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"title": "Casting News, Interviews and Advice - Casting Networks",
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{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=336072",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/apple-tv-stick-casting-director-rachel-tenner-interview/",
"title": "Apple TV\u2019s \u2018Stick\u2019: Rachel Tenner on Authentic Casting and Surprising Choices",
"content_html": "\n
Emmy-winning casting director Rachel Tenner\u2019s latest project is Apple TV\u2019s ‘Stick,’ the sports comedy starring Owen Wilson as a former golf prodigy searching for a second chance.
\n\n\n\n
The show follows an over-the-hill ex-golfer who, after his wife leaves him, sees hope in coaching a troubled teen prodigy named Santiago \u201cSanti\u201d Wheeler, staking his future on the youth’s success.
\n\n\n\n
She talked to us from Los Angeles.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
The strongest auditions don\u2019t simply match what\u2019s written on the page\u2014they help casting directors discover new possibilities for the character.
\n\n\n\n
Expanding casting searches globally creates opportunities to find authentic performers who might otherwise never enter the conversation.
\n\n\n\n
When evaluating actors, specific choices, vulnerability, and authenticity often matter far more than technical skills that can be learned later.
Owen was attached to the show before casting began. What about Marc Maron?
\n\n\n\n
I’m a huge, huge fan of [Marc Maron]. Every time I get to see him in something where he’s doing something outside of how we normally know him, doing stand-up or his podcast, I love him. I think he’s so much fun to watch.
\n\n\n\n
I think all his choices are always so interesting, and I love the way he approaches his characters. He was a very obvious person for that part from the beginning, when we were just creatively discussing it.
\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m interested in the casting of Mariana Trevi\u00f1o as Elena. I\u2019d seen her in the Tom Hanks movie A Man Called Otto, but otherwise she was new to me. Her chemistry with Marc was impressive.
\n\n\n\n
The key for that role was we needed to find Santi first. By the time we landed on Peter, we knew what we wanted to do for the mom, and we wanted to make sure it was someone who spoke Spanish, and the way they interacted with each other was authentic.
\n\n\n\n
So that opened up the opportunity to go a little bit more global for that role. Mariana is so exciting to me. She’s a huge star in Mexico, so it’s a big get to have her in this.
\n\n\n\n
Did she do a chemistry read with Marc?
\n\n\n\n
She actually flew in and did a chemistry read with Peter, so we got to see her in person, and she’s so charming and so adorable and funny, with so much heart. [She\u2019s] really such a special person that we knew [she] would match with Marc.
\n\n\n\n
Digital outreach is so much more available than it was, even four, five, six years ago. Has the ability to go global made your life easier?
\n\n\n\n
Oh yeah, I love it. I’ve completely embraced the opportunity to be able to open up things. There’s obvious limitations with budgets and visas and things like that, so everything can’t be bringing in people from all over the world, but it’s fun when you have the opportunity to be able to do that kind of outreach.
\n\n\n\n
I really welcome that opportunity to get to expand that way.
\n\n\n\n
It must open you up to all kinds of talent that you would not have otherwise considered.
\n\n\n\n
Absolutely. There’s just so much you can access, so much stuff now, it’s amazing. Rick Messina is my associate, my right-hand man. We always talk about how we act sometimes, maybe we shouldn’t be setting up this many people, but at the end of the day, you can’t help it.
\n\n\n\n
Sometimes at midnight when I’m watching everything, I want to punch myself in the face, because I did this, but it does have its own reward. (Laughs)
\n\n\n\n
I had definitely never seen Peter before. How did you find him? Were you looking for guys who could play golf? Or, did you figure, \u201cLet’s get an actor first, and if we have to, we\u2019ll teach them how to play golf?\u201d
\n\n\n\n
It was the latter. If they knew how to play golf, that was a bonus, but we were trying to do it with enough time that they would have training and be able to do what was necessary to at least make it look legit. I think over time, he’s actually really gotten into golf, but obviously this was a big search.
\n\n\n\n
I think it was a very interesting process, because when we read it, we were thinking real, hard-core comedy. As we started doing the scenes, we were seeing what was working and what was not, and then really also settling on the tone, because the tone was a little mysterious as you started getting into it.
\n\n\n\n
It started feeling they weren’t matching up 100%, so we kept shifting the idea of who this guy was.
\n\n\n\n
What set Peter apart?
\n\n\n\n
What I really loved about Peter is he had this Patrick Dempsey in the 1980s feel about him. There was just something very nostalgic about him, his humor, and the way he approached everything.
\n\n\n\n
That made him feel a little different than other people. We just loved the way he approached this character and his choices and his humor, but then also his heart, and his vulnerability, and he just seemed very lovable.
\n\n\n\n
Do you find that actors who audition for you can help shape what this project is going to be if they’re making interesting choices? That they can actually make a difference in the creation of the show and the execution of it?
\n\n\n\n
Oh, that’s interesting. I think actors, in general, they’re always bringing themselves into something, so I think they’re always helping shape a character, because they’re coming in with their own choices and all the quirks and things that make up their own person.
\n\n\n\n
I think the process helped me understand what was successful with this character, and I think it helped me hone in specifically about how to get what I need from people. It helped me get specific that way, and it helped me see what works and what really brings out the parts of this character that I wanted to see more than others.
\n\n\n\n
So it wasn\u2019t just Peter, but other people coming in, showing you different things, that allowed you to understand, \u201cOh, this is not what we had envisioned. I have to reconsider exactly how we’re judging who this guy is.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
I think so. Honestly, I think it’s great because when you’re sending them to your showrunner, you can say, \u201cNeil did it this way, this is one version. Peter did it this way. This is a different version.\u201d I think it’s important for everyone to get to see the different versions of it, because they’re all successful in their own way.
\n\n\n\n
They all make sense in the world, it\u2019s just, what’s the version where we ultimately land? Because you read it and you have something in your head, you talk to everybody, and then when you start seeing it, it finds a new home in your brain.
\n\n\n\n
What was the process then with Lilli? Because that character is very specific. Androgynous, gender queer, but who falls in love with a guy and all the internal conflict that goes it.
\n\n\n\n
That was a very specific process. It was very important to everyone to make sure that it was authentic, and we were dealing with people who identify in certain ways and felt comfortable with the storyline and the narrative. I loved [Lilli] from Your Honor, and I remember my friend [casting director] Lauren Grey sending me a video and saying, \u201cThis woman, isn’t she great?\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Watching her read this, and then talking to her more about how she identifies, and the journey, and the story, and going through all of that with her was very meaningful and exciting. I thought we had a good opportunity to do some good representation there.
\n\n\n\n
I feel there are a lot more opportunities for actors who fall into that category than there ever used to be.
\n\n\n\n
Absolutely. This is the biggest generalization you’ll ever hear, but there is so much more openness for people to be anything and identify any way. There’s just room for everybody in these shows now, and it’s just great.
\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve finished season 2. Were there any specific challenges for season 2 that you didn’t have in season 1? Or was it easier because it\u2019s an established show?
\n\n\n\n
It makes it easier, definitely, for people to have seen it and know what they’re participating in. If they love it, then they were game, and if they weren’t a fan, then we didn’t have to worry about it.
\n\n\n\n
There are a couple really meaningful roles that we had to get settled for season 2, but I’m not going to say anything about it.
\n\n\n\n
Oh, come on!
\n\n\n\n
I don’t see anything on the internet about it. So I’m gonna wait. I’m not gonna be that person. (Laughs)
\n",
"content_text": "Emmy-winning casting director Rachel Tenner\u2019s latest project is Apple TV\u2019s ‘Stick,’ the sports comedy starring Owen Wilson as a former golf prodigy searching for a second chance.\n\n\n\nThe show follows an over-the-hill ex-golfer who, after his wife leaves him, sees hope in coaching a troubled teen prodigy named Santiago \u201cSanti\u201d Wheeler, staking his future on the youth’s success.\n\n\n\nShe talked to us from Los Angeles. \n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nThe strongest auditions don\u2019t simply match what\u2019s written on the page\u2014they help casting directors discover new possibilities for the character.\n\n\n\nExpanding casting searches globally creates opportunities to find authentic performers who might otherwise never enter the conversation.\n\n\n\nWhen evaluating actors, specific choices, vulnerability, and authenticity often matter far more than technical skills that can be learned later.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOwen was attached to the show before casting began. What about Marc Maron?\n\n\n\nI’m a huge, huge fan of [Marc Maron]. Every time I get to see him in something where he’s doing something outside of how we normally know him, doing stand-up or his podcast, I love him. I think he’s so much fun to watch. \n\n\n\nI think all his choices are always so interesting, and I love the way he approaches his characters. He was a very obvious person for that part from the beginning, when we were just creatively discussing it.\n\n\n\nI\u2019m interested in the casting of Mariana Trevi\u00f1o as Elena. I\u2019d seen her in the Tom Hanks movie A Man Called Otto, but otherwise she was new to me. Her chemistry with Marc was impressive. \n\n\n\nThe key for that role was we needed to find Santi first. By the time we landed on Peter, we knew what we wanted to do for the mom, and we wanted to make sure it was someone who spoke Spanish, and the way they interacted with each other was authentic.\n\n\n\nSo that opened up the opportunity to go a little bit more global for that role. Mariana is so exciting to me. She’s a huge star in Mexico, so it’s a big get to have her in this. \n\n\n\nDid she do a chemistry read with Marc?\n\n\n\nShe actually flew in and did a chemistry read with Peter, so we got to see her in person, and she’s so charming and so adorable and funny, with so much heart. [She\u2019s] really such a special person that we knew [she] would match with Marc.\n\n\n\nDigital outreach is so much more available than it was, even four, five, six years ago. Has the ability to go global made your life easier?\n\n\n\nOh yeah, I love it. I’ve completely embraced the opportunity to be able to open up things. There’s obvious limitations with budgets and visas and things like that, so everything can’t be bringing in people from all over the world, but it’s fun when you have the opportunity to be able to do that kind of outreach. \n\n\n\nI really welcome that opportunity to get to expand that way.\n\n\n\nIt must open you up to all kinds of talent that you would not have otherwise considered. \n\n\n\nAbsolutely. There’s just so much you can access, so much stuff now, it’s amazing. Rick Messina is my associate, my right-hand man. We always talk about how we act sometimes, maybe we shouldn’t be setting up this many people, but at the end of the day, you can’t help it. \n\n\n\nSometimes at midnight when I’m watching everything, I want to punch myself in the face, because I did this, but it does have its own reward. (Laughs)\n\n\n\nI had definitely never seen Peter before. How did you find him? Were you looking for guys who could play golf? Or, did you figure, \u201cLet’s get an actor first, and if we have to, we\u2019ll teach them how to play golf?\u201d\n\n\n\nIt was the latter. If they knew how to play golf, that was a bonus, but we were trying to do it with enough time that they would have training and be able to do what was necessary to at least make it look legit. I think over time, he’s actually really gotten into golf, but obviously this was a big search. \n\n\n\nI think it was a very interesting process, because when we read it, we were thinking real, hard-core comedy. As we started doing the scenes, we were seeing what was working and what was not, and then really also settling on the tone, because the tone was a little mysterious as you started getting into it. \n\n\n\nIt started feeling they weren’t matching up 100%, so we kept shifting the idea of who this guy was. \n\n\n\nWhat set Peter apart?\n\n\n\nWhat I really loved about Peter is he had this Patrick Dempsey in the 1980s feel about him. There was just something very nostalgic about him, his humor, and the way he approached everything. \n\n\n\nThat made him feel a little different than other people. We just loved the way he approached this character and his choices and his humor, but then also his heart, and his vulnerability, and he just seemed very lovable.\n\n\n\nDo you find that actors who audition for you can help shape what this project is going to be if they’re making interesting choices? That they can actually make a difference in the creation of the show and the execution of it?\n\n\n\nOh, that’s interesting. I think actors, in general, they’re always bringing themselves into something, so I think they’re always helping shape a character, because they’re coming in with their own choices and all the quirks and things that make up their own person. \n\n\n\nI think the process helped me understand what was successful with this character, and I think it helped me hone in specifically about how to get what I need from people. It helped me get specific that way, and it helped me see what works and what really brings out the parts of this character that I wanted to see more than others.\n\n\n\nSo it wasn\u2019t just Peter, but other people coming in, showing you different things, that allowed you to understand, \u201cOh, this is not what we had envisioned. I have to reconsider exactly how we’re judging who this guy is.\u201d\n\n\n\nI think so. Honestly, I think it’s great because when you’re sending them to your showrunner, you can say, \u201cNeil did it this way, this is one version. Peter did it this way. This is a different version.\u201d I think it’s important for everyone to get to see the different versions of it, because they’re all successful in their own way. \n\n\n\nThey all make sense in the world, it\u2019s just, what’s the version where we ultimately land? Because you read it and you have something in your head, you talk to everybody, and then when you start seeing it, it finds a new home in your brain.\n\n\n\nWhat was the process then with Lilli? Because that character is very specific. Androgynous, gender queer, but who falls in love with a guy and all the internal conflict that goes it. \n\n\n\nThat was a very specific process. It was very important to everyone to make sure that it was authentic, and we were dealing with people who identify in certain ways and felt comfortable with the storyline and the narrative. I loved [Lilli] from Your Honor, and I remember my friend [casting director] Lauren Grey sending me a video and saying, \u201cThis woman, isn’t she great?\u201d \n\n\n\nWatching her read this, and then talking to her more about how she identifies, and the journey, and the story, and going through all of that with her was very meaningful and exciting. I thought we had a good opportunity to do some good representation there.\n\n\n\nI feel there are a lot more opportunities for actors who fall into that category than there ever used to be.\n\n\n\nAbsolutely. This is the biggest generalization you’ll ever hear, but there is so much more openness for people to be anything and identify any way. There’s just room for everybody in these shows now, and it’s just great.\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ve finished season 2. Were there any specific challenges for season 2 that you didn’t have in season 1? Or was it easier because it\u2019s an established show?\n\n\n\nIt makes it easier, definitely, for people to have seen it and know what they’re participating in. If they love it, then they were game, and if they weren’t a fan, then we didn’t have to worry about it. \n\n\n\nThere are a couple really meaningful roles that we had to get settled for season 2, but I’m not going to say anything about it.\n\n\n\nOh, come on!\n\n\n\nI don’t see anything on the internet about it. So I’m gonna wait. I’m not gonna be that person. (Laughs)\n\n\n\n\nThe post Apple TV’s \u2018Stick\u2019: Rachel Tenner on Authentic Casting and Surprising Choices appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-06-12T09:30:00-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-06-12T09:27:36-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/p29561036_b_h8_af.jpg",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=336057",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/dexter-resurection-casting-directors-interview-season-2/",
"title": "What Ross Meyerson and CJ Molidor Look for When Casting \u2018Dexter: Resurrection\u2019",
"content_html": "\n
With deep roots in the Dexter franchise, casting directors Ross Meyerson and CJ Molidor brought both experience and familiarity to Dexter: Resurrection, the latest chapter in Showtime\u2019s long-running hit series.
\n\n\n\n
The latest series focuses once again on Michael C. Hall\u2019s title character, now in New York City, as he navigates a whole new world of serial killers. Both seasons star Uma Thurman, James Remar, Jack Alcott, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Kadia Saraf and Peter Dinklage.
\n\n\n\n
The casting directors are in the midst of their work on shooting season 2, which is currently in production. They talked to us from LA.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Great casting isn\u2019t always about finding the actor who matches the role on the page\u2014it\u2019s about finding the actor who reveals what the role can become.
\n\n\n\n
Small roles often carry enormous story weight, which is why casting directors approach one-scene characters with the same care as series regulars.
\n\n\n\n
Unexpected choices create memorable television, whether it\u2019s casting a comedian as a serial killer or discovering a lesser-known actor who brings something nobody anticipated.
Are there certain advantages to coming onto a show that is already in full swing?
\n\n\n\n
Ross Meyerson: I actually worked on the pilot. The show was going to shoot on the East Coast, and then it ended up not, so we left. Or it left us. Then we came back on New Blood, because CJ and I had worked with [showrunner] Clyde Phillips on a number of shows, so we had some familiarity with the background of the project.
\n\n\n\n
I think it was really more about our relationship with Clyde and [EP] Scott Burke, coming into a project where we were already had worked with the producers, and that always makes things a lot easier, because you understand them, and they help you understand the fabric of the show.
\n\n\n\n
CJ Molidor: That helps us so much, knowing them, but I also think, obviously, it’s high expectations. There’s a lot of fans that love this show that have their own theories and thoughts, and what they want, so there’s a lot of expectations to make sure we’re living up to what the fans want.
\n\n\n\n
Do you find yourself checking online to see reactions?
\n\n\n\n
CJM: Ross reads all the little theories. (Laughs)
\n\n\n\n
RM: They all had theories, even this year, about who should be in it. They know what’s coming, they know the folklore of the show so it doesn’t sway us, but then it’s very hard not to chime in when something is written online and say, \u201cHey, that’s not the way it happened.\u201d At one point, Tom Cruise was being bandied about, and then the whole fan world thinks Tom Cruise is going to be on the show. CJ, do you feel the pressure of thinking, \u201cAre we got to live up to that?\u201d
\n\n\n\n
CJM: No, but it is very interesting to see what the people think, or all their expectations. It’s fun to see that side of it, and then also to see the reactions when they announce the people that we do cast.
\n\n\n\n
What about the casting of established actors in those cameos, like Eric Stonestreet, Neil Patrick Harris and David Dastmalchian?
\n\n\n\n
RM: I think we felt we could get people, and it\u2019s at least partly about seeing people that you might not expect. When Clyde and Scott and [EP] Marcos Siega talked to us about Eric’s character, I can’t think of too many other times in my life where I called CJ up and I was like, \u201cit’s Eric Stonestreet.\u201d Every single person that we offered it to said yes.
\n\n\n\n
Eric Stonestreet is not someone you think of as a serial killer. David Dastmalchian, however \u2026
\n\n\n\n
RM: Yes, that’s what made it such a great mix of characters, who to expect and who not to expect. That’s a challenge for this show. It’s not like we have to guess who the killers are. But I think it’s still fun for us to then have those characters appear, and people go, \u201cWow, did not see that coming.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
What about less familiar faces, like Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Kadia Saraf?
\n\n\n\n
RM: Here’s a crazy thing about Ntare \u2014 he was in the graduate acting class of my roommate, and I saw him at NYU, many, many, many, many years ago. When I read the role, I thought of Ntare, and he had been on another Showtime show, and then it was weird, [everything] started clicking because Showtime knew him, [EP] Scott Buck had worked with him, so that was just universes aligning of somebody who we all knew from different walks of life. CJ, had Kadia been on your radar at all?
\n\n\n\n
CJM: Between Rescue Me and when we saw her, only through Instagram, but not really in anything else, I’d just met her before and known her, but no, not really.
\n\n\n\n
RM: I can’t tell you how many people we read for that role. It was just an incredibly difficult role to find. You name an actor, we read them.
\n\n\n\n
Why was it so hard?
\n\n\n\n
RM: The fact that the character, I guess we could say is on the spectrum, and that’s a really hard thing to find, and was a really difficult thing for people to understand. Tell me if you agree with me, CJ, but I think Kadia was the first person who we saw where it was effortless for her. It didn’t feel she was playing at being on the spectrum, and I don’t even think we called her back.
\n\n\n\n
CJM: No, she had it right away.
\n\n\n\n
RM: She just understood. I don\u2019t know if she knew somebody, or she had some sort of history that gave her the understanding of the character that just helped her, but again, it was just effortless for her.
\n\n\n\n
What about the sense of satisfaction you get from finding someone lesser known who comes in and knocks it out of the park?
\n\n\n\n
RM: One role that comes to mind is the guy in Ohio last year that Uma\u2019s character goes to see [played by Max Von Essen]. That was a one-scene role, but it was with Uma Thurman, and that scene itself had an arc to it. Maybe it was one page to a page and a half, but it was an incredibly important scene, because it was establishing the story.
\n\n\n\n
CJM: That established the whole club thing, the red envelope, the money, all of it.
\n\n\n\n
RM: It’s roles that you don’t think [of], when you’re reading the script the first time, how important they are going to be to the story, how important that character is, and how important finding the right actor for that role is.
\n\n\n\n
It goes to show how important bringing interesting ideas and big choices are to auditions, and how that can actually affect the final version of the character.
\n\n\n\n
RM: Yes. Going back to Kadia, I don’t know that we knew what that role should be, and we didn\u2019t know what it was until we saw it. That role probably defines that. It happens on certain shows, because sometimes we think we know what it is, and then we bring it in, and strangely, our producers go, \u201cThat’s great! We love that!\u201d Sometimes, it\u2019s by accident.
\n\n\n\n
And that’s how some of the best alchemy happens.
\n\n\n\n
CJM: Yeah, for sure.
\n\n\n\n
Halfway through the second season, are there specific challenges this time around that you didn’t have the first season? Or is it easier?
\n\n\n\n
RM: I don’t ever say anything’s easier, but because a lot of the characters were established from the year before, we set the table nicely, which I think makes this season a little easier. However, setting the table as nicely as I think we did, it also makes us have to live up to the challenge of living up to that season. In finding Dan and Brian, it was in the back of my head, \u201cLet’s knock this out of the park again.\u201d
\n",
"content_text": "With deep roots in the Dexter franchise, casting directors Ross Meyerson and CJ Molidor brought both experience and familiarity to Dexter: Resurrection, the latest chapter in Showtime\u2019s long-running hit series.\n\n\n\nThe latest series focuses once again on Michael C. Hall\u2019s title character, now in New York City, as he navigates a whole new world of serial killers. Both seasons star Uma Thurman, James Remar, Jack Alcott, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Kadia Saraf and Peter Dinklage. \n\n\n\nThe casting directors are in the midst of their work on shooting season 2, which is currently in production. They talked to us from LA.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nGreat casting isn\u2019t always about finding the actor who matches the role on the page\u2014it\u2019s about finding the actor who reveals what the role can become.\n\n\n\nSmall roles often carry enormous story weight, which is why casting directors approach one-scene characters with the same care as series regulars.\n\n\n\nUnexpected choices create memorable television, whether it\u2019s casting a comedian as a serial killer or discovering a lesser-known actor who brings something nobody anticipated.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAre there certain advantages to coming onto a show that is already in full swing?\n\n\n\nRoss Meyerson: I actually worked on the pilot. The show was going to shoot on the East Coast, and then it ended up not, so we left. Or it left us. Then we came back on New Blood, because CJ and I had worked with [showrunner] Clyde Phillips on a number of shows, so we had some familiarity with the background of the project. \n\n\n\nI think it was really more about our relationship with Clyde and [EP] Scott Burke, coming into a project where we were already had worked with the producers, and that always makes things a lot easier, because you understand them, and they help you understand the fabric of the show.\n\n\n\nCJ Molidor: That helps us so much, knowing them, but I also think, obviously, it’s high expectations. There’s a lot of fans that love this show that have their own theories and thoughts, and what they want, so there’s a lot of expectations to make sure we’re living up to what the fans want.\n\n\n\nDo you find yourself checking online to see reactions?\n\n\n\nCJM: Ross reads all the little theories. (Laughs)\n\n\n\nRM: They all had theories, even this year, about who should be in it. They know what’s coming, they know the folklore of the show so it doesn’t sway us, but then it’s very hard not to chime in when something is written online and say, \u201cHey, that’s not the way it happened.\u201d At one point, Tom Cruise was being bandied about, and then the whole fan world thinks Tom Cruise is going to be on the show. CJ, do you feel the pressure of thinking, \u201cAre we got to live up to that?\u201d\n\n\n\nCJM: No, but it is very interesting to see what the people think, or all their expectations. It’s fun to see that side of it, and then also to see the reactions when they announce the people that we do cast.\n\n\n\nWhat about the casting of established actors in those cameos, like Eric Stonestreet, Neil Patrick Harris and David Dastmalchian? \n\n\n\nRM: I think we felt we could get people, and it\u2019s at least partly about seeing people that you might not expect. When Clyde and Scott and [EP] Marcos Siega talked to us about Eric’s character, I can’t think of too many other times in my life where I called CJ up and I was like, \u201cit’s Eric Stonestreet.\u201d Every single person that we offered it to said yes.\n\n\n\nEric Stonestreet is not someone you think of as a serial killer. David Dastmalchian, however \u2026\n\n\n\nRM: Yes, that’s what made it such a great mix of characters, who to expect and who not to expect. That’s a challenge for this show. It’s not like we have to guess who the killers are. But I think it’s still fun for us to then have those characters appear, and people go, \u201cWow, did not see that coming.\u201d\n\n\n\nWhat about less familiar faces, like Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Kadia Saraf?\n\n\n\nRM: Here’s a crazy thing about Ntare \u2014 he was in the graduate acting class of my roommate, and I saw him at NYU, many, many, many, many years ago. When I read the role, I thought of Ntare, and he had been on another Showtime show, and then it was weird, [everything] started clicking because Showtime knew him, [EP] Scott Buck had worked with him, so that was just universes aligning of somebody who we all knew from different walks of life. CJ, had Kadia been on your radar at all? \n\n\n\nCJM: Between Rescue Me and when we saw her, only through Instagram, but not really in anything else, I’d just met her before and known her, but no, not really.\n\n\n\nRM: I can’t tell you how many people we read for that role. It was just an incredibly difficult role to find. You name an actor, we read them.\n\n\n\nWhy was it so hard?\n\n\n\nRM: The fact that the character, I guess we could say is on the spectrum, and that’s a really hard thing to find, and was a really difficult thing for people to understand. Tell me if you agree with me, CJ, but I think Kadia was the first person who we saw where it was effortless for her. It didn’t feel she was playing at being on the spectrum, and I don’t even think we called her back. \n\n\n\nCJM: No, she had it right away.\n\n\n\nRM: She just understood. I don\u2019t know if she knew somebody, or she had some sort of history that gave her the understanding of the character that just helped her, but again, it was just effortless for her.\n\n\n\nWhat about the sense of satisfaction you get from finding someone lesser known who comes in and knocks it out of the park?\n\n\n\nRM: One role that comes to mind is the guy in Ohio last year that Uma\u2019s character goes to see [played by Max Von Essen]. That was a one-scene role, but it was with Uma Thurman, and that scene itself had an arc to it. Maybe it was one page to a page and a half, but it was an incredibly important scene, because it was establishing the story.\n\n\n\nCJM: That established the whole club thing, the red envelope, the money, all of it.\n\n\n\nRM: It’s roles that you don’t think [of], when you’re reading the script the first time, how important they are going to be to the story, how important that character is, and how important finding the right actor for that role is.\n\n\n\nIt goes to show how important bringing interesting ideas and big choices are to auditions, and how that can actually affect the final version of the character. \n\n\n\nRM: Yes. Going back to Kadia, I don’t know that we knew what that role should be, and we didn\u2019t know what it was until we saw it. That role probably defines that. It happens on certain shows, because sometimes we think we know what it is, and then we bring it in, and strangely, our producers go, \u201cThat’s great! We love that!\u201d Sometimes, it\u2019s by accident.\n\n\n\nAnd that’s how some of the best alchemy happens.\n\n\n\nCJM: Yeah, for sure.\n\n\n\nHalfway through the second season, are there specific challenges this time around that you didn’t have the first season? Or is it easier?\n\n\n\nRM: I don’t ever say anything’s easier, but because a lot of the characters were established from the year before, we set the table nicely, which I think makes this season a little easier. However, setting the table as nicely as I think we did, it also makes us have to live up to the challenge of living up to that season. In finding Dan and Brian, it was in the back of my head, \u201cLet’s knock this out of the park again.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLooking for TV auditions in your area?\n\n\n\nBrowse Television casting calls in:\n\n\n\n\nLos Angeles\n\n\n\nNew York\n\n\n\nLas Vegas\n\n\n\nMexico City\n\nThe post What Ross Meyerson and CJ Molidor Look for When Casting \u2018Dexter: Resurrection\u2019 appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-06-10T09:59:00-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-06-10T10:00:09-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/dexterresurrectionthumb.jpeg",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=334487",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/margos-got-money-troubles-casting-director-audition-advice/",
"title": "\u2018Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u2019 Casting Director Reveals His Best Audition Advice",
"content_html": "\n
Casting director David Rubin shares how Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles came together through a mix of long-standing industry relationships, unexpected discoveries and actors who brought something unique to the room.
\n\n\n\n
The Emmy-winning casting director (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley), alongside casting partner Matt Lander, assembled the ensemble for Apple TV+ and A24\u2019s Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles by balancing established collaborators with emerging talent.
\n\n\n\n
Based on Rufi Thorpe\u2019s novel, the series follows Margo Millet (Elle Fanning), a young single mother who turns to OnlyFans to overcome financial hardship.
\n\n\n\n
Rubin spoke with Casting Networks about building the cast, finding chemistry between actors, and why performers should stop trying to guess what casting directors are looking for.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Bring your own interpretation to the role instead of trying to predict what casting directors want to see.
\n\n\n\n
Strong casting often comes from relationships, recommendations and unexpected discoveries, not just traditional auditions.
\n\n\n\n
Chemistry, collaboration and authenticity can matter as much as experience when booking a role.
With such a storied history in this industry, what was it like to reunite with so many familiar creative partners?
\n\n\n\n
David Rubin: I have many relationships rolled into this project, including the folks at Apple TV and David E. Kelley, who is a wonderful producer, writer and extraordinary person. I have a long relationship with Nicole Kidman. I was involved in the first job that Nicole had when she came to America, a film about NASCAR called Days of Thunder.
\n\n\n\n
When you first came on board and began breaking down the script, who was already attached, and what did the puzzle look like at the start?
\n\n\n\n
Elle Fanning was involved from the start. She actually was hip to the novel already and had been in touch with the novelist. David E. Kelley had read the novel and was attached. There was some question whether Michelle Pfeiffer would be joining the cast. She hasn’t done many series, and she had never worked with her husband, David E. Kelley, in a professional way on a series. Yet, when she had read the novel, she was completely entranced by the character of Shyanne [Margo\u2019s self-centered mother].
\n\n\n\n
Nicole Kidman plays a wrestler-turned-attorney in the series. How did that role come about, considering it is a character that doesn’t exist in the book?
\n\n\n\n
It was an added idea, and a very clever one. Nicole was an executive producer on this, and at first it wasn’t clear exactly which role she might play. But it turned out that she perfectly fit into this role, where she got to play a former wrestler and attorney. I think it gave her a big kick to do both.
\n\n\n\n
Once the foundational characters were cast, which roles became your primary focus to fill out the ensemble?
\n\n\n\n
The focus initially was on two key roles. One was Jinx, an ex-wrestler and father of Margo.
\n\n\n\n
Jinx is a highly physical role, but it also requires serious dramatic chops and sharp comedic timing. How did you approach finding an actor who could deliver all three?
\n\n\n\n
That process was unique in that we weren’t sure whether it was even feasible. We wanted to explore the idea of having a professional wrestler play the role. However, that character is so multidimensional and challenging. It had to be someone who could believably, and with nuance, play a character that was part of the comedic side of this series, but also part of the emotional, dramatic side.
\n\n\n\n
At what point did the focus shift entirely toward Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation)for the role?
\n\n\n\n
Very early on. From the beginning, without question, Nick Offerman was extremely high on our list, because not only had we seen him do great comedic work, but he had begun to do very memorable dramatic work [he won an Emmy for HBO\u2019s The Last of Us]. We were hopeful that he would respond to the material when it was ultimately offered to him. When he read it, he was inclined to go deep into this character’s pathology and his history. It’s a remarkable performance.
\n\n\n\n
What was the second key role you needed to lock down immediately?
\n\n\n\n
The other one was Margo\u2019s roommate, Susie. Thaddea Graham was a delightful surprise. Our director, Dearbhla Walsh, worked with Thaddea on Bad Sisters and suggested that we explore her.
\n\n\n\n
With that kind of directorial recommendation, it must have been a straightforward booking.
\n\n\n\n
We came very close to not having her available, because at the same time that we were exploring her for this role, she was offered a job at the National Theatre in London. We had to get a bit competitive. We got to know her mostly on Zoom auditions and did everything we could to suggest that this series might be even more fun than a play at the National Theatre.
\n\n\n\n
The series features wrestlers, OnlyFans creators, college students and church groups.How did you approach populating all these various character groups?
\n\n\n\n
This is not a series that takes place with people who all know each other and who share similar interests. Everybody is part of a \u201cpod\u201d of characters, if you will. When it came time to find very conservative roommates for Margo, we had fantastic readings from Annalise Basso and Marisela Zumbado. You would believe them as students at Fullerton College.
\n\n\n\n
How was populating the specific world of OnlyFans, especially Rose and KC, the two girls that Margo looks to collaborate with on the platform?
\n\n\n\n
Capturing those characters was a completely different world from the other pods of characters in this piece. Lindsey Normington (Anora) had already caught our attention [for Rose]. She was an exotic dancer, a pole dancer, but also had developed a real knack for acting and understood the world of this piece. In many ways, she educated us.
\n\n\n\n
Pairing her with rapper Rico Nasty as KC felt like an inspired choice. How did that partnership click?
\n\n\n\n
Rico Nasty is a fantastic musician and very popular, but had never auditioned for an acting part before. We tried combinations of actresses from various worlds for these two roles. It was great to see Lindsey and Rico ad-libbing material together during the callback. It was a bit of a eureka moment when we saw them as a couple.
\n\n\n\n
Speaking of callbacks, how vital is that interactive element when you start putting actors into the same room?
\n\n\n\n
Matt Lander [my casting partner] and I are huge proponents of seeing people in person whenever possible. There’s nothing better than spending time with two or three actors in a room talking about the material, focusing on the tone of a piece. It\u2019s invaluable.
\n\n\n\n
If you could offer one definitive piece of advice to actors coming in to read for you, what would it be?
\n\n\n\n
The one piece of advice I would give is to not spend any time at all being concerned about what we, the casting director, the director or the producer, are looking for in that part. Don’t ever pander to what you think we are looking for, because when you bring something fresh, suddenly, the light in the room changes, the energy in the room shifts, and we start to rethink what we thought we were looking for. It\u2019s not about guessing what we’re up to. It’s about creating a very fresh idea that only you can offer.
\n\n\n\n
As the former (and first casting director) elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, what does it mean to finally see Achievement in Casting at the Oscars?
\n\n\n\n
The one thing that is 100% clear to me is that the casting process is as essential to the filmmaking process as any of the areas that have been in a position to be awarded in the past. To reach a point where it was recognized [equally] with the other essential filmmaking [disciplines] was enormously gratifying, and I would be lying if I didn’t say emotional. It was nice to have it acknowledged.
\n\n\n\n
Why do you think it took so long for casting to become an officially recognized Oscar category?
\n\n\n\n
There are lots of reasons why it\u2019s been neglected over the years, and it has to do with when the casting director\u2019s job emerged in the history of filmmaking, which was not until the mid to late 1950s. Before that, actors were under contract to studios, and it was the executives at the studios who had lists of actors and made decisions about placing them in various roles, about which the actors themselves had very little control.
\n\n\n\n
What eventually shifted the industry landscape away from that old studio system?
\n\n\n\n
When the studio system began to fade in the late 1950s, suddenly, there was an opportunity for filmmakers to hire people who were incredibly well-versed in the acting pool. It didn\u2019t have to be the people that were under contract to 20th Century Fox or Warner Bros. It was really just the knowledge, an understanding and an appreciation of the breadth of possibilities in casting, and that\u2019s when casting directors came to the fore.
\n\n\n\n
What helped other guilds, unions and Oscar voters to finally understand the importance of casting?
\n\n\n\n
The relationship between a casting director and a filmmaker often happens behind closed doors, where none of the other people who are also instrumental in making films see what happens in the casting process. [Therefore], organizations that give awards and acknowledge the work of casting directors had to be educated about what we do, about what the process is.
\n\n\n\n
What kind of advocates did you have within the Academy to help push that education forward?
\n\n\n\n
That was done, ultimately, with the help of directors and producers who are in the room with us, who do know what we do, and they advocated for recognition of Achievement in Casting, because they know what it is. Ultimately, they were helpful in bringing together a lot of other people who needed to learn what it is, and to agree wholeheartedly that this should be one of the major award categories.
\n",
"content_text": "Casting director David Rubin shares how Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles came together through a mix of long-standing industry relationships, unexpected discoveries and actors who brought something unique to the room.\n\n\n\nThe Emmy-winning casting director (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley), alongside casting partner Matt Lander, assembled the ensemble for Apple TV+ and A24\u2019s Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles by balancing established collaborators with emerging talent.\n\n\n\nBased on Rufi Thorpe\u2019s novel, the series follows Margo Millet (Elle Fanning), a young single mother who turns to OnlyFans to overcome financial hardship.\n\n\n\nRubin spoke with Casting Networks about building the cast, finding chemistry between actors, and why performers should stop trying to guess what casting directors are looking for.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nBring your own interpretation to the role instead of trying to predict what casting directors want to see.\n\n\n\nStrong casting often comes from relationships, recommendations and unexpected discoveries, not just traditional auditions.\n\n\n\nChemistry, collaboration and authenticity can matter as much as experience when booking a role.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWith such a storied history in this industry, what was it like to reunite with so many familiar creative partners?\n\n\n\nDavid Rubin: I have many relationships rolled into this project, including the folks at Apple TV and David E. Kelley, who is a wonderful producer, writer and extraordinary person. I have a long relationship with Nicole Kidman. I was involved in the first job that Nicole had when she came to America, a film about NASCAR called Days of Thunder. \n\n\n\nWhen you first came on board and began breaking down the script, who was already attached, and what did the puzzle look like at the start?\n\n\n\nElle Fanning was involved from the start. She actually was hip to the novel already and had been in touch with the novelist. David E. Kelley had read the novel and was attached. There was some question whether Michelle Pfeiffer would be joining the cast. She hasn’t done many series, and she had never worked with her husband, David E. Kelley, in a professional way on a series. Yet, when she had read the novel, she was completely entranced by the character of Shyanne [Margo\u2019s self-centered mother].\n\n\n\nNicole Kidman plays a wrestler-turned-attorney in the series. How did that role come about, considering it is a character that doesn’t exist in the book?\n\n\n\nIt was an added idea, and a very clever one. Nicole was an executive producer on this, and at first it wasn’t clear exactly which role she might play. But it turned out that she perfectly fit into this role, where she got to play a former wrestler and attorney. I think it gave her a big kick to do both.\n\n\n\nOnce the foundational characters were cast, which roles became your primary focus to fill out the ensemble?\n\n\n\nThe focus initially was on two key roles. One was Jinx, an ex-wrestler and father of Margo.\n\n\n\nJinx is a highly physical role, but it also requires serious dramatic chops and sharp comedic timing. How did you approach finding an actor who could deliver all three?\n\n\n\nThat process was unique in that we weren’t sure whether it was even feasible. We wanted to explore the idea of having a professional wrestler play the role. However, that character is so multidimensional and challenging. It had to be someone who could believably, and with nuance, play a character that was part of the comedic side of this series, but also part of the emotional, dramatic side. \n\n\n\nAt what point did the focus shift entirely toward Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) for the role?\n\n\n\nVery early on. From the beginning, without question, Nick Offerman was extremely high on our list, because not only had we seen him do great comedic work, but he had begun to do very memorable dramatic work [he won an Emmy for HBO\u2019s The Last of Us]. We were hopeful that he would respond to the material when it was ultimately offered to him. When he read it, he was inclined to go deep into this character’s pathology and his history. It’s a remarkable performance.\n\n\n\nWhat was the second key role you needed to lock down immediately?\n\n\n\nThe other one was Margo\u2019s roommate, Susie. Thaddea Graham was a delightful surprise. Our director, Dearbhla Walsh, worked with Thaddea on Bad Sisters and suggested that we explore her.\n\n\n\nWith that kind of directorial recommendation, it must have been a straightforward booking.\n\n\n\nWe came very close to not having her available, because at the same time that we were exploring her for this role, she was offered a job at the National Theatre in London. We had to get a bit competitive. We got to know her mostly on Zoom auditions and did everything we could to suggest that this series might be even more fun than a play at the National Theatre.\n\n\n\nThe series features wrestlers, OnlyFans creators, college students and church groups. How did you approach populating all these various character groups?\n\n\n\nThis is not a series that takes place with people who all know each other and who share similar interests. Everybody is part of a \u201cpod\u201d of characters, if you will. When it came time to find very conservative roommates for Margo, we had fantastic readings from Annalise Basso and Marisela Zumbado. You would believe them as students at Fullerton College. \n\n\n\nHow was populating the specific world of OnlyFans, especially Rose and KC, the two girls that Margo looks to collaborate with on the platform?\n\n\n\nCapturing those characters was a completely different world from the other pods of characters in this piece. Lindsey Normington (Anora) had already caught our attention [for Rose]. She was an exotic dancer, a pole dancer, but also had developed a real knack for acting and understood the world of this piece. In many ways, she educated us.\n\n\n\nPairing her with rapper Rico Nasty as KC felt like an inspired choice. How did that partnership click?\n\n\n\nRico Nasty is a fantastic musician and very popular, but had never auditioned for an acting part before. We tried combinations of actresses from various worlds for these two roles. It was great to see Lindsey and Rico ad-libbing material together during the callback. It was a bit of a eureka moment when we saw them as a couple.\n\n\n\nSpeaking of callbacks, how vital is that interactive element when you start putting actors into the same room? \n\n\n\nMatt Lander [my casting partner] and I are huge proponents of seeing people in person whenever possible. There’s nothing better than spending time with two or three actors in a room talking about the material, focusing on the tone of a piece. It\u2019s invaluable. \n\n\n\nIf you could offer one definitive piece of advice to actors coming in to read for you, what would it be? \n\n\n\nThe one piece of advice I would give is to not spend any time at all being concerned about what we, the casting director, the director or the producer, are looking for in that part. Don’t ever pander to what you think we are looking for, because when you bring something fresh, suddenly, the light in the room changes, the energy in the room shifts, and we start to rethink what we thought we were looking for. It\u2019s not about guessing what we’re up to. It’s about creating a very fresh idea that only you can offer.\n\n\n\nAs the former (and first casting director) elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, what does it mean to finally see Achievement in Casting at the Oscars? \n\n\n\nThe one thing that is 100% clear to me is that the casting process is as essential to the filmmaking process as any of the areas that have been in a position to be awarded in the past. To reach a point where it was recognized [equally] with the other essential filmmaking [disciplines] was enormously gratifying, and I would be lying if I didn’t say emotional. It was nice to have it acknowledged.\n\n\n\nWhy do you think it took so long for casting to become an officially recognized Oscar category?\n\n\n\nThere are lots of reasons why it\u2019s been neglected over the years, and it has to do with when the casting director\u2019s job emerged in the history of filmmaking, which was not until the mid to late 1950s. Before that, actors were under contract to studios, and it was the executives at the studios who had lists of actors and made decisions about placing them in various roles, about which the actors themselves had very little control.\n\n\n\nWhat eventually shifted the industry landscape away from that old studio system?\n\n\n\nWhen the studio system began to fade in the late 1950s, suddenly, there was an opportunity for filmmakers to hire people who were incredibly well-versed in the acting pool. It didn\u2019t have to be the people that were under contract to 20th Century Fox or Warner Bros. It was really just the knowledge, an understanding and an appreciation of the breadth of possibilities in casting, and that\u2019s when casting directors came to the fore.\n\n\n\nWhat helped other guilds, unions and Oscar voters to finally understand the importance of casting?\n\n\n\nThe relationship between a casting director and a filmmaker often happens behind closed doors, where none of the other people who are also instrumental in making films see what happens in the casting process. [Therefore], organizations that give awards and acknowledge the work of casting directors had to be educated about what we do, about what the process is.\n\n\n\nWhat kind of advocates did you have within the Academy to help push that education forward?\n\n\n\nThat was done, ultimately, with the help of directors and producers who are in the room with us, who do know what we do, and they advocated for recognition of Achievement in Casting, because they know what it is. Ultimately, they were helpful in bringing together a lot of other people who needed to learn what it is, and to agree wholeheartedly that this should be one of the major award categories.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReady to put these audition tips into practice?\n\n\n\nExplore:\n\n\n\n\nAuditions for Streaming Series\n\n\n\nLos Angeles Casting Calls\n\n\n\nSocial Media Acting Job Opportunities\n\n\n\nYoung Adult Casting Calls\n\nThe post ‘Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles’ Casting Director Reveals His Best Audition Advice appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-06-03T09:07:08-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-06-03T10:23:20-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Zorianna Kit",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/zorianna-kit/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/beb/beb229407b4d16d50760c4f6dbf3273cx512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Zorianna Kit",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/zorianna-kit/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/beb/beb229407b4d16d50760c4f6dbf3273cx512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Margos-Got-Money-Troubles-Apple-TV-Review-Loud-And-Clear-Reviews-02.06.2026-12_35.png",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=330135",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/casting-director-danny-long-audition-tips-interview/",
"title": "Casting Director Danny Long Shares Audition Tips Every Actor Needs to Know",
"content_html": "\n
With projects like Send Help, Disney\u2019s live-action Moana, and the Tom Hiddleston-led Tenzing on the horizon, Danny Long Casting is having into one of its biggest years yet.
\n\n\n\n
She spoke to us from her office in Sydney.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Danny Long believes the best auditions happen when actors stop performing perfection and lean into authentic, truthful choices.
\n\n\n\n
Self tapes have transformed casting, giving actors more control while still requiring strong instincts, genre awareness, and emotional honesty.
\n\n\n\n
Successful casting depends on collaboration, empathy, and extensive global searches to discover fresh talent and underrepresented voices.
A lot of casting directors start as actors, and there\u2019s inevitably a moment of clarity when you realize you want to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. Did you have that?
\n\n\n\n
I think I loved it immediately. As soon as I started reading and just playing with actors and having all the joy and none of the stress of it, it was like playing tennis with people. You’re riffing on ideas. I immediately wanted to be a casting director. I just chopped off the acting part of myself, and stopped cold.
\n\n\n\n
Was there anything in particular that made it so special for you, besides the playing with actors?
\n\n\n\n
I just found it really freeing. I think my strongest suit is I have a lot of empathy for actors, so I really enjoy making people feel comfortable in the room, and trying to get the best out of people, and also just making it a really collaborative process. I don’t think I received that so much when I was an actor, so I wanted to break the mold.
\n\n\n\n
A bit less of a power play between the casting director and the actor, and make it a little bit more equal. Auditioning should be an enjoyable process. Joel Edgerton actually said the best thing to me about auditioning. When he used to come in and audition for me, he was just flawless. Casual. Relaxed. I asked him his secret, and he said he just treats every audition like a workshop.
\n\n\n\n
I agree. It should be collaborative. No one can operate from a place of fear. To get the best out of someone, you need to make them feel comfortable. And I really enjoyed that part of the process.
\n\n\n\n
Are you able to do that with the way things have shifted to online and self tapes?
\n\n\n\n
We offer both. Always. Actors often prefer self tapes now because they get to do a gazillion takes and they get all the time in the world to perfect it. I give feedback on self tapes I make people re-tape. If I see a kernel of something in there and I think they’ve just missed it or misinterpreted something, I will say you need to go again with these notes.
\n\n\n\n
I love both. I love being in the room and I love getting self tapes, because you get to see what an actor will organically bring without any interference, instinctually. It’s pretty fascinating, and sometimes when you get self tapes, you’re like, \u201cOh shit, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
I don’t know that I would have got that in the room, but then you have the inverse to happen when they are in the room and you you tweak something, and you know that wouldn’t have been possible with a self tape.
\n\n\n\n
Do you think your background as an actor gives you an advantage?
\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s definitely helpful, for sure. You understand the craft. You’ve been in their shoes. Yeah, you have a better language base to be able to direct from, but you can learn that as well without having been an actor. You could be working with someone for six years, watch them and learn by via osmosis.
\n\n\n\n
I think having been an actor, it’s definitely a bonus.
\n\n\n\n
Working on a studio film like Send Help, do you find your reach as a casting director has extended beyond Australia?
\n\n\n\n
Well, [Dylan O\u2019Brien and Rachel McAdams] were cast by the studio and Nancy Nayor, but the rest of the roles are all mine. But obviously, boots on the ground in the territory that you’re working in is the best way to cast so yes, we all cast globally. We all come up with ideas globally.
\n\n\n\n
I think if you’re actually in that territory, of course, you’re going to have greater knowledge, greater capacity to come up with ideas than somebody who’s on the other side of the world. I do like working collaboratively with another casting director. I find that really useful.
\n\n\n\n
I worked on a film called Tenzing, about Tenzing Norgay, which is all Tibetan and Sherpa speakers. So we did a global search for that during COVID, my associate Ryan Madden and I, auditioning in a foreign language. Casting in communities is my favorite thing. I think people know me for that. Moana was another one where we cast globally in the Pacifica community all around the world.
\n\n\n\n
That was fun. We just did a series last year [where] everyone in it is living with a disability. That was amazing. You get to learn so much about the communities. It’s probably my passion \u2014 research and learning about different cultures, and different people with different backgrounds and trying to find the unicorns to be in series that are telling stories that are different [from] the mainstream.
\n\n\n\n
Unicorn finder is a good reputation to have.
\n\n\n\n
I guess so. I think that’s project related, though. I don’t think you can cast unicorns in everything. You often need to attach a name, and in a way that’s tougher when you’ve got a clean slate and you’re finding a Tibetan man to play Tenzing.
\n\n\n\n
How many Tibetan actors do we all know? We probably auditioned over 1,500 people globally for 10 roles in that project. In a way, that’s easier, because when you’re casting attaching names, it’s availability and money, all of that juggle.
\n\n\n\n
It’s a completely different stress to wide searches.
\n\n\n\n
That seems like a good segue into our final question, which is what piece of advice, or wisdom, would you give to somebody coming in to audition for you?
\n\n\n\n
Look, I don’t think I’m going to tell you anything you haven’t heard, but one of my pet things is to make sure you know the genre that you’re taping for. Bring your authentic self to the role. When I say authentic self, I don’t mean the homogenized, shiny version of yourself that you think we want to see.
\n\n\n\n
We want to see the warty, real human aspects. That’s what’s going to set you apart, what makes you you. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Sometimes, it can be left of center, and that’s what makes us sit up and notice your tape or watch you in an audition room where you’re like, \u201cWhat? What just happened there?\u201d
\n\n\n\n
That’s fresh, but it’s also truthful and authentic.
\n",
"content_text": "With projects like Send Help, Disney\u2019s live-action Moana, and the Tom Hiddleston-led Tenzing on the horizon, Danny Long Casting is having into one of its biggest years yet.\n\n\n\nShe spoke to us from her office in Sydney.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nDanny Long believes the best auditions happen when actors stop performing perfection and lean into authentic, truthful choices.\n\n\n\nSelf tapes have transformed casting, giving actors more control while still requiring strong instincts, genre awareness, and emotional honesty.\n\n\n\nSuccessful casting depends on collaboration, empathy, and extensive global searches to discover fresh talent and underrepresented voices.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA lot of casting directors start as actors, and there\u2019s inevitably a moment of clarity when you realize you want to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. Did you have that?\n\n\n\nI think I loved it immediately. As soon as I started reading and just playing with actors and having all the joy and none of the stress of it, it was like playing tennis with people. You’re riffing on ideas. I immediately wanted to be a casting director. I just chopped off the acting part of myself, and stopped cold.\n\n\n\nWas there anything in particular that made it so special for you, besides the playing with actors?\n\n\n\nI just found it really freeing. I think my strongest suit is I have a lot of empathy for actors, so I really enjoy making people feel comfortable in the room, and trying to get the best out of people, and also just making it a really collaborative process. I don’t think I received that so much when I was an actor, so I wanted to break the mold. \n\n\n\nA bit less of a power play between the casting director and the actor, and make it a little bit more equal. Auditioning should be an enjoyable process. Joel Edgerton actually said the best thing to me about auditioning. When he used to come in and audition for me, he was just flawless. Casual. Relaxed. I asked him his secret, and he said he just treats every audition like a workshop. \n\n\n\nI agree. It should be collaborative. No one can operate from a place of fear. To get the best out of someone, you need to make them feel comfortable. And I really enjoyed that part of the process.\n\n\n\nAre you able to do that with the way things have shifted to online and self tapes?\n\n\n\nWe offer both. Always. Actors often prefer self tapes now because they get to do a gazillion takes and they get all the time in the world to perfect it. I give feedback on self tapes I make people re-tape. If I see a kernel of something in there and I think they’ve just missed it or misinterpreted something, I will say you need to go again with these notes. \n\n\n\nI love both. I love being in the room and I love getting self tapes, because you get to see what an actor will organically bring without any interference, instinctually. It’s pretty fascinating, and sometimes when you get self tapes, you’re like, \u201cOh shit, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.\u201d\n\n\n\nI don’t know that I would have got that in the room, but then you have the inverse to happen when they are in the room and you you tweak something, and you know that wouldn’t have been possible with a self tape.\n\n\n\nDo you think your background as an actor gives you an advantage?\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s definitely helpful, for sure. You understand the craft. You’ve been in their shoes. Yeah, you have a better language base to be able to direct from, but you can learn that as well without having been an actor. You could be working with someone for six years, watch them and learn by via osmosis. \n\n\n\nI think having been an actor, it’s definitely a bonus. \n\n\n\nWorking on a studio film like Send Help, do you find your reach as a casting director has extended beyond Australia?\n\n\n\nWell, [Dylan O\u2019Brien and Rachel McAdams] were cast by the studio and Nancy Nayor, but the rest of the roles are all mine. But obviously, boots on the ground in the territory that you’re working in is the best way to cast so yes, we all cast globally. We all come up with ideas globally. \n\n\n\nI think if you’re actually in that territory, of course, you’re going to have greater knowledge, greater capacity to come up with ideas than somebody who’s on the other side of the world. I do like working collaboratively with another casting director. I find that really useful. \n\n\n\nI worked on a film called Tenzing, about Tenzing Norgay, which is all Tibetan and Sherpa speakers. So we did a global search for that during COVID, my associate Ryan Madden and I, auditioning in a foreign language. Casting in communities is my favorite thing. I think people know me for that. Moana was another one where we cast globally in the Pacifica community all around the world. \n\n\n\nThat was fun. We just did a series last year [where] everyone in it is living with a disability. That was amazing. You get to learn so much about the communities. It’s probably my passion \u2014 research and learning about different cultures, and different people with different backgrounds and trying to find the unicorns to be in series that are telling stories that are different [from] the mainstream.\n\n\n\nUnicorn finder is a good reputation to have.\n\n\n\nI guess so. I think that’s project related, though. I don’t think you can cast unicorns in everything. You often need to attach a name, and in a way that’s tougher when you’ve got a clean slate and you’re finding a Tibetan man to play Tenzing. \n\n\n\nHow many Tibetan actors do we all know? We probably auditioned over 1,500 people globally for 10 roles in that project. In a way, that’s easier, because when you’re casting attaching names, it’s availability and money, all of that juggle. \n\n\n\nIt’s a completely different stress to wide searches.\n\n\n\nThat seems like a good segue into our final question, which is what piece of advice, or wisdom, would you give to somebody coming in to audition for you?\n\n\n\nLook, I don’t think I’m going to tell you anything you haven’t heard, but one of my pet things is to make sure you know the genre that you’re taping for. Bring your authentic self to the role. When I say authentic self, I don’t mean the homogenized, shiny version of yourself that you think we want to see. \n\n\n\nWe want to see the warty, real human aspects. That’s what’s going to set you apart, what makes you you. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Sometimes, it can be left of center, and that’s what makes us sit up and notice your tape or watch you in an audition room where you’re like, \u201cWhat? What just happened there?\u201d \n\n\n\nThat’s fresh, but it’s also truthful and authentic.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLooking for auditions in your area?\n\n\n\nBrowse casting calls in:\n\n\n\n\nHollywood\n\n\n\nAtlanta\n\n\n\nChicago\n\n\n\nSydney\n\n\n\n\n\nThe post Casting Director Danny Long Shares Audition Tips Every Actor Needs to Know appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-05-22T09:10:00-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:06:20-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DANNY-LONG-BLOG.jpg",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=330126",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/acting-in-new-york-what-you-need-to-know-to-succeed/",
"title": "Acting in New York: What You Need to Know to Succeed",
"content_html": "\n
Acting in New York is a tough market with lots of competition, and if you want to make it, there are a lot of factors that go into it.
\n\n\n\n
Actress Christina Villa, studied acting at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York and learned first-hand what it takes. She has since relocated to Los Angeles, but that New York mentality never left her.
\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s that mentality that has led to her casting in the 2025 Dolph Lundgren action Netflix film Wanted Man, as well as the sci-fi thriller Spark, currently playing on Amazon Prime. She still carries the lessons she learned in New York, lessons that have served her well.
\n\n\n\n
She spoke to us from her home in LA.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Building an acting career in New York requires persistence, community, and a willingness to consistently put yourself in the room.
\n\n\n\n
Christina Villa credits her growth to intense craft training, continuous self-development, and learning directly from working actors and casting professionals.
\n\n\n\n
Success came not from one breakthrough moment, but from years of networking, showcases, self-tapes, and showing up professionally at every opportunity.
My mom was a singer, and so she would perform at local venues and stuff. Sometimes she would have us come on stage with her. I was actually a pretty shy kid, but there was something different about performing. [I said to myself], \u201c\u2018Oh, I have to do what mom’s doing,\u2019 which is, \u2018Don’t get nervous, and don’t be shy, and just do it.\u2019\u201d My mom eventually stopped singing, and I put it aside around middle school age.
\n\n\n\n
I went to [college] in Austin, at UT. I got my degree in communications, specifically PR, and I just started seeing people actually be artists as they’re in their lives, and going to different improv shows, and there’s music venues everywhere. Upon graduation, I was just not excited about becoming a publicist.
\n\n\n\n
When I was interning, I would sometimes be on commercial sets and think, I want to be that person in front of the camera.
\n\n\n\n
What changed?
\n\n\n\n
I took my first acting class, and I just loved it. I loved being on set. Then I just decided I’m gonna pursue this. I don’t come from money or anything, so I have to support myself. I\u2019ll keep working with a full-time job, and while I’m doing that, I’ll also do theater.
\n\n\n\n
I found a book called Breaking Into Actingfor Dummies, and that’s where I learned what a demo reel was and what a casting director was. I knew I could do student films to get footage for my reel, and I need to go do theater so that I can sharpen my skills.
\n\n\n\n
I started doing that, acting any way that I could, wherever I was, and that eventually led me to applying to grad school in New York, and I got my MFA there in acting at the Actors Studio.
Was there more to your education?
It’s definitely an industry where you can’t do it by yourself. You have to have community and reach out to people and ask questions and just be out there knocking on doors. Whenever I met somebody doing what I wanted to do, I\u2019d invite them for coffee, ask them how they got their start, where they’re going and what they’re doing, and just learning along the way. It’s really been one foot in front of the other.
\n\n\n\n
Why the Actors Studio?
\n\n\n\n
When I started taking acting classes and actually learning the craft of it \u2014 Strasberg, Stanislavski, Stella Adler, Meisner, they all originated in New York. That lit a little bit of a match there. It really culminated for me when I saw Al Pacino speak at the Plaza Classic Film Festival in El Paso.
\n\n\n\n
I reached out to an acting teacher that I had in Austin, Amber DuPuy, who gave me a list of schools that she thought I could do well at. One of them was Pace University, and I saw that they had the Actors Studio Drama School.
\n\n\n\n
Once you got to New York, what was that experience like?
\n\n\n\n
I was focused on my studies. I did a couple of little student films here and there, just to start developing my reel. But that program was very intense. It wasn\u2019t something you could just phone in. You had to immerse yourself, and then I was also working part time. I started to realize that the students doing the best were the ones constantly working.
\n\n\n\n
After class, I was constantly booking studio space so that I can go and take my two-hour block to create different elements of whatever scene I was working on. The method gets misconstrued, but what it\u2019s really about is basically building a house.
\n\n\n\n
You have to have a good foundation. You have to know who your character is, but also building from the outside in, too. You had to put a lot of time into your work, and that\u2019s definitely laid down a foundation for me.
\n\n\n\n
When you finished the program, did you find representation?
\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so I when I graduated, I found that I had to really look within and say, \u201cHow bad do you want this?\u201d Because I wasn’t one of the students that got called into a meeting after our showcase. That realization, that everybody was getting calls, and I wasn\u2019t, knocked the wind out of me.
\n\n\n\n
Well? What did you do?
\n\n\n\n
I had to hit the pavement on my own and just figure it out. I bumped into some walls, but it was really just Actors Connection, One on One, The Actor\u2019s Green Room, doing all those things to get to know casting directors, doing showcases.
\n\n\n\n
I did plenty of showcases. I worked full time at a mattress store on East 60th, and that’s how I was able to fund all these different things, but I was able to meet agents and casting directors by doing everything I could.
\n\n\n\n
So it was just always saying yes, anything that got you in front of people, got you on stage, and it might get you in front of the right person who’s going to notice you and put you in something?
\n\n\n\n
I was called in for FBI for a costar [role] and Jonathan Strauss\u2019 office was casting. [Casting director] Alexis Atkinson was there for my audition, and I got a callback. I didn’t get the part, but I got an email from her asking if I would be interested in working with her.
\n\n\n\n
She’d check out my headshots, my reel, and then we\u2019d work on self tapes together, because at the time I had an agent that I submitted to, and she would get me auditions. It really was just one foot in front of the other.
\n\n\n\n
This person giving me a tip over here, this person over here a referral. I definitely was not shy about asking for help. I feel New York was definitely planting all the seeds.
\n\n\n\n
How did you get the agent?
\n\n\n\n
I had seen that somebody booked a costar [role] on one of those procedural shows. I thought, \u201cWell, I fit that world, because I’ve been called into that world, so let’s see who their agent is.\u201d I submitted to their agent, and she got back to me within minutes. She was looking for my type.
\n\n\n\n
I think that serves as such a good example for anyone who might be reading this, about doing research and pounding the pavement.
\n\n\n\n
Yeah, and sometimes you feel overwhelmed because you\u2019re not sure and think, \u201cWell, what do I do?\u201d It’s not linear. Again, put that foot in front of the other, and then just see what happens. If you’re doing something and it’s right for you, then the door will open, and if it’s not, the door will close, and then you’ll just have to walk down the hall and see if any doors open over there.
\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no formula where it’s A plus B equals C. I’m still trying to meet more people and knock on more doors, but it’s helpful that now others are willing to go to bat for me with the people that they know, and I think that’s something to really keep in mind, is that when people go to bat for you, you need to be able to show up.
\n\n\n\n
Somebody who’s on time, somebody who does their part, and who’s constantly working on their craft.
\n\n\n\n
Do you still find you think of yourself as a New York actress?
\n\n\n\n
I think I always will. It has community. People were always so open to lend a hand. Just reach out and say, \u201cHey, why don’t you come to this workshop with me?\u201d Or, \u201cCan you come to this event with me?\u201d So I try to make sure that I pay that forward as well. I think a big aspect of being a New York actor is really desiring and creating community in artistic spaces.
\n\n\n\n
When somebody is your friend in New York, they’re really your friend, and that’s super valuable. And obviously in New York, you can go into a small theater and see amazing work, and I think that\u2019s just something to always strive for, that you’re working at that level, no matter where you’re at.
\n",
"content_text": "Acting in New York is a tough market with lots of competition, and if you want to make it, there are a lot of factors that go into it. \n\n\n\nActress Christina Villa, studied acting at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York and learned first-hand what it takes. She has since relocated to Los Angeles, but that New York mentality never left her. \n\n\n\nIt\u2019s that mentality that has led to her casting in the 2025 Dolph Lundgren action Netflix film Wanted Man, as well as the sci-fi thriller Spark, currently playing on Amazon Prime. She still carries the lessons she learned in New York, lessons that have served her well. \n\n\n\nShe spoke to us from her home in LA. \n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nBuilding an acting career in New York requires persistence, community, and a willingness to consistently put yourself in the room.\n\n\n\nChristina Villa credits her growth to intense craft training, continuous self-development, and learning directly from working actors and casting professionals.\n\n\n\nSuccess came not from one breakthrough moment, but from years of networking, showcases, self-tapes, and showing up professionally at every opportunity.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat first got you into acting?\n\n\n\nMy mom was a singer, and so she would perform at local venues and stuff. Sometimes she would have us come on stage with her. I was actually a pretty shy kid, but there was something different about performing. [I said to myself], \u201c\u2018Oh, I have to do what mom’s doing,\u2019 which is, \u2018Don’t get nervous, and don’t be shy, and just do it.\u2019\u201d My mom eventually stopped singing, and I put it aside around middle school age. \n\n\n\nI went to [college] in Austin, at UT. I got my degree in communications, specifically PR, and I just started seeing people actually be artists as they’re in their lives, and going to different improv shows, and there’s music venues everywhere. Upon graduation, I was just not excited about becoming a publicist.\n\n\n\nWhen I was interning, I would sometimes be on commercial sets and think, I want to be that person in front of the camera.\n\n\n\nWhat changed?\n\n\n\nI took my first acting class, and I just loved it. I loved being on set. Then I just decided I’m gonna pursue this. I don’t come from money or anything, so I have to support myself. I\u2019ll keep working with a full-time job, and while I’m doing that, I’ll also do theater.\n\n\n\nI found a book called Breaking Into Acting for Dummies, and that’s where I learned what a demo reel was and what a casting director was. I knew I could do student films to get footage for my reel, and I need to go do theater so that I can sharpen my skills.\n\n\n\nI started doing that, acting any way that I could, wherever I was, and that eventually led me to applying to grad school in New York, and I got my MFA there in acting at the Actors Studio. Was there more to your education?It’s definitely an industry where you can’t do it by yourself. You have to have community and reach out to people and ask questions and just be out there knocking on doors. Whenever I met somebody doing what I wanted to do, I\u2019d invite them for coffee, ask them how they got their start, where they’re going and what they’re doing, and just learning along the way. It’s really been one foot in front of the other.\n\n\n\nWhy the Actors Studio?\n\n\n\nWhen I started taking acting classes and actually learning the craft of it \u2014 Strasberg, Stanislavski, Stella Adler, Meisner, they all originated in New York. That lit a little bit of a match there. It really culminated for me when I saw Al Pacino speak at the Plaza Classic Film Festival in El Paso. \n\n\n\nI reached out to an acting teacher that I had in Austin, Amber DuPuy, who gave me a list of schools that she thought I could do well at. One of them was Pace University, and I saw that they had the Actors Studio Drama School. \n\n\n\nOnce you got to New York, what was that experience like?\n\n\n\nI was focused on my studies. I did a couple of little student films here and there, just to start developing my reel. But that program was very intense. It wasn\u2019t something you could just phone in. You had to immerse yourself, and then I was also working part time. I started to realize that the students doing the best were the ones constantly working. \n\n\n\nAfter class, I was constantly booking studio space so that I can go and take my two-hour block to create different elements of whatever scene I was working on. The method gets misconstrued, but what it\u2019s really about is basically building a house. \n\n\n\nYou have to have a good foundation. You have to know who your character is, but also building from the outside in, too. You had to put a lot of time into your work, and that\u2019s definitely laid down a foundation for me.\n\n\n\nWhen you finished the program, did you find representation?\n\n\n\nYeah, so I when I graduated, I found that I had to really look within and say, \u201cHow bad do you want this?\u201d Because I wasn’t one of the students that got called into a meeting after our showcase. That realization, that everybody was getting calls, and I wasn\u2019t, knocked the wind out of me.\n\n\n\nWell? What did you do?\n\n\n\nI had to hit the pavement on my own and just figure it out. I bumped into some walls, but it was really just Actors Connection, One on One, The Actor\u2019s Green Room, doing all those things to get to know casting directors, doing showcases. \n\n\n\nI did plenty of showcases. I worked full time at a mattress store on East 60th, and that’s how I was able to fund all these different things, but I was able to meet agents and casting directors by doing everything I could.\n\n\n\nSo it was just always saying yes, anything that got you in front of people, got you on stage, and it might get you in front of the right person who’s going to notice you and put you in something? \n\n\n\nI was called in for FBI for a costar [role] and Jonathan Strauss\u2019 office was casting. [Casting director] Alexis Atkinson was there for my audition, and I got a callback. I didn’t get the part, but I got an email from her asking if I would be interested in working with her. \n\n\n\nShe’d check out my headshots, my reel, and then we\u2019d work on self tapes together, because at the time I had an agent that I submitted to, and she would get me auditions. It really was just one foot in front of the other. \n\n\n\nThis person giving me a tip over here, this person over here a referral. I definitely was not shy about asking for help. I feel New York was definitely planting all the seeds.\n\n\n\nHow did you get the agent?\n\n\n\nI had seen that somebody booked a costar [role] on one of those procedural shows. I thought, \u201cWell, I fit that world, because I’ve been called into that world, so let’s see who their agent is.\u201d I submitted to their agent, and she got back to me within minutes. She was looking for my type.\n\n\n\nI think that serves as such a good example for anyone who might be reading this, about doing research and pounding the pavement.\n\n\n\nYeah, and sometimes you feel overwhelmed because you\u2019re not sure and think, \u201cWell, what do I do?\u201d It’s not linear. Again, put that foot in front of the other, and then just see what happens. If you’re doing something and it’s right for you, then the door will open, and if it’s not, the door will close, and then you’ll just have to walk down the hall and see if any doors open over there. \n\n\n\nThere\u2019s no formula where it’s A plus B equals C. I’m still trying to meet more people and knock on more doors, but it’s helpful that now others are willing to go to bat for me with the people that they know, and I think that’s something to really keep in mind, is that when people go to bat for you, you need to be able to show up. \n\n\n\nSomebody who’s on time, somebody who does their part, and who’s constantly working on their craft.\n\n\n\nDo you still find you think of yourself as a New York actress?\n\n\n\nI think I always will. It has community. People were always so open to lend a hand. Just reach out and say, \u201cHey, why don’t you come to this workshop with me?\u201d Or, \u201cCan you come to this event with me?\u201d So I try to make sure that I pay that forward as well. I think a big aspect of being a New York actor is really desiring and creating community in artistic spaces.\n\n\n\nWhen somebody is your friend in New York, they’re really your friend, and that’s super valuable. And obviously in New York, you can go into a small theater and see amazing work, and I think that\u2019s just something to always strive for, that you’re working at that level, no matter where you’re at.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLooking for acting opportunities in New York?\n\n\n\nBrowse current:\n\n\n\n\nNew York City Casting Calls\n\n\n\nNYC Background Actor Jobs\n\n\n\nTheatre Auditions\n\n\n\nNew York TV Series Casting Calls\n\n\n\n\n\nThe post Acting in New York: What You Need to Know to Succeed appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-05-21T09:10:00-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-19T15:06:35-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CN-BLOG-TEMPLATE.jpg",
"tags": [
"Acting 101",
"Acting Advice",
"Actors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=328667",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/netflix-black-rabbit-casting-director-alexa-fogel-interview/",
"title": "Alexa Fogel on Casting Netflix\u2019s \u2018Black Rabbit\u2019 and Building Complex Characters",
"content_html": "\n
Alexa Fogel has been nominated for 15 Emmys and won three, and it won\u2019t be a surprise if she\u2019s nominated again this year for her work in the Netflix limited series Black Rabbit.
\n\n\n\n
Starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law, the show follows a restaurateur who sees everything he\u2019s built threatened when he lets his troubled brother back into his life. Bateman plays against type as the bad seed brother, while Law shines as a man fighting his own demons.
\n\n\n\n
Fogel spoke to us from her home in Maine.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Alexa Fogel prioritized authenticity and emotional specificity over nationality, casting actors based on the essence they brought to each role.
\n\n\n\n
Black Rabbit blends emerging talent with seasoned character actors to create a grounded, layered world across the show\u2019s many intersecting social circles.
\n\n\n\n
The casting process emphasized collaboration, chemistry, and tone in roles involving sign language and highly specific character dynamics.
Were Jason and Jude on board before you came to cast it? I know they\u2019re both EPs on it.
\n\n\n\n
As I understand it, Jude brought it to Jason’s company. I think they figured out internally who’s gonna play which brother. It flipped on the heads of people’s expectations in the best way.
\n\n\n\n
I noticed that there is a distinctly foreign aspect to the cast. There’s a lot of Australian and British people in it.
\n\n\n\n
The world is my oyster. (Laughs)
\n\n\n\n
I’m fascinated by the international scope of casting now. Do you go into it with the idea of, let’s just open it up to the world?
\n\n\n\n
I went into Oz and The Wire with that idea. Idris Elba and Eamonn Walker and Dominic West. For a long time, I\u2019ve just tried to look at the essence of characters through the essence of what actors can bring to it, whether they’re mostly theater actors or whatever. It was harder to do then, because crossing oceans, tapes having to go in the mail, but it’s a little bit easier now.
\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s start with Sope and Amaka, both of whom really pop off the screen.
\n\n\n\n
I think because Jason and I talked about certain things, Sope’s character, because he was an international star, could be almost anything, and he’s an actor I’ve loved for ages. Slow Horses, Gangs of London and the Nigerian film, His House.
\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, Amaka had never auditioned for me before. I knew her work, but she was always working. And I think again, [for] a chef, you’re looking for certain qualities, She can come from anywhere to be successful. Once we had both of them, we also talked about the fact that they couldn’t both be British.
\n\n\n\n
So we had to decide which one of them was going to be the American character, and I felt like the the rock star of it all lent itself to the British of it all. Also, Amaka\u2019s American accent was really good. (Laughs)
\n\n\n\n
Do you find that international actors bring something extra to a role?
\n\n\n\n
It depends entirely on the role. In the case of Sope, his presence is so singular, that’s what that character needed. And Amaka\u2019s real female strength, being someone who’s running a kitchen, it’s like casting someone in the military.
\n\n\n\n
It’s hard to find. I’m not targeting somebody who’s foreign. I didn’t just see people from [far] away. I just know the qualities that I need to find.
\n\n\n\n
One of the things that\u2019s really interesting about the cast is the mix of new faces and more established ones.
\n\n\n\n
We had Don Harvey on The Deuce. The great thing about working with Jason is he loves actors and he appreciates careers, and so if you show him somebody like Don and you correlate between the work and my enthusiasm, he gets it.
\n\n\n\n
I also think when you’re working on gritty piece like this, and you’re looking for a level of heightened authenticity, you need people who can really do that. Don is a master. For Forrest Weber, that role as well as the role of Lou, there was a sign language component to that audition process, so that separated people out very quickly, because we also sent auditions to Troy and his consultant to make sure that things were authentic.
\n\n\n\n
Did you know Forrest before?
\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t, and he\u2019s wonderful. It\u2019s just my good luck. I mean, it’s never lightning in a bottle. It’s a process. Like anything that is specialized, you’re going in a direction that’s very specific, so you see a lot of people, and you need one part of it to work, and then you also need another part of it to work, which is acting, and all these things have to alchemize.
\n\n\n\n
It’s not really about, \u201cI can’t believe I didn’t know him before.\u201d It’s that all of these things in this moment in time met. I say this all the time, but you only need one.
\n\n\n\n
Forrest had less actual experience than a lot of other people coming in, but he had all of those qualities. He was teamed up with Chris Coy, who I\u2019ve cast many times. He’s so seasoned and he’s so generous, and they were really partners in this.
\n\n\n\n
That was an amazing professional marriage, and I think Chris’ part got a little bit bigger, as I understand it, but for Forrest, I’m sure it was a great ongoing lesson of how to work on set, how to do everything.
\n\n\n\n
One of the things that works well on the show are the smaller parts. One specific example is the Wall Street Guy in episode 2, whose behavior at the blackjack table costs Vince $150,000.
\n\n\n\n
I did this with Kathryn Zamora-Benson, and we take that really seriously in terms of maintaining tone, [and] everything we do. Some of it’s instinctual. You know that when it’s right, it’s right. You see people, and I try to never show people to my collaborators, that I wouldn’t be happy with them being cast. Y
\n\n\n\n
ou want it to be a range, but it can work in one way or another within the tone of the show. I think that’s what you’re doing with the one to five lines in the scene, and really understanding what the scene is trying to say.
\n\n\n\n
So much of acting seems to be about persistence. Have there been actors who auditioned for you multiple times before finally landing the right role?
\n\n\n\n
A long time ago, I used to be a little embarrassed about bringing actors in for for tiny things, small roles. I feel like we’re always respectful, we’re always happy to have them there.
\n\n\n\n
The reality is, people want to work on good stuff, especially in New York. I don’t feel that way anymore. Because we’re all there to do a job.
\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s so many different worlds in this story, some of which never really overlap.
\n\n\n\n
That was really fun about it for me. I was casting the kitchen, and then I was casting the front of house, and then I was casting upstairs, and they do interact, but they’re slightly different worlds. Then there’s the creepy people, and Anna [played by Abbey Lee] and the people that interact with her.
\n\n\n\n
It’s a big cast, but you have to understand the function of character and tone. All of the ways the characters fit in with each other is critical. But each component of the restaurant world, and then obviously what happens in the criminal aspect, is really fun.
\n",
"content_text": "Alexa Fogel has been nominated for 15 Emmys and won three, and it won\u2019t be a surprise if she\u2019s nominated again this year for her work in the Netflix limited series Black Rabbit. \n\n\n\nStarring Jason Bateman and Jude Law, the show follows a restaurateur who sees everything he\u2019s built threatened when he lets his troubled brother back into his life. Bateman plays against type as the bad seed brother, while Law shines as a man fighting his own demons.\n\n\n\nFogel spoke to us from her home in Maine.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nAlexa Fogel prioritized authenticity and emotional specificity over nationality, casting actors based on the essence they brought to each role.\n\n\n\nBlack Rabbit blends emerging talent with seasoned character actors to create a grounded, layered world across the show\u2019s many intersecting social circles.\n\n\n\nThe casting process emphasized collaboration, chemistry, and tone in roles involving sign language and highly specific character dynamics.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWere Jason and Jude on board before you came to cast it? I know they\u2019re both EPs on it.\n\n\n\nAs I understand it, Jude brought it to Jason’s company. I think they figured out internally who’s gonna play which brother. It flipped on the heads of people’s expectations in the best way. \n\n\n\nI noticed that there is a distinctly foreign aspect to the cast. There’s a lot of Australian and British people in it. \n\n\n\nThe world is my oyster. (Laughs)\n\n\n\nI’m fascinated by the international scope of casting now. Do you go into it with the idea of, let’s just open it up to the world?\n\n\n\nI went into Oz and The Wire with that idea. Idris Elba and Eamonn Walker and Dominic West. For a long time, I\u2019ve just tried to look at the essence of characters through the essence of what actors can bring to it, whether they’re mostly theater actors or whatever. It was harder to do then, because crossing oceans, tapes having to go in the mail, but it’s a little bit easier now. \n\n\n\nLet\u2019s start with Sope and Amaka, both of whom really pop off the screen.\n\n\n\nI think because Jason and I talked about certain things, Sope’s character, because he was an international star, could be almost anything, and he’s an actor I’ve loved for ages. Slow Horses, Gangs of London and the Nigerian film, His House. \n\n\n\nInterestingly, Amaka had never auditioned for me before. I knew her work, but she was always working. And I think again, [for] a chef, you’re looking for certain qualities, She can come from anywhere to be successful. Once we had both of them, we also talked about the fact that they couldn’t both be British. \n\n\n\nSo we had to decide which one of them was going to be the American character, and I felt like the the rock star of it all lent itself to the British of it all. Also, Amaka\u2019s American accent was really good. (Laughs)\n\n\n\nDo you find that international actors bring something extra to a role?\n\n\n\nIt depends entirely on the role. In the case of Sope, his presence is so singular, that’s what that character needed. And Amaka\u2019s real female strength, being someone who’s running a kitchen, it’s like casting someone in the military. \n\n\n\nIt’s hard to find. I’m not targeting somebody who’s foreign. I didn’t just see people from [far] away. I just know the qualities that I need to find.\n\n\n\nOne of the things that\u2019s really interesting about the cast is the mix of new faces and more established ones.\n\n\n\nWe had Don Harvey on The Deuce. The great thing about working with Jason is he loves actors and he appreciates careers, and so if you show him somebody like Don and you correlate between the work and my enthusiasm, he gets it. \n\n\n\nI also think when you’re working on gritty piece like this, and you’re looking for a level of heightened authenticity, you need people who can really do that. Don is a master. For Forrest Weber, that role as well as the role of Lou, there was a sign language component to that audition process, so that separated people out very quickly, because we also sent auditions to Troy and his consultant to make sure that things were authentic. \n\n\n\nDid you know Forrest before? \n\n\n\nI didn\u2019t, and he\u2019s wonderful. It\u2019s just my good luck. I mean, it’s never lightning in a bottle. It’s a process. Like anything that is specialized, you’re going in a direction that’s very specific, so you see a lot of people, and you need one part of it to work, and then you also need another part of it to work, which is acting, and all these things have to alchemize. \n\n\n\nIt’s not really about, \u201cI can’t believe I didn’t know him before.\u201d It’s that all of these things in this moment in time met. I say this all the time, but you only need one. \n\n\n\nForrest had less actual experience than a lot of other people coming in, but he had all of those qualities. He was teamed up with Chris Coy, who I\u2019ve cast many times. He’s so seasoned and he’s so generous, and they were really partners in this. \n\n\n\nThat was an amazing professional marriage, and I think Chris’ part got a little bit bigger, as I understand it, but for Forrest, I’m sure it was a great ongoing lesson of how to work on set, how to do everything.\n\n\n\nOne of the things that works well on the show are the smaller parts. One specific example is the Wall Street Guy in episode 2, whose behavior at the blackjack table costs Vince $150,000.\n\n\n\nI did this with Kathryn Zamora-Benson, and we take that really seriously in terms of maintaining tone, [and] everything we do. Some of it’s instinctual. You know that when it’s right, it’s right. You see people, and I try to never show people to my collaborators, that I wouldn’t be happy with them being cast. Y\n\n\n\nou want it to be a range, but it can work in one way or another within the tone of the show. I think that’s what you’re doing with the one to five lines in the scene, and really understanding what the scene is trying to say.\n\n\n\nSo much of acting seems to be about persistence. Have there been actors who auditioned for you multiple times before finally landing the right role?\n\n\n\nA long time ago, I used to be a little embarrassed about bringing actors in for for tiny things, small roles. I feel like we’re always respectful, we’re always happy to have them there. \n\n\n\nThe reality is, people want to work on good stuff, especially in New York. I don’t feel that way anymore. Because we’re all there to do a job. \n\n\n\nThere\u2019s so many different worlds in this story, some of which never really overlap. \n\n\n\nThat was really fun about it for me. I was casting the kitchen, and then I was casting the front of house, and then I was casting upstairs, and they do interact, but they’re slightly different worlds. Then there’s the creepy people, and Anna [played by Abbey Lee] and the people that interact with her. \n\n\n\nIt’s a big cast, but you have to understand the function of character and tone. All of the ways the characters fit in with each other is critical. But each component of the restaurant world, and then obviously what happens in the criminal aspect, is really fun.\nThe post Alexa Fogel on Casting Netflix\u2019s ‘Black Rabbit’ and Building Complex Characters appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-05-15T09:20:00-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T11:21:32-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Black-Rabbit-Jude-Law-Jason-Bateman.jpg",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=327268",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/netflix-beef-casting-director-jeanie-bacharach-season-2/",
"title": "Jeanie Bacharach on Casting Netflix\u2019s \u2018Beef\u2019 Season 2, Korean Talent, & Creative Risk-Taking",
"content_html": "\n
Jeanie Bacharach is a three-time Emmy-winning casting director whose credits include The Bear, Black Mirror, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
\n\n\n\n
She joins Season 2 of Beef following the show\u2019s breakout Emmy-winning first season. The season follows a pair of couples, one played by Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, the other by Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny. The show also stars Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho, Seoyeon Jang, William Fichtner, and Mikaela Hoover.
\n\n\n\n
All episodes are streaming on Netflix. Bacharach spoke to us from her LA office.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Jeanie Bacharach says successful casting always starts with finding the humanity and relatability within even the darkest characters.
\n\n\n\n
The massive success of \u2018Beef\u2019 Season 1 helped attract top-tier talent like Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and acclaimed Korean actors to Season 2.
\n\n\n\n
Bacharach believes the best creative collaborations happen when directors, studios, and casting teams stay open to unexpected actors and bold casting choices.
Knowing the subject matter and how difficult it is, how does that affect your work?
\n\n\n\n
It always just comes back to character, and can I relate to these characters? Can I see the humanity in these characters? What are they saying about the world we’re living in, or the world we once lived in? If I’m going to do a good job casting the show, I have to have a way into these characters and understand them, even if they do awful things.
\n\n\n\n
Sonny’s just such a beautiful writer, and as terrible as these characters might be to each other, I think the thing that makes people uncomfortable watching the show is [that] there’s truth in what they’re doing, and things that we can see in our own lives that make us uncomfortable. I think that relatability and humanity is really key for me.
\n\n\n\n
Coming off the success of the first season, is there something to that success that makes your job easier?
\n\n\n\n
Success is a magnet, but it’s also tremendous pressure, and the expectations are so high, but it certainly makes casting easier. People responded so strongly to the first season, and the way Sonny works is also so collaborative that I think that’s a huge draw for creative talent. Charles and Cailee were already on board when I came on, and the conversation with Oscar had begun. And then Carey\u2019s as well.
\n\n\n\n
Was there a conversation about what kind of Korean actors you were looking for?
\n\n\n\n
Yeah, they\u2019re just dream actors and I can\u2019t take any credit. But when I talked to Sonny about possibly joining for the season, he had told me that there were going to be some Korean characters that were very important to the storytelling. But again, that’s where the success of the first season certainly comes into play, and people wanting to be part of it.
\n\n\n\n
Seoyeon Jang was someone who came through the audition process. The Eunice character is a tricky one, because you have to believe both that Chairwoman Park would choose this person to represent her, to speak for her, to interpret for her, to be the face of her, and yet there needed to be something you weren’t quite sure about. Seoyeon just brought this wonderful sort of mystery. You’re drawn to her, and yet you don’t really quite know who she is.
\n\n\n\n
Any time Bill Fichtner shows up, I\u2019m thrilled. Especially as a character like Troy, who walks a delicate line that almost dips into parody.
\n\n\n\n
That was a fun list of actors to come up with, because Troy is just such a great character. And yes, tonally, it’s tricky. Both he and Mikaela did a lot of exploring and working with Sonny on those characters.
\n\n\n\n
How much leeway do you have in bringing in lesser-seen talent?\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
Honestly, that’s the wonderful, collaborative experience you hope for. Sonny is so open, and so loves the process that we just developed a trust right away, and that is key to any creative relationship. Most people I\u2019ve worked with are open to it, but you have a studio and a network that are, as well.
\n\n\n\n
Aren\u2019t we seeing more of that from creators? The willingness to see things outside of what they\u2019d envisioned?
\n\n\n\n
Ideally in a collaborative relationship, you can say, \u201cI’m going to try something wild here. It may not work, but are you open to seeing it?” And, at the same time, I have to also be willing to hear, \u201cInteresting thought,\u201d or, \u201cNice, but it doesn’t work for A, B or C reasons,\u201d or, \u201cYeah, it’s fun here, but where the character is going, or what the story is that I need to tell, it doesn’t serve it right or it takes you out.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
But that give and take is, again, what you hope for and dream for in a creative environment. So, yes, I think so.
\n\n\n\n
When do you think that started happening?
\n\n\n\n
It maybe started to happen when there was so much being produced that the more known quantities were being taken, and there was so much being made that people had to maybe become more open to newer faces and lesser-known people.
\n\n\n\n
But I’d like to think that people who are making things want to be open to it. It\u2019s also dependent on the studio or the network you’re working with in terms of how supported you’re feeling that way and how much pressure you’re under to deliver something.
\n\n\n\n
Or how much you’re being squeezed in a different area, whereas you just have to get this done in order to do the 50 other things that you have to get to.
\n\n\n\n
Do actors come in with bold choices and make you rethink what you had in mind?
\n\n\n\n
I mean, there’s no greater thrill than having this kind of crazy idea that actually comes to fruition. Or seeing an actor do something that you never really thought they could do, or haven\u2019t gotten to do that maybe they are capable of, but no one’s given them the opportunity to explore.
\n\n\n\n
Or championing someone who’s been kicking around for a long time. The saying, \u201cRight role, right time\u201d is so great. They’ve so earned that moment, and they’re ready for it when it happens, too.
\n",
"content_text": "Jeanie Bacharach is a three-time Emmy-winning casting director whose credits include The Bear, Black Mirror, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.\n\n\n\nShe joins Season 2 of Beef following the show\u2019s breakout Emmy-winning first season. The season follows a pair of couples, one played by Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, the other by Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny. The show also stars Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho, Seoyeon Jang, William Fichtner, and Mikaela Hoover.\n\n\n\nAll episodes are streaming on Netflix. Bacharach spoke to us from her LA office.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nJeanie Bacharach says successful casting always starts with finding the humanity and relatability within even the darkest characters.\n\n\n\nThe massive success of \u2018Beef\u2019 Season 1 helped attract top-tier talent like Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and acclaimed Korean actors to Season 2.\n\n\n\nBacharach believes the best creative collaborations happen when directors, studios, and casting teams stay open to unexpected actors and bold casting choices.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKnowing the subject matter and how difficult it is, how does that affect your work?\n\n\n\nIt always just comes back to character, and can I relate to these characters? Can I see the humanity in these characters? What are they saying about the world we’re living in, or the world we once lived in? If I’m going to do a good job casting the show, I have to have a way into these characters and understand them, even if they do awful things. \n\n\n\nSonny’s just such a beautiful writer, and as terrible as these characters might be to each other, I think the thing that makes people uncomfortable watching the show is [that] there’s truth in what they’re doing, and things that we can see in our own lives that make us uncomfortable. I think that relatability and humanity is really key for me. \n\n\n\nComing off the success of the first season, is there something to that success that makes your job easier?\n\n\n\nSuccess is a magnet, but it’s also tremendous pressure, and the expectations are so high, but it certainly makes casting easier. People responded so strongly to the first season, and the way Sonny works is also so collaborative that I think that’s a huge draw for creative talent. Charles and Cailee were already on board when I came on, and the conversation with Oscar had begun. And then Carey\u2019s as well. \n\n\n\nWas there a conversation about what kind of Korean actors you were looking for?\n\n\n\nYeah, they\u2019re just dream actors and I can\u2019t take any credit. But when I talked to Sonny about possibly joining for the season, he had told me that there were going to be some Korean characters that were very important to the storytelling. But again, that’s where the success of the first season certainly comes into play, and people wanting to be part of it. \n\n\n\nSeoyeon Jang was someone who came through the audition process. The Eunice character is a tricky one, because you have to believe both that Chairwoman Park would choose this person to represent her, to speak for her, to interpret for her, to be the face of her, and yet there needed to be something you weren’t quite sure about. Seoyeon just brought this wonderful sort of mystery. You’re drawn to her, and yet you don’t really quite know who she is.\n\n\n\nAny time Bill Fichtner shows up, I\u2019m thrilled. Especially as a character like Troy, who walks a delicate line that almost dips into parody. \n\n\n\nThat was a fun list of actors to come up with, because Troy is just such a great character. And yes, tonally, it’s tricky. Both he and Mikaela did a lot of exploring and working with Sonny on those characters.\n\n\n\nHow much leeway do you have in bringing in lesser-seen talent?\u00a0\n\n\n\nHonestly, that’s the wonderful, collaborative experience you hope for. Sonny is so open, and so loves the process that we just developed a trust right away, and that is key to any creative relationship. Most people I\u2019ve worked with are open to it, but you have a studio and a network that are, as well.\n\n\n\nAren\u2019t we seeing more of that from creators? The willingness to see things outside of what they\u2019d envisioned?\n\n\n\nIdeally in a collaborative relationship, you can say, \u201cI’m going to try something wild here. It may not work, but are you open to seeing it?” And, at the same time, I have to also be willing to hear, \u201cInteresting thought,\u201d or, \u201cNice, but it doesn’t work for A, B or C reasons,\u201d or, \u201cYeah, it’s fun here, but where the character is going, or what the story is that I need to tell, it doesn’t serve it right or it takes you out.\u201d \n\n\n\nBut that give and take is, again, what you hope for and dream for in a creative environment. So, yes, I think so. \n\n\n\nWhen do you think that started happening?\n\n\n\nIt maybe started to happen when there was so much being produced that the more known quantities were being taken, and there was so much being made that people had to maybe become more open to newer faces and lesser-known people. \n\n\n\nBut I’d like to think that people who are making things want to be open to it. It\u2019s also dependent on the studio or the network you’re working with in terms of how supported you’re feeling that way and how much pressure you’re under to deliver something. \n\n\n\nOr how much you’re being squeezed in a different area, whereas you just have to get this done in order to do the 50 other things that you have to get to. \n\n\n\nDo actors come in with bold choices and make you rethink what you had in mind?\n\n\n\nI mean, there’s no greater thrill than having this kind of crazy idea that actually comes to fruition. Or seeing an actor do something that you never really thought they could do, or haven\u2019t gotten to do that maybe they are capable of, but no one’s given them the opportunity to explore. \n\n\n\nOr championing someone who’s been kicking around for a long time. The saying, \u201cRight role, right time\u201d is so great. They’ve so earned that moment, and they’re ready for it when it happens, too. \nThe post Jeanie Bacharach on Casting Netflix\u2019s \u2018Beef\u2019 Season 2, Korean Talent, & Creative Risk-Taking appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-05-13T09:24:00-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T11:21:45-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/beefs2.webp",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=321892",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/task-casting-director-avy-kaufman-interview-audition-tips/",
"title": "Audition Preparation Tips from Avy Kaufman: Inside \u2018Task\u2019 and Her \u201cRelentless\u201d Push for Tom Pelphrey",
"content_html": "\n
A three-time Emmy winner (and 10-time nominee), Avy Kaufman has also been recognized by her peers with 52 Artios nominations and nine wins, over a career spanning more than three decades, and nearly 400 films and TV shows.
\n\n\n\n
The odds of her earning another Emmy nod this year are pretty high, judging from her work on HBO\u2019s Task. Created by Mare of Easttown\u2019s Brad Ingelsby and starring Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey and Emilia Jones, the show follows an FBI agent heading up a task force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspected family man.
\n\n\n\n
Kaufman talked to us from her New York office.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Casting decisions are driven less by credits and more by whether an actor feels authentic and fully \u201cmolds\u201d into the role.
\n\n\n\n
Kaufman emphasizes trust on both sides, believing actors know when to take risks, pass on roles, or step outside their type.
\n\n\n\n
Access, persistence, and communication matter, as seen in her relentless push to get Tom Pelphrey to read for Task.
Let\u2019s start with [your decision to cast] Tom Pelphrey as Robbie.
\n\n\n\n
I was relentless. That’s the tricky thing about casting. I speak for myself only, but you read something and you get a feeling for it. It was important for me to have different voices tell this story, and Pelphrey was not a new name in the world, but I was relentless. I just felt like he could go toe to toe with Ruffalo.
\n\n\n\n
What was it that made you so relentless about him?
\n\n\n\n
At first he wasn’t going to read, but they said he had to, so I begged his team. And he did. It was that simple.
\n\n\n\n
Do you find there are more actors now who won\u2019t read? Or are reluctant to?
\n\n\n\n
I don’t think it’s an attitude, per se, for everybody. I feel that when some people feel like they’ve done it before. I feel that way sometimes if I’m asked to take a meeting and I’ve done it. It’s a tricky thing. I never say this, and I’m going to say this is now, you need an agent or a manager or whomever it is that\u2019s taking care of the talent to have a good conversation.
\n\n\n\n
I was able to speak clearly with his team just to say why it’s important for this reason.
\n\n\n\n
There are at least three major actors, Alison Oliver, Sam Keeley and Phoebe Fox, who are either English or Irish, and I\u2019m curious about how you found them and brought them in for this very American story.
\n\n\n\n
I had seen Alison in two British shows, and at first I was like, \u201cWait, is that the same person?\u201d Because she’s a chameleon. She read on a Zoom and everyone loved her. Same thing with Phoebe. Sam as well. If I’m lucky enough to get visas, I love to look at talent from all over the world.
\n\n\n\n
If they can have the proper accent and we can get a visa, that’s just fun for me personally. People don’t want me to do that most of the time, but it makes my job a lot of fun and curious and imaginative.
\n\n\n\n
Is that one of the things that you would recommend to any foreign-born actor? To get their American accent down?\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
I’m going to recommend doing whatever you feel comfortable with. I just feel like that’s the one beautiful thing in seeing actors, is we can all feel when they’re comfortable. They just mold into the role.
\n\n\n\n
Emilia Jones plays something I hadn\u2019t seen her do before, which is always good to see from an actor.
\n\n\n\n
You never want to say this out loud, but there were choices, and the team really loved Emilia. When I saw what she did, I was so deeply proud of her. I mean, the relationship between her and Tom was so interesting and strong.
\n\n\n\n
You never know what it’s going to be like, y\u2019know? You read something and then they go off and shoot it for nine months, and then we get to see it two years later. Sometimes I’ll look at shows I’ve worked on and I’m going, \u201cGod, I don’t remember that character \u2026 \u201d (Laughs)\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
Should actors be trying as many new things as possible?
\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s interesting, because I’m here to talk about one show, but there’s a show I worked on last year, where an actor in the movie passes on a role. I used to get upset, and I’m sure I still do because I take everything too personally, but if an actor passed on a role, I didn’t even want to share it with the director. I didn’t want to feel it.
\n\n\n\n
It’s taken me many years, but I feel that I have to trust if an actor passes on a role or accepts a role they’ve never done, it’s what they need to do. I have to trust that they know. We don’t know. It’s so hard to be an actor!
\n\n\n\n
It goes hand in hand with what you said before, about an actor needing to do whatever makes them comfortable.
\n\n\n\n
I don’t know how other people work. We just love actors because that\u2019s what we do.
\n\n\n\n
Two of the things that stood out for me were the motorcycle gang (the Dark Hearts) and the kids. Let\u2019s start with the Dark Hearts.
\n\n\n\n
It’s interesting because I had done a show with Wagner Moura and Brian Tyree Henry [in Dope Thief] right before I did Task, and we were looking for similar characters [for the] motorcycle gangs. Bad boys. Dark characters. So it was just a deep search because I couldn’t use the people I had just used. Just auditioning a thousand people.
\n\n\n\n
And the kids? Especially Ben Lewis Doherty as Sam.
\n\n\n\n
And the kids! I’ve [cast] a lot of kids in my time, and I love casting kids. You’ve got to cast close to the bone. You have to understand who this kid is. And even for Sam, I like to talk to the kids for a long time to get to know them to see if they are actually ready to do something like this.
\n\n\n\n
These are tough roles for a kid. Sam, especially because, to be kidnapped? But kids \u2026 it\u2019s about love. I think, hopefully, [with]\u00a0 human beings, animals, we follow the love. Hopefully, we follow the love and keep trust in there because he had to have some trust as well.
\n\n\n\n
I think that applies to acting in general.
\n\n\n\n
And life. You have to trust, you have to love, you have to do all of it, and it\u2019s all part of the same thing.
\n",
"content_text": "A three-time Emmy winner (and 10-time nominee), Avy Kaufman has also been recognized by her peers with 52 Artios nominations and nine wins, over a career spanning more than three decades, and nearly 400 films and TV shows.\n\n\n\nThe odds of her earning another Emmy nod this year are pretty high, judging from her work on HBO\u2019s Task. Created by Mare of Easttown\u2019s Brad Ingelsby and starring Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey and Emilia Jones, the show follows an FBI agent heading up a task force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspected family man. \n\n\n\nKaufman talked to us from her New York office.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nCasting decisions are driven less by credits and more by whether an actor feels authentic and fully \u201cmolds\u201d into the role.\n\n\n\nKaufman emphasizes trust on both sides, believing actors know when to take risks, pass on roles, or step outside their type.\n\n\n\nAccess, persistence, and communication matter, as seen in her relentless push to get Tom Pelphrey to read for Task.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s start with [your decision to cast] Tom Pelphrey as Robbie.\n\n\n\nI was relentless. That’s the tricky thing about casting. I speak for myself only, but you read something and you get a feeling for it. It was important for me to have different voices tell this story, and Pelphrey was not a new name in the world, but I was relentless. I just felt like he could go toe to toe with Ruffalo.\n\n\n\nWhat was it that made you so relentless about him?\n\n\n\nAt first he wasn’t going to read, but they said he had to, so I begged his team. And he did. It was that simple. \n\n\n\nDo you find there are more actors now who won\u2019t read? Or are reluctant to?\n\n\n\nI don’t think it’s an attitude, per se, for everybody. I feel that when some people feel like they’ve done it before. I feel that way sometimes if I’m asked to take a meeting and I’ve done it. It’s a tricky thing. I never say this, and I’m going to say this is now, you need an agent or a manager or whomever it is that\u2019s taking care of the talent to have a good conversation.\n\n\n\nI was able to speak clearly with his team just to say why it’s important for this reason.\n\n\n\nThere are at least three major actors, Alison Oliver, Sam Keeley and Phoebe Fox, who are either English or Irish, and I\u2019m curious about how you found them and brought them in for this very American story.\n\n\n\nI had seen Alison in two British shows, and at first I was like, \u201cWait, is that the same person?\u201d Because she’s a chameleon. She read on a Zoom and everyone loved her. Same thing with Phoebe. Sam as well. If I’m lucky enough to get visas, I love to look at talent from all over the world. \n\n\n\nIf they can have the proper accent and we can get a visa, that’s just fun for me personally. People don’t want me to do that most of the time, but it makes my job a lot of fun and curious and imaginative.\n\n\n\nIs that one of the things that you would recommend to any foreign-born actor? To get their American accent down?\u00a0\n\n\n\nI’m going to recommend doing whatever you feel comfortable with. I just feel like that’s the one beautiful thing in seeing actors, is we can all feel when they’re comfortable. They just mold into the role. \n\n\n\nEmilia Jones plays something I hadn\u2019t seen her do before, which is always good to see from an actor. \n\n\n\nYou never want to say this out loud, but there were choices, and the team really loved Emilia. When I saw what she did, I was so deeply proud of her. I mean, the relationship between her and Tom was so interesting and strong. \n\n\n\nYou never know what it’s going to be like, y\u2019know? You read something and then they go off and shoot it for nine months, and then we get to see it two years later. Sometimes I’ll look at shows I’ve worked on and I’m going, \u201cGod, I don’t remember that character \u2026 \u201d (Laughs)\u00a0\n\n\n\nShould actors be trying as many new things as possible?\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s interesting, because I’m here to talk about one show, but there’s a show I worked on last year, where an actor in the movie passes on a role. I used to get upset, and I’m sure I still do because I take everything too personally, but if an actor passed on a role, I didn’t even want to share it with the director. I didn’t want to feel it. \n\n\n\nIt’s taken me many years, but I feel that I have to trust if an actor passes on a role or accepts a role they’ve never done, it’s what they need to do. I have to trust that they know. We don’t know. It’s so hard to be an actor!\n\n\n\nIt goes hand in hand with what you said before, about an actor needing to do whatever makes them comfortable.\n\n\n\nI don’t know how other people work. We just love actors because that\u2019s what we do.\n\n\n\nTwo of the things that stood out for me were the motorcycle gang (the Dark Hearts) and the kids. Let\u2019s start with the Dark Hearts. \n\n\n\nIt’s interesting because I had done a show with Wagner Moura and Brian Tyree Henry [in Dope Thief] right before I did Task, and we were looking for similar characters [for the] motorcycle gangs. Bad boys. Dark characters. So it was just a deep search because I couldn’t use the people I had just used. Just auditioning a thousand people.\n\n\n\nAnd the kids? Especially Ben Lewis Doherty as Sam.\n\n\n\nAnd the kids! I’ve [cast] a lot of kids in my time, and I love casting kids. You’ve got to cast close to the bone. You have to understand who this kid is. And even for Sam, I like to talk to the kids for a long time to get to know them to see if they are actually ready to do something like this. \n\n\n\nThese are tough roles for a kid. Sam, especially because, to be kidnapped? But kids \u2026 it\u2019s about love. I think, hopefully, [with]\u00a0 human beings, animals, we follow the love. Hopefully, we follow the love and keep trust in there because he had to have some trust as well.\n\n\n\nI think that applies to acting in general.\n\n\n\nAnd life. You have to trust, you have to love, you have to do all of it, and it\u2019s all part of the same thing.\nThe post Audition Preparation Tips from Avy Kaufman: Inside \u2018Task\u2019 and Her \u201cRelentless\u201d Push for Tom Pelphrey appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-04-27T09:10:00-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T11:22:36-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/task-tom-pelphrey_2.jpg",
"tags": [
"Acting Advice",
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=317985",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/lou-heesom-casting-insights-self-tapes-acting-advice/",
"title": "When Luck Meets Craft: Lou Heesom on What Makes Actors Unforgettable",
"content_html": "\n
For thirty years, Heesom Casting has been the sole South Australian member of the Casting Guild of Australia.
\n\n\n\n
Responsible for mega blockbusters (the Mortal Kombat franchise), International Emmy-winning series (First Day), iconic cult classics (Wolf Creek), beloved indie features (Storm Boy) and award-winning television commercials (Cannes Grand Prix winner, \u201cBe Consumed\u201d), Angela and Lou Heesom are the \u201cgo-to girls\u201d for all things happening in Australia\u2019s southern state.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Self-taping has shifted power toward actors, offering more creative control while expanding access and opportunity across the industry.
\n\n\n\n
Luck opens doors, but only actors who are consistently prepared and deeply invested in their craft are ready to walk through them.
\n\n\n\n
Great acting isn\u2019t about flashy choices but about work that feels fully alive, emotionally transparent, and impossible to ignore.
Heesom Casting was responsible for the Australian casting of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. What can actors learn from your experience casting such major international co-productions?
\n\n\n\n
That luck definitely exists! But you have to be ready for it when the moment arrives.
\n\n\n\n
Mortal Kombat came to us through the legendary producer E. Bennett Walsh. This man\u2019s credits literally define eras in cinema! Meanwhile, we were these little-known Adelaide-based casting directors who, while having had the privilege of working on some seminal Australian productions, had never worked on that international scale before.
\n\n\n\n
Yet, for whatever reason, Bennett saw something in us and was willing to take the chance.\u00a0That\u00a0was the moment that changed everything. Suddenly, we were working on the Australian end under US casting director Rich Delia,\u00a0watching pure mastery in action.\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
But none of this could have happened without Bennett.\u00a0We\u2019ve now made three films together, and I can honestly say I owe my career to the belief of that man.\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
I think that, in many ways, it\u2019s the talent-based philosophy that has been the universal thread in all three productions we\u2019ve done together. These highly revered giants of film really give weight to the power of instinct, and that when someone walks into the room and has that magical quality, you trust that.
\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t always have to wait for the CV to give you permission to hire. You back the talent, you back the actor and you back the work. Across these three productions, we\u2019ve been able to cast actors in key supporting roles who, at the time of auditioning, had nomajor film or television credits.
\n\n\n\n
You never know when your big break could come. It could be your next audition, your next tape. But you have to be ready. You have to keep up the momentum \u2014 working, stretching and deepening your craft. And do it not for the credits or fame, but for the pure joy of the work.
\n\n\n\n
As casting directors, we see all of that. We see all those hours of unseen preparation, the heart, the craft and quiet sacrifice. When that\u2019s all coalescing inside of you, that\u2019s what sets your work on fire when the big moment arrives.
\n\n\n\n
Your team has almost as many TV credits as film credits. How does self taping or auditioning for a series differ from self taping or auditioning for a feature?
\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s subjective, but for me personally, I don\u2019t think there are specific rules for feature auditions vs. episodic auditions. Of course, you have to do the right research in terms of genre and tone of the filmmakers, plus the rhythm of the writing, so your work lives within the same universe.
\n\n\n\n
However, at the end of the day, all we are truly looking for is good work. Work that is fully formed, honest and teeming with life. It\u2019s always about how the actor brings themselves to the part and expresses this in artistic terms.
\n\n\n\n
For general advice, and this is not a blanket rule, but for episodics or features that have a writer/director, actors should stay true to the text, and not assume they can improvise or be too loose with the dialogue. Often, writers are also watching the auditions, and by the time we\u2019re at the casting stage, they\u2019ve spent years honing the language.
\n\n\n\n
If you want to improv, I always suggest doing the first take as written. Then, if you want to offer something more unique to you and your sensibilities, deliver it in a second take. Then you are honoring both creative partners: the writer and you, as the actor.
\n\n\n\n
You joined Heesom Casting in 2009, so you\u2019ve had a front-row seat to the many shifts and changes the industry has undergone in that time. What realities do you believe today\u2019s actors most need to be aware of?
\n\n\n\n
Casting wasn\u2019t an industry sector in South Australia before my mom, Angela Heesom, created it over thirty years ago. I\u2019ve seen firsthand the grit behind the glamour, the depth of her craft and her dogged determination. She cares so deeply about our industry. A lot of that has informed my approach as well.
\n\n\n\n
Yes, the landscape has undergone radical evolution, particularly with technology. The great conversation piece is, of course, self tapes, which have now become a routine entry point for first-round auditions. But all casting directors mourn the days of solely in-the-room auditions.
\n\n\n\n
That was our lifeblood \u2014 that exchange between us and the actor, together mining the material for all its infinite possibilities. Most of my friends are actors as well, so that sense of daily community has really shifted and taken some adjustment.
\n\n\n\n
Yet we can\u2019t resist technology; we must embrace it and evolve alongside it. Where we once would have seen four or five actors each hour, I can now watch twenty self tapes in the same amount of time. That has undoubtedly widened the horizons and given greater permission for experimentation, because I\u2019m not limited by the time available in the room.
\n\n\n\n
Tapes have become a great democratizer. We can push the envelope more than ever before to challenge, to give space for new voices and spotlight communities not represented, or authentically represented, on our screens. So, I\u2019m truly grateful for the power of that.
\n\n\n\n
Plus, it can give actors a sense of agency. You know the audition you do, and then on the way home you suddenly realize all the ways you could have done it in the room? That no longer exists. You have complete creative control. [With a self tape], you can hone and develop it until you are totally satisfied. I\u2019m constantly marveling at how actors arrive at such precise and imaginative interpretations of the material. It\u2019s wild watching a great creative force be creative.
\n\n\n\n
Similarly, you\u2019ve mentioned that simply being \u201cgood\u201d just isn\u2019t enough. In your eyes, what separates the good actors from the great?
\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s a difficult question. Quite frankly, Australian actors are extraordinary. Beyond world class! We\u2019re currently casting an ensemble film and it\u2019s almost impossible to arrive at any type of shortlist because, audition after audition, every actor\u2019s work is just so good.
\n\n\n\n
Then, all of a sudden, an actor walks in or a tape arrives that transcends everything that came before them. Not because of a specific choice they made, or some bold idea they\u2019ve inserted to make their work stand out, but because the work is so organically alive. It breathes. There\u2019s an emotional translucence and an energetic undercurrent that makes you hear the material anew.
\n\n\n\n
I always know when an actor has achieved that. Something almost leaps through the lens and into your body. By the end of the scene, not only have I forgotten to call \u201ccut,\u201d but I\u2019ve completely stopped breathing. Literally. Because the actor has me so fully suspended in that moment, I\u2019ve forgotten that there\u2019s a script and we\u2019re just two people in a room reading a scene.
\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s what\u2019s so exquisite about that level of craft and execution. While it looks effortless, it carries the weight of a lifetime. For me, that\u2019s what separates the good from the great. It\u2019s lightning in a bottle.
\n\n\n\n
Your Screen Acting Masterclasses constantly sell out. If you had to guess, what would you say is their secret sauce?
\n\n\n\n
I wish there were a secret sauce! If there is one, it\u2019s the actors themselves. I\u2019m continually in awe of the level of talent and commitment they bring to the room. The classes are such joyous spaces full of experimentation, risk taking, discovery and laughter.
\n\n\n\n
At the same time, they\u2019re deeply practical. I feel a real responsibility to ensure every actor leaves with tangible, actionable tools they can use immediately, because in auditions, the window to bring material to life is so fleeting. It\u2019s a high-pressure environment, so my focus is always on keeping the actor open and accessing their best work.
\n\n\n\n
There isn\u2019t space to dismantle what they\u2019ve prepared, even if something isn\u2019t fully serving the material, because in that moment the actor tightens and I lose access. In the masterclass, we\u2019re given the rare gift of time.
\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, it\u2019s about giving back autonomy and creative control. Helping actors understand their process, trust themselves and acknowledge the extraordinary artistry within them. Then it\u2019s about elevating that work to its fullest expression, and giving permission for their entire being to completely fill the frame.
\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s the best way for emerging actors to get on the Heesom Casting radar?
\n\n\n\n
Knowing good actors is a casting director\u2019s currency. We\u2019ve always got an ear to the ground!
\n\n\n\n
However, I also don\u2019t sit in an ivory tower making all the decisions alone as to who I bring into the room. So much of this job is about collaboration. Collaboration with our team, and importantly, collaboration with agents. Agents don\u2019t get nearly enough thanks for what they do, or the hours they work. They work harder than anyone in this industry.
\n\n\n\n
If you can find an agent who really believes in you as an artist, please know they will literally kick my door down to make sure I\u2019m seeing your work or giving you audition opportunities. If an agent or manager calls me and says I have to see this person for this role, I generally trust that.
\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t have an agent, however, it\u2019s about putting yourself out there. And I know that is hard when you are first starting out, but work truly begets work. Do local theater, star in your own web series, make a short film and put it into the festival circuits. Oscars have been won by films made on iPhones. Actors have so much more agency than ever before.
\n\n\n\n
Be reassured that if you\u2019re doing good work, you will get noticed. It\u2019s our job to notice. Stay curious, stay engaged and stay passionate. That energy, that love for the process, fuels everything you do and is always visible. Remember, no one can take away your right to be an artist. It\u2019s a game of luck, perseverance, passion, preparation and opportunity.
\n\n\n\n
Embrace the work. Hone your craft. Trust your instincts. Be bold, be daring and never stop believing in the artist within you, as the only sure way of not having a career in this industry is by giving up.
\n\n\n\n
Amen! Finally, any films or series you\u2019ve seen lately that should be on every actor\u2019s watchlist?
\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve actually been revisiting some old classics and am into the final season of The Sopranos. But I\u2019m obsessed with the Brazilian film I\u2019m Still Here directed by Walter Salles. Plus all three seasons of The White Lotus, The Correspondent (cast by the incredibleAnousha Zarkesh) and Bring Her Back by local Adelaide legends, the Philippou brothers.
\n\n\n\n
Looking back to 2024, Ripley was a masterclass in establishing tension through silences. The volcanic internal life all those actors brought was breathtaking. Such a great example of how doing less is always more, when the internal life is fully supplied.
\n\n\n\n
Every actor should be across all series and films being produced in this country. Know your casting directors, producers and directors. Notice who they are casting and ask yourself why. How can you speak to their sensibilities, and film self tapes or scenes that deliver that as explorations?
\n",
"content_text": "For thirty years, Heesom Casting has been the sole South Australian member of the Casting Guild of Australia. \n\n\n\nResponsible for mega blockbusters (the Mortal Kombat franchise), International Emmy-winning series (First Day), iconic cult classics (Wolf Creek), beloved indie features (Storm Boy) and award-winning television commercials (Cannes Grand Prix winner, \u201cBe Consumed\u201d), Angela and Lou Heesom are the \u201cgo-to girls\u201d for all things happening in Australia\u2019s southern state. \n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nSelf-taping has shifted power toward actors, offering more creative control while expanding access and opportunity across the industry.\n\n\n\nLuck opens doors, but only actors who are consistently prepared and deeply invested in their craft are ready to walk through them.\n\n\n\nGreat acting isn\u2019t about flashy choices but about work that feels fully alive, emotionally transparent, and impossible to ignore.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHeesom Casting was responsible for the Australian casting of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. What can actors learn from your experience casting such major international co-productions? \n\n\n\nThat luck definitely exists! But you have to be ready for it when the moment arrives. \n\n\n\nMortal Kombat came to us through the legendary producer E. Bennett Walsh. This man\u2019s credits literally define eras in cinema! Meanwhile, we were these little-known Adelaide-based casting directors who, while having had the privilege of working on some seminal Australian productions, had never worked on that international scale before. \n\n\n\nYet, for whatever reason, Bennett saw something in us and was willing to take the chance.\u00a0That\u00a0was the moment that changed everything. Suddenly, we were working on the Australian end under US casting director Rich Delia,\u00a0watching pure mastery in action.\u00a0\n\n\n\nBut none of this could have happened without Bennett.\u00a0We\u2019ve now made three films together, and I can honestly say I owe my career to the belief of that man.\u00a0\n\n\n\nI think that, in many ways, it\u2019s the talent-based philosophy that has been the universal thread in all three productions we\u2019ve done together. These highly revered giants of film really give weight to the power of instinct, and that when someone walks into the room and has that magical quality, you trust that. \n\n\n\nYou don\u2019t always have to wait for the CV to give you permission to hire. You back the talent, you back the actor and you back the work. Across these three productions, we\u2019ve been able to cast actors in key supporting roles who, at the time of auditioning, had nomajor film or television credits. \n\n\n\nYou never know when your big break could come. It could be your next audition, your next tape. But you have to be ready. You have to keep up the momentum \u2014 working, stretching and deepening your craft. And do it not for the credits or fame, but for the pure joy of the work. \n\n\n\nAs casting directors, we see all of that. We see all those hours of unseen preparation, the heart, the craft and quiet sacrifice. When that\u2019s all coalescing inside of you, that\u2019s what sets your work on fire when the big moment arrives. \n\n\n\nYour team has almost as many TV credits as film credits. How does self taping or auditioning for a series differ from self taping or auditioning for a feature? \n\n\n\nIt\u2019s subjective, but for me personally, I don\u2019t think there are specific rules for feature auditions vs. episodic auditions. Of course, you have to do the right research in terms of genre and tone of the filmmakers, plus the rhythm of the writing, so your work lives within the same universe. \n\n\n\nHowever, at the end of the day, all we are truly looking for is good work. Work that is fully formed, honest and teeming with life. It\u2019s always about how the actor brings themselves to the part and expresses this in artistic terms. \n\n\n\nFor general advice, and this is not a blanket rule, but for episodics or features that have a writer/director, actors should stay true to the text, and not assume they can improvise or be too loose with the dialogue. Often, writers are also watching the auditions, and by the time we\u2019re at the casting stage, they\u2019ve spent years honing the language. \n\n\n\nIf you want to improv, I always suggest doing the first take as written. Then, if you want to offer something more unique to you and your sensibilities, deliver it in a second take. Then you are honoring both creative partners: the writer and you, as the actor. \n\n\n\nYou joined Heesom Casting in 2009, so you\u2019ve had a front-row seat to the many shifts and changes the industry has undergone in that time. What realities do you believe today\u2019s actors most need to be aware of? \n\n\n\nCasting wasn\u2019t an industry sector in South Australia before my mom, Angela Heesom, created it over thirty years ago. I\u2019ve seen firsthand the grit behind the glamour, the depth of her craft and her dogged determination. She cares so deeply about our industry. A lot of that has informed my approach as well. \n\n\n\nYes, the landscape has undergone radical evolution, particularly with technology. The great conversation piece is, of course, self tapes, which have now become a routine entry point for first-round auditions. But all casting directors mourn the days of solely in-the-room auditions. \n\n\n\nThat was our lifeblood \u2014 that exchange between us and the actor, together mining the material for all its infinite possibilities. Most of my friends are actors as well, so that sense of daily community has really shifted and taken some adjustment. \n\n\n\nYet we can\u2019t resist technology; we must embrace it and evolve alongside it. Where we once would have seen four or five actors each hour, I can now watch twenty self tapes in the same amount of time. That has undoubtedly widened the horizons and given greater permission for experimentation, because I\u2019m not limited by the time available in the room. \n\n\n\nTapes have become a great democratizer. We can push the envelope more than ever before to challenge, to give space for new voices and spotlight communities not represented, or authentically represented, on our screens. So, I\u2019m truly grateful for the power of that. \n\n\n\nPlus, it can give actors a sense of agency. You know the audition you do, and then on the way home you suddenly realize all the ways you could have done it in the room? That no longer exists. You have complete creative control. [With a self tape], you can hone and develop it until you are totally satisfied. I\u2019m constantly marveling at how actors arrive at such precise and imaginative interpretations of the material. It\u2019s wild watching a great creative force be creative. \n\n\n\nSimilarly, you\u2019ve mentioned that simply being \u201cgood\u201d just isn\u2019t enough. In your eyes, what separates the good actors from the great? \n\n\n\nThat\u2019s a difficult question. Quite frankly, Australian actors are extraordinary. Beyond world class! We\u2019re currently casting an ensemble film and it\u2019s almost impossible to arrive at any type of shortlist because, audition after audition, every actor\u2019s work is just so good. \n\n\n\nThen, all of a sudden, an actor walks in or a tape arrives that transcends everything that came before them. Not because of a specific choice they made, or some bold idea they\u2019ve inserted to make their work stand out, but because the work is so organically alive. It breathes. There\u2019s an emotional translucence and an energetic undercurrent that makes you hear the material anew. \n\n\n\nI always know when an actor has achieved that. Something almost leaps through the lens and into your body. By the end of the scene, not only have I forgotten to call \u201ccut,\u201d but I\u2019ve completely stopped breathing. Literally. Because the actor has me so fully suspended in that moment, I\u2019ve forgotten that there\u2019s a script and we\u2019re just two people in a room reading a scene. \n\n\n\nThat\u2019s what\u2019s so exquisite about that level of craft and execution. While it looks effortless, it carries the weight of a lifetime. For me, that\u2019s what separates the good from the great. It\u2019s lightning in a bottle. \n\n\n\nYour Screen Acting Masterclasses constantly sell out. If you had to guess, what would you say is their secret sauce? \n\n\n\nI wish there were a secret sauce! If there is one, it\u2019s the actors themselves. I\u2019m continually in awe of the level of talent and commitment they bring to the room. The classes are such joyous spaces full of experimentation, risk taking, discovery and laughter. \n\n\n\nAt the same time, they\u2019re deeply practical. I feel a real responsibility to ensure every actor leaves with tangible, actionable tools they can use immediately, because in auditions, the window to bring material to life is so fleeting. It\u2019s a high-pressure environment, so my focus is always on keeping the actor open and accessing their best work. \n\n\n\nThere isn\u2019t space to dismantle what they\u2019ve prepared, even if something isn\u2019t fully serving the material, because in that moment the actor tightens and I lose access. In the masterclass, we\u2019re given the rare gift of time. \n\n\n\nUltimately, it\u2019s about giving back autonomy and creative control. Helping actors understand their process, trust themselves and acknowledge the extraordinary artistry within them. Then it\u2019s about elevating that work to its fullest expression, and giving permission for their entire being to completely fill the frame. \n\n\n\nWhat\u2019s the best way for emerging actors to get on the Heesom Casting radar? \n\n\n\nKnowing good actors is a casting director\u2019s currency. We\u2019ve always got an ear to the ground! \n\n\n\nHowever, I also don\u2019t sit in an ivory tower making all the decisions alone as to who I bring into the room. So much of this job is about collaboration. Collaboration with our team, and importantly, collaboration with agents. Agents don\u2019t get nearly enough thanks for what they do, or the hours they work. They work harder than anyone in this industry. \n\n\n\nIf you can find an agent who really believes in you as an artist, please know they will literally kick my door down to make sure I\u2019m seeing your work or giving you audition opportunities. If an agent or manager calls me and says I have to see this person for this role, I generally trust that. \n\n\n\nIf you don\u2019t have an agent, however, it\u2019s about putting yourself out there. And I know that is hard when you are first starting out, but work truly begets work. Do local theater, star in your own web series, make a short film and put it into the festival circuits. Oscars have been won by films made on iPhones. Actors have so much more agency than ever before. \n\n\n\nBe reassured that if you\u2019re doing good work, you will get noticed. It\u2019s our job to notice. Stay curious, stay engaged and stay passionate. That energy, that love for the process, fuels everything you do and is always visible. Remember, no one can take away your right to be an artist. It\u2019s a game of luck, perseverance, passion, preparation and opportunity. \n\n\n\nEmbrace the work. Hone your craft. Trust your instincts. Be bold, be daring and never stop believing in the artist within you, as the only sure way of not having a career in this industry is by giving up. \n\n\n\nAmen! Finally, any films or series you\u2019ve seen lately that should be on every actor\u2019s watchlist? \n\n\n\nI\u2019ve actually been revisiting some old classics and am into the final season of The Sopranos. But I\u2019m obsessed with the Brazilian film I\u2019m Still Here directed by Walter Salles. Plus all three seasons of The White Lotus, The Correspondent (cast by the incredibleAnousha Zarkesh) and Bring Her Back by local Adelaide legends, the Philippou brothers. \n\n\n\nLooking back to 2024, Ripley was a masterclass in establishing tension through silences. The volcanic internal life all those actors brought was breathtaking. Such a great example of how doing less is always more, when the internal life is fully supplied. \n\n\n\nEvery actor should be across all series and films being produced in this country. Know your casting directors, producers and directors. Notice who they are casting and ask yourself why. How can you speak to their sensibilities, and film self tapes or scenes that deliver that as explorations? \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis interview has been edited and condensed. \n\n\n\nSpecial thanks to Lou Heesom for her time.\nThe post When Luck Meets Craft: Lou Heesom on What Makes Actors Unforgettable appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-04-15T09:00:54-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T11:23:41-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Tahlia Norrish",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/tahlia-norrish/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/185/185acf857f99767f1a69a69aaf9ca52cx512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Tahlia Norrish",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/tahlia-norrish/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/185/185acf857f99767f1a69a69aaf9ca52cx512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Lou-Heesom-Blog.png",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
},
{
"id": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=314231",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/casting-director-ian-bender-interview-undertone-audition-advice/",
"title": "Casting Director Ian Bender on Championing Uniqueness and Breaking the Mold",
"content_html": "\n
Ian Bender has not been a casting director for that long, but he\u2019s made the time count. The Canadian professional only started in the field eight years ago, but in that time, he\u2019s been part of dozens of productions, with much of his work in the indie world. His scope is widening, as he is, along with Ashley Hallihan and Nancy Nayor, one of the casting directors for the very buzzy recent horror flick Undertone. The film, about a podcast host whose latest project turns dark, stars Adam DiMarco and Nina Kiri and hit theaters earlier this month. He spoke to us from his office in Toronto.
\n\n\n\n
Key Insights
\n\n\n\n
\n
Ian Bender\u2019s acting background shapes his casting approach, keeping the actor experience central to every audition and decision.
\n\n\n\n
He actively looks beyond traditional \u201ctype\u201d and values unexpected, creative choices that challenge assumptions.
\n\n\n\n
Casting blends creativity and logistics, requiring both artistic instinct and strong organizational discipline.
I started as an actor, just taking workshops and classes as a kid, doing community theater stuff, and then I went to college for that, and did my best at trying to pursue it. Musical theater was my goal. Around the time I turned 30, I started to think, okay, what can I do with all this passion that I have for this industry and acting in general? I was lacking stability, and every time I would book a job, it would be, pack your bags. You’re going away for a few months at a time. A few friends of mine suggested casting. So I started working for Ashley Hallihan with Hallihan Casting here in Toronto, as her assistant. It was a really great opportunity for her to take me under her wing and show me the logistics behind casting, because it really is a very different job than acting.\u00a0
\n\n\n\n
Yeah, no kidding.
\n\n\n\n
(Laughs) You get the creative muscle, of course, but it really is quite clerical. Heavy paperwork.
\n\n\n\n
But that tends to appeal to a lot of people, too, being able to do both.
\n\n\n\n
Yeah, exactly, and that’s how I feel, because I’m very type A, so it really fits me nicely. I love organization and have just as much fun with the business side of things as the creative side, where I get to brainstorm and think of people who would be great in a part, or auditioning actors and finding a new face that I haven’t seen before, seeing what interesting choices they bring to the table. It’s really nice to be able to flex both and to work on both sides.
\n\n\n\n
Do you find that because you’ve had an acting background, that’s given you an advantage in working with actors in the room, or even by giving them feedback with self tapes?
\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I’d like to think so. I still think of everything as an actor. Everything that I do, the way I release my breakdowns, the way I conduct my auditions, all of that, I really am trying to keep the actor in mind, because I think of things that were pet peeves of mine as an actor growing up, or things that I wish casting directors would know. I really love getting to meet actors in person as well, and hear what their thoughts are and what their challenges are.
\n\n\n\n
Is there a checklist of things you go through in that regard?
\n\n\n\n
Yeah, for sure. For example, there are a lot of factors that go into helping you get seen and recognized by casting directors. I had a lovely team of people helping me, but I wasn’t with the biggest agent in town, and I didn’t have those opportunities. So I keep my mind open when I’m going through my submissions from the very beginning, and considering everyone that gets submitted to me, and taking the time and due diligence to look at their resumes and consider them seriously for the part. Also, I love a wild card. So if there’s an actor that may not seem like they’re visually right for the part, I want to explore that to see if they give me something a little bit different. Those are the people that really make it far or get booked in some of these roles. It really forces the creative team as well to think outside of the box, and opens up new ideas for them. Sometimes I wish that had happened to me when I was an actor. I was a queer dude trying to find opportunities in the early to mid-2000s, and a lot of [them] just weren’t there. There’s only so many gay best friends that you can put in a series or film. (Laughs) I’m always thinking about that, trying to keep it as open as I can, because you never know.
\n\n\n\n
That’s the thing that you can pass along to actors, that you make sure they understand that their uniqueness is a benefit, even when it sometimes doesn’t necessarily feel that way to them?
\n\n\n\n
Absolutely. It’s your superpower, really.
\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s talk about Undertone, which received the kind of pre-release buzz that a select few horror films get. That must be very exciting.
\n\n\n\n
I’ve been very lucky. Because I’m so interested in the industry, I continue to improve and learn. I was basically a student every day. So, to have an opportunity like Undertone, I worked with Black Fawn Films, Cody Callahan and Dan Slater before, and they’re really great guys. The writer-director, Ian Tuason, was new to me, but that script, when I first got it, was so wild, so interesting. It’s exciting when I get the tingles and start brainstorming right away. It’s a whirlwind. I don’t know what it’s going to look like for me. I still have that imposter syndrome in the back of my head going, keep working, take meetings with everybody, because I’m hoping that this gives me some more opportunity to show what I do best. I have so much fun with these horror and genre films. They’re my most favorite films to watch, so the fact that I get to help find these characters and work with these amazing writers and directors every day is just a dream.
\n\n\n\n
You talked earlier about working with actors and how much you enjoy it. What piece of advice or wisdom would you give to an actor coming in to see you?
\n\n\n\n
Just know that I’m on your side and that if you’ve done the work on the role and on the material, then just show it. You don’t have to bring anything else into the room. Put the nerves aside as best as you can, and just be yourself and show the work that you’ve done, and then it’ll all come together. If you’re right for the role, you’re right for the role, and it’ll show itself in the room. I want every single person to walk in that door to get the part. That means I\u2019ve done a good job. I used to have the worst nerves going into audition rooms. Anytime I\u2019d get a job, I’d be surprised, because I was a nervous wreck going in. But I knew that if I did the work and put the time into the material, it would release in the room, and I would make the choices that I’ve prepared. That\u2019s the biggest thing, too. Make interesting choices.
\n\n\n\n
So often, a wrong choice is better than no choice at all.
\n\n\n\n
Yes, because it shows me that you can make a choice. If a choice has been made, I’ll see that, and it shows me that they’ve actively been thinking about the part and that they’ve internalized it enough to get there. It means that there’s the likelihood that the director on the day is going to probably be able to get a different choice out of them. It’s exciting when that all happens and comes together.
\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways
\n\n\n\n
\n
Preparation and authenticity matter more than perfection\u2014actors should focus on doing the work and trusting it in the room.
\n\n\n\n
Making a bold or unconventional choice is often more impactful than playing it safe.
\n\n\n\n
An actor\u2019s uniqueness is their greatest asset, even when it doesn\u2019t seem to fit the role at first glance.
\n",
"content_text": "Ian Bender has not been a casting director for that long, but he\u2019s made the time count. The Canadian professional only started in the field eight years ago, but in that time, he\u2019s been part of dozens of productions, with much of his work in the indie world. His scope is widening, as he is, along with Ashley Hallihan and Nancy Nayor, one of the casting directors for the very buzzy recent horror flick Undertone. The film, about a podcast host whose latest project turns dark, stars Adam DiMarco and Nina Kiri and hit theaters earlier this month. He spoke to us from his office in Toronto.\n\n\n\nKey Insights\n\n\n\n\nIan Bender\u2019s acting background shapes his casting approach, keeping the actor experience central to every audition and decision. \n\n\n\nHe actively looks beyond traditional \u201ctype\u201d and values unexpected, creative choices that challenge assumptions. \n\n\n\nCasting blends creativity and logistics, requiring both artistic instinct and strong organizational discipline.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Get access to thousands of high-quality roles.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n JOIN FREE TODAY \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow did you get into casting in the first place?\n\n\n\nI started as an actor, just taking workshops and classes as a kid, doing community theater stuff, and then I went to college for that, and did my best at trying to pursue it. Musical theater was my goal. Around the time I turned 30, I started to think, okay, what can I do with all this passion that I have for this industry and acting in general? I was lacking stability, and every time I would book a job, it would be, pack your bags. You’re going away for a few months at a time. A few friends of mine suggested casting. So I started working for Ashley Hallihan with Hallihan Casting here in Toronto, as her assistant. It was a really great opportunity for her to take me under her wing and show me the logistics behind casting, because it really is a very different job than acting.\u00a0\n\n\n\nYeah, no kidding. \n\n\n\n(Laughs) You get the creative muscle, of course, but it really is quite clerical. Heavy paperwork.\n\n\n\nBut that tends to appeal to a lot of people, too, being able to do both.\n\n\n\nYeah, exactly, and that’s how I feel, because I’m very type A, so it really fits me nicely. I love organization and have just as much fun with the business side of things as the creative side, where I get to brainstorm and think of people who would be great in a part, or auditioning actors and finding a new face that I haven’t seen before, seeing what interesting choices they bring to the table. It’s really nice to be able to flex both and to work on both sides.\n\n\n\nDo you find that because you’ve had an acting background, that’s given you an advantage in working with actors in the room, or even by giving them feedback with self tapes?\n\n\n\nYeah, I’d like to think so. I still think of everything as an actor. Everything that I do, the way I release my breakdowns, the way I conduct my auditions, all of that, I really am trying to keep the actor in mind, because I think of things that were pet peeves of mine as an actor growing up, or things that I wish casting directors would know. I really love getting to meet actors in person as well, and hear what their thoughts are and what their challenges are.\n\n\n\nIs there a checklist of things you go through in that regard?\n\n\n\nYeah, for sure. For example, there are a lot of factors that go into helping you get seen and recognized by casting directors. I had a lovely team of people helping me, but I wasn’t with the biggest agent in town, and I didn’t have those opportunities. So I keep my mind open when I’m going through my submissions from the very beginning, and considering everyone that gets submitted to me, and taking the time and due diligence to look at their resumes and consider them seriously for the part. Also, I love a wild card. So if there’s an actor that may not seem like they’re visually right for the part, I want to explore that to see if they give me something a little bit different. Those are the people that really make it far or get booked in some of these roles. It really forces the creative team as well to think outside of the box, and opens up new ideas for them. Sometimes I wish that had happened to me when I was an actor. I was a queer dude trying to find opportunities in the early to mid-2000s, and a lot of [them] just weren’t there. There’s only so many gay best friends that you can put in a series or film. (Laughs) I’m always thinking about that, trying to keep it as open as I can, because you never know.\n\n\n\nThat’s the thing that you can pass along to actors, that you make sure they understand that their uniqueness is a benefit, even when it sometimes doesn’t necessarily feel that way to them?\n\n\n\nAbsolutely. It’s your superpower, really.\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s talk about Undertone, which received the kind of pre-release buzz that a select few horror films get. That must be very exciting.\n\n\n\nI’ve been very lucky. Because I’m so interested in the industry, I continue to improve and learn. I was basically a student every day. So, to have an opportunity like Undertone, I worked with Black Fawn Films, Cody Callahan and Dan Slater before, and they’re really great guys. The writer-director, Ian Tuason, was new to me, but that script, when I first got it, was so wild, so interesting. It’s exciting when I get the tingles and start brainstorming right away. It’s a whirlwind. I don’t know what it’s going to look like for me. I still have that imposter syndrome in the back of my head going, keep working, take meetings with everybody, because I’m hoping that this gives me some more opportunity to show what I do best. I have so much fun with these horror and genre films. They’re my most favorite films to watch, so the fact that I get to help find these characters and work with these amazing writers and directors every day is just a dream.\n\n\n\nYou talked earlier about working with actors and how much you enjoy it. What piece of advice or wisdom would you give to an actor coming in to see you?\n\n\n\nJust know that I’m on your side and that if you’ve done the work on the role and on the material, then just show it. You don’t have to bring anything else into the room. Put the nerves aside as best as you can, and just be yourself and show the work that you’ve done, and then it’ll all come together. If you’re right for the role, you’re right for the role, and it’ll show itself in the room. I want every single person to walk in that door to get the part. That means I\u2019ve done a good job. I used to have the worst nerves going into audition rooms. Anytime I\u2019d get a job, I’d be surprised, because I was a nervous wreck going in. But I knew that if I did the work and put the time into the material, it would release in the room, and I would make the choices that I’ve prepared. That\u2019s the biggest thing, too. Make interesting choices.\n\n\n\nSo often, a wrong choice is better than no choice at all.\n\n\n\nYes, because it shows me that you can make a choice. If a choice has been made, I’ll see that, and it shows me that they’ve actively been thinking about the part and that they’ve internalized it enough to get there. It means that there’s the likelihood that the director on the day is going to probably be able to get a different choice out of them. It’s exciting when that all happens and comes together.\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways\n\n\n\n\nPreparation and authenticity matter more than perfection\u2014actors should focus on doing the work and trusting it in the room.\n\n\n\nMaking a bold or unconventional choice is often more impactful than playing it safe.\n\n\n\nAn actor\u2019s uniqueness is their greatest asset, even when it doesn\u2019t seem to fit the role at first glance.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe post Casting Director Ian Bender on Championing Uniqueness and Breaking the Mold appeared first on Casting Networks.",
"date_published": "2026-03-31T10:13:46-07:00",
"date_modified": "2026-05-22T12:04:15-07:00",
"authors": [
{
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
}
],
"author": {
"name": "Neil Turitz",
"url": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/author/neil-turitz/",
"avatar": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/wphb-cache/gravatar/824/824ad122ece0f64119671fbf606465d3x512.jpg"
},
"image": "https://www.castingnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Ian-Bender-Headshot-e1774977109615.jpg",
"tags": [
"Casting Directors",
"Interviews"
]
}
]
}
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