How to Get Cast on ‘The Peripheral’

Recommissioned for a second series after a successful debut, The Peripheral is an Amazon Prime Video sci-fi drama series starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Gary Carr, JJ Feild, and Jack Reynor. Not for the faint-hearted or, more to the point, the small-brained, The Peripheral can be a head scratcher, but that’s what makes it engaging. 

Set in 2032 in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Moretz plays Flynne, the main caretaker alongside her brother, Burton (Reynor), to their ailing mother. Flynne works in a 3D print shop and Burton is a gamer. When Burton asks Flynne to try out a new VR interface, she finds herself mixed up in a conspiracy that proves less virtual than she’d like. Dark alternate realities, the emergence of sinister new tech, and multiple shifting timelines abound – like we said, The Peripheral makes demands on the grey matter. 

Add into the mix some serious action set pieces, a few dodgy British accents, and T’Nia Miller as an impressively nasty baddie and you’ll understand why it’s been quickly recommissioned. In more good news, the show is partially set in the UK – one of the multiple timelines is London in 2099 – and it’s also filmed here, so there’s work on offer for actors ready to take it. 

The show is based on a 2014 William Gibson book of the same name. A legendary name in sci-fi, Gibson clearly attracted at least one of the cast to the project. Reynor told the New York Post, “I’m a fan of sci-fi and speculative fiction, and William Gibson is kind of the godfather of the genre, really…. Gibson is obviously the man who coined the term ‘cyberspace’ and he conceptualized the internet before it was ever invented. So, the opportunity to be part of an adaptation of his work was really exciting for me…. He’s infamously hard to adapt, but with Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy onboard, I just felt like this was going to be the best opportunity to do this thing the right way.” 

Nolan and Joy, the brains behind Westworld, know what they’re doing when it comes to mind-bending sci-fi narratives. The Peripheral is part of their first-look deal with Amazon.  

When we said we were going to give you the inside track on the casting process of The Peripheral, we weren’t kidding. We’ve spoken to top casting director Sophie Holland, who worked on Season 1, to get her advice for budding Peripheral stars. Holland started out as an actor, so she really knows the drill. Plus she’s currently working on Wednesday Season 2 and some top-secret Tim Burton projects, including the Beetlejuice sequel – in summary, listen up! 

Holland says her casting ethos is to “always open the door to new talent.” That means she looks for actors “everywhere and anywhere,” including community groups, schools, street casting, and open calls. “Fresh faces always excite me more than anything else. I love being the first to discover new talent.”  

She’s also happy for actors to reach out directly: “I’m a firm believer in the fact that it’s your career and your right to reach out to the people who might be able to offer you a job. They might not always respond, but we always read the emails that we’re sent and you never know when it might cross the desk at just the right time.”

When it comes to self-taping, Holland says it’s best to stick with the basics. “For me, simple is best. Can I see your face? Can I hear you? I think it’s superfluous to complicate it further.”

If you’re lucky enough to get into the room with the casting directors and top creatives, Holland has some top tips for what makes a great audition. Talent is the most important, but she adds, “I always like it when an actor comes in to ‘work.’ If we get 15 minutes, I want to get straight into it.” So don’t dilly-dally. 

She also has some brilliant advice for those wishing to enter the sci-fi fantasy world of The Peripheral. “When you cast a world with huge scope, you don’t need the actors to be broad. Let the special effects do that. I always think the reverse works so well. Detailed, honest ‘real’ performances always work well for me.”

As for her final piece of advice? It’s simple: “Be kind.” Wise words in and out of the audition room!    

We’ve got the skinny from the casting director, but what else needs doing? First up, make sure you’ve got the basics covered: watch the show, do some research, and make sure your headshots, CV, and showreel are good to go so you’re ready when the phone rings. Also, keep an eye on our casting call page for all the latest opportunities.  

The Peripheral star Moretz knows what needs doing when it comes to auditions. She’s got the talent, but she’s also ready to go further. In an interview with the Mirror, she shared her experience auditioning for Martin Scorsese, who originally wanted a Brit for the lead in Hugo:  

“He flew Asa and I out to New York to audition in front of him and I spoke in a British accent the whole time. I’d lived in London for five months when I was filming Kick-Ass, so I knew the rhythm of the accent, which is one of the main things you have to pick up. There’s a huge difference in the way the British act and speak, and I stayed in character with Marty until the end. When I thanked him and walked out, he said, ‘Hold on, did I hear an American accent?’ I said, ‘Maybe,’ and he replied, ‘You tricked me.’ But it worked because I got the part. Sometimes you have to do whatever you can to get the role.”  

Co-star Reynor has a similar mentality, telling Metro, “You’ve got to hustle to find good scripts and you have to go in thinking, It’s going to be me. I’m not going to do those things unless I think they’re really good. Otherwise, what’s the point?”