When we got the initial call we looked at each other, and were like Isnt he dead? What she did to prepare for that role was incredible. Sign up to get must-read entertainment headlines and audition advice delivered to your inbox every weekday. 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. You always want to work with people who inspire you and who you can learn from, and Bill is one of those people. Hes not afraid to try things. Someone was really good when they read for Better Call Saul, a drama, but theres something there. The second it became Alex, I ran with it, pushed it, said its a way to really enlighten the world. A lot of times in these teenage parts, you have 20-year-olds playing 15, and that wasnt the case, says Cuba, who wanted the coming-of-age roles to be occupied by fresh faces. But filling the role of a Sherman Oaks-grown teenager of South Asian heritage proved harder than expected. RS: It was a very extensive search. Instagram Icon It might help for other projects more so than this, just to get a sense of it when youre in the room with us. The actors dont care that they come in 10 times and didnt get the part, because they know that one time with us they will., Once you have Matthew Rhys, you want to make sure whoever is opposite isnt wiped off the screen, says Bialy of their lead. We got so many emails from agents asking, Where did you find these actors? Everybody was blown away, says Greenstein. And I also just love her as a person. Part of our journey is the process of learning about the actor, says Bialy. When youre chasing after an actor with a name, you need them to trust you. Its all so seamless, though, that you cant see any of those divisions in his performance. You really want to buy into that environment. 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. And I write on something next to me, I had Michael Imperioli in my head. He did come in and audition and just blew everybody away., The most fun bit of casting was the fact that Mo was written as a woman. 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. We discussed a bunch of people [for the role of Caitlins father, an Army lieutenant] and then it just felt natural for Scott and Luca to meet. I really hope the industry is changing to be better in that area, especially for women who want to work and also be moms. Sharon Bialy: Sometimes well know somebody really well and have them read and literally in two lines, Im like, thats it, shes the one. We had read her for The Handmaids Tale one season, and we had read her for an independent movie that was a really deep and layered character. What can you tell us about the process of assembling the cast for its long-awaited third season? RT: I looked for her name before I even looked for ours. Casting Director Casting Department Producer IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Sharon Bialy is known for Rudy (1993), The Handmaid's Tale (2017) and Barry (2018). 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But I dont believe she had ever been a series regular before. One thing I love about casting this show is that its not just a lot of offers. You guys cast this while everything was locked down. AD: This wasnt your only nomination this year. Casting Director. Contact To get in touch with Sherry, use the contact form below or send her an email at sherry @ sherrythomas.com (w/o spaces). 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? 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.. I dont see it. Im not just saying that because hes my boss Im saying that because Ive had the privilege of watching the dailies [raw, unedited footage shot during a filming day] for Barry and have gotten to see his work from all angles. Thomas adds that they sometimes develop relationships with actors, calling them in time and again for reads. Skylar is obviously a name, but hes also just a real standout, an extraordinary singer and actor., Michael Thomas Grant, who plays [rival coworker] Leif, I knew from The Glee Project, says the casting director. AD: One of the reasons the show has become so popular is because of the way it straddles this really thin line between comedy and drama in ways we rarely see on television. Its interesting, because I think what happens to actors often happens to casting directors, Bialy explained. I mean, its just, its incredible. 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. We were trying to find the perfect person that would excite Liz to the point where she would want to continue writing for if the character came back. But then she had also read with us on Danny McBrides Vice Principles. We had lots of auditions. Oh my God, this is completely the wrong actor that was in my head., And everybody was so nice and so lovely because hes a wonderful actor. That is such a skill, and one I wish I had. Sherry Thomas: Yeah, it was. Theyre opposite sides of a coin., Skyler has an exuberance that is hard to describe, Ingram says. How did you come to realize that casting was the job for you? And tonally, youd had to have both here. I think she had auditioned for Rocky Horror Picture Show several years before, so I knew she could sing. It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. 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. 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. 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. Id read about her ability, Ulrich says of the Oscar winner, a prolific singer-songwriter. [Tatiana is] someone we really believed in and highly recommended to Tim and the producers., [Gayle was] the only one who read, Thomas says. 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. 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. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Jonathans secretary. RT: Can we just put Rhea Seehorn in here? Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. And now jumping to present day, congrats are in order regarding the recent Emmy nomination you received with Sharon Bialy for your teams work casting Barry. 2023 Oscar Nominee: Director Santiago Mitre on Why the Message Behind Argentina, 1985 Remains More Relevant Than Ever, 2023 Oscar Nominee Fire of Love: How Editors and Co-Writers Erin CasperandJocelyne Chaput Crafted the Krafft Love Story, Double Oscar Nominee & Producer Shane Boris Talks What Fire of Love & Navalny Have in Common, Inaugural Television Publicity Executives Committee (TPEC) Submissions Are Now Open, Amazons Daisy Jones and the Six is the First Great Limited Series of 2023, Melissa Rauch On Presiding Over a New Night Court Era, 'The Morning Show' Director Mimi Leder on Why Cable is Better for Female Characters. Luca was definitely familiar with his music [as Kid Cudi] and loves it. Sherry Lansing. Now in the show's second season, casting directors Sherry Thomas and Russell Scott were tasked with the challenge of expanding on that world and filling out an ensemble that were able to keep up with Applegate and Cardellini. Sometimes the casting session is slammed, and you have several actors in the waiting room. 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? 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. And it worked! While eager to gather a diverse troupe for Mindy Kaling and Lang Fishers series, casting directors Collin Daniel and Brett Greenstein quickly realized that until they had nailed down their series leads, there was no ensemble to assemble. 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 each role with director and executive producer Timothy Van Patten. Defying past portrayals of female friendship on television, Dead To Me enamoredaudiences with its unexpected casting choices of Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. Sherry Thomas: Yep. We are very, very excited for season three. 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. Of course she would have a crush on him. Darren was somebody who had this quality that was a little mysterious, obviously very handsome and surprisingly funny., We never really expected there to be a love triangle, because in the pilot Devi and Ben are just so nasty and mean toward each other. Its really wonderful to see that. The Envelope spoke with some of TVs top casting directors about their part in helping stories get told and actors get Emmy nominated. He was pursuing editing work on the side. In the case of Lawrence Gilliard, that role was. She created a book this big between her read with casting and her read with Bruce, of her story as the character. Thats me, Thomas says. She works constantly in New York, but she was this undiscovered gem to the rest of the world, and now everybody knows who she is., To populate Luca Guadagninos vision of an American Army base in coastal Italy, casting director Carmen Cuba knew she had to build her cast out from the kids at the center of the story. I dont have to deal with traffic or anything like that, but being in the room, I totally miss. She was shooting a movie here in LA. Wiley plays the rebellious Moira on Handmaids and has one Emmy win in three nominations for the role. Okay. My wife is my reader and shes terrible. Im not saying he is like Fraser, because that was never our feeling. Now in the shows second season, casting directors Sherry Thomas and Russell Scott were tasked with the challenge of expanding on that world and filling out an ensemble that were able to keep up with Applegate and Cardellini. And it isnt so much that we only do dramas, we love comedies. For the full interview, check out the video below or on YouTube. So theres some benefits to both. We dont get the opportunity to give immediate feedback and really do the other part of our title which is direct. We were really happy with the outcome of that! Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. There was somebody we just couldnt hire recently that is absolutely not known for comedy. So, we really didnt do any producer sessions over Zoom. Literally, we were all just howling because she just got it., We needed a Jake from Sixteen Candles, someone brooding and obviously swoon-worthy and somebody that Devis going to have a mad crush on, Greenstein says of the protagonists love interest, Paxton Hall-Yoshida. Liz Feldman has a great knowledge of actors and comedic actors. The Emmys may be in September but its never too early to look out for potential nominees, including Succession, Schitts Creek and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I feel like this is not in my wheelhouse, or Im not right for this at all, but wanted to come and meet you guys.. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Your email address will not be published. Its just a wonderful place to be to be able to cast these amazing actresses from Frances Conroy to Katey Sagal to Valerie Mahaffey. For 'The. So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. I knew that Mary could sing. We can explain things like tone. 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.. I have no history with her. Weve been able to give multiple women over a certain age really complex material. And people. , Keller says, They said they wanted boring. Like if you were to go to a town meeting to talk about zoning.. Russell Scott, Casting Director. You also have to believe that that actor is capable of things you havent seen them do before. The bar has been set and we set it for ourselves as creative people with high standards. Despite the mega success of Breaking Bad at the Emmys including three acting wins for Bryan Cranston, a pair for Aaron Paul and one for Anna Gunn casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas have been mysteriously overlooked by the TV Academy year after year. Five seasoned entertainment journalists predict the shows and performances the Television Academy will honor with Emmys; do you agree with their picks? Thats how we kept bringing up Natalie Morales. The age had to be appropriate so there would be chemistry with Linda. Natalies name came up at the very beginning, and she is someone who Liz liked but we were originally told she wasnt available. Sharon and I have been business partners for 25 years, and were very inserted in each others lives at this point. We put out the offer, and he was on board. I think within that the process will change a bit. So, I didnt necessarily find casting it found me. We didnt want someone who would be instantly recognizable to the world. ST: I mean I cant even Its ridiculous. He was shooting a really naturalistic portrait of this group, and so much of this was about how these kids are as themselves: How are they when theyre not doing the scene? What sets this young cast apart from many other series starring young adults is the actors age range. It felt like he was going to be her enemy the whole time, Greenstein says of Lewisons character, Ben Gross. I didnt know anyone here, but was a manager at The Gap at the time and got transferred to an LA location of the store. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. I mean, that had to have been completely It was all brand new. He doesnt necessarily work with people twice in a row, so we didnt immediately go to Regina, says Thomas. You do a drama and they say you can only do drama. I think in this particular project that Georgia [Pritchetts] writing was incredible, and the tone was on the page, but still it helped. The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Barry and many, many more, they are one of the top casting offices out there. Do you think you guys will rely on that still? Burrows eventually recommended Thomas for her first paying job in the industry, working as an assistant to the location casting director the person charged with hiring extras for movie and TV .