“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 was a Hollywood press agent, I learned how the Hollywood casting system worked. There was a roster of actors who were always perfect as doctors or lawyers or laborers, and the directors just picked the types they needed and stuffed them into film after film. I do the same [with my characters], book after book.” BookCharacterFilmActorsPerfectTypeNeededDirectorsDoctorsHollywoodPressesLawyerAgentsCastingLaborersRosters Author:Richard Condon
“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
“As an actor, I have casting issues. I'm a minority. I don't have trouble making a living, but as far as being on the food chain of the pecking order of actors, I'm not at the top of it. With the jobs that I do, there are always control issues with directors and producers.” JobsOrderActorsIssuesTroubleDirectorsProducersChainsMinoritiesCastingMaking A LivingFood ChainControl IssuesTrouble MakingPecking Order Author:B. D. Wong
“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
“So many people have said this, but it's true: 95 percent of what I do as a director is casting and getting people who can bear the load of what you're asking them to do and creating this emotionally safe environment.” PeopleSaidEnvironmentBearsDirectorsSafeCreatingPercentAskingLoadCastingSafe Environment Author:Lynn Shelton
“Casting directors tend to be the unsung heroes in this business.” HeroDirectorsCastingCasting DirectorsUnsung Hero Author:Brent Sexton
“Frankly speaking, I hate comparisons. Two individuals are doing two different films, playing two different characters: how can you compare them? It is not fair to get into ratings. It really doesn't matter what I think about other actresses; what matters is what the directors think of them when they are casting them in a project, because I think it's the director who's behind a successful piece of cinema.” ThinkingTwoDifferentMatterCharacterFilmHateIndividualBehindsSuccessfulPiecesDirectorsProjectsFairsI HateActressesCompareCinemaComparisonWhat MattersCastingRatingNot FairDifferent Characters Author:Katrina Kaif
“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 the stand-up comedy top, there's room for everyone - if you're good, there's room for everyone. You'll put on your own show - no one casts you. You cast your own show as a stand-up comedian. When you get good at stand-up comedy you book a theater and if people show up, people show up. If people don't show up, people don't show up. You don't have a director or a casting agent or anybody saying if you're good enough - the audience will decide.” PeopleIfsBookEnoughShowsRoomsAudienceComedyDirectorsTheaterCastsAgentsComedianGood EnoughCastingStand Up ComedyStand Up Comedian Author:Jim Jefferies
“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
“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
“Yes, there was a massive difference between their styles. David is a very technical director and Chris is an actor's director, in the sense of emotion. With David, he's done horror films, so Eclipse is much darker, whereas I found New Moon really light and poetic. I didn't have as much interaction with David because the casting process was already done.” DoneLightFilmActorsFoundProcessDifferencesEmotionStyleHorrorMoonDirectorsMassivePoeticInteractionCastingEclipseHorror FilmNew Moon Author:Tinsel Korey
“Once there are more African Americans and Asian Americans behind the scenes as producers, writers, and directors, I think more inclusive casting will happen.” ThinkingHappensBehindsSceneDirectorsProducersAfrican AmericanCastingAsianBehind The ScenesAsian American Author:Nicole Ari Parker
“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 guess I always knew going into the movie that casting that part would be difficult. Oliver just felt likeable. I felt it would be hard to dislike this man. I don't know why, but I'm sure other directors have felt the same when casting him. Oliver is goofy yet formidable, smart but likeable... I didn't want the character of Alex to be nasty or demonised. I wanted him to be struggling with his actions.” KnowsMenWantHardCharacterWould BeActionWantedFeltDifficultStruggleDirectorsSmartDislikeNastyCastingAlexFormidableGoofyLikeable 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