“You have to remind casting directors out here that you don't just do one thing. There's a lot of people who do just one thing.” PeopleOne ThingDirectorsJust OneCastingCasting Directors Author:Stephen Root
“My strangest auditioning experience was when I was reading for a TV show, and right when I started the audition, the casting director left the room and yelled at me from the hallway to keep reading.” ShowsReadingLeftRoomsTvsDirectorsTv ShowsAuditionsCastingHallwaysCasting Directors Author:Danny Strong
“L.A. can be pretty insane because there's so much show business here, but I also know a lot of kids who grew up in Manhattan who are some of the most normal, nicest people I know. Casting directors always say Chicago people are just nicer.” PeopleKnowsShowsKidsGrewDirectorsNormalGrew UpInsaneChicagoCastingShow BusinessManhattanCasting Directors Author:Matt Walsh
“I used to put that I studied with Stella Adler on my resume. I never met Stella Adler. But if you told a casting director you studied with Stella Adler all the sudden they'd let you in the door.” IfsUsedDoorsMetsDirectorsCastingResumesStellaCasting DirectorsAdler Author:Billy Bob Thornton
“When I first started out, it was very, very difficult to even get in the room with directors or casting directors because they would see that I hadn't been to drama school and wouldn't want to see me. Now, I feel like it's changing. We have this new generation of a lot of writers, directors and actors who are just breaking through, and they're doing it for the passion.” WantFeelsFirstsSchoolPassionActorsDifficultRoomsGenerationsDramaDirectorsCastingNew GenerationCasting Directors Author:Kaya Scodelario
“If you're a casting director, you're going to be curious to see what Timothy Spall's son is like. But when you get in the door, you have to have something to offer.” IfsDoorsSonOffersDirectorsCuriousCastingCasting Directors Author:Rafe Spall
“I often go to lunch meetings with my agent, a gallerist or a casting director, but if not, I stay at home and prepare my own food because I love to cook. Im great at pasta, fish and nice salads.” IfsHomeMy OwnNiceDirectorsMeetingsFishesAgentsCooksLunchCastingSaladPastaStay At HomeCasting Directors Author:Jordi Molla
“I randomly went to a casting session in my hometown in North Carolina, and the casting director introduced me to my manager. I really lucked into it!” DirectorsManagersCastingSessionCarolinaHometownNorth CarolinaCasting Directors Author:Maddie Hasson
“When I came out here, my manager thought that casting directors might think I'm a girl, and when I did Threat Matrix, they thought Jamie was a little light.” ThinkingLittlesLightMightGirlDirectorsThreatManagersCastingJamieCasting Directors Author:James Denton
“I was rejected by casting directors during the day. I attended class in the evening, then rode 90 miles on the train home.” HomeClassDirectorsTrainMilesEveningRejectedCastingCasting Directors Author:Norman Fell
“I've now been doing this for ten years, and I actually got to skip a stage of going to casting directors, and now I meet with the directors, either for lunch or an audition room, and I still read sides; you're never going to get around that, but I'm not the best person to go on an audition.” YearsPersonsStillsSidesRoomsStageGoes OnDirectorsTenLunchAuditionsCastingSkipBest PersonCasting Directors Author:Carly Schroeder
“One casting director told me, 'You're the next Leonardo DiCaprio,' and when I heard that, I said, 'Let's talk about how I don't want anything to do with being like Leo.' He's an amazing actor, but the films we're pushing to do are different. I'm going my own way--in a big way.” WayWantSaidDifferentBigsFilmNextActorsMy OwnHeardDirectorsPushingCastingLeonardoCasting Directors Author:Devon Sawa
“Casting directors tend to be the unsung heroes in this business.” HeroDirectorsCastingCasting DirectorsUnsung Hero Author:Brent Sexton
“As I continue through my acting career I tend to wish I were a little shorter and a few pounds lighter so casting directors would call me in for more diverse roles.” LittlesWishActingCareersRolesDirectorsPoundsCall MeDiverseCastingLightersCasting Directors Author:James Preston Rogers
“In any of the big acting cities, there are breakdowns that the casting directors put together for the projects that they're working on and then they get sent out to the agents and stuff like that. It's difficult to find projects, sometimes, unless your agent or manager is submitting you for those specific projects.” SometimesBigsTogetherStuffDifficultActingCitiesDirectorsProjectsAgentsManagersCastingBreakdownCasting Directors Author:Bostin Christopher
“For film, I audition just like everyone else, because it's a different set of casting directors.” DifferentFilmDirectorsAuditionsCastingCasting Directors Author:Neil Patrick Harris
“Things maybe take longer usually when it comes to TV - especially network TV. There are usually multiple levels that you have to go through in terms of the casting director, the producers, the studio, the network, reading with other people.” PeopleReadingTermLevelsTvsDirectorsStudiosProducersMultipleCastingCasting Directors Author:Andre Holland
“Auditioning is a funny one. It's all about energy. If you walk into a room and the room feels off or the people feel off, that can set you off. If the room is very small. I know which casting directors I should go to, because the place is conducive to doing a good job and the people are conducive and I know the other ones aren't, in which case I send in a tape.” PeopleIfsKnowsFeelsShouldJobsEnergyWalksRoomsCasesDirectorsTapeGood JobCastingCasting Directors Author:Max Irons
“Disney has the best casting. If he doesn't like an actor he just tears him up.” IfsActorsTearsCastingCasting Directors Author:Alfred Hitchcock
“My first soldier role was in 'Flags of Our Fathers.' Casting director Jay Binder saw that movie and was looking for soldiers for 'Journey's End,' which led to 'Generation Kill.'” FirstsEndsFatherRolesSawsGenerationsJourneyDirectorsSoldierFlagsCastingOur FatherCasting DirectorsBinders Author:Stark Sands
“You do see a few people and you are thinking of how that chemistry is going to work, but it's not really fair to put people who are auditioning together in a room. You have to make that judgement yourself, and that's partly where the casting director is so good. It was that blend that we were looking for.” PeopleThinkingTogetherRoomsDirectorsFairsJudgementChemistryCastingGoing To WorkCasting Directors Author:Adrian Hodges
“I like to audition for good projects because if it's a good project, it's an opportunity to get in front of a casting director.” IfsOpportunityFrontsDirectorsProjectsAuditionsCastingCasting Directors Author:Krysten Ritter
“Deb Zane, our casting director on the Hunger Games was very sanguine, from the beginning, about just blocking out what everybody else says that they want.” WantGamesDirectorsHungerBlockCastingCasting DirectorsSanguine Author:Nina Jacobson
“One of the great things about this cast is that we've been able to take actors of relatively the same age group that would never usually meet. You know, like bridging the comedy/drama world that for some reason casting directors never really want to bridge or you get into one community and that's kind of it.” KnowsWorldWantKindReasonAgeAbleActorsCommunityComedyGroupsDramaDirectorsCastsGreat ThingsBridgesCastingCasting Directors Author:Alison Pill
“But, yeah, it was just the regular audition process. There were a couple people telling me about it and that they were looking for the actors, but my manager is pretty good at sorting that out. And, (casting director) Rene Haynes cast me in Into the West, and she's always kept in touch and been a real big supporter of my career.” PeopleRealBigsActorsProcessCareersCoupleDirectorsYeahWestCastsManagersAuditionsSupporterCastingSortingCasting Directors Author:Tinsel Korey
“I've done auditions where the casting director is taking the paper out of my hand in the middle of reading.” DoneHandsReadingMiddleDirectorsPaperAuditionsCastingCasting Directors Author:Kevin Hart
“My big break was becoming the spokesperson for Texas Instruments. Casting directors really started giving me a chance to read for projects.” GivingBigsChanceBreakBecomingDirectorsProjectsInstrumentsTexasCastingCasting Directors Author:Bella Thorne
“As an actor, when you walk into a room to audition, you get five minutes with a casting director, who doesn't even look at you, most of the time.” LooksActorsWalksRoomsFiveMinutesDirectorsAuditionsCastingFive MinutesCasting Directors Author:Mark Duplass
“So I'm here, and not being one for missed opportunities, I made a list of the casting directors in New York and mark off the ones I've already met over the years. The few remaining I asked my agent and manager, "See if you can set up some meetings while I'm here."” IfsYearsMadeOpportunityNew YorkMetsDirectorsMarkMeetingsListsAgentsManagersCastingMissed OpportunityCasting Directors Author:William Mapother
“I was very obsessed with Ruth Gordon. I really didn't foresee me having any type of career as a leading lady at all because it was just blonds. I just wasn't the type - I was told that by casting directors. I auditioned for Running on Empty [1988] and The Mosquito Coast [1986], and Martha Plimpton was just killing me.” RunningCareersTypeDirectorsEmptyKillingObsessedCoastCastingMosquitoesRuthCasting DirectorsLeading Ladies Author:Winona Ryder
“The casting director on the movie made me aware of her. She told me what to watch Starter For Ten, which I did and thought she was great in. She was just so charming and beautiful. But I felt she could probably look plain if we tried. And when I subsequently met with her, I was so charmed by her vulnerability and sweetness. Those were two qualities that were the most important for that character.” IfsLooksMadeTwoImportantCharacterBeautifulFeltQualityWatchesMetsDirectorsTenVulnerabilityCharmingSweetnessCastingCharmedStartersCasting Directors Author:Nicole Holofcener
“I've worked with acting coaches, I've been going out on auditions and meeting with casting directors. But I'm not known as an actress.” ActingKnownDirectorsMeetingsActressesCoachesGoing OutAuditionsCastingCasting Directors Author:Cassie Ventura
“It is so great to go to a casting director and have them wanting to talk about the show that you are in. It's such a great icebreaker. It just makes the environment so much more relaxed.” ShowsEnvironmentDirectorsRelaxedCastingCasting Directors Author:Nathalie Emmanuel
“After you do a showcase for agency managers and casting directors and you get this folder and some people had a folder that was thick and some people had a folder that was thin. And there's no fairness to it because it's not a fair business.” PeopleDirectorsFairsManagersAgencyThickFairnessCastingShowcaseCasting DirectorsFolders Author:Gillian Jacobs
“Your agents and your managers will always say stuff to you like, "It's really important to make a good first impression on a casting director. And even though you didn't get that job, because you did well that means they'll keep bringing you back in." But when you really just need a job to pay your rent, that stops being very consoling.” NeedsFirstsWellsMeanImportantJobsStuffPayDirectorsImpressionAgentsManagersCastingYou Like ItFirst ImpressionConsolingCasting DirectorsGood First Impression Author:Gillian Jacobs
“[Sylvester] Stallone and I were in a meeting for Rocky Balboa. We were laughing about something, and he looks at my mouth and says to the casting director, "Wow, your lip even hooks down like mine does." Then he looked at the casting director and nodded, and I guess that was the nod of saying, "Hire this kid." So yeah, I have a really crooked mouth. They don't work, but I can feel everything.” FeelsLooksDoeI CanKidsLaughingMinesDirectorsMouthsYeahMeetingsLipsWowHookCastingCrookedCasting Directors Author:Milo Ventimiglia
“I was very headstrong about wanting to keep my name when I moved to Los Angeles. But casting directors would call my managers and say I was perfect for the part, but my name wasn't marketable - I was a young guy, and had the old man name of Gary. I kept losing jobs because of the name not being marketable, so I changed it to Garrett.” MenJobsYoungGuyNamesPerfectChangedDirectorsLosingMovedManagersLos AngelesOld ManCastingGaryYoung GuysCasting DirectorsHeadstrong Author:Garrett Clayton
“That's a very privileged attitude and I think the ignorance is so strong there. When people say, "Oh please, I don't want to hear that conversation," it's because it makes them uncomfortable." But that's because they think it's all okay. If it was racist, I would move onto someone whose mind I could change, but it's mostly ignorance. So when someone says, "Oh, it doesn't matter," I not only make designers responsible but casting directors and modeling agencies for not pushing those other girls on to the designers.” PeopleIfsThinkingWantMindMatterMovingGirlStrongAttitudeIgnorancePleaseDirectorsConversationOkayResponsibleUncomfortableAgencyDesignerRacistPushingPrivilegedCastingModelingOther GirlCasting Directors Author:Bethann Hardison
“Those first memories of my modeling career are not my favorite. At the beginning, it was tough. I was very lucky, my career took off very quickly, but still. All the memories I have about first casting in general - they're not nice. Just because there's so many girls, so much competition. I don't blame those casting directors, they see so many girls and they can't be nice to everybody. But you don't feel like a person, you feel like a number.” FeelsFirstsPersonsStillsGirlMemoriesNumbersCareersNiceLuckyDirectorsToughBlameCompetitionMy FavoriteBeing NiceCastingModelingCasting Directors Author:Bianca Balti
“I didn't really know who [Dario Argento] was at the time. I know him now, obviously. But I went in to be an extra on the movie [Two Evil Eyes], and he saw me sitting out waiting to meet the casting director, and he pulled my mother and I into a separate conference room.” KnowsTwoEyeMotherEvilWaitingRoomsSawsDirectorsSittingExtrasCastingConferencesTwo EvilsCasting DirectorsEvil Eye Author:Julie Benz
“It's very difficult to put together an independent movie and a lot of times people really don't hire casting directors for that. Instead, they look for people that they've seen in other movies or they're friends with.” PeopleLooksTogetherDifficultDirectorsIndependentCastingCasting Directors Author:Barbara Crampton
“My mom and dad were actors when they were younger and had a horrible experience of it. My dad became a literary agent and my mom a casting director.” ActorsMomDadDirectorsMy DadMy MomHorribleAgentsCastingMom And DadCasting DirectorsLiterary AgentsHorrible Experience Author:Daniel Radcliffe
“I've always thought that as long as directors and casting directors don't see me as just Harry Potter, I'll be OK. People have shown a lot of faith in me, and I owe them a huge debt. They're letting me prove that I'm serious about this.” PeopleLongSeriousHugeDirectorsProveDebtHarry PotterCastingPottersCasting Directors Author:Daniel Radcliffe
“A friend of my mom's was a casting director so, really as kind of a lark, I had a couple of acting jobs that had just enough exposure to give me the option to continue if I wanted to. I followed through with it.” IfsGivingKindEnoughWantedJobsActingMomCoupleDirectorsGive MeMy MomCastingExposureLarksCasting Directors Author:Ben Affleck
“Many casting directors won't hire aspiring actors because you might be burning some chick's headshot under the table so she doesn't get the part.” MightActorsDirectorsTablesBurningCastingChicksCasting DirectorsHeadshots Author:Olivia Wilde
“I got an internship with the casting director of The Girl Next Door. I would hold the clipboard and help them in their casting sessions and get them lunch.” HelpingGirlNextDoorsDirectorsLunchCastingSessionCasting DirectorsInternshipsClipboards Author:Olivia Wilde
“People have nervous tics they don't know about, and I would advise asking around. Ask the casting director, 'Is there something I'm doing?' I would see people unconsciously rocking back and forth. I roll my lips. I bite my lips and roll them.” PeopleKnowsAsksDirectorsAskingLipsNervousBitesCastingAdviseBack And ForthCasting DirectorsTics Author:Olivia Wilde
“Maybe I'm too masculine. Casting directors cast in their own, or an idealized image. Maybe I don't look like anybody's ideal.” LooksDirectorsIdealsCastsCastingMasculineCasting Directors Author:Charles Bronson
“'Drive' came to me because the casting director knew my manager and called and said, 'You've always talked to me about Albert wanting to play the heavy. I think he should read this.' My ears just perked up.” ThinkingShouldSaidPlayDirectorsEarsHeavyManagersCastingCasting Directors Author:Albert Brooks
“When I started out modeling, there weren’t casting directors and there weren’t stylists, so you just dealt directly with the designer. We were all much closer back then...” DirectorsDesignerCastingModelingStylistCasting Directors Author:Naomi Campbell