Casting directors Courtney Bright and Nicole Daniels were Emmy-nominated for their work on “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” which earned nearly the entire main cast acting nominations of their own. The duo began working together under CD Ronna Kress before venturing out on their own. They resided on the film side of the industry at first, shaping the casts of projects like “The Bling Ring” and “Home Again.” But their work on “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” ushered in more projects on the television side, including the second season of the Ryan Murphy anthology series and its fellow FX program “Legion.” Now they juggle major films, must-see TV, and festival indies, choosing big-name actors for unexpected roles while helping others break through and land their first notable jobs.
What was different about TV that you didn’t experience in film casting?
Nicole Daniels: It’s a much faster pace. On a movie, we have three months to find 30 roles, and when we came on for Episode 2 [of “American Crime Story” Season 1], I think it was 90 roles that we had to cast in essentially eight days.
How do you approach casting characters based on real people?
Courtney Bright: We look first at the physical resemblance, but an actor’s emotional connection to a character can prove to be more important. Someone like Ryan [Murphy] has the best hair, makeup, and costume people in the game, and they’re able to do so much magic.
ND: And then, once we see the performance, we can weed people out. Then the emotional vulnerability of all the acting prompts the physicality. Somehow it all melds together perfectly and, whether the actor looks like the person or not, the viewer believes it’s them in the end.
How do you go about casting smaller roles that will share the screen with big actors?
CB: We definitely have to keep that in mind. We don’t want to throw someone in who is going to waste someone like Penélope Cruz’s time. But on a high-profile project, we have a pool of actors who are at a certain caliber being offered to us, even for those small parts.
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What were some of the challenges of casting a show like “American Crime Story”?
CB: The number of roles that there are in the series. When you work with Ryan, there are so many roles, including featured background actors with no lines but who appear and need to have an interesting face and know they need to react without doing something strange.
As CDs, what advice do you give to actors?
ND: Be prepared. I think of it as a job interview, and when I go on an interview, I prepare and do my homework and research. I make sure I show up on time. I would ask the same of the actors when they come in. Study their scenes and know their lines, be prepared, and just take it seriously. It is a craft, and you have to study your craft. So many people just wake up and want to move to Los Angeles and be famous, and that’s not how it works.
CB: Be authentic. Try to give an authentic performance; that’s what everyone’s looking for. And do the work behind the scenes; you can’t just wake up and say, “I’m going to be an actor today.” You need to do the work and study.
What makes you want to bring someone who has auditioned for you back in?
CB: Just because someone isn’t right for the role doesn’t mean they’re not a great actor. We can recognize that. We’ll bring back someone we know is a strong actor, someone who we like. We have a pool of people who are our go-tos. They are people we know are solid actors who will show up on time, who will give the performance that is wanted from them, and we call them all the time. ND: We’ll call someone back if they have a good vibe and they’re personable and easygoing and it’s somebody we can tell would be good on set. We keep a file of headshots and résumés that we knew we liked but weren’t right and might be for the next project. All of a sudden, we might say, “Oh, yeah, what about so-and-so? They would be great here, let’s try them for this.” We’re always keeping a running tab on the people that we like. They don’t let us down.
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