So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. You have this sort of visceral, gut reaction when its right, and thats how it was for me with casting. You do a dark show and they go, lets get the girls to do the dark show. And so, were sitting in the session, and he walks in and everybody says, hi. Hes a wonderful actor. Why Netflix is dabbling in livestreaming. When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. Daisy Jones & the Six becomes the first fictional band to hit No. We were finding choices and some incredible singers, but it just clicked when it became Alex. Bruce and Lizzie were thrilled with him. Casting Director. Look, I think Bill Hader is in a category all his own. [Laughs] I love them, as well as my husband, and we all have fun together. Sharon Bialy: I think thats a really good note. At that point, I feel like Ive got it I know who the character is. And I said, Yeah, I think its going to be really cool and really interesting. Let me try it. 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. Weve always requested self-tapes and explored actors from all over the world. But now that the show has cooked its last batch of blue meth and said goodbye to the Albuquerque sunset, Bialy and Thomas finally heard their names called on nominations morning, along with Kiira Arai, in the Best Drama Casting category. Im not saying he is like Fraser, because that was never our feeling. While eager to gather a diverse troupe for Mindy Kaling and Lang Fishers series, casting directors Collin Daniel and Brett Greenstein quickly realized that until they had nailed down their series leads, there was no ensemble to assemble. And, Id imagine, completely challenging. And so I said, Oh my God, oh my God, Michael Rispoli is going to be in town from New York and we need to get him in.
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series We checked in on her, and the challenging part was convincing producers to take a chance on an actor that youre very familiar with but they might not be. 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. ST: Not for us particularly. What can you tell us about the process of assembling the cast for its long-awaited third season? And people. , Keller says, They said they wanted boring. Like if you were to go to a town meeting to talk about zoning.. Co-Owner Bialy Thomas & Assoc. Our job is to hopefully bring her people that she doesnt know yet. I love her performances and everything she does, and Luca felt the same way., Jack has a lot of experience in movies and TV, so he had a flexibility as far as craft goes, Cuba says. Sharon Bialy: Also, because sometimes youre only getting a couple of pages, so you have to guess and when youre in the room, we can give you context. I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris. 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. If its somebody who were like, Ive never seen them audition for us before. ST: I think this year is so off kilter. All rights reserved. The thing that Luca seemed to be connecting to is a real combination of, could they do the material, but also could he engage in real dialogue with them about what it means to be their age in this moment and incorporate that into the vision that he had., Jordan didnt even have an agent. Find out if Bialy and Thomas can win their very first Emmy for Breaking Bad when the Creative Arts Emmys are announced August 16. For Season 2 of Handmaids, we were surprised with Sydney Sweeney [as Eden].
Sharon Bialy is on Instagram 782 posts on their profile Thomas says of the then-not-so-well-known Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, I kind of always knew Yahya was it. All of a sudden were like, Guys, shouldnt we make sure he wants to do this? recalls Collin Daniel of the role that was part narrator, part Voice of God, and all affectionate snark. Was that hard at all? He was a great audition, for sure, but he also really interested Luca as a person. I would own my own version of a Drybar. Awards. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. Photo Credit: Deanna Baldwin Boyd, courtesy of Sherry Thomas.
Bialy/Thomas & Associates - Casting Director | Backstage In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. All Rights Reserved. Speaking with Awards Daily, the 2020 Emmy nominees walked us through the challenges of the second season from chasing down Natalie Morales as the second seasons biggest addition to a number of high-profile cameos. So weve always cast in a broad, worldly way. gofund.me/2fffe14f Posts Reels Videos Tagged Search Log In Sign Up This website uses cookies. Casting Networks acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land throughout Australia. Hes being very humble right now, but it took a lot of strategizing and basically producing. I dont see it. 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 each role with director and executive producer Timothy Van Patten. AD: The biggest addition of the second season was the character of Michelle, who is played by Natalie Morales. It was really about getting Devi and her mother cast, as they are the heart of the story, says Greenstein. Sign Up. You were also nominated for your work on the third season of The Handmaids Tale. We had lots of auditions. But what the self-taping does is give so many more people opportunities because we can see 25 actors for a role. She read the whole book in like 48 hours. Sorry I had to jump in because he is very humble! Sharon Bialy: I mean, I watch the whole thing. WEBN Reporter Ali Inglese sat down with "Breaking Bad" Casting Directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas. And I think that people know her in one lane and it was very exciting. When you work in television and when you work with really great material, you do get excited for this time of year. He doesnt necessarily work with people twice in a row, so we didnt immediately go to Regina, says Thomas. Sherry Thomas is represented by the brilliant Kristin Nelson of . My mom passed away when I was young, but she used to be a very successful hairdresser back east. I dont have to deal with traffic or anything like that, but being in the room, I totally miss.
Sherry Thomas: Fortunately, I feel like everybody did a little bit of research, which was interesting. As for the ladies favorite guest stars over the years, they bring special attention to Charles Baker (Skinny Pete), Matt Jones (Badger) and Daniel and Luis Moncada (the Cousins), but they admit that Emmy nominee Mark Margolis may be their favorite casting scoop for the show. Three if theres one in there that you just want to give it a shot. For the vampire mockuseries What We Do in the Shadows, nominees Gayle Keller, Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay find themselves looking for actors who dont look like typical actors. We talk about what hes looking for, and I like to ask if he has any prototypes dead or alive for the characters. But oddly enough, on this show, because on others, we have done producer callbacks over Zoom, we didnt do any. He fell in love with doing the show. In a COVID and post-COVID world do you think youre job will permanently change? 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. Learn more about how we use cookies. AD: This wasnt your only nomination this year. Listen, come to my office and Ill do your hair youll be fine. 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? He did come in and audition and just blew everybody away., The most fun bit of casting was the fact that Mo was written as a woman. Alphonse is truly an incredibly skilled actor, Ingram says. From encouraging this writer about her questionable hair choices to estimating how many times shes forgotten to pick her kids up from school, Thomas candor in our interview provided an intriguing look into the person behind all the casting credits. She came in and was so natural, so funny.
Apple TV+ Casting Director Panel with Lucinda Syson, Theo Park, Sherry ST: Our goal will always be to safely get back in the room with actors. We wanted the fans to believe this, too, like, Oh my God, hes so cute. Hes like 6-foot-5, hes got this huge fro.
Sherry Thomas @SherryThomas_ST , Twitter Profile - instalker.org And I think were all waiting for the moment in time where we can be together again, for sure. We discussed a bunch of people [for the role of Caitlins father, an Army lieutenant] and then it just felt natural for Scott and Luca to meet. You can see a number of actors for an audition before that one person comes in, and everything just clicks. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. Sign up to get must-read entertainment headlines and audition advice delivered to your inbox every weekday. 2023 Casting Networks, LLC. 14.1k Followers, 269 Following, 782 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sharon Bialy (@sharonbialy) So, I love self-tapes. 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. Its going to be hard for us because we love to be in the room with them. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. I knew him from The Glee Project and I just think he is one of the most extraordinary talents around. Jonathans secretary. Russell Scott, Casting Director. 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. Gohar Gazazyan, Casting Director. He just had a great rawness and innocence., As Sams older brother Craig, Corey had not had any experience. Once we started to figure out that it was Jordan [Kristine Seamn], Ben was a perfect match. So, there you have it. ST: Russell worked very, very hard on that. Of course she would have a crush on him. Darren was somebody who had this quality that was a little mysterious, obviously very handsome and surprisingly funny., We never really expected there to be a love triangle, because in the pilot Devi and Ben are just so nasty and mean toward each other. It feels like thats not as much of a requirement anymore, though, and I want to help fully facilitate that change for the next generation of women. ST: I think thats one of the reasons we love to be in the room with actors and why right now it is really hard with the world of COVID. Sherry Thomas: And the show director, Jesse Peretz, just really kind of took everybody and, everybody shines. Heres what to know, From Chris Rock to the SAG Awards. Now in the shows second season, casting directors Sherry Thomas and Russell Scott were tasked with the challenge of expanding on that world and filling out an ensemble that were able to keep up with Applegate and Cardellini. We ultimately will probably only send one take, unless were really questioning We dont edit it ourselves too much sometimes because the producers could come back and say, You know, theyre missing a moment, and thats exactly what was in the other take.
Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas Explain The Art of Casting Do you guys prefer two takes on the self-tape? Oscars 2023: Preview and Predictions + Contest! So, I get an idea for the cadence and tone of the role, which I add to what I already have about it on paper. I think we got to try. And she says, You feel really passionately about it. You really want to buy into that environment. It is one of our most rewarding jobs., [John McEnroe] was in the original script, and I remember nobody was dealing with it.
Contact | Sherry Thomas We sent the audition, and Jemaine fell in love with him: We have to have him! And the next season, they wrote an episode for him, but he couldnt do it.
Sherry Lansing - Biography - IMDb Sharon Bialy: Sometimes well know somebody really well and have them read and literally in two lines, Im like, thats it, shes the one. (photo: Mark Seliger/FOX) Welcome to tvDownload's " Ask a Casting Director ," a new series in which we talk to the men and women . Defying past portrayals of female friendship on television, Dead To Me enamoredaudiences with its unexpected casting choices of Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. Finding actors that can understand the unique tone of the show, one that balances gut-wrenching trauma with unexpected comedy, is an intricate task. And Sherry was like, Shes so smart.
Top Gun: Maverick, Banshees of Inisherin, All Quiet on the Western Front Win at MPSE. 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. Seriously. From Thomas passion for her work to her passion for her family, this has been a candid look into the person behind all the casting credits. Hes daring. For Dead to Mes second season, Scott said the main task was finding the new love interest for Linda Cardellinis character. . A lot have to be able to do comedy, drama, all of it.. So youll see Breaking Bad is peppered with stand-up guys doing their first drama., Join the fiery discussion of Breaking Bad in our forums, Thomas added, But really what we just love to do is great material and hire really interesting actors. Like everyone else on the planet we love her. Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in Frozen, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own, Interview: Casting Director Kim Coleman on Five Days at Memorial, Self-Tape Tips and Portraying Real People, Interview: David Christopher Wells on His Role in To Kill a Mockingbird, Being an Understudy and Getting His MFA, Interview: Clifton Collins Jr. and Molly Parker on Jockey, Research and Bad Auditions, Ted Lasso Star Phil Dunster on How He Got the Role of Jamie Tartt, Theres No Such Thing As Chemistry In Acting. AD: Before we jump into the new characters of the second season, I wanted to talk about the shocking twist at the beginning of the season; the return of James Marsden with a new character. Its definitely a world that were extremely interested in.. Unless it is really not Theres a couple things going into play. Awards Daily: What was it like jumping back into Dead to Me after the first season became such a breakout hit? Thomas adds that they sometimes develop relationships with actors, calling them in time and again for reads. The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. I started exploring acting once I got to LA and met a casting director named Victoria Burrows, who kind of took me under her wing. How did you guys bring her on? 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.. 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. Samira Wiley plays Moira in The Handmaids Tale, a performance that has brought her a third supporting actress Emmy nomination.