So we can say, No, this is the Bob Odenkirk character youre reading with. And its like, oh, a light bulb goes off, but we cant in email. Im just blown away with how Bill can be in a scene, fully connected to it as an actor, even when I know his eye as the director and ear as the writer are simultaneously at work. Scott says Dead to Me is a comedy, but its very down to earth. After a 2007 surgery that required general anesthesia, Steenburgen, who plays Zoeys mother, Maggie, began hearing original music in her head. He was tied to a play in New York., Jemaine does that so much, says Kay. We always want to be readily available to talk as they prepare their tapes so that there is that sense that weve been in the room with them. And, speaking from first hand experience, they are the best people to audition for. AD: One of the reasons the show has become so popular is because of the way it straddles this really thin line between comedy and drama in ways we rarely see on television. For 'The. You always want to work with people who inspire you and who you can learn from, and Bill is one of those people. ST: Not at all! Thats a fantastic pick! That is such a skill, and one I wish I had. There would be years where people would be like, Where did you get all these drug addicts? . But, just like any other season, we got the scripts and then talked with [co-creator/star] Bill [Hader] and [co-creator/showrunner] Alec [Berg] to hear what they were identifying within the new characters. Type above and press Enter to search. Its about finding complex and compelling actors that can bring nuance even to comedy. I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris. For Dead to Mes second season, Scott said the main task was finding the new love interest for Linda Cardellinis character. These casting directors pull back the curtain on the process Lets try it. Sharon Bialy: Right. Send it to the producers. Our job is to connect with people to bring out the best performance. AD: This wasnt your only nomination this year. Im pretty sure Im the loudest, so I think whoevers the loudest wins, joked Thomas. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. Casting Networks acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land throughout Australia. Join Facebook to connect with Sherry Thomas Lane and others you may know. Im always thrilled when stunt casting works, because people immediately feel a sense of connection by knowing somebody from the past, he says. The external is not whats important to him. The main cast may seem only six actors deep, but to the casting directors, the world was expansive. And at that time, there were not vaccination mandates in place. Get to Know the Casting Director: Sherry Thomas Cat Elliott August 2, 2022 It's hard to pick just a handful of credits that cover the breadth and depth of Sherry Thomas' casting rsum. Stacia Kimler, Casting . Sometimes the nomination day is like Christmas morning, but this year we completely forgot. And I also just love her as a person. Required fields are marked *. Sherry Thomas Lane (@sherrythomaslane) - Instagram And if an actor does the wrong choice and they come in the room, you can easily give them direction and play with it and get them more relaxed and support them. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. Now, here comes my favorite question to ask, Sherry. And it isnt so much that we only do dramas, we love comedies. Sherry Lansing - Biography - IMDb But then she had also read with us on Danny McBrides Vice Principles. Twitter Icon That has been nice because so many of these shows are aged for younger women. Livin' the dream. Robin Bartlett, we have cast many times and she is, kind of in my brain, there was nobody else for it. Let me try it. Its good to be (Regina) King: The Oscar winner might win her fourth Emmy for her portrayal of Angela Aybar/Sister Night in Watchmen., The Doctor is in: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was a surprise choice to play Dr. Manhattan in HBOs Watchmen.. His instinct was that she was the perfect fit for the part, and he didnt give up. I grew up thinking that acting was going to be my path in life, so when I was 22, I packed up my car and drove cross-country to LA with just 150 bucks in my pocket. I get told all the time that I remind people of Melissa McCarthy. Its definitely a world that were extremely interested in.. In the meantime, make your predictions for Best Drama Series below the interview using our easy drag-and-drop menu. I want to get a sense of who they are, and how they handle text, and what they bring to the table in terms of choices, well watch it the whole way through because were educating ourselves. It has this sense of urgency that I love and the tangible aspect of running a business, but then theres also the creative side of it. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. Casting director Sherry Thomas (The Righteous Gemstones, Better Call Saul) explains if she has any tells when auditioning actors and how she wants them to fe. Every actor that comes in, even if they dont get the job, we keep a lot of notes . Well often write notes like, Remember for BCS because theres a naturalistic approach to the acting on the show; its not showy at all. So now, if I leave at one oclock today [at time of interview] to go pick up my kids from camp, its OK. It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. It is how we really modulate a performance. She was the lead casting director on this one and what she did was really take actors that are known for one thing and respect them and the breath of their talent and say, Im going to try something else here. Bialy, Thomas and Russell Scott are nominated twice this year, for Dead to Me along with Handmaids Tale. Another of their shows, Better Call Saul, now has 11 acting nominations. And it happens. Sherry Thomas: Well, its crazy. Its also an emotional drama. They have to be funny and in the moment with so few lines, and that is such a hard thing to do. She came in for Mo [Zoeys neighbor, played by gender-fluid actor Alex Newell], and everybody remembered her when we were casting [Zoeys sister-in-law] Emily, says Ulrich. I get on the phone with agents, and the casting process goes on from there. Co-Owner Bialy Thomas & Assoc. We had lots of auditions. To see somebody with natural comedic timing who really got the nuances of the scenes and really got the multidimensional character she wasnt just reading lines. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. One of the limited series biggest secrets spoiler alert: If you havent seen Watchmen, skip down several paragraphs was that perhaps the most iconic character from the comic would indeed appear in the show, set years after the source material. So, you have to just be mindful of the process or the questions and anticipate what theyre going to ask, the producers or the director. You dont have to try to crack jokes and just be yourself. Sherry Thomas retweeted. Contact To get in touch with Sherry, use the contact form below or send her an email at sherry @ sherrythomas.com (w/o spaces). Facebook Icon. ST: We hadnt discussed the idea in general, probably because of the previous relationship with Christina, and we didnt want to pull anybody out of it. Samira Wiley plays Moira in The Handmaids Tale, a performance that has brought her a third supporting actress Emmy nomination. But Cornell Womack, hes a pro, we know him. Our approach to that is a direct line of communication. Sharon Bialy: I think thats the exciting thing about casting, and Ill speak for my partner. 2006 Did it make your job easier or was it challenging having actors come in with a preconceived notion of what the show should be? But I dont think that it is ever more important than having the right person. Of course, the greatest discovery of this musical comedy is its lead, Jane Levy, best known to viewers for her comedic skills on the ABC series Suburgatory. I truly love doing hair and have always told people that if I somehow just sh-t the bed and was no longer able to be in casting, I would do hair instead. For Perry Mason (originally set to star Robert Downey Jr., who serves as executive producer with his wife, Susan), casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas discussed their suggestions for . . Then, I go through my notes and consider actors that I love, as well as some new actors. You dont have to drive an hour and a half to two hours for an audition when youre getting the pages two or three days before. In the case of Lawrence Gilliard, that role was. I think we all miss being in the room with actors and I think a lot of the actors miss it as well, because theres something that you just get from being in the room with someone and the ability to play. Alphonse is truly an incredibly skilled actor, Ingram says. We were so touched that people were really moved by the show and actually watched it. Hes coming in this week. . We started back in February of 2020, right before everything shut down, so Covid added some new challenges and parameters that we had to work within. Deadline Media, Get our free, urgent prediction updates and news, 9 Emmy nominees you didnt know were already on Netflix: , Leaderboards: See All Past Prediction Accuracy Scores, Leaderboards: Best Prediction Accuracy Scores for Film, TV and Music Awards, Leaderboards: Best TV Show Predictions by Gold Derby Users, Find a User or Expert / Download Gold Derbys Free, New App. Wiley plays the rebellious Moira on Handmaids and has one Emmy win in three nominations for the role. Casting Yvonne Strahovskis mother, we needed someone who could be formidable. Craig Fincannon (Location Casting Director) 2010 Nominee Artios Award: Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Series - Drama Breaking Bad (2008) Shared with: Sharon Bialy. Unsurprisingly, the series' casting directors are Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, who have each been nominated for seven Emmy Awards for casting. When you read that someone is meant to be beautiful, what does Luca think beautiful is? says Cuba. Slowly they realized that Maitreyi and Jaren have this really great chemistry, so it naturally evolved into this love triangle, which was really fun to see., Finding stars for a show that centers entirely on musical numbers is not the daunting task one imagines especially if you were the casting director of Glee and have an enormous roster of singing actors at your disposal. We can be a force of nature in our career and still want to spend more than an hour and a half with our newborn baby. In some hypothetical situation in which you had to choose a different career, what would your profession be? Do you guys prefer two takes on the self-tape? So, to be able to support her in a role like this, where she really gets to show what she can do as an actress and the layers and the levels that she has and that she is nuanced, is its exciting. I dont want to make it sound so righteous, but I think it was just a good, interesting, and different way to go. Sherry Thomas Lane is on Facebook. ST: Vice versa for Linda Cardellini, who has typically been known for drama to come in and wow everyone with her great sense of timing and comedic skills without ever making it too big. Burrows eventually recommended Thomas for her first paying job in the industry, working as an assistant to the location casting director the person charged with hiring extras for movie and TV . We wanted to see her because we were such huge fans from all the things that shes done, especially The Night Of. Yahya took a leap of faith. Okay. AD: I imagine one of the more interesting challenges of that character is finding someone who can believably portray someone who has both dated Ana (Diana-Maria Riva) and Judy. Unless it is really not Theres a couple things going into play. Creator Katori Hall made a short film of her intended pilot that featured several castmembers, but the search still encompassed thousands of auditions and extensive chemistry reads. RS: A lot of times those small roles are the hardest to cast. New to Casting Networks? Call Sheet Directory and Mailing Labels | Backstage This story first appeared in a January stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Jonathans secretary. Even Nate said, I cant believe Im in this part. He tapped into the soul of [kidnapped sons father] Matthew Dodson., He was in that initial conversation with Tim it was just determining which role, says Thomas of Patrick. RS: With Katey, we wanted someone who is very special because there is a lot to unpack there with Lindas mother being in prison. And as a casting director, it feeds my soul to get to go through the whole collaborative process of finding that person who just pops in a role. Once the lead was in place, the other puzzle pieces of this ethnically and neuro-diverse cast started to land. She had to go to some places and the work was beautiful. How did you come to realize that casting was the job for you? Sharon Bialy: I think theres going to be a hybrid. Im getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it. This interview has been edited and condensed. What can you tell us about the process of assembling the cast for its long-awaited third season? Its hard to pick just a handful of credits that cover the breadth and depth of Sherry Thomas casting rsum. A naturalistic performance, I think, is what was required in The Shrink Next Door. To say I was enthused was another thing. Id read about her ability, Ulrich says of the Oscar winner, a prolific singer-songwriter. We would give a little context of the tone. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But this is definitely a collaboration between Jack and Luca, and who teenagers are today, in this moment., [The character of Sam Pratchett] was really about mixing and matching with whoever [would be playing his girlfriend] Caitlin. Two different ways? Big titles like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Handmaid's Tale may first come to mind. I dont have to deal with traffic or anything like that, but being in the room, I totally miss. Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. Apple TV+ Casting Director Panel with Lucinda Syson, Theo Park, Sherry Sometimes our job is basically that of a casting director/producer. If its somebody who were like, Ive never seen them audition for us before. In a COVID and post-COVID world do you think youre job will permanently change? Exclusive: AMCs Emmy episode submissions for Breaking Bad & Mad Men, Even though Breaking Bad is over, Bialy and Thomas are still involved in that universe thanks to their casting of the spin-off series Better Call Saul. However, Bialy warns us, I cant tell you anything about Better Call Saul. Were sworn to secrecy! Theyre also keeping busy casting Halt and Catch Fire, which just ended its first season on AMC, Foxs upcoming comic-book series Gotham and TVs biggest ratings hit The Walking Dead., Hey, whats with all the dark shows on their resumes? Sharon Bialy is on Instagram 782 posts on their profile She even officiated when my husband and I were married. For Austin Winsbergs musical extravaganza, Ulrich was asked to put together a cast that could sing, dance and pretend none of it is really happening. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. At that point, I feel like Ive got it I know who the character is. 'Perry Mason' Casting Directors Reveal the Casting - Daily Actor To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Learn how your comment data is processed. RT: I looked for her name before I even looked for ours. Thank God. You can see so many more people for a role, because you can take chances because you dont have to slot people in to 15-minute time periods with the producers. Backstage provides its members with the best tools to grow their careers in the performing arts. I think we will all be more mindful of that process, but I also dont want to be in a room with an actor with a giant piece of plexiglass between us. And then we pulled from that to go and seek out the right people for the roles. Hes a very soulful actor and person, and his craft is unbelievable. It has all come down to this, friends. All of the shows we do from The Walking Dead to Better Call Saul to The Righteous Gemstones are all over the country. We put out the offer, and he was on board. It felt like he was going to be her enemy the whole time, Greenstein says of Lewisons character, Ben Gross. Shes amazing with hair, and I have a love for it, too. Sharon Bialy: I mean, I watch the whole thing. 2023 Gold Derby Media, LLC. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. TV casting directors receiving multiple nominations include Alexa L. Fogel (The Politician, . AD: The biggest addition of the second season was the character of Michelle, who is played by Natalie Morales. Murdoch has survived scandal after scandal. This is my first experience with Luca, so the process involved me figuring out how he defines a lot of the things in the script. Liz responds to actors who arent hitting the jokes but have a sense of humor, not typical sitcom, playing-to-the-audience types you might see on traditional multi-camera shows. It was really about getting Devi and her mother cast, as they are the heart of the story, says Greenstein. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. With self-tapes and zoom callbacks. With larger roles, you have time to build an arc, but with something so small, the challenge is how to make it memorable. When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. [Showrunner Damon Lindelof] is pretty specific about what he wants, but if he cant really explain it, hell know it when he sees it. I dont think it took an hour for every creative to say, Shes perfect. , The most exciting thing is taking that actor everybody sees one way and flipping expectations, Bialy says. Sherry Thomas - Managing Director, Global Strategic Advisory - Guy If someone made a series about your life story, which actor would you cast to play the role of Sherry Thomas? BIALY / THOMAS CASTING - The Casting Society of America Name one of your favorite television shows and its a sure bet that Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas were the casting directors for at least one of them. He is so wonderful. Sherry Lansing. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The 2020 Emmys are closer than you think. I think Chris Meloni brought so much value to that role. Weve read her over the years and have been a fan of hers, says Daniel of the role Moorjani eventually landed, as the cousin who initially inspires envy in Devi. A lot of casting people their choices have shifted to self-tapes and some of them only self-tapes, but for us our choice will always to be in the room with actors. They met and he loved him, and that was that., There is no shortage of star wattage in the dark origin story of the legendary defense lawyer, but there is an art to combining such talent. Sherry Thomas: And the show director, Jesse Peretz, just really kind of took everybody and, everybody shines. Hes often the heavy for this, he was a father who had a lost son., We cast Chris in Gotham but have known him for years, says Thomas. Im not saying he is like Fraser, because that was never our feeling. I had the highest hopes and no idea that he could sing as well as he could sing. And he even was like, Im not right for this, but Im here. So, I knew Id have a paycheck once I arrived and took my two weeks vacation to make the trip over and get settled. Q&A with casting directors from several Apple TV+ series; Lucinda Syson (Foundation), Theo Park (Ted Lasso) and Sherry Thomas and Sharon Bialy (The Shrink Next Door). Like with Colins office mates; they have like one line here and there and Jemaine said, I need them all back. You dont see loyalty like that a lot.. Its great to virtually meet you, Sherry, and lets kick things off right at the beginning of your career. You also have to believe that that actor is capable of things you havent seen them do before. She was channeling her own mother, is what she told us. Liz Feldman, Christina Applegate, Jessica Elbaum, and all of our producers fell in love with working with him and figuring out a complex way to bring him back. By Vinnie Mancuso 12/30/15 10:00am. At the time, there wasnt really a choice you had to prove yourself at work by being at your desk. Finding actors that can understand the unique tone of the show, one that balances gut-wrenching trauma with unexpected comedy, is an intricate task. In 1975 she joined MGM as an executive story editor. You do a drama and they say you can only do drama. And I think were all waiting for the moment in time where we can be together again, for sure. And I write on something next to me, I had Michael Imperioli in my head. Once I opened that door, though, there was no going back. Instead its all of the supporting players, the day players, because you have to have great actors, the majority of who are in scenes with Christina and Linda. Specialties: Catastrophe Modeling<br>Portfolio Management<br>Reinsurance Pricing | Learn more about Sherry Thomas's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn And especially for kids, dont try that hard in the slate to be liked and all of that, its just, Hey, Im Lance Carter, Im five foot 10. I love it you all sound like youre very close casting partners! The age had to be appropriate so there would be chemistry with Linda. John Lithgow, for E.B. Jeremy O. Harris was cast in a small role in FXs What We Do in the Shadows. Co-showrunner Jemaine Clement then wrote an episode just for him. How did you guys bring her on? But oddly enough, on this show, because on others, we have done producer callbacks over Zoom, we didnt do any. A lot of offices have become that even prior to pandemic, to COVID, but thats just never been the way that we like to generate the work. Toothpicks and blue jeans. When we started out, I was her associate for about two years, and then we became partners. All Rights Reserved. Oscars 2023 Voting Begins Dear Oscar, Hear My Plea, Why Steven Spielberg Deserves to Win His Third Best Directing Oscar. We all miss it. Every time we had a conversation or auditioned actresses that werent a perfect fit, Russell would get on the phone and see if her availability changed. As long as the work doesnt suffer, why cant we also participate in the lives of our kids? If you have one weak link, it becomes obvious. According to Ashley Ingram, who also served as casting director on the show, an added challenge of populating the struggling Mississippi Delta strip joint was the desire for authenticity over recognizability. Even the actor didnt know until that episodes script rolled around. Sharon Bialy - IMDb She was shooting a movie here in LA. Oscars 2023: Preview and Predictions + Contest! Skylar is obviously a name, but hes also just a real standout, an extraordinary singer and actor., Michael Thomas Grant, who plays [rival coworker] Leif, I knew from The Glee Project, says the casting director. Showing all 1 wins and 28 nominations. Hes daring. The process when we started of course is making lists. Although the self Read More, Your email address will not be published. The Emmys may be in September but its never too early to look out for potential nominees, including Succession, Schitts Creek and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Thomas adds that they sometimes develop relationships with actors, calling them in time and again for reads. Pros from five of the years newest dramas and comedies including 'Perry Mason' and 'We Are Who We Are' also reveal the surprising obstacles they hurdled before production began. I mean, that had to have been completely It was all brand new. Sharon Bialy: There are always challenges, but this season there were a couple of roles that caused some particular challenges. If its somebody that we have known for a long time and we just say, not sure if its right, but just want to see if there is something there that connects the spirit of the actor to the spirit of the character, but its not right, then we can sort of move on and with respect because we know its not the perfect fit. You can see a number of actors for an audition before that one person comes in, and everything just clicks. Its just a wonderful place to be to be able to cast these amazing actresses from Frances Conroy to Katey Sagal to Valerie Mahaffey. My partner Sherry Thomas, who casts the show with me, and I have a history of colorblind casting, so we're always looking for the best actor. It's a game A Tale of Two Cities One City: The BAFTA voters chose to give just one award to Everything, Everywhere All 2023 Golden Reel Award Sound Editorial Winners Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing Feature Dialogue / ADR The Banshees of 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. Sherry Thomas: Yep. Sherry Thomas: They called him, pitched him and Sharon says, huh. Natalie [Morales] was someone [showrunner Liz Feldman] had in mind from the beginning, but she was working on a movie. I really hope the industry is changing to be better in that area, especially for women who want to work and also be moms. And then there were some people that we redirected and from the day players up to our more significant roles that were prominent in the piece. My wife is my reader and shes terrible. Wow. Walking Dead's Casting Director On Finding Heroes, Villains & Zombies She needed the right role to be able to show that shes not just someone whos gorgeous, and Mississippi allows her to do that., Elarica [as dancer Autumn Night] has a very openhearted vulnerability that comes forward when you just look in her eyes, says Ingram. Shes just someone Ive been watching. We really relied on people that we have cultivated relationships with over a period of time as casting directors do. Liz Feldman has a great knowledge of actors and comedic actors. I didnt know anyone here, but was a manager at The Gap at the time and got transferred to an LA location of the store. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. The driving force was that this world felt real, [that] we could see these people living here, Ingram says. There were large party scenes, and large office scenes, and so you had to be very, very careful. The Shield was my favorite show at the time, and its still in my top five. 2023 Oscar Nominee: Director Santiago Mitre on Why the Message Behind Argentina, 1985 Remains More Relevant Than Ever, 2023 Oscar Nominee Fire of Love: How Editors and Co-Writers Erin CasperandJocelyne Chaput Crafted the Krafft Love Story, Double Oscar Nominee & Producer Shane Boris Talks What Fire of Love & Navalny Have in Common, Inaugural Television Publicity Executives Committee (TPEC) Submissions Are Now Open, Amazons Daisy Jones and the Six is the First Great Limited Series of 2023, Melissa Rauch On Presiding Over a New Night Court Era, 'The Morning Show' Director Mimi Leder on Why Cable is Better for Female Characters. The Envelope spoke with some of TVs top casting directors about their part in helping stories get told and actors get Emmy nominated. At the time [we started casting], she was working with one of my best friends on What/If, and I was hearing a lot about her and how she would sing karaoke. Everybody knows he is a wonderful actor.
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