When James Maslow first heard about Big Time Rush, there was not much of a show to audition for.

Nickelodeon and Sony wanted to create a series about a boy band that would also become a real boy band. They knew they needed four guys who could sing, dance, and act. The scripts, characters, and music could apparently come later.

James was 17, living in San Diego, and driving to Los Angeles several times a week to audition. He eventually graduated early and rented a room in Studio City, convinced that something was about to happen.

Something did happen. It just took nearly two years and four different casting rounds to get there.

The project’s original working title was The Unscripted Boy Band Project, which tells you just about everything they had figured out.

There were no finished scripts and no original songs. Even the characters were still loose ideas. The producers simply started bringing people in to see who might work together.

James showed up ready to sing, dance, and act without knowing exactly what he was auditioning for. Nobody else seemed entirely sure either.

That uncertainty followed everyone through the entire process.

One of the first songs James had to perform was Chris Brown’s “With You.”

Then he had to sing it again….

…And again….well you get it.

He sang alone, with different partners, and in group after group while the producers tried to see which voices and personalities fit together. James estimates he performed the song around 500 times, which feels like enough to permanently ruin any song for a person.

The singing was only one part of it. There was choreography to learn, acting scenes to read, and characters to try even though those characters were still changing. The producers also filmed the auditions because they were considering making the casting process part of an unscripted show.

That was news to James.

Not a course. Not a tutorial. A real, working app built live with our team in 3 days - no code, no experience needed. Justin Burns walks you through every step. Free to attend July 22-24.

Grab your spot here.

After each round, the performers were sent back to their hotel rooms and told to wait for a phone call.

James was still a minor, so his dad was there with him. They sat in separate beds for hours while James became increasingly nervous, hungry, and irritated.

When the phone finally rang, the producer asked if he was still in the room.

James was understandably confused. They had specifically told him to stay there.

She casually explained that he had made it through. The people who had been cut were apparently finding notices slipped underneath their doors.

Not exactly the gentlest elimination system, but James survived it and reached the final four.

Then the producers decided to start the casting process over.

James came back for the second round, made it to the end again, and was placed under a holding contract.

It paid him a little money to stay available, but it did not guarantee him a role. Six months later, he returned to do the singing, dancing, and acting process all over again.

By the third round, Carlos PenaVega had joined the group, and the project finally looked real. They filmed an expensive pilot on the Paramount lot. Sets were built. Contracts were signed. Everyone got new haircuts.

After a year and a half, James thought they were finally making the show.

Then the producers recast it AGAIN.

The fourth casting round brought Kendall Schmidt into the group with James, Carlos, and Logan Henderson.

This time, it felt different.

Each of them had his own personality, but nobody seemed out of place. They got along, balanced one another, and finally looked like the group the producers had spent nearly two years trying to find.

Even James could understand why the process had taken so long.

The network still waited before officially approving the show. It was not until another opportunity came along for James that his agents told Nickelodeon they could not keep holding him indefinitely.

Suddenly, Nickelodeon was ready to move forward.

The cast returned to reshoot the pilot with the final group. James’s longtime family friend Stephen Kramer Glickman joined the show as Gustavo, making the whole experience feel even more surreal.

After four casting rounds, a scrapped pilot, and nearly two years of waiting, Big Time Rush finally had its band.

The series became a hit, the fictional group became a real touring act, and years later, James, Kendall, Carlos, and Logan found their way back to performing together again.

The process was messy, frustrating, and much longer than James ever expected.

But they found the right four.

And once they did, it worked.

Nearly two years after the first audition, Big Time Rush finally had its band.

James could have walked away after the first recast, the second final four, or the pilot that still was not enough. Instead, he kept showing up until the right group came together.

The process was chaotic, frustrating, and much longer than anyone expected. But it gave James, Kendall, Carlos, and Logan the chemistry that made the show work and keeps the band going today.

Watch the whole interview here. What’s your favorite Big Time Rush memory? Share it in the comments, and come back for more stories from James.

One Email with ALL the News. Ditch the Mainstream Bias. Quick, informative news that cuts through noise. Subscribe for FREE!