Since San Francisco casting director Kristen Beck enjoyed her previous work on commercials and corporate projects with “The Shallows” director Joel Pincosy, she was excited to work with him again on his short film. Written by Peter and Joel Pincosy, the film tells the story of a middle-aged woman who faces an abrupt end to her party days. “The Shallows” stars Christine Ostrander, James Ted Harvey, Michael X. Sommers, and John Lennon Harrison.
To find fresh talent for the film, Beck turned to Backstage. “Backstage was super easy and quick. The staff are always quick to respond and very helpful. The website is simple to understand, and easy to contact the talent directly,” she says of the experience.
Through Backstage, she found actor Dalton Leffler, who plays the role of Young Man, an attractive but somewhat dim man who encounters the Young Sue [Grace Ingland] in the film. “It was a very small role, but the chemistry with Young Sue had to be perfect.” Although Beck was not the final decision maker in casting Leffler, she felt his chemistry with the actor playing Ingland was spot on.
The most difficult role to cast was actually the leading role of Sue, according to Beck. Not only did she need the lead actor, she needed a 20-year-old version and a 7-year-old version. “They had to look like they were one person, which is why this project took longer than usual,” Beck says. But she loved casting the two girls in the film. She had to find two girls that looked like sisters and loved to laugh together. “They were awesome, and had a blast. The mom thanked me for a great time. I love that.”
In general when she’s casting, Beck looks for actors that are “extremely comfortable with themselves and the character.” “Someone that can make easy conversation with anyone, and be able to adapt to any situation,” she explains. While the skills and experience she’s looking for vary project to project, Beck says she does like short reels and is always interested in talent with a strong theater background.
One thing Beck stresses is the importance of being local when applying for a project that doesn’t have a budget to fly in talent. “So many times actors submit on a job, I call them in, then they are not available for the casting. Or, they live in another state. Many times I do not have time to look where each talent is from. But the biggest pet peeve is really the one where they are not available for the casting.”
