You know him as "Deacon Claybourne" on the TV show, 'Nashville,' and now he is back on the tube as "Ward Cameron" on 'Outer Banks.'
In a recent interview, Charles Esten sits in with Cody Alan offering no spoilers but shares details around his new television show, expected cliffhangers, and ingenious cinematography. Catch their full conversation on the Cody Cast podcast by clicking HERE.
During their conversation, "Take me to an audition that you will never forget," asked Cody.
"This is one that I have never shared before," Chip replied with excitement.
"I came extremely close on "Band of Brothers," that incredible mini-series that Tom Hank produced. I was all the way down the line. Don't even ask me what character... I forget, at this point. This was before I had done anything of that level, so this would have been a major jump. I had one, two, three auditions," Charles tallied quickly before continuing. "Then I had an audition with Tom Hanks in the room.
"He was as lovely as can be, super kind, wonderful guy. And, I sort of brought it," laughs Chip. "I had a great audition. I went home, and my agent called me and said, "They really like you. They just want one more audition." And I am like, "Man, if Tom Hanks like you, who else needs to say yes?"
"So, of course, I show up at the audition. I walk in the room, and there is nobody in there, but Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg holding a camcorder," revealed Chip.
"They had me get down behind a chair and act like I was fighting in World War 2, and as I am crawling along the carpeted floor, Steven Spielberg is 4 feet from me crawling along with his camera."
"My brain was exploding. I was trying to play it as cool as I could, but I grew up on 'Jaws,' 'Close Encounters,' and 'ET,'" said the actor. "I just did my best, and I hung in there. I'm sure in Steven Spielberg's viewfinder, I probably looked nervous."
As it turns out, Charles Esten would not be cast by Steven Spielberg. Still, that moment was undoubtedly the catalyst for him continuing to audition and eventually taking the role of Deacon on CMT's Nashville television series.As it turns out, Charles Esten would not be cast by Steven Spielberg. Still, that moment was undoubtedly the catalyst for him continuing to audition and eventually taking the role of Deacon on CMT's Nashville television series.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images.
Photo Credit: Getty Images.