They have to be funny and in the moment with so few lines, and that is such a hard thing to do. Sauls Rhea Seehorn was one they called in many times before she booked the key Kim Wexler role. We are very passionate about not pigeonholing actors. Do you think you guys will rely on that still? Its about finding complex and compelling actors that can bring nuance even to comedy. It felt like he was going to be her enemy the whole time, Greenstein says of Lewisons character, Ben Gross. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. How do you like the way casting is right now? Exclusive: AMCs Emmy episode submissions for Breaking Bad & Mad Men, Even though Breaking Bad is over, Bialy and Thomas are still involved in that universe thanks to their casting of the spin-off series Better Call Saul. However, Bialy warns us, I cant tell you anything about Better Call Saul. Were sworn to secrecy! Theyre also keeping busy casting Halt and Catch Fire, which just ended its first season on AMC, Foxs upcoming comic-book series Gotham and TVs biggest ratings hit The Walking Dead., Hey, whats with all the dark shows on their resumes? Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? We received a lot of calls from agents and managers who loved the show with their clients who would love to be a part of it. And also, it was shot in LA, in Los Angeles, so everything is large and on a big scale. But in a series that tonally feels more like an independent feature, not just any teenagers would do. I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris. [Tim] talks about the spirit and the soul of the actor marrying with the spirit and the soul of the character, says Thomas. Our job is to connect with people to bring out the best performance. Sharon Bialy: And it was the hardest thing in the world to not be hysterical, laughing when she wrote, I meant Michael Imperioli. And then we had to go through the audition and Im biting my lip so that I laugh. So, there you have it. My wife is my reader and shes terrible. They met and he loved him, and that was that., There is no shortage of star wattage in the dark origin story of the legendary defense lawyer, but there is an art to combining such talent. Keep reading for a window into everything from how she works including her Emmy-nominated casting of Barrys third season to what shed be doing if her chosen profession werent an option. I mean, I was still completely nervous, but I felt more comfortable in that sort of nervousness. Join Facebook to connect with Sherry Thomas Lane and others you may know. Sharon Bialy: Right. Yahya took a leap of faith. So, I get an idea for the cadence and tone of the role, which I add to what I already have about it on paper. So, even though they might be doing under five lines, theyve got to be able to hold their own. Like with Colins office mates; they have like one line here and there and Jemaine said, I need them all back. You dont see loyalty like that a lot.. John Ennis is a character actor weve known for a long time and he was amazing as the exterminator. Im not saying he is like Fraser, because that was never our feeling. This weekend, we'll hear from three more guilds: the ACE (Eddie Awards), the ASC, and the WGA. And also sometimes not having all the producers in the room gives the actor, even on a zoom call back with us, we can play with them more and theyre not trying to please everybody, theyre just concentrating on the work. [Laughs] I love them, as well as my husband, and we all have fun together. You were also nominated for your work on the third season of The Handmaids Tale. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. 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? At the time [we started casting], she was working with one of my best friends on What/If, and I was hearing a lot about her and how she would sing karaoke. ST: We hadnt discussed the idea in general, probably because of the previous relationship with Christina, and we didnt want to pull anybody out of it. 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. Thats what I did back in 2012 after my second daughter was born. And I also just love her as a person. But even with such a rsum, the highly sought-after casting director came across as nothing short of a grounded, down-to-earth individual when she sat down with Casting Networks via Zoom. All of a sudden were like, Guys, shouldnt we make sure he wants to do this? recalls Collin Daniel of the role that was part narrator, part Voice of God, and all affectionate snark. 2023 Oscar Predictions Who Are the Oscar Voters? She was shooting a movie here in LA. 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. This website uses cookies. Sherry Thomas: And the show director, Jesse Peretz, just really kind of took everybody and, everybody shines. Primetime Emmy Awards. Better Call Saul, were not even allowed to give you anything. Unless it is really not Theres a couple things going into play. Then he went to dinner with Regina and came back and said, Why didnt I just I feel so ashamed. Because here, on a plate, is this great actress. . Every actor that comes in, even if they dont get the job, we keep a lot of notes . Well often write notes like, Remember for BCS because theres a naturalistic approach to the acting on the show; its not showy at all. Instead its all of the supporting players, the day players, because you have to have great actors, the majority of who are in scenes with Christina and Linda. She was the lead casting director on this one and what she did was really take actors that are known for one thing and respect them and the breath of their talent and say, Im going to try something else here. Casting Networks uses cookies to analyze our traffic and to personalize content and ads. He hadnt done anything either. The Commander that Christopher Meloni played [Commander Winslow] was challenging because often times the first script doesnt tell you what the journey is going to be. And then we pulled from that to go and seek out the right people for the roles. Casting director Sherry Thomas (The Righteous Gemstones, Better Call Saul) explains if she has any tells when auditioning actors and how she wants them to fe. 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. [Laughs] Sharon always says that she spends a lot of money to get her hair done for special events like the Emmys, only to ultimately wind up at my house so I can fix it. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company. Its definitely a world that were extremely interested in.. Sometimes Clement will become inspired by the actors. We ultimately will probably only send one take, unless were really questioning We dont edit it ourselves too much sometimes because the producers could come back and say, You know, theyre missing a moment, and thats exactly what was in the other take. Production was able to move around a lot of stuff, he says. I mean, that had to have been completely It was all brand new. casting director Casts for Film, TV, Theatre, New Media California About Sharon Bialy Sharon Bialy is an award winning Casting Director for television, film and theater. Even the actor didnt know until that episodes script rolled around. But honestly, I had no idea how well Jane could sing., I knew she could sing because she had been on Broadway, and she just brought such a fun element to the show, says Ulrich of the Gilmore Girls and Parenthood vet, who made her Broadway debut in a 2009 revival of the musical comedy Guys and Dolls; Graham plays Zoeys boss. Hes like 6-foot-5, hes got this huge fro. Sharon Bialy: I think actors often think, Oh, they only think of me for this. But who to play the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan? 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. He once told me, Youre weird too. . AD: This wasnt your only nomination this year. I was doing a virtual Pilates class when I got a text from Christina that said, Congrats lady! When we circled back, I remember looking at the date and I was like, Holy shit, I think shes available. , Theres an assuredness to Sister Alice that the audience has to buy because she believes [her evangelism] so strongly, Bialy says. WEBN Reporter Ali Inglese sat down with "Breaking Bad" Casting Directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas. We really kind of leave it up to the actor. This story first appeared in a January stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Thats a fantastic pick! AD: Except for Emmy voters for whatever frustrating reason. With Tyler as Diamond, when you see him experience that, you dont question whether or not thats his truth., We all loved [Harriett] from the beginning. We will never, ever be an office that is strictly self-taped. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Natalie Morales, left, joined the cast of Dead to Me in Season 2 as the love interest for Linda Cardellini. Lets try it. I grew up thinking that acting was going to be my path in life, so when I was 22, I packed up my car and drove cross-country to LA with just 150 bucks in my pocket. 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. The second it became Alex, I ran with it, pushed it, said its a way to really enlighten the world. Her role in "Barry" came about thanks to its casting director, nine-time Emmy nominee Sherry Thomas, as well as the Hollywood satire's dedication to meta humor. Over the course of my daughters lives my oldest is going to be 12 in September and my youngest is 10 Ive probably forgotten to pick them up from school about 20 times. #LucindaSyson #TheoPark #SherryThomas SharonBialy #CastingDirectorsQ&A with casting directors from several Apple TV+ series; Lucinda Syson (Foundation), Theo. ST: I think thats one of the reasons we love to be in the room with actors and why right now it is really hard with the world of COVID. Sherry Thomas: They called him, pitched him and Sharon says, huh. She is known for Breaking Bad (2008), Barry (2018) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017). We were like, Wait, did we just see somebody who literally has zero acting experience and was that great? says Brett Greenstein. But not even Thomas and Lewis knew who the character, a nice guy married to Regina Kings vigilante character, would later be revealed to be. All Rights Reserved. And if an actor does the wrong choice and they come in the room, you can easily give them direction and play with it and get them more relaxed and support them. Russell Scott: The show is a comedy, but tonally it is pretty tricky because its also a mystery. Casting Yvonne Strahovskis mother, we needed someone who could be formidable. For Dead to Mes second season, Scott said the main task was finding the new love interest for Linda Cardellinis character. Theyre opposite sides of a coin., Skyler has an exuberance that is hard to describe, Ingram says. RT: Can we just put Rhea Seehorn in here? We were so touched that people were really moved by the show and actually watched it. When you work in television and when you work with really great material, you do get excited for this time of year. Daisy Jones & the Six becomes the first fictional band to hit No. It was the biggest new role of the season. And then, Sherry, you redirected me to do something. You really need to find actors who can do all of those things which can be challenging. That is such a skill, and one I wish I had. In the case of Lawrence Gilliard, that role was. Sometimes the nomination day is like Christmas morning, but this year we completely forgot. Im pretty sure Im the loudest, so I think whoevers the loudest wins, joked Thomas. Id read about her ability, Ulrich says of the Oscar winner, a prolific singer-songwriter. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. Aug. 21, 2020 2 PM PT. One thing I love about casting this show is that its not just a lot of offers. Look, I think Bill Hader is in a category all his own. RS: With Katey, we wanted someone who is very special because there is a lot to unpack there with Lindas mother being in prison. The external is not whats important to him. The main cast may seem only six actors deep, but to the casting directors, the world was expansive. We all miss it. Back in 2019, Jones played. We checked in on her, and the challenging part was convincing producers to take a chance on an actor that youre very familiar with but they might not be. Part of our journey is the process of learning about the actor, says Bialy. Were they names you wanted from the beginning, and did you go out of your way to reunite Katey and Christina Applegate? We had lots of auditions. Were lucky., I was a giant fan of Janes for many, many years, from Suburgatory, Robert J. Ulrich says of the lead actress whose Zoey can see and hear what others are feeling via fantasy musical numbers. Get ready with our TV viewers guide, Damon Lindelof] is pretty specific about what he wants, The Buzzmeter: Our experts predict the 2020 Emmy winners - and so can you, The secret to What We Do in the Shadows success? Luca was intrigued [by Alice] and it seemed like a great match. You believed everything that was coming out of her mouth., We did an open call for Kamala and I feel like [Richa Moorjani] came in pretty early on. 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. 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. And sometimes the sides are fake. 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? She came in for Mo [Zoeys neighbor, played by gender-fluid actor Alex Newell], and everybody remembered her when we were casting [Zoeys sister-in-law] Emily, says Ulrich. But I dont think that it is ever more important than having the right person. Of course, the greatest discovery of this musical comedy is its lead, Jane Levy, best known to viewers for her comedic skills on the ABC series Suburgatory. We started talking with her agent, and they basically said to make sure this was the direction we wanted to go in because if Katey found out she would certainly want to do it. 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. She came in and was so natural, so funny. And my sister has had her own salon for about 35 years now its called the Hairspace Salon in Easthampton, Massachusetts. RS: It was a very extensive search. Bradley Whitford @BradleyWhitford 10 months ago. Fuck yeah!. Its also an emotional drama. It was really about getting Devi and her mother cast, as they are the heart of the story, says Greenstein. Shes the real deal.. ST: Vice versa for Linda Cardellini, who has typically been known for drama to come in and wow everyone with her great sense of timing and comedic skills without ever making it too big. But this is definitely a collaboration between Jack and Luca, and who teenagers are today, in this moment., [The character of Sam Pratchett] was really about mixing and matching with whoever [would be playing his girlfriend] Caitlin. So, I got that part covered. Hes being very humble right now, but it took a lot of strategizing and basically producing. Hes often the heavy for this, he was a father who had a lost son., We cast Chris in Gotham but have known him for years, says Thomas. I can tell you that after 22 years of covering the Oscars that they are mostly meaningless. Theres a lot of complexity to the role and we needed someone funny. You learn what you want to change moving forward. It was really sort of a meeting of the minds and people coming together on the choices. I recently got a perm, Sherry, and its been a real challenge. ST: Russell worked very, very hard on that. I think in this particular project that Georgia [Pritchetts] writing was incredible, and the tone was on the page, but still it helped. And thats part of our job is to continue education. Elaine Doremus. I dont have to deal with traffic or anything like that, but being in the room, I totally miss. Casting Networks is a registered trademark of Casting Networks, LLC. Showing all 1 wins and 28 nominations. We went back to our theatre brains, and Laila Robins is someone I had seen over 25 years ago doing The Real Thing opposite Jeremy Irons. It was fun to be able to draw on somebody that I had thought was so talented for so long.. AD: Before we jump into the new characters of the second season, I wanted to talk about the shocking twist at the beginning of the season; the return of James Marsden with a new character. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. We put out the offer, and he was on board. But, just like any other season, we got the scripts and then talked with [co-creator/star] Bill [Hader] and [co-creator/showrunner] Alec [Berg] to hear what they were identifying within the new characters. Shes just someone Ive been watching. We had readings for that part. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. Scott says Dead to Me is a comedy, but its very down to earth. She even officiated when my husband and I were married. But then she had also read with us on Danny McBrides Vice Principles. And, Id imagine, completely challenging. In Season 1, says Keller, Harvey Guilln, who costars as Guillermo, familiar to one of the vampires, starts talking to this other familiar at a party, and it was a very nondescript part. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We have been very lucky on this show. Now, here comes my favorite question to ask, Sherry. Because they're not "pro-life". Elarica leads more with vulnerability, and Brandee leads more with strength. However, theres a great deal of team Read More, Two in five Australians between the ages of 16 and 85 experience a mental disorder at some time in Read More, From college basketball tournaments to St. Pattys Day, the new month is synonymous with more than a few events. Read More, I believe there is some anxiety in the air over the expectations for commercial self tapes.
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