So just how much power does the casting director have? Many actors seem to think he/she can make or break a career; others are not convinced that the casting director boasts all that much clout; indeed, many casting directors see themselves as members of a "service" profession. They define their roles as facilitators for the actor as well as the producer and director.
Back Stage decided to take a look at this emotionally charged subject from several perspectives, in addition to considering how the field has evolved, with its ever-changing demands and challenges. We chatted with several industry insiders for their spin. Here's what they had to say.
Casting director Geoff Johnson (of Johnson-Liff Associates) believes there is a mythology surrounding the alleged power of the casting director. Indeed, he views the word "power," at least as applied to casting directors, as "scary" and simply inaccurate.
"Directors and writers and producers make the final decisions," he says, emphasizing that his role is essentially that of prescreener. "But I can't tell you the number of times an actor has thanked me for getting him a role or, conversely, blamed me for not getting a role. I don't get anyone a role. I get him the chance to audition."
He pauses. "What a lot of actors don't understand is that we want to see them cast in a part. It makes our job that much easier [not to mention boosting the casting director's credibility and reputation]. Of course, there are some actors we may like less than others for personal reasons. But that won't stop us from sending them to audition for a director, if we think they're right for the part. I don't think most of us are on power trips."
Nonetheless, it seems clear that if a handful of major casting directors are responsible for the lion's share of productions—and they are, be it theatre, film, or commercials—they boast a degree of power.
Johnson-Liff, for example, is most identified with mega-musicals; among the shows they've cast are "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera," and "Les Misérables." By Johnson's own admission, they have become, willy-nilly, "the musical mavens" (despite the fact that they do many other projects), and the odds are the next time a Broadway-bound musical comes up for casting, Johnson-Liff will be hired to do the job.
Consider actor Roger Kozol's experience. For 15 years, he played lead roles in major regional theatres (like the Guthrie, Arena Studio, and the Cincinnati Playhouse). But he left the business 30 years ago, in part, he says, because of the growing power of the casting director.
"Before the '70s, you could get to the director or producer directly, if you knew them," he recalls. "That changed when the casting director, who had been hired as a buffer, started making the initial decisions. You had to go through him [or her] first."
Undoubtedly so. Equally true (and no one disputes it), there were fewer people in the business years ago, the competition was less steep, and the whole atmosphere surrounding casting was altogether more casual. Remember, at one time actors "made the rounds," meaning they routinely dropped into the producer's office to drop off pictures and resumes, and shoot the breeze ("networking," to use current jargon). Today, of course, that kind of behavior would be virtually unheard of.
More to the point, casting directors worked in-house for theatrical producers, movie studios, TV networks, and advertising agencies. In some instances, the wife of the producer served as the casting director. While some casting directors still work in-house—daytime TV casting directors are a classic case in point—most have launched their own businesses and are hired by producers (or ad agencies) on a freelance contractual basis.
Two events leading to the advent of the independent casting director transpired simultaneously.
First, the overflow of actors auditioning and the burgeoning business—e.g., multiple global tours of any one production—created the need for middlemen with expertise. The sheer numbers and growing complexity of the industry played their role.
Equally important from the producer or ad agency's point of view, it became cost-ffective to hire an outside entity—the casting director—when needed, as opposed to having him in-house and thus being required to pay him a salary, with benefits.
That evolution being noted, is the casting director's job, his relationship to the client (producer or ad agency), actor, and actor's agent really altered? Or is the old adage true—the more things change, the more they remain the same?
That depends on who is speaking, what end of the business he represents, and his own particular experiences.
A Changing Landscape
Broadway producers Elliot and Marjorie Martin ("Glengarry Glen Ross," "Joe Turner Has Come and Gone," and most recently, "Moon for the Misbegotten"), who are hands-on producers and personally involved in the casting process, see a fundamental change.
Years ago, they assert, much more time was invested in each production; as such, casting was a more deliberate and thoughtful process. Fewer actors were seen, but those who were had a shot at getting the role. And although the Martins never used outside casting directors—Marjorie Martin filled that slot—they maintain that casting directors were more selective in terms of whom they'd send out.
"Casting directors operated on a smaller scale; they had fewer actors on their lists," emphasizes Marjorie Martin. "They didn't work for theatre, movie, and TV producers. You'd be able to sit down with a casting director and talk about what you were looking for, and fewer actors would be sent along. Now dozens of actors are sent for each role and they are often completely wrong. Today, casting directors feel the economic pressure to place as many performers as possible."
Casting director Mark Simon doesn't dispute the economic pressures. Still, he contends that it is the producers and/or directors who set the tone and indicate what they want. Simon is the casting director for such productions as this season's "Sweet Smell of Success" and "The Last 5 Years," and, most recently, "Hollywood Arms," written by Carol Burnett and her late daughter, Carrie Hamilton, on display through June 1 at the Chicago-based Goodman Theatre in a production directed by Harold Prince.
Simon notes: "Our job is reactive. We are told, or we know from previous experience working with the director or producer, that he wants to see six or 40 actors for each role. There are so many variables. Are we talking about an understudy or a principal? With an understudy, the director will be less involved with the casting and will [probably] want to see fewer actors than with principal roles. Time restraints have to be taken into account, too. Smaller productions are allotted less time for casting than, say, a major movie or a Broadway musical, where the casting process may go on for a year."
Nonetheless, directors of high-profile movies, with their mammoth budgets and high-stakes risks, will see many more actors for the principal roles than will their counterparts in the theatre, even if we're talking about a musical.
Commercials, on the other hand, are usually cast quickly, at least today, says casting director Elsie Stark of Stark Naked Productions, a company that has specialized in casting commercials. She is also known for casting bilingual commercials and a range of productions for Latino television.
"Years ago, we could spend five or six days casting one character for a commercial," Stark recalls. "But since 2000, with the SAG strike, the downturn in the economy, and the fact that many commercials are now being shot in Canada, our business is depressed. The directors of TV commercials now want seven roles cast in one day."
To what extent producers and directors are open (perhaps even eager) to audition an array of types for a role—or conversely, have a very clear notion of what they want ahead of time—is highly individual.
One of the virtues of being a casting director, we were told repeatedly, is the opportunity and joy in pushing the envelope in terms of casting.
The Casting Director's Discretion
"I love to send in an unlikely actor—one who breaks the mold—and then see him get the part," asserts casting director Eileen Starger. "And I will frequently go out on a limb for an unknown if I think he is right." She stresses, "For any part, you want to see a range of actors, and for many roles, you can play with age, race, and gender. And I do." Starger has served as a casting director for studio feature films and Broadway theatre. Among her film productions: "The First Wives Club," "Sleepy Hollow," "Marvin's Room," and "The Parent Trap." Her theatre productions include "The Elephant Man," "Dance of Death," "Closer," and "The Diary of Anne Frank."
Carol Nadell's specialty is industrials (of all kinds) and she, too, cites with pleasure the flexibility she has been afforded, even when she has been told precisely what the director is looking for. "I was casting a judge who was supposed to be a white 50-year-old male," she recalls. "And, naturally, I sent in several white 50-year-old actors to audition for the part. But I also sent in an African-American woman who I thought would be perfect for the part—and she got it.
"But my favorite story of unexpected casting was for a live educational show," she continues. "I was asked quite specifically for a tall, virile guy. One of the actors I auditioned, however, was short and chubby, but I believed he was just what the director was looking for [in terms of tone and style] despite the fact that he was physically off. And I sent him in. When he walked in to meet with the director, you could see the director's face fall. But in the end, he's the one who got the job."
One thing that hasn't changed very much is where casting directors go to get the actors they cast. Among their sources: agents they know, sometimes (not usually) agents they don't know, managers, their own files of headshots, personal recommendations, and actors they have seen in diverse settings—from TV shows to Off-Off Broadway showcases. They all insist they go to the latter (especially if someone they know and respect says, "You've got to go and see so-and-so!").
The question of whether there are more or less opportunities for actors is up for grabs. Some of those we talked with feel there may be more openings, but for less money—in the booming world of cable TV, for example. Others cite the depressed economy and the fact that fewer commercials are being made as a case in point, but note the greater opportunities for unexpected physical types in those same commercials.
The "Real People" look, which has been around for quite a while, is apparently more popular than ever. "For commercials, we get requests for people who have cancer, wear dentures, are autistic, or have Downs Syndrome," notes commercial-industrial agent Eileen Haves of Acme Talent & Literary.
Visual vignettes have largely replaced the conventionally attractive spokesperson-driven commercial, says casting director Stark. "So we are often searching for striking-looking people who have strong improvisational skills. Many of the new commercials are not text-driven, either. The actors we use have to be able to 'listen.' "
One area that seems to be doing well—and requires a special set of acting skills—is the industrial. This genre has its own set of demands; the industrial, after all, has to be educational as well as entertaining.
"The purpose of the industrial is to get information out there, whether it's targeting sales reps at a pharmaceutical company or patients suffering from tuberculosis," says Nadell. "Acting for industrials is hard because the characters are not organic. The words are neutered; they can come out of anybody's mouth. So it's really up to the actor to create the character.
Where Do They Come From?
The art of casting—and casting directors believe it is an art—is a combination of intuition and experience, they all contend. So who are casting directors? Where do they come from?
Interestingly, a fair number (like Nadell and Geoff Johnson) were actors early in their careers; others were stage managers and/or assistants to various producers or casting directors before moving into casting themselves. Starger worked in story development when a friend in the business suggested that she (Starger) consider casting as a career possibility.
In most cases, serendipity played a role. Nadell, who as noted was an actress, was asked by an acquaintance who worked at Merrill Lynch to come up with some actors who might be interested in being in an industrial for the company; Nadell, approaching it in the most casual way, did just that. The head of the production company liked Nadell's choices so much that, when he went on to do industrials for other corporations, he again relied on Nadell's suggestions.
And that's when it struck Nadell: she enjoyed the work, and the anxiety surrounding acting had begun to wear thin. In short order, she took a business course and set up shop. Her company, "Selective Casting by Carol Nadell," has been on the scene since 1988.
It's hard to gauge precisely how many casting directors there are, although The Ross Reports will offer a comprehensive listing of who is casting what at any given time. Those who launch their own businesses have to be licensed. But short of the licensing requirements and those common-sense rules set forth by the unions, there are no rigid guidelines that casting directors have to adhere to. There is a Casting Society of America (on the East and West coasts), but that organization is more of a loose affiliation than a governing body.
Larger and more established casting companies will have a number of assistants on board, many of whom may ultimately leave and set up their own businesses. There is much turnover. Smaller operations may be run single-handedly; and, at the beginning of a career in casting directing, the newcomer may have to be prepared to make competitive bids against others (usually casting directors of the same status) for projects.
And as already mentioned, there isn't any one way—or series of set steps—to become a casting director.
"At one time, nobody said, 'I want to grow up and be a casting director,' although I am hearing it occasionally today," notes Geoff Johnson. "We have interns in our office, most of whom have majored in theatre in college and are interested in working in some aspect of the business besides acting."
Although it hasn't happened yet, none of the casting directors we talked with voice any surprise at the prospect of future casting directors majoring in the subject on the undergraduate level or even earning a master's degree in it at some point down the road.
And Where Are They Going?
Another change that everyone is anticipating—indeed, it's already in place—is the growing use of the computer (via websites and email) as audition vehicles. Audio auditions for voice-overs are being downloaded right now, and as the technology improves and becomes even more widespread, video auditions will also be transmitted through cyberspace, theoretically eliminating the need for in-person auditions.
That having been said, a number of casting directors we spoke with are still conducting their business the old-fashioned way. Johnson would like to do (time allowing) more frequent general interviews as a way of getting to see the lesser-known, non-represented talent out there.
And there's something else he's interested in: more high-profile credit for casting directors. For years he has been championing their cause, disturbed because he does not feel that the work of casting directors is appreciated.
"At the end of a review, there's a little box listing everyone involved in the production. Casting directors are conspicuously missing. Variety once included the names of casting directors, but then they stopped. And I've often wondered why casting directors don't get Tony Awards, are not even eligible for them. Every time I've brought up the subject to the Tony committee, it's put on the back burner. Members of the old school don't understand why we should get Tonys.
"I'll tell you why. We pick the right people who audition for the directors and we help figure out who works well together. It's a very special talent!"