Photo Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Fiona Weir, who worked with Eastwood on "Invictus" and then on "Hereafter," accepted the challenge of casting his latest. A London-based casting director, Weir was particularly honored to be asked to work on "J. Edgar" because of Hoover's place in American history. Weir relocated to Los Angeles for five months to work on the film, gathering an all-American cast, save Judi Dench as Hoover's mother, Annie. "I did a lot of homework to really get a sense of what to [Americans] is a very familiar figure," says Weir. "It was only when I did the proper research that I realized what a controversial figure he is to all Americans."
When working on projects based on real people or well-known characters from novels, "I always think it's good to treat the script as an entity within itself," says Weir. "Sometimes you have to put the novel out of your head and concentrate on the script," which she did while casting five of the "Harry Potter" films. "I try to treat the story of the script as the story, but then Clint is someone who likes to bear history in mind. And in casting, he didn't necessarily want them to look like the real characters, but he wanted to have the essential qualities that they were known for."
Leonardo DiCaprio was the only actor attached to the script, as Hoover, a rarity for a script of this size. Weir says she found it "both exciting and deeply intimidating" to have such an open slate. "I have knowledge of American actors, but I wanted to make sure that it was as deep and thorough as it could be to really serve the film well. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to meet so many lovely American actors and to be on the ground and meet them, whereas normally I'd be getting them to go on tape from the U.K."
The most difficult role to fill was Clyde Tolson, Hoover's longtime companion, which went to Armie Hammer (last seen in "The Social Network"). "So much is known about him, yet so little, and he was such an important part of Hoover's life," Weir notes. "There were many very different ways of casting because of the enormous age span in the script—we actually thought at one point that we would cast someone older so that they would then age down as well as up, but Clint just felt [Hammer] was so much the right guy that he would manage the task of him having to age considerably, up rather than going both ways."
Hammer almost didn't audition for the role, and it took skillful persuasion by Weir. She recalls, "I can remember very clearly almost bullying him to come in for the role. The day before [the audition], his agent rang me and said, 'Armie doesn't think this is for him; he's far too young for it.' And I remember saying, 'Just tell him to trust me on this one; I know he's going to do a really good reading.' He initially took a bit of convincing, but then when he understood why I thought he was right for it, he so wanted the part, and I was so thrilled when it was his."
Weir notes several other actors she enjoyed casting—including Josh Lucas (to play Charles Lindbergh), Stephen Root, and Damon Herriman. Root plays wood technologist Arthur Koehler. The actor is known mainly for his comedy work, but Weir "thought he was magnificent and just completely got this extraordinary man obsessed with detail." Herriman plays Bruno Hauptmann, the man accused of murdering the Lindbergh baby. "What Clint was looking for in the part is this sweet, decent guy who was just caught in very unfortunate circumstances," she says. "I think Damon really embodied that thing of a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's a really lovely actor and someone you wouldn't have automatically thought was right for that role."
Weir feels an important responsibility as a casting director. "I know that when actors come in and read, they often feel terribly vulnerable," she notes. "And the anxiety that they sometimes bring into a room when they don't quite understand why you see them in the part, it's such an important part of our job to sort of get them to leave the anxiety at the door and just come in and be."
Casting Director: Fiona Weir
Director: Clint Eastwood
Writer: Dustin Lance Black
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench
The Pitch: This biopic looks at the life of J. Edgar Hoover (DiCaprio), the controversial head of the FBI for nearly 50 years.
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