Ethan Slater Shares His Most Memorable Audition Experience When a Director Questioned His Presence

Ethan Slater in November 2025.
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Ethan Slater Reflects on Challenging Audition Experience

Actor Ethan Slater recently shared a revealing anecdote regarding a difficult audition from the early stages of his career during an engaging interview at Vassar College, where he also received the Young Alum Achievement Award.

"Early on, I had an audition where I left the room — I’m going to say no specifics — but I left the room, and before the door closed, the director said, ‘Why did you even bring him in?’" Slater recounted, speaking with Professor Chris Grabowski and Professor Shona Tucker.

The 33-year-old actor later learned he was "20 years too young" for the role in question. "I know exactly who they cast, and I know everybody else they auditioned. But at the time, I left that room and I was like, ‘I’m never going to work.’ That is the worst thing. I was 23 years old," he said.

Slater noted that his involvement in casting discussions has shifted his perspective on that negative experience. "Having the experience of getting to be on the other side of it, which has only happened professionally for me more recently, has been pretty great," he shared. "Now I’m like, ‘Oh, first of all, inappropriate. That was on them, but also they probably didn’t even mean anything by it.’"

Although he did not specify which project involved his casting participation, Slater recently co-wrote the play Marcel on the Train with Marshall Pailet. The play is set to premiere Off-Broadway at New York City’s Classic Stage Company in February 2026, where Slater will also portray the famous French mime Marcel Marceau.

Ethan Slater visits SiriusXM Studios on Nov. 18, 2025 in New York City.

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Slater’s recent credits include playing Boq in the film adaptation of Wicked and its sequel, as well as appearances in the television series Elsbeth, Gen V, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

He made his Broadway debut in 2017 as the title character in The SpongeBob Musical, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. A graduate of Vassar College in 2014, Slater has been recognized for his accomplishments with the Young Alum Achievement Award, presented to inspiring graduates within the past decade.

Ethan Slater at the ‘Wicked: For Good’ premiere on Nov. 17, 2025 in New York City.

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Wicked: For Good is currently in theaters.