Some casting directors work on their own, and others work in teams. It's difficult to tell which approach works better, but in the case of casting directors Sig De Miguel and Stephen Vincent, there's no denying that partnership works. With more than a decade of experience between them as casting assistants, De Miguel and Vincent joined forces a year and a half ago. Since then, they have cast more than a dozen feature films, and in May 2007 they were tapped to head casting and development at indie studio PalmStar Entertainment (Premium, Fifty Pills). De Miguel and Vincent's union began in 1998. The latter was working with Bonnie Timmerman on the feature film The Insider when De Miguel was hired to help out for a couple of days.
Initially, Vincent wanted to be an actor. "After two months, I realized it wasn't something I was cut out for," he admits. "The talent base is so huge and well beyond my reach as an actor. I decided I'd be better off behind the camera." Explaining what he lacked as a performer, Vincent says, "It really comes down to the will to go out there day after day, knocking on doors. It's a really difficult process. You have to like the word no."
De Miguel agrees, "You have to love [acting] above everything, at the end of the day. There are a lot of people I know who acted in high school or college or summer theatre, and they were talented and great, but it's a different reality when you graduate into the real world and want to pursue it as a career." He reiterates the most important necessity for an actor: "You must have an overwhelming passion. Otherwise, you're going to learn quickly that it's not for you." De Miguel did not have the same yen for performance as his partner, but he is a self-described "film geek with an encyclopedic knowledge" of cinema.
Despite Vincent's acting origins, he seems to play a nearly silent partner to De Miguel's effusive enthusiasm. "We complement each other very well," De Miguel says. "Steve's very levelheaded. I'm Latin, so I'm a little bit more temperamental." They laugh as De Miguel continues, "We balance each other out very well. Whenever you have a partnership on any level, there's always got to be that click of how you complement each other and how it helps the work. That's the main thing about us."
Time and Time Again
Vincent and De Miguel clearly have struck the right balance, as evidenced by the success of their union. In less than two years as a team, De Miguel notes, producers have hired them multiple times. "One of the strengths of our relationship is that we work with people who want to hire us again and again," he says. "Just like the partnership, there's a relationship with a producer or director where you really see eye to eye and there's a lot of trust. We want to work with them again, and they want to work with us again."
Vincent and De Miguel's agreement with PalmStar allows them to take outside projects, including the repeat business De Miguel speaks of. This affords the duo the opportunity to work not only on PalmStar's upscale indies but also on their own passion projects. Currently for PalmStar, the two are putting together film adaptations of such highbrow literary properties as Paulo Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die, Peter Biskind's Down and Dirty Pictures, and Bret Easton Ellis' Lunar Park. For themselves, De Miguel and Vincent are working on Under Lanesfield, about the effect of crystal meth on small-town America. It is the project that forged their partnership, and they are producing it in addition to casting it.
On the Edge
What all of the pair's projects have in common is that they are the kinds of projects actors dream of working on. "We like provocative material, films that make an impact — whether drama, comedy, or thriller, something that is really edgy, provocative, interesting, and controversial," says De Miguel. "Not every script is like that, but that's what really attracts us. It's really what drew us to the New York independent filmmaking world."
Just how have two New York casting directors made such an impact in the Hollywood-centric movie industry? "It's much harder to make a career and a name for yourself in New York," De Miguel admits. "[In Los Angeles] there's more work, more executives." He attributes their success to hard work and the people they've they worked for. While Vincent worked with Timmerman, De Miguel got his experience with Mackey/Sandrich Casting. "We both worked with big casting directors, and we had good relationships with them," says De Miguel, highlighting the importance of building lasting partnerships, no matter which side of the audition table you find yourself on.
If you find yourself auditioning for them, De Miguel suggests, "Be prepared and professional. It's about making strong choices. Try to approach the state of being that role for the five, 10, or 15 minutes you have to make that happen in the room."
He continues, "Make the audition room your friend. You're going to constantly audition for many, many years, and I found that there are even extremely talented actors that can't stand an audition room. I've seen people in theatre that I thought were extremely talented, and they come into an audition room, and they're a little nervous, a little intimidated. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is to be a reader. Be a reader for film auditions, because once you're in an audition room for a day, it completely demystifies the process."
De Miguel notes that actors often create their own obstacles. "They don't concentrate on what the reality of the role is," he says. "They put too much pressure on themselves; they have it be about the job. And I say it's never about getting the job, period. There are so many reasons that you don't get the job. You can be too tall, too short, too blond, too brunet, too strong, too weak, etc. It's all about going in and doing great work for yourself." Adds Vincent, "And that will relieve the pressure, because we'll bring you back for the next one."
De Miguel agrees: "It's our job to remember actors, to have mental files and picture and résumé files. We're very friendly casting directors, and not all casting directors are, but regardless of whether a casting director is friendly or not, you can't let yourself be affected by it. Auditioning has to be something you really enjoy; make it a chance to show your work. Actors who approach it from a positive place are the ones who are most successful. If people have difficulty with the process, it definitely does affect them."