# “I cried, and cried, and cried”: Linda Cardellini on the audition that changed her career

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/i-cried-and-cried-and-cried-linda-cardellini-on-the-audition-that-changed-her-career/
- Published: 2026-10-25T07:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-25T07:07:41+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/linda-cardellini-on-the-audition-that-changed-her-career/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Cardellini dressed as Velma for her Scooby-Doo audition.
- She went home and cried, thinking she had made a fool of herself.
- Her commitment helped shape a performance that endured.

## Summary

Linda Cardellini says she cried after an audition for the live-action Scooby-Doo films, where she arrived dressed as Velma while other hopefuls wore ordinary clothes. Though she felt foolish, her commitment helped demonstrate that she understood the character’s deliberately camp style and ultimately helped secure the role.

Cardellini was relatively new to acting after Freaks and Geeks and was surprised to find famous performers waiting to audition. She recalled removing her glasses and making bold choices, then going home convinced she had embarrassed herself. The two early-2000s films were poorly received by critics but later gained a cult following, and her Velma is still widely regarded as a defining portrayal.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.