Rick Pagano

NBC Drama Pilots Get Casting Directors

“The Sixth Gun” will be cast by Schiff/Audino, “The Blacklist” will be cast by Pagano/Manwiller, and an untitled project from Rand Ravich will be cast by Robert Ulrich.

Best Of Backstage Experts: The Actor's Sacrifice

As an actor, we know you've got it tough. Oftentimes the life of an actor can be a life of rejection and disappointment. But, don't despair! Because casting directors really do love you and recognize the sacrifices you make for your craft.

How Second-Guessing Yourself Can Hurt Your Craft

Many actors spend too much time trying to “read the reviews." They wonder how their last audition went, what went wrong, and how the casting director, producer or director reacted. We all get occasional phone calls from actors who didn’t think they did well, and want to do it ...

How Training for the Olympics Is Like Training To Be An Actor

I’d like to talk about discipline, specifically the discipline of the Olympic athlete and how it compares to the acting profession.

How to Make a Casting Director's Day

To be an actor means to play in your own sandbox, on cue, under pressure, in front of a bunch of people who need to be reminded of their own, often misplaced sandboxes.