sherry thomas lane casting director sherry thomas lane casting director

Natalie [Morales] was someone [showrunner Liz Feldman] had in mind from the beginning, but she was working on a movie. We will never, ever be an office that is strictly self-taped. Photo Credit: Deanna Baldwin Boyd, courtesy of Sherry Thomas. 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. Thomas called Sweeney wise and mature beyond her years. She works constantly in New York, but she was this undiscovered gem to the rest of the world, and now everybody knows who she is., To populate Luca Guadagninos vision of an American Army base in coastal Italy, casting director Carmen Cuba knew she had to build her cast out from the kids at the center of the story. Its a visceral feeling, says Ingram, when you see an actor who you really know should be in a role., [Brandee] really had the strength and the forcefulness and chutzpah that [lead dancer] Mercedes needs, Hopkins says. Sherry Thomas Lane is on Facebook. Literally, we were all just howling because she just got it., We needed a Jake from Sixteen Candles, someone brooding and obviously swoon-worthy and somebody that Devis going to have a mad crush on, Greenstein says of the protagonists love interest, Paxton Hall-Yoshida. Michael Ordoa covers film and television for the Los Angeles Times. 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). Those things are leaps of faith, right? The Commander that Christopher Meloni played [Commander Winslow] was challenging because often times the first script doesnt tell you what the journey is going to be. You can see a number of actors for an audition before that one person comes in, and everything just clicks. Now, I would never assume that Melissa McCarthy would be so interested in my life that she would say yes to playing me in a series about it. We also share information about your use of our website with our social media and web analytics partners. Its been a long time coming and were very proud of it., 9 Emmy nominees you didnt know were already on Netflix: Breaking Bad, Scandal, , If they do win the Emmy, they arent worried about getting kicked off the stage if their acceptance speech lasts too long. In person its almost distracting how gorgeous she is, says Ingram. She is known for Breaking Bad (2008), Barry (2018) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017). 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. 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. When we circled back, I remember looking at the date and I was like, Holy shit, I think shes available. , Theres an assuredness to Sister Alice that the audience has to buy because she believes [her evangelism] so strongly, Bialy says. When we started out, I was her associate for about two years, and then we became partners. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. His instinct was that she was the perfect fit for the part, and he didnt give up. Oftentimes you have to stay on your leading guy because other actors cant hold [their own]., The challenge is getting that first person of well-known stature to say yes, then you build from there, says Thomas. When people used to ask us, I used to say, Oh, our reward is working with Vince Gilligan every day, which we continue to do and thats still true, Bialy told Gold Derby during our recent webchat (watch below). So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. Its about finding complex and compelling actors that can bring nuance even to comedy. Sherry Thomas: If a reader is really distracting, its not about the reader, its about the actor. And I said, Yeah, I really feel like it could be really cool, and okay, great. He was shooting a really naturalistic portrait of this group, and so much of this was about how these kids are as themselves: How are they when theyre not doing the scene? What sets this young cast apart from many other series starring young adults is the actors age range. 2006 Sherry Thomas: I think it is a little bit of both. Your email address will not be published. The testing was very rigorous and I think production did such an amazing job with what they had to accomplish in the way that they had to accomplish it. That is such a skill, and one I wish I had. Watch our video interviews with top awards contenders: directors, producers, below-the-line artisans and , Watch our lively predictions slugfests with Experts and Editors. Good lighting is typical, and shooting from the right angle, and just be yourself in the slate. As a casting director, the joy is in discovering talent, says Ulrich. The others laugh a little. Through conversation and through hearing about what the role is about in detail and where it will go, the list gets smaller and smaller. At some point Sherry suggested Katey Sagal. 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. Thomas adds that they sometimes develop relationships with actors, calling them in time and again for reads. 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. If its a co-star role and its one scene, a few lines, two takes. We ended up moving the schedule around a little bit for her through communication with her reps and our production team. And I think that people know her in one lane and it was very exciting. Hes like 6-foot-5, hes got this huge fro. Were in a very different time and our priorities are a little different, but it doesnt take away from the pride of it and the love and passion we have for it. RT: I looked for her name before I even looked for ours. When you guys watch a self-tape, how long do you spend on it until you move on. I obviously knew of him, but he was a friend of Austins, so he suggested him, and he is so great on the show., John I also knew because he was in What/If. Were lucky., I was a giant fan of Janes for many, many years, from Suburgatory, Robert J. Ulrich says of the lead actress whose Zoey can see and hear what others are feeling via fantasy musical numbers. Despite the mega success of "Breaking Bad" at the Emmys -- including three acting wins for Bryan Cranston, a pair for Aaron Paul and one for Anna Gunn -- casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry . Once the lead was in place, the other puzzle pieces of this ethnically and neuro-diverse cast started to land. 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. Finding actors that can understand the unique tone of the show, one that balances gut-wrenching trauma with unexpected comedy, is an intricate task. 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. Her role in "Barry" came about thanks to its casting director, nine-time Emmy nominee Sherry Thomas, as well as the Hollywood satire's dedication to meta humor. 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. We can explain things like tone. Type above and press Enter to search. How do you like the way casting is right now? Thats a fantastic pick! Despite the mega success of "Breaking Bad" at the Emmys -- including three acting wins for Bryan Cranston, a pair for Aaron Paul and one for Anna Gunn -- casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry . 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. You have this sort of visceral, gut reaction when its right, and thats how it was for me with casting. Sign up to get must-read entertainment headlines and audition advice delivered to your inbox every weekday. It was really sort of a meeting of the minds and people coming together on the choices. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 14.1k Followers, 269 Following, 782 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sharon Bialy (@sharonbialy) Sherry Thomas. Fuck yeah!. Year Program Casting Network And he even said, coming in, I dont really know why Im here. This cast is definitely a combination of people who Luca knew hed have to shepherd along. Of Seamn, whose outwardly confident Caitlin struggles with gender identity, Cuba adds, But its funny, because we thought this going in, and then Jordan turned out to somehow be a savant and know how to do everything, even though shed had no experience., I have auditioned [Scott] over the years for various things. So, even though they might be doing under five lines, theyve got to be able to hold their own. Weve been bringing him in and casting him for some time, so he was somebody right from the start. [Laughs] I love them, as well as my husband, and we all have fun together. Facebook Icon. Luca was intrigued [by Alice] and it seemed like a great match. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. 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. He was a huge part of why we got her it was a lot of working out schedules; we dont just get to read in a room with actors all the time. Did Scott have to break some legs to get it done? I wrote a brief commentary of why there was only one Emily Dodson [mother of kidnapped boy]. AD: What character in the second season proved to be the most challenging? In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. Daisy Jones & the Six becomes the first fictional band to hit No. But oddly enough, on this show, because on others, we have done producer callbacks over Zoom, we didnt do any. And tonally, youd had to have both here. We got so many emails from agents asking, Where did you find these actors? Everybody was blown away, says Greenstein. Big titles like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Handmaids Tale may first come to mind. Thats how we kept bringing up Natalie Morales. 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. And at that time, there were not vaccination mandates in place. I knew him from The Glee Project and I just think he is one of the most extraordinary talents around. It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. 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. Sherry Thomas: Yeah, it was. At the time, there wasnt really a choice you had to prove yourself at work by being at your desk. That has been nice because so many of these shows are aged for younger women. Russell Scott, Casting Director. A lot of it is having support. AD: The second season also featured two major guest stars in Frances Conroy and Katey Sagal. She was shooting a movie here in LA. Someone was really good when they read for Better Call Saul, a drama, but theres something there. AD: Im sure you cant say anything about the final season, but Im curious if you have a dream guest actor that you think would fit perfectly into the world of the show? Sharon Bialy: Right. She read the whole book in like 48 hours. And people. , Keller says, They said they wanted boring. Like if you were to go to a town meeting to talk about zoning.. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company. She had a feeling I was going to end up in casting, but I wasnt so sure at the time. But what they don't realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might . Over the course of my daughters lives my oldest is going to be 12 in September and my youngest is 10 Ive probably forgotten to pick them up from school about 20 times. Sharon Bialy: I mean, I watch the whole thing. She even officiated when my husband and I were married. Oscars 2023: Just How Many Oscars Will Everything, Everywhere All at Once Win? 2023 Oscar Predictions Who Are the Oscar Voters? RS: With Katey, we wanted someone who is very special because there is a lot to unpack there with Lindas mother being in prison. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. You dont have to try to crack jokes and just be yourself. Everybody knows he is a wonderful actor. 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. Thomas says of the then-not-so-well-known Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, I kind of always knew Yahya was it. I mean, that had to have been completely It was all brand new. Sharon Bialy: I think theres going to be a hybrid. My mom passed away when I was young, but she used to be a very successful hairdresser back east. Legitimately dead? We had no idea that was the plan. The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. But going into the second season, the world knows the show, and we dont have to explain what it is. Casting just felt right for me. 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. He was the heart of the show the first season., Andrew is absolutely hilarious. casting director Casts for Film, TV, Theatre, New Media California About Sharon Bialy Sharon Bialy is an award winning Casting Director for television, film and theater. He doesnt necessarily work with people twice in a row, so we didnt immediately go to Regina, says Thomas. Personnel: Sharon Bialy, Casting Director. 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. 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. AD: This wasnt your only nomination this year. But filling the role of a Sherman Oaks-grown teenager of South Asian heritage proved harder than expected. It was a surprise to us. 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. But who to play the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan? Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Oh my God, this is completely the wrong actor that was in my head., And everybody was so nice and so lovely because hes a wonderful actor. We have been very lucky on this show. And I said, Yeah, I think its going to be really cool and really interesting. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Luca is a director whos interested in the rawness and the grounding of truth., Because of City of God, [Alice] is somebody Ive always looked at and always been really curious about, says Cuba of the actress, who plays one of protagonist Frasers mothers, both in the military. The actors dont care that they come in 10 times and didnt get the part, because they know that one time with us they will., Once you have Matthew Rhys, you want to make sure whoever is opposite isnt wiped off the screen, says Bialy of their lead. All Rights Reserved. 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.. Backstage provides its members with the best tools to grow their careers in the performing arts. RS: A lot of times those small roles are the hardest to cast. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. And it happens. How did you guys bring her on? Were just gonna shove everybody out of the way! Its when I really first started, when I was having a lot of autonomy with Sharon. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Sign Up. I can tell you that after 22 years of covering the Oscars that they are mostly meaningless. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. We were able to find actors like Ericka Kreutz who played Shandys mother, and you had Adora Bricher who played Shandy who is amazing as the dark, dark little girl. Unsurprisingly, the series' casting directors are Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, who have each been nominated for seven Emmy Awards for casting. ST: Not at all! Once we started to figure out that it was Jordan [Kristine Seamn], Ben was a perfect match. At that point, I feel like Ive got it I know who the character is. It was the soul of the actor and what [showrunner Bruce Miller] was looking for.. Thats what I did back in 2012 after my second daughter was born. The driving force was that this world felt real, [that] we could see these people living here, Ingram says. DEAD TO ME - Sherry Thomas, Russell Scott, Sharon Bialy, Alyssa Morris (Associate) When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. Id imagine that at this point, after collaborating with Hader since the first season of Barry, you all are very familiar with how you work together. 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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. After first meeting the Massachusetts native a Masshole as she calls it you may feel as if youve known her for much longer. 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. I think Mindy had said she ran into him at a Vanity Fair party and said something to him. Luckily he did. It might help for other projects more so than this, just to get a sense of it when youre in the room with us. . And, speaking from first hand experience, they are the best people to audition for. With Tyler as Diamond, when you see him experience that, you dont question whether or not thats his truth., We all loved [Harriett] from the beginning. So find somebody who really is going to, give you a little bit of something to play off of, but not try to sort of make it about them, because thats not what theyre there for. Thomas says, His agent called me: Oh my God, Vicky, we just learned who he was! and they screamed. The storylines and arcs are massive, and youre also in a period piece, so it was important to make sure that each actor [remained] defined within their own self, even if the character wasnt around all the time, says Thomas. He was pursuing editing work on the side. Sauls Rhea Seehorn was one they called in many times before she booked the key Kim Wexler role. Alphonse is truly an incredibly skilled actor, Ingram says. As continuing shows, all three series have established universes and tones, says Thomas. RS: We worked through a lot of hard work and cooperation between our production and the movie because she is someone who really understood the tone of the show. Toothpicks and blue jeans. Thats why the character [club owner Uncle Clifford] is so exciting and real because Nicco is willing to take those risks., Shannon [as dancer Keyshawn] is shockingly gorgeous. Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? He fell in love with doing the show. Producer: Indecent Proposal. Thank God. ST: Not for us particularly. 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.