically for the auditory hallucinations of a man with Schizoaffective disorder. Ideally you will have experience with psychosis and auditory hallucinations to be able to approach this role with the knowledge and sensitivity it requires. While this isn't mandatory, it is preferred, and if you are comfortable with doing so please disclose this in your audition.
The voices Elyan hears are present in multiple occasions throughout this story. I want them to be realistically depicted without being triggering, so ideally there will only be one or two overlapping voices for the effect. The voice Ely primarily hears will sound like a regular person so feel free to take any creative liberties you feel work.
I would prefer the accent to be Scottish or English but I will consider American accents also.
"They’re coming. They’re going to take you away; they’re going to take you all away or kill you and you want it, don’t you?"
"Drinking to forget. He's hiding something."
"Stupid. You're stupid. All that education wasted, you can't even walk down some stairs, stupid."
Age: 23
Nationality: American-Scottish
Ethnicity: Native American (Apache), Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Minor
Ryan is an autistic man of Native American descent. One of the most resistant to the Controller's conditioning, Ryan has a hard time under the Purpose. His soft-hearted nature clashes with the violent reality of his situation and as a result he is very often burnt out, confused and anxious. His only solace is with his plants, which he conjures to keep him company in all situations.
Despite this, he is still a force to be reckoned with. Ryan detests being infantilised and has a short temper when stressed, and plant magic can be used in devestating ways.
As Ryan is partially of Apache descent, I would prefer an actor of Native American descent to apply. Ryan is an autistic transgender man, so transmasc and autistic voice actors are also preferred. Feel free to apply if you fit one or more criteria but not all, as I know this is very specific for an indie project!
[apprehensive] "You can’t both be here. He’ll know."
"If you water and trim them regularly they could last-- oh! You live on that farm now right? They’ll do so well in the cold months and they’ll have company! A-and then so many of your animals can enjoy them too~"
[frustrated, near-meltdown] "I’m so stupid! I-.. Should have known you didn’t know, this is bad this is bad…"
Age: 21
Nationality:Scottish
Ethnicity: Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Minor
Blade is the Controller's loyallest experiment. He buys into everything the Controller tells him: that he will be special, important -- that his loyalty will raise him above humanity when his plan comes to fruition. All he wants is for his family to believe that too, so they can be together and safe when the end comes.
Blade's tends to speak in a clipped, slightly muttered/mumbly way -- like a cross between a moody teen and a permanently-angry old man.
"If I'm a brainwashed slave for being here, what does that make you now?"
[exasperated] "We don't kidnap anyone who didn't belong to the Controller in the first place."
"The Purpose will come and then the loyal ones will be rewarded. You'll see."
Age: 23
Gender: Nonbinary, demigirl
Nationality: Scottish-Korean
Ethnicity: Scottish-Korean
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Minor
Evie is the most defiant member of the team, protective and often aggressive. Her power is an insidious one -- they can see the fears of everyone around them, often taking them on in the process, and can induce hallucinations. During these times their powers will shut off their own emotions, making them dull, emotionless and cold in their delivery.
"You. You know about us, probably more than we do. You were scared for us, back there. Could’ve killed us but you didn’t."
[shouted] "You’ll not put a damn finger on my son!"
[cold, emotionless] "Nobody could ever love you now. You failed as a mother and you can't even be a monster right. You're nothing and your life means nothing."
Age: 24
Nationality: Scottish
Ethnicity: Pakistani-Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Minor
Violet is extremely perceptive, taking advantage of her quiet, solitary nature to keep close tabs on all of her family and every word out of the Controller's mouth. She is autistic and minimally vocal - her speaking voice is slow and quiet. I'd like her written and signed communication to be more confident, maybe a little faster, but keep the quiet, airy quality.
"Zero. Have to."
[written] "They’re training the kids just like they trained us, but they’re different. They came from outside."
“I’m really bad at numbers. I don’t have to count or do sums for my code. Numbers just sound nice.”
Age: 24
Gender: Woman
Nationality: Scottish
Ethnicity: Pakistani-Scottish
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Minor
The "mum friend" of the little supersoldier squad she found herself in, Ivy remembers quite a bit about her honourary family and their lives -- but absolutely nothing about her own. She relies heavily on her family and her excitable, happy-go-lucky nature to keep morale up among the team.
[playful, mocking] "Having trouble? You let your guard down. Not easy to keep up with all that power, is it?"
"That's pretty damn sad, girly-boy."
“God, you're like a toy soldier stuck on a loop! Is there a button I can press to give him a brain?”
Age: late teens/young adult
Gender: Man
Nationality: American
Recurring: Yes
Role Type: Minor
A half-demon and the Controller's left hand man, Luc is loyal, intelligent, and vicious. He believes wholeheartedly in the Controller as a God worthy of following and will do just about anything to earn his favour.
"The Controller gives me a cushy deal: I help him out, he feeds me and I don't pay rent or hide what I am."
[patronising] "Do you even know what you stumbled into?"
"The Controller? He’s the God I choose to follow. The one who’ll lift the world to greater heights than humanity can do by themselves."
Recurring: No
Role Type: Minor
This is a minor role appearing in one chapter. The barkeeper is a stern, middle aged woman with a thick southern accent who provides some crucial information to our protagonists.
"Strangest pair I ever saw, and I’ve seen a lot of ‘em."
"The brunette one came in first, just sat there all quiet-like; didn't even notice her 'til she ordered a drink."
This is a minor role appearing in one scene. James is a hallucinatory imitation of Tori's deceased ex-boyfriend sent to torment her towards the climax of the story. He is as soft, empathetic and loving as she remembers him -- but quickly twists into something colder. Crueller.
[warm, caring] "Look at me, Blue. You couldn't protect me and I couldn't protect you."
[cold, cruel] Have fun with your girlfriend. I hope she was worth it.
Soldiers who appear briefly in one scene. Typical military pawns, aggressive and vicious. Any gender identity welcome but the characters are referred to by he/him and as men. Any accent, just have fun with it!
These roles are minor, with one to five lines each. Up to three people will be chosen. Feel free to audition for this if you have also auditioned for a bigger role, as cross-casting will work out best.
"Let's keep this simple, yeah? Tell us who your hacker is. It's obviously not you, is it? You're the 'all bark, no thought' type"
