We have been very lucky on this show. As part of our inaugural BackstageFest, longtime casting directors Theo Park ("Ted Lasso," "Master of None"), Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas ("Perry Mason," "The Comey Rule," "The. His instinct was that she was the perfect fit for the part, and he didnt give up. We were really happy with the outcome of that! I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris.
Sharon Bialy - IMDb Hes not afraid to try things. Luca was intrigued [by Alice] and it seemed like a great match. He was a huge part of why we got her it was a lot of working out schedules; we dont just get to read in a room with actors all the time. Did Scott have to break some legs to get it done? So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. But going into the second season, the world knows the show, and we dont have to explain what it is. What can you tell us about the process of assembling the cast for its long-awaited third season?
These casting directors pull back the curtain on the process I get on the phone with agents, and the casting process goes on from there. Big titles like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Handmaids Tale may first come to mind. Sauls Rhea Seehorn was one they called in many times before she booked the key Kim Wexler role. In the case of Lawrence Gilliard, that role was. It's a game A Tale of Two Cities One City: The BAFTA voters chose to give just one award to Everything, Everywhere All 2023 Golden Reel Award Sound Editorial Winners Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing Feature Dialogue / ADR The Banshees of 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. And thats exciting when were able to do that. My mom passed away when I was young, but she used to be a very successful hairdresser back east. Were just gonna shove everybody out of the way! I think we got to try. And she says, You feel really passionately about it. Good lighting is typical, and shooting from the right angle, and just be yourself in the slate. I forgot to mention Casey Wilson. You really need to find actors who can do all of those things which can be challenging. For Dead to Mes second season, Scott said the main task was finding the new love interest for Linda Cardellinis character. Liz Feldman, Christina Applegate, Jessica Elbaum, and all of our producers fell in love with working with him and figuring out a complex way to bring him back. Casting Networks is a registered trademark of Casting Networks, LLC. My partner Sherry Thomas, who casts the show with me, and I have a history of colorblind casting, so we're always looking for the best actor. Sharon Bialy: I think theres going to be a hybrid. Slowly they realized that Maitreyi and Jaren have this really great chemistry, so it naturally evolved into this love triangle, which was really fun to see., Finding stars for a show that centers entirely on musical numbers is not the daunting task one imagines especially if you were the casting director of Glee and have an enormous roster of singing actors at your disposal.
The Robert Downey Jr. -produced HBO series Perry Mason -which places the famed criminal defense lawyer played by Matthew Rhys in the era he debuted in literature, the 1930s-features a stellar cast. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. ST: The challenge too isnt necessarily one particular role. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. It was fun to be able to draw on somebody that I had thought was so talented for so long.. You always want to work with people who inspire you and who you can learn from, and Bill is one of those people. This website uses cookies. The Envelope spoke with some of TVs top casting directors about their part in helping stories get told and actors get Emmy nominated. Twitter Icon I started exploring acting once I got to LA and met a casting director named Victoria Burrows, who kind of took me under her wing. You guys cast this while everything was locked down. Sherry Thomas: Ive been a longtime fan of Casey. They also discuss what its like to be casting directors in the middle of a pandemic and if they think their profession is permanently changed by it. He was tied to a play in New York., Jemaine does that so much, says Kay. Oftentimes you have to stay on your leading guy because other actors cant hold [their own]., The challenge is getting that first person of well-known stature to say yes, then you build from there, says Thomas. Its great for the world to see his story; something that youre certainly seeing more and more television, which is wonderful, but that you dont see every day., When putting together an ensemble in which one star cannot shine brighter than the others, theres a key to getting it right: You need strong people all around, people who can match each other talentwise, says casting director Billy Hopkins. For Perry Mason (originally set to star Robert Downey Jr., who serves as executive producer with his wife, Susan), casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas discussed their suggestions for . In person its almost distracting how gorgeous she is, says Ingram. Weve always requested self-tapes and explored actors from all over the world. He just had a great rawness and innocence., As Sams older brother Craig, Corey had not had any experience. Our job is to connect with people to bring out the best performance. Weve read her over the years and have been a fan of hers, says Daniel of the role Moorjani eventually landed, as the cousin who initially inspires envy in Devi. Unsurprisingly, the series' casting directors are Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, who have each been nominated for seven Emmy Awards for casting. And Sherry was like, Shes so smart. As continuing shows, all three series have established universes and tones, says Thomas. One thing I love about casting this show is that its not just a lot of offers. Do you think you guys will rely on that still? Because they're not "pro-life". sherrythomaslane Follow 284 posts 5,086 followers 587 following Sherry Thomas Lane Casting Director / Owner @ Bialy Thomas & Associates Blue collar Northampton, MA native who is Livin' the dream. I have no history with her. Legitimately dead? We had no idea that was the plan.
Sherry Thomas @SherryThomas_ST , Twitter Profile - instalker.org Sherry Thomas Lane - Facebook So, there you have it. Creator Katori Hall made a short film of her intended pilot that featured several castmembers, but the search still encompassed thousands of auditions and extensive chemistry reads. That helps give me the essence of what Bill has in mind, and then as I get him going, hell just start going into the characters dialogue in a voice that reflects how he hears it in his head. Sometimes our job is basically that of a casting director/producer. I was doing a virtual Pilates class when I got a text from Christina that said, Congrats lady! Sherry Thomas: Yeah, it was. They tell the story of when they had to call Margolis in New York and ask him to put himself on tape, despite the fact that his character had no lines. Alyssa Morris is our associate on this project and it was really, honestly the first time were working on a project where all of us are not together. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. But he also, as himself, has a real confidence and a unique and very modern feel, which I think really lends itself to Fraser. Sherry Thomas: Yep. RS: We went through that entire process and read a lot of people. For the vampire mockuseries What We Do in the Shadows, nominees Gayle Keller, Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay find themselves looking for actors who dont look like typical actors. And I think you can do that because you have more time, youre at home. At some point Sherry suggested Katey Sagal. Pros from five of the years newest dramas and comedies including 'Perry Mason' and 'We Are Who We Are' also reveal the surprising obstacles they hurdled before production began. Now, I would never assume that Melissa McCarthy would be so interested in my life that she would say yes to playing me in a series about it. She and Bialy relied on their stable of talent from decades in the profession. AD: The second season also featured two major guest stars in Frances Conroy and Katey Sagal. Casting Yvonne Strahovskis mother, we needed someone who could be formidable. I mean, I was still completely nervous, but I felt more comfortable in that sort of nervousness. Sherry Lansing. RS: A lot of times those small roles are the hardest to cast. So that bar was set very high., She had been finishing up something and was not available, Thomas says of the actress who plays E.B. There was somebody we just couldnt hire recently that is absolutely not known for comedy. Get our L.A. Two different ways? You have this sort of visceral, gut reaction when its right, and thats how it was for me with casting.
Call Sheet Directory and Mailing Labels | Backstage At the time, there wasnt really a choice you had to prove yourself at work by being at your desk. Sharon Bialy: Also, because sometimes youre only getting a couple of pages, so you have to guess and when youre in the room, we can give you context. Sharon Bialy: I think thats the exciting thing about casting, and Ill speak for my partner. Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. So we can say, No, this is the Bob Odenkirk character youre reading with. And its like, oh, a light bulb goes off, but we cant in email. For 'The. He hadnt done anything either. We talk about what hes looking for, and I like to ask if he has any prototypes dead or alive for the characters. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. It was the biggest casting search weve ever done in our career, says Daniel. If we cant connect its very hard to do our jobs. We didnt want someone who would be instantly recognizable to the world. We rely so heavily on the loudness, and the shoutiness, and the calling out ideas and really kind of collaborating in that way. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Sorry I had to jump in because he is very humble! Thats what I did back in 2012 after my second daughter was born. But in a series that tonally feels more like an independent feature, not just any teenagers would do. Sherry Thomas is represented by the brilliant Kristin Nelson of . What she did to prepare for that role was incredible. Stacia Kimler, Casting . Im just blown away with how Bill can be in a scene, fully connected to it as an actor, even when I know his eye as the director and ear as the writer are simultaneously at work. 2006 Im not saying he is like Fraser, because that was never our feeling. He was playing a husband. He was kind of signing on to play the girl part., As to King (she and Abdul-Mateen II are nominated, along with costars Jovan Adepo, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeremy Irons and Jean Smart), the Oscar winner and three-time Emmy winner who worked on Lindelofs The Leftovers wasnt a slam dunk precisely because shed worked on Lindelofs The Leftovers.. Russell Scott: The show is a comedy, but tonally it is pretty tricky because its also a mystery. But what the self-taping does is give so many more people opportunities because we can see 25 actors for a role. A lot of casting people their choices have shifted to self-tapes and some of them only self-tapes, but for us our choice will always to be in the room with actors. Did you experience a lot of actors who struggled to nail the specific tone and how did you help them get there in the audition room? There was something she found the strength in that character, the fearlessness in her eyes., We werent identifying what roles would be people of color, adds her colleague Sherry Thomas. SB: It will change, but we are hoping once this is over to be able to go back to that mixture of in-person and self-tapes. Wow. All rights reserved. He is so wonderful.
AD: Im sure you cant say anything about the final season, but Im curious if you have a dream guest actor that you think would fit perfectly into the world of the show? Casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, who have worked on "Better Call Saul" and "The Walking Dead," say: "You tell where casting directors are making the effort. As long as the work doesnt suffer, why cant we also participate in the lives of our kids? It was really sort of a meeting of the minds and people coming together on the choices. Lets try it. It has this sense of urgency that I love and the tangible aspect of running a business, but then theres also the creative side of it.
Sherry Thomas - IMDb