Allison Jones
Arrested Development
As Arrested Development, the most deliciously twisted show on television, entered its second season, one had to wonder what characters were in store for a show that had already given us a lecturing one-armed man, a cheapskate movie star, and a cradle-robbing Liza Minnelli. Finding actors to fill the roles that inhabit the skewed universe of the Bluth family can't be simple for CD Allison Jones; it takes a certain appreciation of the droll comedy of creator Mitchell Hurwitz to pull off the frequently gasp-inducing lines. Plenty of famous faces came out to play: in addition to Minnelli, Ben Stiller was a delightfully vain magician, and Martin Short stole scenes as a paralyzed bodybuilder.
But there were strokes of brilliance in new supporting roles as well. Calling upon child actor Mae Whitman to play the sullen, always-forgotten girlfriend of George-Michael was genius, topped only by landing Ione Skye and Alan Tudyk as her vanilla parents. Jones, who previously cast for Curb Your Enthusiasm, also landed that show's Jeff Garlin for multiple episodes in which he was perfectly cast as a smarmy studio exec. And tapping a hairless Ed Begley Jr. to play the head of a rival corporation paid off with some of the funniest scenes of the season.
Perhaps the cleverest casting was finding the actor who played Tobias (David Cross) in a re-enactment of the Bluth family's life for a tabloid program: Who better than equally foulmouthed comedian Dave Attell to portray Cross/Tobias? When Cross as Tobias met Attell as Tobias, it was a moment made in meta heaven that showed how great writing and perfect casting have helped make Arrested Development the most original program in years.
Jones previously won an Emmy in 2000 for casting "Freaks and Geeks" and was nominated in 2004 for "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
—Jenelle Riley
Scott Genkinger and Junie Lowry-Johnson, C.S.A.
Desperate Housewives
One of the highest-rated shows of the season, Marc Cherry's Desperate Housewives did more than prove that a show starring middle-aged women could dominate a prime-time slot. It proved that soap stars from Knot's Landing, The Young and the Restless, and Melrose Place could resurrect their careers.
Before Wisteria Lane became an unprecedented megahit for ABC, its stars were landing roles in forgettable made-for-TV movies, cancelled TV series, and indie films for virtually unknown production companies. But then Scott Genkinger and Junie Lowry-Johnson cast Teri Hatcher, along with Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman, and Nicollette Sheridan, in the fledgling series. Hatcher, a self-professed has-been, called the casting "spot-on" and insisted none of the ladies had been typecast.
"No one actually is their character, but it was good casting," Hatcher told World Entertainment News Network. "Nicollette says what she feels, but she's not stealing guys. Marcia has a lot going on inside over a calmer exterior but nothing to do with Bree's struggles. And Eva is funny and always jumping on people—but isn't a manipulative cheat."
As far as comparisons to their characters are concerned, the male actors on the show have much more to worry about. Doug Savant, a Melrose Place alum, irritated viewers as Lynette's vapid, overly negligent hubby, while Ricardo Antonio Chavira portrayed the hot-tempered criminal Carlos Solis so well that fans prayed he'd go to prison. Steven Culp brought complexity to the otherwise shallow, sexually deviant Rex Van De Kamp, while Mark Moses proved appropriately loathsome as the neighborhood's cold-blooded killer.
Some of the best turns on the show, however, came from veteran character actors such as Harriet Sansom Harris, a Broadway star. Throughout the season, Harris delivered complex and ferocious performances as Mrs. Huber's tough-as-nails sister, while Lupe Ontiveros invoked viewers' wrath as Juanita Solis, Carlos' loathsome gambling-addicted mother. Lesley Ann Warren carried a few episodes as Susan's immature mother, while Bob Newhart uttered a few deliciously dry lines as the character's estranged boyfriend.
With this year's success, it will be interesting to see what talent the show will attract for guest appearances next year.
Genkinger and Lowry-Johnson were previously nominated for the 1998 Emmy for casting "NYPD Blue." Lowry-Johnson has been nominated for seven casting Emmys, winning for "NYPD Blue" in 1994 and 1995 and "Six Feet Under" in 2002 and 2003.
—Nicole Kristal
Sheila Jaffe, C.S.A., Georgianne Walken, C.S.A., and Meredith Tucker
Entourage
The challenge of casting a show as biting and brutal as HBO's Entourage is finding actors who can make highly unlikeable characters somewhat likeable. Who better to cast a company of vile Hollywoodites-with-hearts-of-gold than Emmy-nominated CDs Sheila Jaffe, Georgianne Walken, and Meredith Tucker, who filled The Sopranos with a gaggle of gangsters we all love to hate?
Dark and hunky Adrian Grenier plays Vince Chase, the show's moral center and a budding superstar in the vein of Leonardo DiCaprio—although the character is supposedly based on Mark Wahlberg, Entourage's executive producer. He's backed by the entourage itself: Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, and Kevin Dillon. The actors make up a quartet of Queens boys adrift among the Hollywood glitterati, constantly flinging cell phones and four-letter epithets at each other.
Entourage's linchpin is Emmy-nominee Jeremy Piven, as slimy superagent Ari Gold. It's no wonder the trio opted for Piven, given his reputation for show-stealing supporting roles in comedies such as Grosse Pointe Blank and The Family Man. The casting directors also tapped recognizable faces to play characters, notably Debi Mazar as Vince's ruthless PR rep and Val Kilmer as a bearded Bel Air guru known only as The Sherpa.
But a show about the upper echelons of Hollywood requires stars to give the show its surreal reality. The first season featured an impressive list of guest stars playing themselves that included Jessica Alba, Jimmy Kimmel, and Evander Holyfield. Jaffe herself made a guest appearance as, of all things, a casting director.
Jaffe and Walken have built an impressive résumé over a decade, beginning with indie features such as The Daytrippers and Basquiat, then studio films including The Italian Job (starring Wahlberg), Be Cool, and the upcoming drama Last Holiday. They share this year's nomination with Meredith Tucker, who joined Walken and Jaffe in 2000 when she began working on The Sopranos.
Jaffe and Walken won an Emmy for casting "The Sopranos" in 1999 and were nominated for that show in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004. They also received a nomination for the HBO movie "Hysterical Blindness" in 2003. This is Meredith Tucker's first nomination.
—Lauren Horwitch
Brett Benner, C.S.A., and Debby Romano, C.S.A.
Scrubs
It may have taken the loss of some Friends, but it looks like the Emmy Awards are finally recognizing the long-overdue Scrubs in some of the major categories: Not only was the show nominated, but leading man Zach Braff scored his first nomination. One element of the show that has always been appreciated is the casting. This is the Emmy nod for Brett Benner and Debby Romano, the team that regularly puts together a delightful crew of wonderfully weird patients and doctors. As the show wrapped up its fourth season, it showcased some of the strongest acting on television, as regulars grew and changed, doing some of their finest work yet. Viewers watched as show stalwarts Turk and Carla, played by Donald Faison and Judy Reyes, coped with a troubled marriage, and as J.D. (Braff) dealt with the death of his father.
While the show has long been known for casting famous names—this year saw visits from Heather Graham, Colin Farrell, and Julianna Margulies, to name a few—it's frequently the fresh faces that catch our attention. Virtual unknowns such as Phill Lewis as happy-go-lucky Hooch, who popped up whenever any variation on his name was spoken, stepped right into the absurdist feel of the comedy without missing a beat. Another great find was Chrystee Pharris, who made several appearances as J.D.'s girlfriend, Kylie. While most of the juicy roles tended to go to bigger names, the work was so solid that it rarely felt like stunt casting; even Heather Graham impressed on a multiepisode arc as the hospital psychiatrist. This mix of faces new and familiar is part of what keeps Scrubs at the top of its game.
Brett Benner and Debby Romano were nominated for the Emmy in 2002 and 2003 for their work on the show.
—Jenelle Riley
Tracy Lilienfield
Will & Grace
With so many great guest stars contributing to seven smash seasons of Will & Grace, the show's casting director, Tracy Lilienfield, admittedly has a difficult time identifying her favorites from last season. Among them might be Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin, Edward Burns, Victor Garber, Jeff Goldblum, Buck Henry, Stacy Keach, Debbie Reynolds, Chita Rivera, Molly Shannon, Eric Stoltz, Sharon Stone, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lily Tomlin, and Stuart Townsend—and don't forget returning favorites Blythe Danner and Leslie Jordan.
Lilienfield singled out one actor. "I was thrilled to have Bobby Cannavale [as Will's love interest, Vince], and thrilled that he was honored with an Emmy nomination, too. I love him, and I'm very, very proud of [casting him]," she says.
When asked if she's ever surprised at the caliber of talent she's able to get, she replies, "No, because I know that we have a reputation for using our guest stars well, and they always have fun here. My regular cast—I've always thanked them publicly and privately for being so welcoming and generous with the guest cast. I think the word on the street is that it's a very fun place to be. So I expect that people want to be here."
About to begin her eighth and final season, Lilienfield, who also cast the series' pilot, says finding new guest stars, while a pleasure, is also a challenge. "We've used a lot of people," she points out. "The people who were our friends have already done it. The people who knew they wanted to do it have already done it. So I wouldn't describe it as easy." The good news is, she's always considering and booking actors who aren't necessarily well-known personalities.
When asked what she's going to miss when the show comes to a close, Lilienfield gasps and says, "Oh, my goodness; it's going to be horrible. I'm going to miss everything. It's such a cliché to say it's your home and your family, but it has been. To have a nice, long run where you were proud of what you were doing is unusual, and I'm very grateful."
For her work on "Will & Grace," Lilienfield has been nominated for an Emmy four times, from 2000 to 2003.
—Jamie Painter Young
Junie Lowry-Johnson, C.S.A., and Libby Goldstein
Deadwood
After a promising freshman year, the second season of Deadwood gathered something of a cult following. While the graphic drama about a newly formed South Dakota town in the late 1800s was often criticized by conservative groups for its abundant use of profanity and apparent lack of a moral center, audiences and television critics hailed it as the next Sopranos. Deadwood was among the few shows on television that challenged its viewers to sympathize with characters who often seemed to have lost sight of their own humanity.
The show wouldn't have created such a stir had it not been for the strength of its ensemble cast. Casting directors Junie Lowry-Johnson and Libby Goldstein worked closely with writer-creator David Milch to find actors who could convey the chaotic lawlessness of the times while creating characters that were endearing and relatable.
"I think it's no accident that so many of our best people are certainly trained in theatre," Milch says. "And most of them maintain their connection with theatre. That's always been my experience. I, regrettably, do not get to [do] theatre as much as I would like. I have worked in particular with [CDs] Junie Lowry-Johnson and Libby Goldstein for several decades, and Scott Genkinger as well, and they are resolute in their commitment to theatre, and that's how they spend their time." This was evidenced by casting frequent stage actor Anna Gunn as the heretofore unseen wife of Timothy Olyphant's virtuous sheriff Seth Bullock.
Indeed, watching Deadwood often feels like watching a well-crafted piece of theatre. This season, in particular, actor Ian McShane had some of the most challenging scenes of all. McShane's performance as local bar owner Al Swearengen is astonishing. He captures the emblematic evil villain, all the while asking for—and getting—the audience's sympathy. Last year's Emmy nominees Robin Weigert, as the tortured Calamity Jane, and Brad Dourif, as the eternally angry Doc Cochran, contributed characters who are well-intentioned yet somehow stray from the path of righteousness.
Deadwood will not be returning to HBO for another season, but Lowry-Johnson and Goldstein have been rightly acknowledged for assembling such a diverse and experienced group of actors to take on this breakthrough show.
This is the second nomination for Lowry-Johnson (also nominated this year for "Desperate Housewives") and Goldstein for their work on "Deadwood." The two were nominated for "Gia" in 1998 and won for "Six Feet Under" in 2002 and 2003.
—Pamela Bock
Linda Lowy, C.S.A., and John Brace
Grey's Anatomy
How do you create another medical drama without making it just an ER copy? By bringing some diversity to the show through its casting, as CDs Linda Lowy and John Brace have done with the first-year Grey's Anatomy.
"In the script no one had a last name; it was 'all ethnicities for all roles' at all times," says Lowy, who along with Brace made sure the multicultural mandate set by creator Shonda Rhimes for Grey's pilot episode was met. "The only character who was designated a type was Bailey, the resident all the interns answered to and called 'the Nazi.' Shonda described her as a very young-looking blonde that had this giant roar come out of her mouth," notes Lowy. The role ended up going to Chandra Wilson, an African-American actor. "When we saw [her] read, we thought, 'That would be interesting.'"
Most of the surgeon roles were also cast with African-American actors. Isaiah Washington was chosen for the smooth Dr. Preston Burke, while James Pickens Jr. was called on to play the respected chief surgeon, Dr. Richard Webber.
Ellen Pompeo had a deal set up with ABC for a series, so she had the scrubs already filled as the show's lead and cooing narrator, Meredith Grey. As for the rest of the interns, the choices were up to Lowy and Brace. Sandra Oh had just come off the sizzling indie sensation Sideways. Katherine Heigl beamed down from the WB's cult sci-fi series Roswell. The CDs added the requisite hunk with Justin Chambers and spunk with T.R. Knight. Familiarity was the reason for casting veteran film actor Patrick Dempsey as surgeon Derek Shepherd; Lowy and Brace were passionate about getting him in the role. He made the thirtysomething female demo swoon with his boyish good looks as Grey's season-long love interest. Recognizable faces were also found in patients' beds throughout Grey's debut season, including Keith David, Kate Walsh, and Bruce Weitz.
Lowy and Brace's collaboration began with the casting of Claire Danes in My So-Called Life. Most recently they filled out the eclectic ensemble of Don Roos' Happy Endings and J.J. Abrams' new ABC series What About Brian, created by Dana Stevens and premiering in January. And then there's Season Two of Grey's Anatomy. "We've been together 300 years," jokes Brace of their lengthy relationship. "We call ourselves Amnesia Casting. The memory begins to go after you work so many years together."
Lowy won an Emmy in 1997 for casting the TV movie "Bastard Out of Carolina." This is Brace's first nomination.
—Greg Reifsteck
Amy Lippens, C.S.A.
House
When it came to casting Fox TV's hit medical drama House, Amy Lippens faced a number of daunting tasks. Because it was a new show, she had to create an ensemble from scratch, finding talented performers who were not only attractive and vibrant, but who could believably pull off the medical jargon constantly spouted on the freshman series.
Though she filled some of the roles with familiar faces—actors such as Robert Sean Leonard and Omar Epps, best known for their film work—it was a British actor probably best known to American audiences as the dad in Stuart Little who landed the title character, a role Lippens says was "absolutely the hardest to cast." Adds Lippens, "We always look under every rock and think about all types of actors for role. Executive Producer David Shore wrote such wonderful characters for the pilot, so we wanted to make sure each one was distinctively brought to life." Lippens was already a fan of Hugh Laurie, having researched him for a previous project. Laurie was in Africa shooting Flight of the Phoenix, but put himself on tape to audition for the grouchy, brilliant Dr. House. "He was flown out to Los Angeles upon our interest and tested for the role in front of the network," recalls Lippens. "He did his American accent and was completely flawless. When he started talking, he was House."
Rounding out the cast were Lisa Edelstein, whom Lippens had previously cast in the short-lived sitcom Leap of Faith, Jesse Spencer, whom Lippens had seen in the film Uptown Girls and who went on tape in England, and Jennifer Morrison, a Chicago actor Lippens had previously seen for kids' movies and who was suggested by her casting associate Stephanie Laffin.
House has also recruited some excellent guest stars over the last year, including Harry Lennix, Joe Morton, and Robin Tunney. While Lippens doesn't want to play favorites, she adds that she was thrilled to get Tunney for the pilot episode, which marked the first time the actor had done television. "We were so lucky to get her," says Lippens. "And it was sort of great she hadn't done television before, I think she brought a real freshness to it."
Now casting Season Two of the series, Lippens is thrilled by the show's success and has high praise for the executive producers, including Paul Attanasio (TV's Homicide), Katie Jacobs, Shore, and filmmaker Bryan Singer. "Our executive producers are very casting-oriented, especially Katie, who has excellent taste," she notes. "So we always collaborate together and have a free dialogue. We were in the trenches together, looking for actors to play House, because that role would not work without the right actor. And everyone was such a champion of Hugh."
Lippens was nominated for Emmys in 2001 and 2002 for casting "Once and Again."
—Jenelle Riley
Casting by April Webster, C.S.A, Mandy Sherman, C.S.A., Alyssa Weisberg, and Veronica Collins
Lost
The casting directors behind ABC's new phenomenon Lost definitely had their work cut out for them: Not only did they have to fill 14 vital leading roles on the series, they are responsible for the ever-revolving ensemble of characters seen in flashbacks from week to week. Some of the main roles were filled by familiar faces—executive producer J.J. Abrams personally recruited the great Terry O'Quinn to play morally ambiguous castaway Locke after the actor appeared on sister show Alias, and TV veteran Matthew Fox anchors the show as good doctor Jack. According to April Webster, who also casts Alias, the hardest role to fill was fugitive Kate, a part that went to relative newcomer Evangeline Lilly. "She hadn't had a lot of onscreen experience, but she had an immediate quality," says Webster. Still, Lilly wasn't cast until the last second, not because of any doubts, but because of her status as a Canadian citizen. "We had to get her cleared to work, which took some time. We were working on it up until the last second," says Webster.
The casting of Lost is full of great stories. There's the one about how Yunjin Kim originally tried out for Kate but ended up charming the producers so much they created the role of Sun for her, thus necessitating the role of her husband Jin. And how Jorge Garcia (who plays fan favorite Hurley) was spotted by Abrams on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and how Charlie was originally written as a fortysomething burnout before one-time Hobbit Dominic Monaghan auditioned. But once the main cast was in place the casting never wavered, and actors have been allowed to shine in even the smallest guest roles. Webster frequently brought in actors she remembered from previous sessions. These included the excellent L. Scott Caldwell, who was quietly heartbreaking as survivor Rose, and John Terry, whom Webster says was "at the top of the list from Day One" to play Jack's estranged father.
The trick in casting a show with such a veil of secrecy is that sometimes the CDs aren't even sure what part they're casting for. "Sometimes what [an actor is] reading for is not the part they're auditioning for," she says. "For the finale they used dummy sides with dummy descriptions—even we weren't aware what the roles would be because we didn't have a script." But there are many upsides to working for such a water-cooler program when it comes to casting. Admits Webster, "It helps [that] the show is so popular to get people on who might not normally do episodic television."
Webster was previously nominated for Emmys in 1997 for "Grand Avenue" and in 2002 for "Alias." This is the first nomination for Sherman, Weisberg, and Collins.
—Jenelle Riley
Casting by Eric Dawson
Nip/Tuck
It's no wonder the second season of FX's steamy plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck was a cut above its first. A little more than a decade ago, the show's casting director, Eric Dawson, was the genius who had Heather Locklear move into Melrose Place as Amanda Woodward in its second season, changing the show's identity forever. When show runner Ryan Murphy concocted the character of venomous seductress/transsexual Ava Moore, who anchored Nip/Tuck's second season, Dawson's keen instinct shone through again by casting the alluring Famke Janssen in the role. Just call Dawson the sophomore stud.
"When I had to do my Emmy tape, and I had to go back and watch everything, Famke's work was just to die for. I could have done 30 minutes on her alone," says Dawson proudly.
Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon), the plastic surgeons with libidos even bigger than their salaries, were given bigger-name patients every week to treat—and to woo. "It was great in the fact that they wrote fantastic characters, and that, plus the buzz of the show, enabled us to get people that we usually had to chase; they became very available to us," says Dawson. This included some new notches in Christian's belt, such as Rebecca Gayheart, playing a blind client wanting more convincing eyes, and Aisha Tyler, portraying a female circumcision victim in need of corrective surgery. Dawson was also able to add some grand dames to the show. By casting Jill Clayburgh as heartbreaking empty-nest victim Bobbi Broderick, Nip/Tuck scored its first acting nomination for guest actress in a drama series. Also inspired was the casting of Vanessa Redgrave, who came on for a handful of episodes as the overbearing mother of Sean's wife, Julia (played by Redgrave's real-life daughter, Joely Richardson).
And how can a show not get nominated for outstanding casting when the season finale delivers such a star-studded one-two punch? Alec Baldwin played a surgeon with a Frankenstein complex, while Joan Rivers, playing herself, requested to have all of her plastic surgery undone. "Both of those were brainchilds of Ryan. He obviously had Joan in mind for it when he wrote the episode, so we had to track her down," says Dawson. "And after meeting with Alec for another case, Ryan pitched this idea to him and he said yes."
This is Dawson's first Emmy nomination.
—Greg Reifsteck
Casting by Debi Manwiller, C.S.A. and Peggy Kennedy, C.S.A.
24
The real-time drama 24 might have the largest cast on television; it's begun to rival Law & Order as a rite of passage for up-and-coming actors. It's not uncommon to see someone pop up on the show, then start to appear regularly somewhere else. Case in point: Episode Four of this season featured heretofore unknown Tina Holmes as a store customer. Months later, Holmes was regularly on TV as a new member of the cast of Six Feet Under. Credit Debi Manwiller, with the show since the beginning, and Peggy Kennedy: They have long had a knack for tapping new talent. Manwiller and Kennedy cast a wide net in their search for new faces on 24; when the third season focused on a Latino crime lord's family, Manwiller made a point to check out a performance of the play Latinologues to scout talent.
In addition, 24 often gives actors the chance to show a new side of themselves. Using Aisha Tyler, probably best known for her stint on Friends and for hosting E! Television's Talk Soup, as a double agent proved a pleasant surprise. And Shohreh Aghdashloo, so tender and loving in House of Sand and Fog, proved to be one tough mother as she unblinkingly murdered her son's girlfriend. It was also nice to see Arnold Vosloo, best known as the title character in The Mummy films, finally get dialogue as the season's big baddie, terrorist Habib Marwan. While many viewers might assume 24 is all about Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer, a hero is only as interesting as the people he plays off of. And Jack's string of 24-hour periods are only as bad as his co-stars are good. Thanks to Manwiller and Kennedy, Jack had another horrible day.
Manwiller and Kennedy received the 2004 Emmy for casting "24." They were previously nominated in 2003 and Manwiller was nominated in 2002. In 1996, Manwiller won an Emmy for casting "Chicago Hope."
--Jenelle Riley