Back Stage West Casting Qs by Bonnie Gillespie

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Casting Qs
- by Bonnie Gillespie
Back Stage West

Casting Qs: A Collection of Casting Director Interviews is available!
Please click here for information on purchasing the book!

April 10, 2003 - Lila Selik, CCDA
March 27, 2003 - Judi Brown
March 13, 2003 - Dan Shaner and Michael Testa
March 6, 2003 - Bonnie Zane, CSA
February 27, 2003 - Joseph Middleton, CSA
February 20, 2003 - Mark Paladini's class at UCLA
February 13, 2003 - CD Love Connections
February 6, 2003 - Michlle Foumberg
January 30, 2003 - Pilot Season--Why It Sucks/Why It Rocks
January 23, 2003 - Brendon Fox
January 16, 2003 - Mark Sikes
January 9, 2003 - Audition Tales
January 2, 2003 - Barbie Block, CSA
December 12, 2002 - Sarah Halley Finn, CSA and Randi Hiller, CSA
November 28, 2002 - Marilee Lear, CSA
November 21, 2002 - Judy Belshé
November 14, 2002 - Michelle Morris Gertz, CSA
November 7, 2002 - Debby Romano, CSA and Brett Benner, CSA
October 31, 2002 - Patrick Rush, CSA
October 24, 2002 - Casting Society's Artios Awards Coverage
October 24, 2002 - What You Should Know about Demo Reels
October 24, 2002 - Twinkie Byrd
October 17, 2002 - An Actor's LOOK
October 3, 2002 - Bill Dance
September 26, 2002 - Stuart Stone, CCDA
September 19, 2002 - Schools CDs recommend
September 12, 2002 - Carol Elizabeth Barlow
September 5, 2002 - Paul Weber, CSA
August 29, 2002 - Hottest New TV Shows
August 22, 2002 - Elizabeth Torres, CSA
August 15, 2002 - Delicia Turner
August 8, 2002 - Kimberly Hardin
August 1, 2002 - Marki Costello
July 25, 2002 - Welcome to LA: What's the first thing an actor should do upon arrival?
July 18, 2002 - Julie Hutchinson, CSA
July 11, 2002 - Julie Ashton
July 4, 2002 - How To Become a Casting Director
June 27, 2002 - Mark Teschner, CSA
June 20, 2002 - Cathy & Harvey Kalmenson
June 13, 2002 - Jenny O'Haver, CCDA, Mimi Callard, & Debbie Savitt-Salners
June 6, 2002 - Actors We Love: James Rebhorn (bonus: Letter from James Rebhorn)
June 6, 2002 - Character Actors CDs Love
May 30, 2002 - Marnie Saitta
May 25, 2002 - Dain Blair & Marc Cashman (Spotlight on Singing Special)
May 16, 2002 - Linda Phillips-Palo, CSA
May 9, 2002 - Maria Nelson & Ellyn Long Marshall
May 2, 2002 - Julie Selzer, CSA
April 25, 2002 - Laura Gleason, CSA
April 18, 2002 - Annie McCarthy, CSA
April 11, 2002 - Amy Lippens, CSA
April 4, 2002 - How To Shop at Samuel French Bookstore and My Top 10 Guide Books (Book Nook Special)
April 4, 2002 - Eugene Blythe, CSA
March 28, 2002 - TMA Panel---The Career of a Comedian
March 21, 2002 - Gary Zuckerbrod, CSA
March 14, 2002 - Why Is There No Best Casting Oscar?
March 7, 2002 - Julia Flores
February 28, 2002 - Casting Directors Specializing in Independent Films
February 21, 2002 - Debra Zane, CSA
February 14, 2002 - Carol Lefko
February 7, 2002 - Mike Fenton, CSA & Allison Cowitt, CSA
January 31, 2002 - Welcome to LA: Pilot Season
January 24, 2002 - April Webster, CSA
January 17, 2002 - Sande Alessi
January 10, 2002 - Michael Donovan, CSA, CCDA
January 3, 2002 - Donald Paul Pemrick, CSA & Dean Fronk, CSA
December 13, 2001 - Theatre Casting Stories
November 29, 2001 - Cathy Henderson, CSA
November 22, 2001 - News: Security Issues and Unsolicited Submissions
November 15, 2001 - Talent Managers Association's Panel--Casting from A to Z
November 1, 2001 - Kevin Scott, CSA
October 18, 2001 - Deborah Barylski, CSA
October 4, 2001 - Katy Wallin, CSA
September 27, 2001 - Book Nook Special
September 20, 2001 - Donna Isaacson, CSA
September 6, 2001 - Donna Ekholdt, CSA
August 30, 2001 - Peter Golden, CSA
August 23, 2001 - Michael Greer, CSA
August 9, 2001 - Jackie Briskey, CSA
July 26, 2001 - Welcome to LA--How To Contact a Casting Director
July 12, 2001 - Iris Grossman
June 28, 2001 - Actors CDs Love
June 14, 2001 - Michael Lien, CCDA & Dan Cowan
May 31, 2001 - Beverly Long, CCDA
May 17, 2001 - Ellie Kanner, CSA
May 3, 2001 - Billy DaMota, CSA
April 19, 2001 - Qs to Former Actors
April 5, 2001 - Talent Managers Association's Panel--The Art of Publicity in Today's Market
March 22, 2001 - Bob Morones, CSA
March 8, 2001 - Jeanie Bacharach
February 22, 2001 - Talent Managers Association's Symposium--Success: An Actor's Journey
February 8, 2001 - Church of Scientology's Seminar--How To Get Cast in the Pilot Season
January 25, 2001 - Lori Cobe-Ross
January 11, 2001 - Mini Qs
December 28, 2000 - Jane Jenkins, CSA
December 7, 2000 - Hal Hundley
November 23, 2000 - Pam Dixon
November 9, 2000 - Casting Society of America's Artios Awards
November 9, 2000 - Robi Reed-Humes
October 26, 2000 - Dino Ladki
October 12, 2000 - Fern Champion & Mark Paladini, CSA
September 28, 2000 - Mary Jo Slater, CSA
September 14, 2000 - Lisa Miller Katz, CSA
August 31, 2000 - Tammara Billik, CSA
August 17, 2000 - Marc Hirschfeld, CSA
August 3, 2000 - Conference of Personal Managers' Panel--Casting Assistants: Gatekeepers to the Casting Industry
July 20, 2000 - Ruth Lambert, CSA

Lila Selik
Casting Qs
4/10/03

Shooting Straight

From her second-floor office in a modest production complex, Lila Selik gestures passionately as she speaks. "I'm an ex-New Yorker. I've got a big mouth. I shoot straight from the hip. I don't play the game. Actors appreciate it. Agents do too. I won't bullshit. I'm a maverick. I always have been. Why change now?" The sassy, classy Selik is a former actor--starting out as a Spa Lady on General Hospital and having made an appearance in the cult classic Kentucky Fried Movie. "I was a waitress, serving what turned out to be real beer to all these Hari Krishnas from early in the morning, carrying this tray that probably weighed 70 pounds. I had an arclight on one side, a camera three inches away, the table with the Hari Krishnas [there] and was asked to turn around in this tiny space. I was like, 'What the fuck am I supposed to do?' Turns out it was all a big joke on me," Selik recalled, laughing as if she'd been in on the crew's set-up. "You can rent the movie. The only thing you won't see is my humiliation!"

Selik is in on the joke, to hear her tell it. Her forthcoming book East of Glendale: The Life and Harrowing Escapades of a Hollywood Casting Director (Yeah, Yeah, I Know Hollywood is West of Glendale, but East Sounded Better) shares all the juicy details of her work as Angie Dickinson's stand-in; casting director for hundreds of commercials, industrials, infomercials, feature films, and television shows; and a founding member of the Commercial Casting Director's Association. Selik survived a serious pedestrian vs. auto accident in 1988, leaving her with three years of recovery from a brain injury. "I couldn't remember any of the funny incidents that had happened in my work," she said. "Then I sat at the computer and started typing. Automatic writing took over. The stories just flowed from my fingertips. It all came back at once. I would look at the [computer monitor] and say, 'I remember that! And it's funny!'"

First casting job: Extras casting for the 1977 film The Amazing Howard Hughes. "In addition, I was the on-set casting coordinator, 3rd AD, babysitter for the background, wrangler/strangler," joked the veteran casting director.

"My ex-boyfriend got me into acting. I went to a cattle call. He said it wasn't a cattle call, but it was 60 girls. That's a cattle call! It was for a German champagne commercial and I was the first of five girls selected," she recalled.

"My forte, however, was behind the cameras. I told Pearl Kempton--who was the first casting director in this town to ever cast a non-union extra--that my background was business, finance, and in-charge coordination. I said, 'I'm used to taking charge and I can help. If you need any help, just give me a holler.' And she did."

Kempton called Selik in for help on the set of The Amazing Howard Hughes. Selik was met with the challenge of helping 250 people appear authentic to the 1930s. "That was day one! Skip McNally was doing the hair and suddenly there was all this chaos to get styles ready for the period. The director was yelling, 'Where the fuck are my extras!' Finally, I yelled, 'Girls, turn and do the hair of the person standing next to you. What we don't like, we'll put a hat on.' Skip said, 'I don't know where you've been all my life, but I want you on the set every day.' This was the first of 150 feature films for which I was on-set coordinator."

Currently casting: "I cast anything that breathes," Selik joked. "In addition to the [human] talent, I was once asked to cast a period dog. The setting was 1947 and they wanted a period dog. What the hell is a period dog?" Selik is currently casting commercial projects as well as negotiating the final terms for an episodic project she's been asked to cast.

On feedback: "That's hard to do. Ever since [speaking at] the TMA pilot season launch party three years ago, I've been asked to do a class for agents and managers. I tell them we don't have time to give feedback on every actor. We're busy putting them on tape and getting the tapes FedExed out to the client," Selik explained.

Selik employs a session coordinator--Lourdes Regala--who manages the work of getting actors on tape. "Lourdes is great. She runs camera and sees me direct the first seven or eight actors and then she will pick it up from there. She and I will give some feedback, if we need to say, 'You should take some more classes,' but what I never do is say, 'Very good. We'll call you.' I've seen directors do that and I say, 'Are you crazy? We're not calling them back!' Why say that? It's not fair to the actor, it's not fair to the agent."

Challenges in casting: "Casting is a matter of opinion," she declared. Selik worked with the DGA workshops for four years, casting projects for directors such as Alan Rafkin and Jay Sandrich. "I'm a frustrated director," she revealed. "I teach actors how to audition from the director's point-of-view, which is different than the casting director's.

"There's only one thing lower on a set than an actor: an extra. And that's not right. Directors need to treat these people with respect and not simply blame the actor if the dailies are bad. The actor's job and the extra's job is to observe the director. If you're getting bad direction, ask questions and then do it the way the director wants it [done] anyway.

"I worked with Mark Travis at the DGA in his class on Directing the Actor. I ended up teaching half of the class. I said [to the directors in the class], 'You can't yell at [actors].'"

Best way to get seen by her: Be pitched by your rep. Selik uses her relationships with agents, Breakdown Services, and CD Express to get the word out about her casting needs. "I have to put out a Breakdown in order to see who's available now," she explained. "I may have put a Breakdown out a week ago, but the spot's been held or whatever and now I need to know who can work two weeks later. Of course, I'm not allowed to just run the same Breakdown again, so I have to make some little change or something so that I can get the word out again about the spot."

But the agent is truly the key to Selik's ability to tap into Hollywood talent. "And I need to talk with agents who don't just clean out their files for every submission. I need them to be selective." Selik then recalled a particular commercial client who "loved looking through the photos. We got 2000 and he looked through every single one. It was a pain in my ass, but he loved it," she said with a laugh.

Advice for actors: "Don't believe everything you hear. Don't believe what actors say on the set or in the waiting room for auditions. The rumor mill is crazy in this town. And actors believe it all."

In a related piece of advice, Selik explained the disservice actors do themselves by self-submitting without having all the information available about a role. "I told Gary [Marsh, owner of Breakdown Services, Ltd.] that there's this whole underground network that gets the Breakdowns. Gary can't stop it. But if actors would just read and know when to submit, that would help. They just submit to everything, to anything, hoping something will work. It's a waste of money--all those pictures--and a waste of my time. I'll put out the word for unusual types and people who have nothing unusual about them will submit. They just don't read."

The rest of Selik's auditioning advice involves leaving things behind. "Forget everything out there when you come in to read for me. Don't bring me your problems. You have 30 seconds to show me what you can do. Take a chance. Be yourself. Don't try to act. Don't go on an audition in a bad mood. It reads in your eyes. The camera picks that up, even if you think you're over it. Don't come in. Your agent will thank you. The casting director will thank you.

"And, beyond that, remember to leave everything that happened in the room in that room. Your world will continue tomorrow whether you get the role or not. You need an 'I don't give a damn' attitude. If you carry everything with you from one audition to the next, the camera will see that. Sure, you could've done better. Sure, you fucked up. But the worst thing you can do is keep saying that. We want the best that you've got, and you have to shake it off if you're going to show me your best."

Insider tip: Become a reader. "If clients like my readers, they'll write in parts for them," she said. Selik uses working actors as readers and feels strongly that SAG, CSA, the CCDA or all three together should work to provide a pool of qualified readers who are ready to work in casting offices. "It should be a requirement! Any actor would want to do it--and I'd have to see an actor's work before having them work for me as a reader--but I don't understand why it's not just part of the union's job to provide readers for casting offices."

The two-martini lunch: Selik debunks the theory that computers will revolutionize the casting process. "This, 'go online and get all these actors' pitch is bullshit. You're taking away schmoozing between casting directors and agents and managers. That's communication that we do. Why would you need an agent, a manager, a casting director if you could do this business without communication, without pitching, without schmoozing? What have you got without that? The insurance business. And no one gives a shit about that. 'Can we do lunch?' has to exist in this business.

"We become a family when we put together a project. I always say, 'my actors,' 'my directors,' and that's because for those weeks we work together, we are family. Computers will not change that."

Lila Selik, CCDA
Lila Selik Casting
1551 S. Robertson Blvd., Ste. 202
Los Angeles, CA 90035
www.castingbylilaselik.com

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Judi Brown
Casting Qs
3/27/03

Knowledge Is Power

Comedy is a passion for Judi Brown. She is always searching for the next major comedian to hit the map and she's had a hand in the careers of many successful funny folk. Part savvy businesswoman and part wholehearted fan, Brown has a goal: to be the ultimate authority when it comes to finding comedy. "One of the reasons I get such joy out of the job I do is that I'm an eternal optimist that the next [comic] I see is going to be terrific and is going to blow me away. Once I'm a fan of somebody, it doesn't really change," she said, before heading to this year's HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen.

Having earned quite a few fans of her own, Brown continues to scout--almost secretly--standing at the back of clubs from the Improv to Pasadena's Icehouse to tiny clubs in Hermosa Beach to catch what's hot before anyone else knows it. "I love seeing comedy outside of Los Angeles because I love seeing comedy in front of real people," she said. "I think an industry crowd is one thing, but if you're going to put this person on television, they need to appeal to middle America. I think going out and seeing how a comic does outside of an industry room is really important because those are the people that ultimately you're trying to reach with a television program anyway."

First job in the industry: "I guess that depends on what you call the industry. I started from the ground up. I used to work in a comedy club in Colorado Springs. That's how I technically got into the comedy business. I used to be the door girl, and then I was a waitress, and then I moved up to booking that club. This was when comedy was really booming. Roseanne was performing at the club every week because she was living in Denver. Tim Allen [and] Sinbad were coming around--this was 17 years ago," Brown reported.

Why comedy? "I've always been a huge fan of comedy. I'm a fan of theatre--everything. But I always felt a passion for comedy. I never get tired of it. That's why I love my job," she explained.

Why L.A.? "I was doing everything I could do in the comedy business in Colorado. I was booking rooms, managing, and everything else." So, ten years ago, Brown moved to Los Angeles and began working on Fox's What's so Funny. "They hired me because--living in Colorado--I made it my business to know every comic that was in the middle of the country. If you were in New York or L.A., you were coming through the middle of the country to get from one to the other. My vast knowledge of standup comedy came from watching everything that was happening in the clubs. I was tracking this up-and-coming talent, never realizing that that was a business in and of itself."

After her stint at Fox, Brown worked for Dick Clark and MTV (with Jenny McCarthy) and--six years ago--was offered her current position with the HBO Comedy Arts Festival.

Currently casting: In addition to her constant search for new talent to appear in Aspen, Brown is the comedy producer for Star Search. And what is she looking for? "There are a lot of different styles and tastes in comedy. That's always something to keep in mind. I never know what I'll get a call for next week. I get calls for hosts for things, so I do consulting work in that area as well."

Brown is also partner at Power Entertainment. "It's a pretty successful management and production company for standup. I wear a few different hats," she acknowledged with a laugh.

What is funny? "Comedy is so subjective," Brown began. "Someone can look at the exact same thing and have a very different reaction. It's such a personal thing, so it's always a challenge, finding something that can appeal to everyone. I've had a hard time in the boardroom trying to explain why something was so profound in a club. It's the energy. It's the timing. It's the delivery. It's the moment. All those things have to come together. If one of those things is off a little bit it can make a big difference in somebody's performance."

Best way to get seen by her: "There's a misconception that people who do what I do for a living are inaccessible and you have to have some big way to get seen. My job is finding people," said Brown, who reportedly goes out to clubs as frequently as five nights a week to scout. "If I go out for an evening and don't see anything I like, I'm actually disappointed because that was an evening I spent out that I have nothing to come in and do business with the next day. An exciting evening for me is everybody doing fabulous and going, 'Gosh! That was time incredibly well-spent.' I never tire of finding the next big thing. I watch tapes every single week. I'm accessible by email--and I answer it all. I want to know about you. It's my job to know about you."

An essential marketing tool: A great demo reel. "Having a good piece of tape is the best thing you can do for your career," Brown insisted. She discouraged actors from rushing out and creating one before they're ready, however. "When you do a tape, make sure it really represents what you can do. Constantly update that tape. That piece of tape should represent exactly where you are right now and what it is you're doing right now. Never underestimate the power of a good piece of tape." Does "good" mean "well-produced" or "high-quality talent" on that tape? "Good in terms of quality and good as in funny. It can be anywhere from two to 20 minutes of tape. Just make sure--if it's two minutes--it's two great minutes. And if it's 20, it better still entice me to want to see you live. I'd rather see two minutes and run to see you live than see 20 and figure I've seen all you can do," she qualified.

What's new with Aspen? "This year, we did open calls all around the country, which is a process we'd done over the years. Until this year, we never did them in New York or Los Angeles. There started to be this comment that I kept hearing that the only way you could get in front of us in Los Angeles or New York was that you really had to be connected for one of these nightly showcases with the right manager or project. I thought, 'OK. These people are standing in line to get a spot [through the showcases]. What happens if you take all of the roadblocks out of the way and say We want to know what you're about?'"

And, with that, HBO Comedy Arts Festival held open calls in Los Angeles and New York beginning in October of 2002. "We held these open calls and said, 'It's not about politics. Stand in line and we'll see you.' We saw 600 people in Los Angeles--the full gamut of everything that could be considered funny. It was an outreach. The same thing happened in New York at Madison Square Garden," Brown recalled.
As for finding gems in those open calls, Brown proudly reports there were two: Loni Love in Los Angeles Stephanie Blum in New York.

"Holding open calls here was a great experience for us. Also, it was a great experience for [those who attended the open calls] to see we're just people doing a job. Finding Loni and Stephanie shows that holding open calls certainly was successful for us. We'll continue to do this," Brown said. "You have to nurture the talent of tomorrow. It is sort of self-generating. So many of these people are really terrific and you wonder where they're going to be five years from now. Not every one of them will have a sitcom built around them, but these are the show-runners of tomorrow. These are the people writing the really successful, biting comedy. I look at a lot of [performances] and see that these are the people who are going to be running the late night shows and Saturday Night Live in a few years. They'll be a part of it. The only question is where are they going be in it all?"

What's in it for her: "My motivation and goal in all this is I've set out to be the expert in this field. I want to be the most knowledgeable about standup comedy. If you want to know about the best in standup, you ask me. That's what I want. And, since it's always evolving, I'm constantly looking so that I can stay knowledgeable."

Judi Brown
c/o HBO Comedy Arts Festival
www.hbocomedyfestival.com

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the people behind the projects. Suggestions for future Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Dan Shaner & Michael Testa
Casting Qs
3/13/03

Dan Shaner and Michael Testa met with me in their seventh floor office lobby, shared with another casting office in the mid-Wilshire district. Shaner sat back on the large sofa, relaxed and low-key, while Testa spent most of the discussion on the edge of his seat, gesturing animatedly as he spoke.

As in most partnerships, this pair of casting directors has a comfort level with one another, and their ability to give and take, to agree and disagree, and to always emphasize the collaborative nature of assembling casts, is what keeps them in sync.

"Casting is one of those jobs everybody assumes they can do until they actually do it," Testa said. "They'll say, 'Oh, just go get that person from over there,' and we say, 'You have no idea what the budgetary concerns are, their availability, whether we can get them, can they even do the role?'"

"It's good for actors to understand that we're in the same boat," Shaner explained about the life of a freelance casting director. "We're hustling for the next job as well."

First casting job together: Shaner and Testa came together as partners for the 1997 feature film Touch Me. "I was an associate looking to upgrade myself and Dan was somewhere else looking to leave and do independent stuff," Testa recalled, "and a mutual friend got us together."

Had either of you been working as actors? "No!" Shaner quickly responded. "Emphatically no," Testa insisted, amused at the concept.

"I had been working for a production company as an in-house casting director there and before that I'd worked with [casting directors] Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson, as well as Caro Jones," Shaner recalled.

"And I was working as an assistant-slash-associate with [Beth] Hymson [and Simon] Ayer, Amy Lieberman, Lisa Miller Katz," Testa listed.

Coolest casting gig: The duo agreed it was Buddy Boy, the feature starring Irish actor Aidan Gillen and Emmanuelle Seigner. "It was just a great, weird, odd, quirky movie that was a joy to work on. Everybody on it was so creative, so open," Testa explained. "It was a tough casting job. There were a lot of bizarre, different characters. We had to find a character who--for the first three quarters of the movie--you believed was [one character's] mother [but who] turns out to be his brother."

Shaner added, "There had to be a transformation and it had to be a believable one for the audience. The [production] company had really great taste and they were really good people to work with. They understood the role of the director and that made the whole project really satisfying.

"I thought Roswell was a really good experience for us too," Shaner continued.

"Roswell was great," Testa agreed. "I miss the rhythm of that. Once you have it down, you just go."

"It was a cool experience because it was a time when we felt like we were really in sync with the creator and executive producers. We were really on the same wavelength. It's bittersweet because it would've been nice to go on for longer," Shaner admitted.

Best way to get seen by them: "There is no one way in," Shaner insisted.

Testa indicated that an agency referral is probably the best way in, but that referrals are certainly not the only way in. The duo opens all mail. Still, according to Testa, "We're not big on meeting actors when we're not actively casting."

"Everybody wants to meet on a general all the time," Shaner said, "but it's more worthwhile when we have something to talk about."

"It's like anything else. If you're looking for a job out there in the world, you don't just show up to a company that's not really hiring just to say hi," Testa assessed.

On the concept of prescreening actors through videotaped demo reels, the partners agreed: "We tend not to judge from a demo reel," Testa said. The pair explained that demo reels don't always show an actor's true ability.

"If I don't know the actor, a demo reel can be a good tool, but it could also just be really cut together well and not represent you," Shaner warned.

Shaner and Testa acknowledged--in terms of accurate depiction--that headshots frequently do not represent actors accurately. "A lot of actors have really great pictures and they aren't really great actors--so you can't judge by that," Shaner began.

"Headshots are weird," Testa explained. "They can be way off. We do a lot of prereads to learn who the actor is. You get to know more actors that way and you get a good catalog of people that you know and you like--or you don't."

As for theatre, Shaner goes, Testa does not. That said, Shaner prefers theatre in which actors interact. "A one-woman show may be great for Julia Sweeny, but for most actors, it's just a monologue. Part of the joy of theatre for me is seeing actors interact with one another. So, I tend to steer away from one-person shows."

Currently casting: A pilot from the creator of Roswell. "Six years ago, we talked about this pilot he kind of had set up that didn't go anywhere, but we talked about it. Now he's sold something to Paramount and has hired us to cast it," Testa explained.

"So, be nice to everybody," Shaner joked. "You never know! We really liked that script he had six years ago, so when this came through from another direction, and the executive producer said, 'Oh, you know this writer,' I said, 'Oh, yeah.'"

As for premise, Testa described this project as a little like The Truth about Cats and Dogs. "We're looking for a beautiful, intelligent, funny girl and an acerbic..."

"Edgy," Shaner interjected.

"Yeah, more edgy friend," Testa agreed.

"We're looking for mid-20s, for this," Shaner specified.

"We're also still doing the Hotel project for Aaron Spelling and [feature film] Wild Things 2 which is turning out to be a much better cast than we'd anticipated. So that's exciting," Testa said of the follow-up to the 1998 thriller starring Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon.

Advice for actors: "Stay in class," Shaner said simply.

"Find a way to act, to show off your work," Testa agreed.

"You should always be working," Shaner continued. "It's not about being seen as much as working, being in good shape. Be in class."

"Audition a lot," Testa advised.

Shaner agreed, "It's practice! You should know how auditioning works. Know how the room feels."

"Know when to leave the room. Don't linger. Know how to leave the room without having your stuff scattered all over because then the silence becomes uncomfortable," Testa advised. "And don't ask, 'When are callbacks?' Because what you really want to know is, 'How'd I do?' And if that's the question you want answered, ask that."

"But if you're asking for feedback," Shaner qualified, "be ready to hear it."

"Yeah, there are times I've taken a moment to say, 'You were really great, but I'm not going to call you back because of this or because of that.' So that way you can leave here knowing you did a great job without wondering why you didn't get the callback," Testa said. "They may have changed the role a half an hour before you got here and you should know that."

"That's so nice of you," Shaner marveled.

Non-acting advice for actors from Shaner and Testa involved having a life outside of acting. "Have fun," Testa insisted.

"Try to find an outlet--outside of acting--for your self expression," Shaner advised. "That will keep you healthy"

"Being well-rounded," added Testa, "can only make you a better actor."

Key things they look for in an actor: Shaner began, "Intelligence. I always like intelligence--a sense that they really understand what they're doing with the material."

"I couple that with sex appeal, sexuality. I think that kind of holds somebody to the screen--no matter what the role," Testa added.

"Certainly not every role," Shaner questioned, indicating a role for which an older actress recently read.

"Seriously--this actress is an old woman--they found her completely sexy," Testa explained to Shaner about the producer session. "I think that's why she works! I'd forgotten to tell you about that. They thought she was sexy!"

"There's something you want to watch, something going on inside," Shaner distilled.

"It's something that makes you want to hang out with this person more." Testa continued, "Casting's like dating. You meet somebody and you want to get to know them better."

"Yeah," Shaner agreed, "and you either spark to them or you don't."

What they would change about the casting process: "Pilot season!" the pair exclaimed, almost in unison.

Testa explained, "Listen, we enjoy doing pilots, it's just the process is so nerve-wracking."

"They've talked about it for years, spreading it out a bit," Shaner said. "Why it can't be six months instead of just three months is beyond me."

"It's insane!" Testa lamented.

Do they find what they need in Los Angeles? Most of the time, yes. "For Hotel, we flew a few people in from New York," Shaner said.

"Oh, and for The Lone Ranger, we needed Native Americans so we did a nationwide search--here and Canada--and got them to send in tapes," Testa recalled.

But generally, the pair does not do much traveling to scout. "We have, but it's easier to have the tapes come to us and then go from there," Shaner explained.

Most gratifying part of their job: "Getting actors jobs," Testa answered quickly. "Last year we did a movie called After School Special. There was this guy who was brand new. He was working at a video store as a clerk and then became the lead in this movie. He was so happy."

Shaner added, "It's nice to see a dream come true, to see that finished product on the screen."

Dan Shaner & Michael Testa
Shaner Testa Casting
3875 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 700
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Bonnie Zane
Casting Qs
3/06/03

Defining Success

Bonnie Zane was nominated for an Emmy for best comedy casting on the critically-successful sitcom Sports Night, but it wasn't just any casting Emmy. It was a nomination in the first year the Outstanding Comedy Casting Emmy existed. A thrilling night for Zane, "but what I was really excited about was the [Casting Society of America's] Artios Award nomination for [casting the pilot] Ed," Zane remarked. "That was such an important project to me." Her wish was granted, and in her acceptance speech at the 2000 Artios ceremony, Zane thanked her sister--feature film casting director and fellow Artios Award-winner Debra Zane--for getting her into the business of casting.

With credits ranging from The Larry Sanders Show and The Job to The Chris Isaak Show and forthcoming midseason sitcom The O'Keefes, Zane has an eye for comedy and a love for laughter. After a quick tour of the home-turned-office she shares with Gayle Pillsbury and their staff of associate and assistant casting directors, we settled into the den-like session room for a quick chat on Valentine's Day. Zane would soon rush off to the set of one of the pilots she cast. "We're doing the first table read today," she said with an eager tone, making it obvious that she loves getting to see the work come together.

First casting job: Assistant at Liberman Hirschfeld Casting. "I was in production for years and my sister pulled me in [to casting]. She really encouraged me. She thought it was something I would be good at. I watch so much TV that television casting just made sense," Zane said.

By the time Zane left Liberman Hirschfeld Casting, she'd begun casting NewsRadio. "I took the show with me when I left--after four years with Meg and Marc--and soon began casting Mad About You as well. That was my first show on my own." Zane's current partner in casting, Gayle Pillsbury, also came from Liberman Hirschfeld Casting. "She'd gone on to become vice president of television casting at Imagine Television and--after about five years on our own--we partnered up about two years ago."

Coolest casting gig: Ed. "Casting the pilot for Ed was the most rewarding--although the longest--process. It started at CBS and ended up at NBC. It wasn't picked up at CBS so NBC got it and reshot the pilot with different scripts but the same cast all the way through it. It was such a long process. But it was the most rewarding: a true labor of love. I adore the cast, I worship the executive producers, and I love seeing how well it's done as a series."

Currently casting: Pilots galore. Zane and Pillsbury are currently casting a sitcom for CBS, two sitcom pilots for NBC, one for ABC and the duo continue casting The Drew Carey Show and The George Lopez Show for ABC. "I love comedy," Zane commented. "I love to laugh."

Most challenging part of her job: "With pilots, it's always challenging to find new leading actors in the age range of 30 to 40. Right now, we're searching for an attractive leading lady in her thirties. The challenge is matching the right actor to the right role, because a lot of these actors don't have a lot of success until the right role comes along. In casting a lead character, I'm most likely not going to be surprised anymore. We have to find someone who has been around, who is established, but who hasn't yet been matched to her perfect role.

"The challenge is there for leading men too. Since Ed, everyone wants to find the next Tom Cavanaugh. That's my big joke each new season. I call Tom and say what a failure they've set me up for, asking me to find the next him! In every area of this business--the writer, producer, casting director, and especially for actors--it's all the flavor of the month. It can be fleeting or it can be lasting. I think the difference is star quality, for any job," Zane said simply. "We recently met this New York-based actress who definitely will be the star of a pilot this season. That star quality came through on her audition tape--which is really tough. If an actor pops on tape, there must be something there. When she arrived in person, the star quality was undeniable."

Best way to get seen by her: Say yes to prereads. Part of seeing whether the star quality is there, according to Zane, is about having access to an actor early on. "Agents will say that an actor won't preread for a role. People feel that the talent [they represent] is so precious. If an actor isn't going in for a preread, that actor is missing out on an opportunity they may not even know about. Look, we're not taking advantage of an actor when we ask them to preread. We're a team! I think this is a misconception of casting directors--and, yes, there may be some who don't feel this way--but we all want to make the best possible performance come through."

Zane invests in talent when she knows it's the right actor for the role. "I spent several hours Sunday talking with an actress about her network test, the role, and some of the things happening within the casting process. Her fax machine was down, so I took a revised script to her home so that she'd have it for Monday's network test. I know it helped her tremendously," she continued with a modest shrug. "Hey, she got the part!"

Does she attend theatre? Not only does Zane attend theatre--she has recently cast her first play--the successful run of Turnaround at the Coast Playhouse. Starring David Schwimmer, Tom Everett Scott, Jonathan Silverman, John DiMaggio, and Jaime Ray Newman, this Roger Kumble play was scheduled to run only six weeks, but its success has trumped that decision--which brought Zane back for more casting in the extended run.

"When I read the script, I said to Roger, 'This is the darkest thing I've ever read. It is so disturbing. Let's do it!' We had a table read with David, Johnny, and some friends at Roger's house. Later, we were sitting in his kitchen and Roger started describing the actor he wanted for the role of Seth. He gave me very specific bullet points of how he envisioned him, physically, and the qualities he should posses and I said, 'Oh, you want John DiMaggio! That's exactly who you're describing.' The next day I had John's agent fax over his resumé to Roger and John was the only one to audition for the role," she recalled. As for the task of recasting the extended run, Mark Feuerstein has been tapped for the role originated by Schwimmer and Gabriel Macht will replace Scott.

"I'm so proud of that cast. Across the board, they're doing great work and I'm glad they're getting the extended run as a reward for all that great work."

Advice for actors: "Listen to the casting directors. Trust us. We know what we're talking about," Zane said with a hearty laugh. "I once got a call from a producer who had a bad experience with a casting director and asked me, 'Can you just cast for America?' So, I know that there are some not-so-nice casting directors out there, but I believe it's nice to be nice. So, I always try to make actors feel welcome, work with them, and suggest adjustments. But you have to listen. I just don't understand when an actor won't make an adjustment after asking being given a specific note."

Zane speculated that the inability to make an adjustment comes from one of two things: actors simply not listening or actors having over-rehearsed to the point where an adjustment is impossible for them. "Ask questions," she advised. "And you don't have to use your middleman or agent. Call me if you have a question."

But an important note, from Zane, involves knowing the limits of your interactions. "Don't chat the room up. Don't bring too much of your personal life into the audition early on in the process. At the callback, yes, you can share a little more--especially with pilots--because we're building a family at that point," Zane explained about the sitcom casting process. "But it's not necessary to turn the audition into a cleansing of the soul. Remember, you are judged by everything that happens in the room--not just the audition."

Her favorite casting tale: "Tom Cavanaugh is a Canadian actor who had done a pilot a year before Ed, so he was known around town. He had read for a pilot that my friends--the NewsRadio producers--were doing. And they kept saying, 'You should meet this guy,' and I was like, 'Who the fuck is Tom Cavanaugh?' That's become the ongoing joke for me and Tom, whenever we see each other: 'Who the fuck is Tom Cavanaugh?'

"Well, he was the second guy to audition for the lead role in Ed. We read close to 300 actors for that role! But his talent was undeniable. My associate and I looked at each other and said, 'That's our guy.' We knew he was it. The producers in New York weren't sure because they saw him on tape and you just never know from a tape. But we were certain he was the one for the role."

What she would change about the casting process: "I'd like to see people start believing that they don't need a celebrity to lead a show. A name does not equal a hit. There's plenty of proof of that! I love to discover a new person to lead a TV show, to see people find success, to become big stars, become famous. We [casting directors] are in the shadows here, and we don't need to be thanked--although it is appreciated. I enjoy my own success--I'm not going to lie," Zane laughed. "But what's wonderful about this job is the success of others."

Bonnie Zane, CSA
Zane Pillsbury Casting
585 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Joseph Middleton
Casting Qs
2/27/03

Project Loyalty

Fade In: Int. Office Day. CU of sign: "You are now entering Project Greenlight Headquarters. You are being videotaped. If you do not agree to the terms of participation in the Project Greenlight documentary process, please do not enter the premises." Cut to: intrigued female journalist, scribbling notes about the sign upon entering the premises.

Joseph Middleton's office is at the end of a busy corridor filled with young documentarians, assistants, and producers working toward this year's Project Greenlight production, Erica Beeney's The Battle of Shaker Heights. Stolen Summer, last year's winning production [selected by a staff fronted most notably by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon], set the proverbial bar high with Sundance accolades, critical praise, and an accompanying documentary of the process from project selection to completion.

Middleton's part in the process stems from his early work with Project Greenlight exec producer Chris Moore. "He gave me my first job, so when he calls, I come," he said of the man with whom he shares American Pie credits. Middleton's loyalty is well-earned. After their first collaboration, Middleton would go on to cast Legally Blonde, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and The Bourne Identity, just to name a few blockbuster hits.

First casting job: Middleton was an intern at New York's Public Theatre. "While I was interning at the theatre, the casting process sparked my interest. I was there after college, just figuring it out, and something about that puzzle intrigued me. There's something visceral about the eye required in casting. I like knowing when it's right and knowing when it's wrong," he explained.

After learning the craft in New York, Middleton headed west and ended up interning under casting directors Paul Weber and Vicki Huff. "I worked with them but they weren't hiring. I had interned for Shari Rhodes on Mississippi Burning before. She is a wonderful casting director and has an incredible eye. She hired me for three weeks and that turned into six years. I was her associate, and then I ended up finding a lot of the kids in [1993 feature film] The Sandlot. Shari made me partner and, after awhile, I went out on my own."

Middleton didn't waste any time, making a major name for himself on his own. Out of the gate with the features The Doom Generation, Go, and American Pie, he set a standard that the above-mentioned creator of Project Greenlight recognized and tapped--again. "It's hard to get to the next level--both for casting directors and for actors--so starting out with projects like that put me on the map."

Coolest casting gig: "It's not my job to figure out which project is my favorite," he began. "It changes, and that's just what I do. I don't know how to talk about it in terms of coolest or most challenging, because to talk about it is to devalue what it is I need to do. The challenge is in having a vision, seeing that through the process, and convincing the people to come with me on the ride."

Currently casting: Middleton is casting How To Win a Date with Tad Hamilton for DreamWorks as well as the Intermedia/Outlaw Productions feature Deep, and the aforementioned Battle of Shaker Heights for Project Greenlight. As for Middleton's feelings about the accompanying documentary, "It's interesting," he said, fidgeting with the body mic pack on his desk. "It's another process."

What every actor must have: TiVo. "If you could get a present for yourself as an actor, make it TiVo. That's your textbook. See every production and know who cast what. When I was coming through the ranks as an associate, I would watch shows and films and try to guess the casting director before the name came on screen based on who was cast. I was quite good at it. Actors should know who their biggest targets are based on what they cast. Know your type, TiVo everything, and watch for where your type is being cast consistently," he advised. "You can't get in front of all 600 casting directors in town. Know the ones who cast your type."

Best way to get seen by him: Ingenuity. "Get a group of ten actors together and make an independent movie. I think--because I do film--half-hour comedies often times don't register on my radar," Middleton said of scouting actors while watching television. "I can enjoy the [shows], but the tone of my movies tend not to be as heightened. They are of a more simple reality."

Key things he looks for in an actor: "It varies per the role and the type of movie. Someone who is right for Bring It On isn't going to be right for The Bourne Identity. But, on the immediate flip side, they could be! I think the key for an actor is being as open as possible, being as trusting as possible," Middleton assessed.

"When an actor reaches a moment for themselves--not for anybody else--that's when they've nailed it, that's power. It's ingrained in young actors to get through to casting directors. Often they get through to us and then give their power up. During the audition, it shouldn't be about getting the role. For those three to five minutes, that role is theirs. They starred in that movie for that moment. They may not have been seen by 30 million people, but they starred in that movie just as if they'd showcased their talent for six people in a theatre. It doesn't change the fact that an actor had that role, just because people didn't show up at the theatre. The cast still gives 100% for the six people who showed up."

Does he attend theatre? "I don't go to a lot. But if the play has gotten a good review or stars an actor I admire--no matter what their name is--I like to see what's around that actor I admire. The quality is higher. I'm a little apprehensive of theatre in LA," he admitted. "There are so many television series that theatre is often geared toward getting a job in TV. The continuity of the process is lost when someone is pulled out for a series and there's this empty space actors have to fill. That means the process didn't work because they have somebody else just fill it in."

Advice for actors: "I appreciate an intelligent and thought-out, rehearsed, prepared actor. Those are all the most important points. Knowing that, I look for the surprises that come during a reading. I love those. The high and the low is all in the same beat of selling that," Middleton said. "I am fortunate and lucky to do what I do. I love what I do. There are actors that I love out there--actors I have brought in many times but have yet to hire. I think that's the double-edged sword of the casting director's life."

Further advice for actors included the concept of time management. "Don't overload yourself with too many auditions in one day. Take control of your path. Quit leaving it in other people's hands. Don't sit around waiting for someone to say it's OK to manage your schedule.
"It's hard if you're not grounded," he continued. "This town is constantly comparing you to everyone. You get very lost if you're listening to all the voices around you." So, how does Middleton suggest actors diffuse that bombardment? "Do something for yourself every day. Read a script, go to a movie, go to the beach. I'm not sure what it is for each person, but recheck back into yourself every day."

Trends he has noticed in casting: "I don't think the process of casting has changed, but the business has changed in the past year and a half. There have been fewer films, fewer roles. It's affected everyone as it's trickled down. The higher-level name is taking the lower-level part and that makes it harder than in years of plenty," he commented.

What does Middleton do to combat the lack of roles for the strong, mid-level actor? "I'm just one of an incredible group of people assembled to make a movie. If I can't push it through, when I want to see a certain actor get the role, someone else can. I'm not a hand-holder. I'm not the quiet type. I'm a know-it-all. I'm a bully. People who hire me are comfortable with strong opinions and strong personalities." To that end, Middleton will campaign for the actor he sees as the best fit to the role, whether that actor ever knows about that part of the process.

Most gratifying part of his job: "When all the dots connect. When it's a script that I love read by the actor I write down who responds to the script that I love, that the agent responds to the money that we have, that the producer gets the talent that I bring, who brings the director to new heights, that the editor gets while in post so that my vision is on the screen there for our lifetime."

Joseph Middleton, CSA
c/o Project Greenlight
7966 Beverly Blvd., 3rd fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Mark Paladini's Casting Class
Casting Qs
2/20/03

Casting 101

In my column "How To Become a Casting Director" [BSW, July 4, 2002], casting director Sarah Halley Finn mentioned that there is no class one can take to learn how to become a casting director. "Maybe someday there will be a class," she said. Well, someday is now.

Having just wrapped its initial run at UCLA Extension, Mark Paladini's "Casting for Film and Television" is a course for aspiring casting directors, producers, directors, writers, and actors who want to learn--over six weeks--the nuts and bolts of casting.

What is covered in class? Paladini, whose casting credits include series like Titans, All Souls, Babylon 5, and Beverly Hills, 90210, as well as the features Mortal Kombat, Spy Hard, and The Mask, began the course with an introduction to headshots, resumés, demo reels, and terminology. He also covered job descriptions, billing, deal memos, contracts, union paperwork, and provided hands-on experience at all levels of casting sessions (preread, callback, producer session).

Students in his class were given assignments on a rotating basis. In one week, the assignment for one student included bringing in a list of actors she would consider for the role they'd cast in the mock session the following week. Another student's assignment was to bring in actor headshots and resumés to discuss what works and what doesn't work about them. And another student had the job of bringing in actors to participate in a mock casting session--providing sides, directing and redirecting their work, and providing feedback. The actors brought in by students were invited to stay with the class after the mock casting sessions--and most did choose to do so, taking copious notes.

The bulk of the class time was spent on the mock casting sessions and the feedback that followed. One actor asked Paladini, "Do you have any notes for me?" Paladini's answer referred back to the moment before, in which the student acting as casting director told the actor he'd done a good job. "Yeah. When a casting director says, 'That was good,' say thank you!" Further notes included the importance of never trying to talk the casting director out of enjoying what the actor just did. "Actors walk into the room looking for a reason to not get the part," he said. "And truly, most casting decisions come down to a sense of 'it came to life in front of me.' That's as much science as goes into it sometimes."

For aspiring actors, it's the downtime that counts: Before class began--and during the entire break--Paladini was swamped with questions from eager students (and guest actors) specific to each person's individual situation. For example, an actor brought in to do a mock casting session came armed with 4x6s from his recent headshot photo shoot. He handed the stack to Paladini, who quickly laid the photos out on a table, so that he could see them all at once and discuss with the actor what each said to him. "What is the primary adjective of what you are?" Paladini asked the actor.

Before the actor could answer, Paladini explained the reason that knowing your adjectives is so vital to an actor's marketing strategy. "The character breakdowns go out with about six adjectives to describe each character. You need to make sure that you know the primary adjectives I'm going to glean from your picture. There are lots of actors out there who are not brought in for the right role because of their pictures' quality or the fact that those pictures misrepresent the actor somehow.

"Actors market themselves incorrectly," Paladini continued. "But agents do too. Sometimes the agent cares more about getting an actor in the door than serving our material. Serving the material is all we care about as casting directors. And our job is not to find one person to play the role. Our job is to find choices."

Further advice Paladini doled out to the actor centered around a five-year plan. "Where do you see yourself?" Paladini asked.

"I want a series regular role on a show like The Practice," the young man replied.

"OK--let's think David E. Kelley," Paladini began. "The cast on Kelley shows tends to be made up of actors with a certain sense of humor and acting chops, right? Well, all your 4x6s say one-hour drama to me--so that's a good start--but what else do they say? Write your own role for me right now," he instructed.

The actor pondered and then offered, "Cynical, professional lawyer with a sensitive side, a dry sense of humor, committed family man who can be condescending."

"Good," Paladini encouraged. "And the condescending thing isn't a primary thing but the 'if you're around him enough you see it' kind of thing, right?" The actor nodded in agreement and Paladini continued. "You want to be sure, when you look at the photo, that your secondary element is not showing up as your primary thing."

"So," I asked the actor, "How much of that character you described is simply you?"

"All of it," he replied. "Except the lawyer part."

"But that's how actors at the beginning get their break," Paladini explained. "They bring themselves to the role. They play themselves with depth. If there's no depth, they play themselves only and never grow into other roles and that one job was it for them. Every casting director's dream each pilot season is that some guy comes to town with that depth, so they've discovered someone who'll go on to do more work after that pilot."

Another actor approached Paladini with his two--very different--headshots and told us that he wants to play cop roles. "Well," Paladini began, "someone may say, 'He could be a cop,' but it's not what either picture is saying. This picture says, 'I'm kind of like the assistant D.A.,' but more stagey. This one says, 'I'm a thug.' Think about the message the picture is sending," he advised. "Either embrace that niche or make it a broader picture."

Is this a good class for actors? Yes. If you want to really get to know the ins and outs of deal-making (I had no idea the extent to which casting directors must be aware of SAG rules, contract issues, and political strategies in dealing with various players), understand the mindset of the casting director during casting sessions, and even get some feedback on your own craft and marketing tools, you will benefit from such a class. For aspiring casting directors, it's a no-brainer. This class should come before any attempt at interning in a casting office. Then, your rise through the ranks of intern, assistant, associate, and partner will come much more quickly than perhaps that of someone who doesn't understand the importance of negotiating an actor's head size on all posters promoting the film.

Mark Paladini, CSA
c/o CSA
606 N. Larchmont Blvd., Ste. 4B
Los Angeles, CA 90004
www.uclaextension.org

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Chemistry
Casting Qs
2/13/03

Let's Talk Chemistry!

Ah...chemistry. What is it? Some call it a spark, some refer to it as magic, and others describe it as that special something. Whatever it's called, it is a key element that casting directors look for, when assembling great teams for the screen.

When it works really well, chemistry could turn costars into lovers. When it doesn't work at all, the tales of on-set feuds become legendary. And when it works just fine, we viewers lose sight of the fact that we're watching actors and just go on that journey with them.

Since casting directors are charged with the task of sensing chemistry before actors become castmates, they must have some handle on what chemistry really is. But it's not something many can articulate. For most, it all comes down to that vague, "I know it when I see it," type vibe.

What is chemistry? "Chemistry with actors is like chemistry in the real world," began Billy DaMota (casting consultant to director Alex Proyas on the Will Smith-starrer I, Robot). "When two people connect, it can be magical. And, when the relationship is forced or uncomfortable, just like in the real world, it can be disastrous."

Commercial casting director Terry Berland agreed. "When two actors come in together and have chemistry, it seems like they have known each other a long time. There is a very familiar feel between them, whether the audition is for comedy or drama. If you replace one person with someone else, the chemistry changes," she explained. "If the chemistry is not working, the flow--the timing--is off."

Las Vegas casting director Marilee Lear, currently casting the next season of Temptation Island for Fox, is looking for couples with chemistry that has to be real--and durable. "After all, the singles will try to break them up!" she exclaimed.

How do you know you're seeing chemistry? "Chemistry is evident between actors in a scene when you feel as though you're invading their space," remarked Kate Brinegar, former head of casting for the Fox Family Channel. "When actors are fluid in a scene together, you feel as though you're unwittingly being pulled into it--almost as if you happened to look over your shoulder and find yourself being fascinated by an unsuspecting couple in the middle of an argument. Chemistry should be that real."

"The moments are truly believable, rather than just [seeing] two actors bouncing lines back and forth to each other," said Stuart Stone (commercial casting director currently casting campaigns for Alavert, Hometown Buffet, Sudafed, Ross, Taco Bell, and AT&T). "Often two actors--let's say a mom and dad--have to improvise in an audition. If there is chemistry, we can believe they're a real couple and not just actors bantering back and forth. That's very actory."

"What's always interesting during callbacks is when we pair one actor up with each of three different leading ladies or men. An immediate response and a closeness all of a sudden occurs," described Adrienne Stern, New York casting partner to Meg Liberman on the feature Ugly Americans. "You'll find the actors on top of one another--sometimes whispering and giggling--not afraid to touch and show physical contact, sometimes kissing to get the part!"

But, as writer/director/casting director Jeffrey Arsenault (Blood Craving, Date with a Vampire, Crimson Nights) put it, "Chemistry is not always a romantic connection. It can often be some other kind of spark ignited between two actors which makes something just happen. In the scene, suddenly it is as though you are watching those two actors for the first time--even if they are actors you have seen many times before. All of a sudden, you are looking at them in a new light. They are responding to something in one another that brings them to a new level."

Chemistry at work: "In the 1980s, I cast two years of The Cosby Show," Peter Golden, senior vice president of talent and casting for CBS (currently overseeing casting on 14 pilots), recalled. "The chemistry between Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad just made that show. I'd be on the set and watch the two of them finish each other's sentences. There was such intimacy! When I arrived at CBS," Golden continued, "there was a deal for Bill Cosby to do another series. It was very different, conceptually, than The Cosby Show. For two months, the casting directors and [executive producers] Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner went through the casting process for the role of the wife.

"They found somebody they liked, but after the first day of rehearsal, they decided she didn't have chemistry with Bill. So, we discussed it. The best chemistry any of us had seen was between Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad. We decided to try and get Phylicia for this new Cosby. We were concerned that the audience might not accept them as characters other than Cliff and Clair Huxtable. Well, for three years, they lived as Hilton and Ruth Lucas, so their chemistry allowed them to transcend the characters," Golden summarized.

"Casting directors are matchmakers. We have a responsibility to make certain that the chemistry between those actors is as close to perfect as possible," DaMota explained. "A strained relationship between the stars will almost certainly show up in the final product. There are always exceptions. It is rumored that Richard Gere and Debra Winger couldn't stand each other on the set of An Officer and a Gentleman. You'd never know it from watching the film--and that's what you call acting!"

Arsenault described a moment shared by everyone on the set of 1993's Night Owl, which he wrote and directed. "John Leguizamo and Holly Woodlawn were doing a scene together and, after one take, the entire cast and crew started applauding. Something dynamic was building between the two during each take and, at one point, it became magic."

Stern recalled seeing chemistry at work while casting two up-and-coming actors in a feature two years ago, noting that the chemistry went beyond the set. "He is Irish and she is Scottish. When they met, it was love at first sight. Even though they are bicoastal, it's been two years and they are still together as they become more well-known."

Why does chemistry make such a difference? As Susan Shopmaker, who recently cast the feature Party Monster (starring Macaulay Culkin, Chloé Sevigny, Seth Green, and Natasha Lyonne), noted simply, "Chemistry...it's the same as meeting someone who you fall in love with. Why? Indeed."

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Michelle Foumberg
Casting Qs
2/6/03

Behave Your Way Up

There's something to be said about a show so irreverent that it cites--on its own website--critics' passionate disdain for it. Quote the critics? No, Oxygen.com does one better and includes video clips of the critics bashing Girls Behaving Badly.

I hadn't seen the show when casting director Michelle Foumberg leapt onto my radar screen in November of 2002. Foumberg heard about the series of free casting director panels BSW began cohosting at Take One Film and Theatre Books and wanted to be a part of them [she is one of four scheduled panelists at the February 12th event]. Before our interview, I knew I needed to see an episode of Girls Behaving Badly, so I made sure to check it out.

Part Jamie Kennedy Experiment, part Candid Camera, and part Sex in the City, this show has staying power. Currently in its second season, the show features pranks like offering a sampling platter of "imported cheeses from human breast milk" and getting unwitting men to help carry home "a drunken starlet" from the back of a limo.

What on Earth would the casting director for such a prank show be like? Amazingly intelligent, articulate, and focused. Foumberg knows exactly what she's doing. "I'm in reality now because it's hot. I've got plans for where I'm going from here. And meanwhile, I'm enjoying exactly where I am!"

First casting job: Intern at MTV in 1999. Foumberg earned her degree in film, planning to be a director. "I didn't even think about casting. MTV came to my college, looking for interns, and I interned on the Sports Music Festival." In 2000, she was asked to assist on a dance show for MTV. At that time, she connected with executive producer Jason Carbone [The Bachelor, High School Reunion] who became her partner. "We cast Becoming for MTV for two years. We did the pilot and two seasons. I left Becoming to do Big Brother 3 for CBS. I had to take that opportunity to do a network show," she said.

Carbone called Foumberg after Big Brother 3 to let her know about a new show being developed for Oxygen. While initially hesitant to stay in reality programming, Foumberg quickly realized that a hybrid show would be a great transition job for her. "Last season, this show was rated the highest-rated show ever on Oxygen. These producers are wonderful. What's exciting is that I'm doing this on my own. I have no partner, no associate, no assistant, nothing. It's just a fun show: a cast of women who play pranks on--usually--men. I mean, it is a women's network," she qualified. "The best thing is, we're using these women with comedic backgrounds, who are outspoken, who have a lot to say, who fear nothing. It's a lot of fun working with them."

Foumberg casts series regulars, pranksters, and marks. "We shoot four times a week, do 13 episodes a season, with five to ten prank segments per show. That's a lot of casting. I'm looking for three different things during the season. I'm looking for the accomplices who want to set people up. Then, I'm looking for supporting casts. A production team will tell me, 'We're doing a prank where Melissa [Howard--of MTV Real World fame] has a family. I need you to cast a mom, a dad, a brother, a sister,' and they all have to look like they could be her family. It has to be believable. That portion is scripted and I do put out Breakdowns for that," she explained. "The third thing I'm looking for are women to add to our cast. The producers want the show to grow. We're not done putting our cast together."

Where she finds talent: "Last season, besides putting out Breakdowns, I went to all these comedy shows. People say there are no women comedians--but there are! I go to Comedy Union for She-She Comedy, 15 Minutes of FEM--there are so many different women's shows and that's where I go to scout. I'm looking for funny women with lots of improv background. Standup is all scripted material, so I need someone who can go off what is thrown at her."

Foumberg found so many talented women last season that her producers asked her to set up a showcase featuring 40 of them. "I went to the comedy clubs, contacted agents that deal with comedic actors more than others, and set up a showcase at Improv Olympic West. Each woman had two to three minutes on stage. My producers wanted it quick and wanted to see a lot of people. I put it all together so they could see these great women all at once. It's all on me to get producers the best talent," she said.

Best way to get seen by her: Postcards. "After I've seen somebody for an audition, keeping in touch with a postcard is great. Let me know when you're going to be appearing somewhere so that I don't have to track you down to find out what you're doing next. Send me a postcard and it will go on my calendar. I will try to check you out."

While Foumberg does open unsolicited headshots and resumés that come her way, that's not the best way in. "If you do submit, personalize your submission. Make it grab my eye. A headshot and resumé says, 'Hi.' That's it. Have you even seen the show? Do you know anything about it? Let me know that. It's like any other world. You wouldn't send out your resumé with no cover letter. You have to personalize it."

Key things she looks for in an actor: Writing ability. "If you have some sort of writer's background, you can come in with your ideas. The women in our cast are not being fed what to do. They're coming up with it and our writers develop it. They're cast in their own vision that way and that's important."

Additionally, Foumberg is looking for pranksters or accomplices who aren't looking for their big acting break. "Our show is non-union, so I'm always looking for people who want to play a prank and be on TV but not necessarily work as an actor forever. It's not brain surgery. It's play a prank, be on the show. You never know who you're going to meet, so it's a great opportunity."

Advice for actors: "Know what you are auditioning for. No matter what it is, know the project and don't just come in saying, 'My agent sent me. I'm supposed to be here at three.' If the show is on the air, you should schedule the time to see it. If you don't have time, go to the website. Know what you're going in for."

Beyond doing basic research, Foumberg advises actors to be honest. "Don't lie. Last season, before the show had aired, I had people come in to audition and I had ten minutes set aside for them to watch the show, so they'd be familiar with it. I had told agents that. Actors would come in and say that they'd seen the show! I knew they'd never watched it! I had built in time for them to watch it! They lied and missed an opportunity just to--what--tell me what they think I want to hear? Why? After that, the rest of the audition is a lie."

What to expect in the room: "It's a general meeting. It's not easy for me to judge your improv skills, so we'll talk about your background, we'll see how we click, and then go forward. There is no time for sides and really no time for Breakdowns. Sometimes I need people to start [shooting] that day. The turnaround is real quick for this show. We have four segment producers and they submit a casting request. They may be shooting in two days, so I have to get people in now. Agents know, when I call, they're going to be working fast to get their actors to me."

Once you get in that room, Foumberg wants you to make an impression. "If you could see how many actors come in, sit down, talk, and then leave, you would know how important it is to stand out and do something different." We discussed the day of auditions in terms of making a videotape and viewing it using time-lapse photography. If 100 actors walk in, sit, get up, and leave, but one person jumps around, you find you want to stop the tape. Foumberg interjected, "What was that? Go back! Yes, exactly. Stand out. Break the mold. Talk to me. Tell me a story I'll remember. I don't need to be asking all the questions. Make sure I remember you so that, even if that role is cut, I'll know I can call you next time and you'll deliver."

Michelle Foumberg
Zoo Productions
8981 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 101
W. Hollywood, CA 90069

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.

Pilot Season
Casting Qs
1/30/03

Pilot Season: Why It Sucks... Why It Rocks... What Actors Should Know...

Here's a writer's challenge: contact casting directors who are scrambling to start pilot season and ask them to take a moment to discuss what is great and not so great about pilot season. In assembling this piece, I encountered responses such as, "Can I get back to you after pilot season?" Uh, yeah... thanks.

What I've learned, in talking to both casting directors and actors about pilot season, is that the stakes are high, the pressure is on, and the rewards can be unfathomably good. Of course, after six trips to producers, getting told, "We went another way," can be a crushing blow.

My advice on how to keep (relatively) sane during pilot season? Spend as much time as you can in preparation for your auditions; allow plenty of extra time to commute, park, and find your way to the audition location; and be graciously patient. Remember that pilot season affects everyone in this town, and no one should take any of that personally.

Why pilot season sucks: Matthew Barry, CSA, a former actor who mainly casts features, summarized the impact that pilot season has on all casting directors--whether they cast pilots or not. "Pilot season gives executives permission to behave badly." He also observes the following phenomena during pilot season, "Tylenol stock goes way up, you cannot find tissues at any store, and [we get] to discover the next Jennifer Aniston, Sean Hayes, or George Clooney and never ever receive one ounce of credit for it!"

"For those of us who cast for theatre," began San Diego Rep's Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, "it takes some really talented actors out of the casting pool." Many agents have advised actors otherwise open to doing theatre to hold off on accepting roles in the event that a pilot should come through.

Another busy theatre casting director, Julia Flores, jokingly referred to pilot season as "the dark side of television. Still, I really do understand why theatre actors pass [on theatre roles] for pilot season, and I respect the actors I work with--and their decisions." Although the season makes her job harder for a few months, Flores would always prefer to have open communication with theatre actors about their availability.

"I don't know anyone who likes pilot season," said Deborah Barylski, CSA, whose television casting credits include Home Improvement, Just Shoot Me, Still Standing, Daddio, Emeril, and Life with Bonnie. "It's something we all have to do--like a passage. Sorry, there's nothing good about pilot season," she insisted.

Elisa Goodman, CSA, has cast dozens of MOWs and features, causing her--along with partner Abra Edelman--to feel the crunch of pilot season year after year. "It seems that many actors have too many auditions during pilot season and, consequently, are overwhelmed, under-rehearsed, don't have time to read the material, and are running around headless." As for a strategy for handling this gracefully, Goodman suggested, "Don't try to be all things to all people. You will end up unsatisfied at the end of the day."

"The worst thing is having to cast [a pilot] at the end of pilot season. It's a very hard task, because the majority of the best actors have already been snatched up by early pilots and the pool of talent gets very slim in April and May," explained Patrick Baca, CSA, who has cast several pilots and series (as well as many features). "As a casting director, you pray for a pilot: Oh please, oh please... early in the season!"

Why pilot season rocks: "For me, the best thing about pilot season is getting to see lots of fresh talent and less-established performers of all ages," explained Baca. "So many of the projects my partner Robin Nassif and I work on involve casting star names. Let's face it: that's not overly creative. However, when you can give a new person a major break, or lift performers up from the featured player trenches, that's fun. Hopefully," he added, "they will remember to thank the casting director when they accept their first Emmy!"

"Television has its definite perks," Flores conceded. "Putting your kids through college or buying a house [are] nice perks for sure! I watch television to see which of my theatre actors are there, making some money so that then I know that they can afford to do some theatre!"

"It offers opportunities and good pay to lots of actors," fellow theatre casting director Sonnenberg agreed. Of course, the potential financial rewards for actors are not the only benefit to performers during pilot season. If actors go into pilot season hoping to become better at managing the stress of the season, they may find some wonderful opportunities to develop self-management skills that will pay off during all audition situations.

To that end, Goodman noted that the best thing that can come out of pilot season may be a better focus on your work as an actor, yourself as a person, and your ability to cope with pilot season for years to come. "Dealing with pilot season requires that you are present, centered, able to deal with the improvisational nature of the audition. What you prepared may change, go out the window, be altered by the space, the energy of the people, your energy of the day, your internal energy. You must be prepared to have anything happen and have fun. If you can't handle that, best to figure out how to be in your body, relax and let go of the results or you will fall apart."

"The best thing about pilot season is that we all know one day it will be over," Barry joked. "Aruba, Tahiti, and Tuscany are favorite casting director destinations once pilot season has been completed. I'm already in need of Nusa Dua Beach!"

Tips for actors during pilot season: Know your limits, in terms of scheduling. "If you're auditioning a lot--and a particular day's schedule is just too jammed--tell your agent to ask if an appointment can be rescheduled," Barylski urged. "Sometimes they can. Believe me, we'll let you know if they can't."

"Actors need to realize that [although] you may be the single best thing since sliced bread, the director loves you, the casting director wants to marry you, and the producer is about to call his real estate broker for that $11 million house in the hills [that sometimes] the creative executive doesn't 'get you' and the casting director has to start all over again," described Barry. "The lousiest actor in your acting class--the one with acne, bad hair, horrid breath, who won't even make his own funeral on time--will get the job because the same creative executive thinks that he's 'it.' So, you go home and cry and want to move back to the city from which you came and become an assistant manger at your local Home Depot. But you can't. Because as an actor," Barry continued, "you have to keep trying. You have to understand that even if you didn't get the job, the casting director will remember you and push you and insist that smart people hire you because you have talent."

"Pilot season is like [Las] Vegas," Baca commented. "It's the one time of year when all of a sudden, there are more slot machines available for you [as an actor] to play on. Anyone can hit it big. Even the little old lady sitting next to you can land a pilot. If you don't hit the jackpot this time," he assured, "you know there is always next year. Hopefully, you'll be a more experienced player by then."

Finally, Goodman asked me to remind actors that sometimes it's a good thing to not go out for a pilot until a little later in the season. "If casting sees a million people and [the pilot] is still not cast, it may work in your favor to go in at the end of their casting process, because at least they've narrowed their choices down and they have probably defined what they really want," she explained. "The good news is, some things don't happen for a reason--and better, more exciting things come to you unexpectedly: you weren't right for that part, they write you a new part, the writer-producer remembers you on the next project he is doing, someone is having dinner with someone who is having trouble with casting and someone remembers and recommends you, whatever. So always do your best with integrity, commitment, your word. Never take anything personally--and don't forget to bring a cookie to the casting director if you have an appointment at 4 p.m. Chances are, they will need sugar and a good latte to make it through the night!"

Casting Qs is a weekly column by Bonnie Gillespie focusing on the casting directors behind the projects. Suggestions for Qs are welcome via e-mail at CastingQs@yahoo.com.