Most actors rush to fill silence with dialogue. Coppola values the pause. When you bring an actor in for a "2 Con" session, instruct them to hold their first look for 10 seconds of absolute silence. If they break eye contact or fidget, they fail. The extra quality actor uses silence as a weapon.
Standard casting looks for memorized lines and good cheekbones. "Casting 2 con Francis Ford Coppola" looks for Atmosphere. casting 2 con francis ford coppula extra quality
During the casting of Dracula (1992), Coppola didn’t ask Gary Oldman to read a scene from the script. He asked Oldman to sit in a chair and slowly transform into a predator without moving his feet. That is the extra quality. Most actors rush to fill silence with dialogue
Here is your technical checklist for achieving that quality in your audition room: If they break eye contact or fidget, they fail
You’ve landed the gig. Here is the reality of "extra quality" on a Coppola set: