Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirschenson, the partners that make up The Casting Company, began working together in 1979. Their lobby walls are decorated with posters of films they’ve cast, including Ransom, An American President, In the Line of Fire, A Few Good Men, and Stand by Me.
Jenkins has co-chaired the Casting Society of America’s annual Artios Awards for 16 years and is a major advocate for the recognition of casting directors by groups such as the television and motion picture academies. While Emmys are now presented in the casting categories of episodic, miniseries, and movie of the week, Oscars are still withheld from casting directors. This situation will be corrected, according to Jenkins, when Academy members “participate in the way casting is done in the year 2000.” There is a great deal involved in this process, some of which Jenkins shared with me in our run through the Casting Qs.
First Casting Job
The film On the Nickel. “I cast it for $100 a week, off the books, so I could continue to collect unemployment,” Jenkins said with a chuckle. This was over 20 years ago. “I became an instant casting director.”
Coolest Casting Gig
“It’s really hard to say,” she said. “One of my favorite scripts was The Princess Bride. I had a great deal of fun saying those lines all day long,” Jenkins continued. “I had a lot of fun doing Parenthood – finding all those kids.” Jenkins mentioned that she and [partner Janet] Hirschenson have been “very privileged to work with some very talented people.”
Key Things She Look for in an Actor
“I look for a level of confidence in your own ability,” Jenkins said. Jenkins acknowledges that the auditioning process is “nervous-making” but believes that one must have a level of security that is visible. “It is the biggest part of the actor’s job to come in secure, with a grasp on the part, and with the confidence to convince me he’s the best one for the part,” she said.
Jenkins doesn’t want to see an actor needy or rushed. “Even if you just got the lines this morning, say so,” Jenkins continued. “Actors tend to fling themselves into the foray without asking any reasonably intelligent questions that would color the way they would say the words.” Jenkins believes this is simply a result of the actor not thinking through the final results of these choices. “If you have a question, ask your agent, ask the assistant, ask the casting director. At least ask someone,” she pleaded.
“You hear a lot of actors say the same words over and over again and frequently, you begin to feel the writing isn’t very good because you hear similar readings and think the material is so boring,” Jenkins explained. “Then one person comes in and personalizes the words. They bring their own persona to it.” Jenkins believes that a combination of intention, attitude, and purpose create the best audition. “And there’s no difference if the read is for a small part or a substantial role.”
Her Favorite Audition Tale
“I have vivid memories of Vincent D’Onfrio’s audition for Mystic Pizza,” Jenkins began. The sides called for the character to roll around on the floor with Lily Taylor’s character in a heavy makeout scene, followed by an abrupt confrontation by her father. “Most actors felt the need to grope me, grab me, or roll around on the floor by themselves,” Jenkins continued. “Vincent got down on one knee and did the whole scene as if it were his close up.” This tactic truly impressed Jenkins, as she shares this audition tale at her occasional seminars. “When you have one of those physically demanding, complicated scenes that is impossible to do in an office, do your closeup,” she summarized.
Pet Peeves
Not being prepared. “Ron Howard says, ‘getting the job is the job,’ and he’s absolutely right,” Jenkins said. “That’s the work. Once you have the role, that’s playtime,” she elaborated. “If you do the best job you can, and for whatever reason you’re not right for that part, but you’ve made an impression, I’ll remember you for the next job,” Jenkins revealed. In this sense, according to Jenkins, there is a “residual effect” to an audition.
Advice for Actors
Relax! “It’s not life and death,” Jenkins said. “Take a deep breath and enjoy it. Nobody forced you into this career. It’s not like your family said, ‘No, don’t be a doctor. Be an actor!'” Jenkins mused. “Have a good time doing it.”
Best Way to Get Seen by Her
Through your agent. The best agent, according to Jenkins, is tough, smart, and feisty. “Every once in a blue moon, a postcard will work,” Jenkins shared. For instance, one of the actors Jenkins cast in Backdraft came to her attention through a photo postcard he’d sent in. “There’s no place for me to put all the pictures and resumes [we receive], but postcards, I’ll hang onto,” she said. However, according to Jenkins, unsolicited mailings are an “expensive longshot. You’re trolling like a fisherman, casting that net out as broadly as you can,” she summarized.
Her Opinion on Alternative Submission Methods
“I use The Link and I love the Academy Players Directory,” Jenkins revealed. “Internet casting is a useful thing, but until it develops further, it’s not essential,” she said. Jenkins suggests that the Internet submission process has to become more uniform in order to have mass appeal.
As for video submissions, Jenkins said she is eager to see broadband allowing for more online reels of good quality. “I feel responsible for all the money actors spend on tapes,” she said, noting that she could never possibly watch them all. Jenkins does not want to see your unsolicited tape. “Save your money,” she advised.
Her Operating System
“We put more and more actors on video during their auditions,” Jenkins said. “Our directors don’t have the hours to see 30 bodies, but tapes, yes.” Jenkins keeps all of the headshots of those actors she’s seen. “Janet and I have quite a collection of pictures from over 20 years of actors coming through,” she revealed. She has kept notes on actors’ resumes, on index cards, on session sheets, supplementing a “strange process of memory,” Jenkins said. “Having a partner really does help!”
Trends She Has Observed in the Casting Process
Jenkins is always looking for good actors. The main trend she sees is in how business is conducted. “Now everyone can have a manager and an agent,” she lamented. While a legitimate manager can “help you push things through at a certain time and is helpful early on, a manager is part of a team,” according to Jenkins. “The business is overwhelming and the right agent is hard to find.” Finally, Jenkins noted that the business of the business has gotten more difficult due to the fact that there are more actors but not a proportionately greater number of productions going on.
What She Would Change About the Casting Process
“I don’t think there’s anything to change,” she said. “There’s gotta be an easier, less painful way for the actor to get there, but I don’t know what it is.” Jenkins noted that everybody works a different way and is emotionally invested at a different level. “There’s no way to make it painless,” she summarized of the casting process.
Highlight of Her Week
“I love making that phone call to the agent to tell her the client has the job,” Jenkins said. “I love to hear the squeals of excitement.”
Most Gratifying Part of Her Job
“When you look back at the careers you gave a start to, it’s nice,” according to Jenkins. “But the first cast read-thru, when it’s the only time they are all together and the project is still filled with promise, that’s the moment I really love. It’s better than the premieres!”
This interview was conducted on December 8, 2000, and it originally appeared in Casting Qs: A Collection of Casting Director Interviews by Bonnie Gillespie, available at Amazon.