Annie Boedeker-Roberts
Casting executive at E! Entertainment
Television, Los Angeles
The one thing that I feel is true is that people want to work with nice, good people. If someone super-attractive is a jerk, then who wants to work with that person? Absolutely I'm looking for the person who is not only going to do a great job but also is somebody who's going to be fun to be around and is somebody that the entire crew is going to want to work with.
I think [looking like someone famous] can hurt because people are coming with "Oh, this person is just like so-and-so, and they're going to act just like them," and that's certainly not the case, for the most part. Maybe -- if there's a way that they can grow their hair out or change their look a little bit. If you look just like Tom Cruise, then that might hurt you.
Jason La Padura, CSA
Los Angeles; Heroes, High School Musical 1 & 2,
What About Brian, Crossing Jordan
There are certain shows that I've done in the past that are essentially nighttime soaps, and there the look is what we're looking for a little bit more than the acting ability. But casting, especially on television, is really all about matching the personality to the role. You don't cast roles as many times as you cast some essential quality or an essence of the actor as the best way of telling a story. Especially when you're doing something like a series-regular role, you're looking for what the person's essence is, because they're going to be there long after the creators of the show are gone. So, very often, it's a case-by-case situation.
Sometimes it's all about a look, but many times it's about the acting ability. In our office, I always look at the résumé to see what kind of roles a person's been doing, where they've been doing them, what their training is. When I see good schools on there, it gives me a certain comfort factor; when I see that a director or producer has worked with an actor a couple of times, I know this person thinks that they're a go-to person.
There's a lot of things that make me bring somebody in, and often -- and especially on my sixth year of Crossing Jordan -- I'd take a chance on somebody just by the kinds of roles and shows that they've been doing. If I see that they're doing a lot of good hour shows and I sort of know their work, I'll take a chance and bring that person directly to producers. Very often it works.
I don't really think it helps to say, "Oh my God, he looks just like fill-in-the-blank." We play that game all the time in the sessions. We'll go, "He looks like a young so-and-so," or, "If so-and-so and so-and-so had a child, this would be their child." We do that kind of thing all the time, but I don't think it helps if you look like somebody famous.
John Papsidera, CSA
Los Angeles; The Girl in the Park, Batman Begins, Austin Powers, Independence Day
You hope substance wins over good looks. I think it depends on the project. For features, we get more of an opportunity to have substance win out over a look. The casting director game, it's half this and half that.
There are situations where [looking like someone famous] could help. In The Prestige, I was looking desperately for actors to play doubles to Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. In that instance, yeah, it would be hugely helpful. In a lot of other instances, I think the reality is that whatever that person is, it's unique to how they speak and how they move, and that's what you end up hiring in television and film. I think everybody's unique enough that you're not doing double work.
Catherine Stroud, CSA
London/Stroud Casting, Los Angeles; Strange Wilderness, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana
I would say substance wins over good looks, because you can always, with hair and makeup, pretty somebody up. But if the substance isn't there, you don't know if you're going to be able to get the performance that you want out of the actor, especially television, week after week, and especially comedy. Either the person is funny or they're not. So if you find somebody who's funny, who can really deliver your material, you're going to want that more than some pretty face that you don't know.
It depends on what the part calls for. If it is a visual and they need someone drop-dead good-looking for the story to work, then that is what we are looking for, and we'll find the best drop-dead good-looking person. If there is room on the looks, then substance will be the deciding factor, usually. Most actors change their look for a part: hair color, style, clothes, etc. I never thought looking like someone got in the way.
Bonnie Timmerman
New York; High Midnight, Pearl Harbor, The Last of the Mohicans, Bull Durham, Dirty Dancing
Of course substance wins over good looks. When you see actors like Forest Whitaker nominated for an Academy Award -- although I find him kind of sexy -- you wonder who the other candidates were. I would always go with the best actor. If you are good, that is what counts.
Cassie Carpenter can be reached at ccarpenter (at) backstage.com.