Fade In: Int. Office Day. CU of sign: “You are now entering Project Greenlight Headquarters. You are being videotaped. If you do not agree to the terms of participation in the Project Greenlight documentary process, please do not enter the premises.” Cut to: intrigued female journalist, scribbling notes about the sign upon entering the premises.
Joseph Middleton‘s office is at the end of a busy corridor filled with young documentarians, assistants, and producers working toward this year’s Project Greenlight production, Erica Beeney’s The Battle of Shaker Heights. Stolen Summer, last year’s winning production [selected by a staff fronted most notably by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon], set the proverbial bar high with Sundance accolades, critical praise, and an accompanying documentary of the process from project selection to completion.
Middleton’s part in the process stems from his early work with Project Greenlight exec producer Chris Moore. “He gave me my first job, so when he calls, I come,” he said of the man with whom he shares American Pie credits. Middleton’s loyalty is well-earned. After their first collaboration, Middleton would go on to cast Legally Blonde, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and The Bourne Identity, just to name a few blockbuster hits.
First casting job
Middleton was an intern at New York’s Public Theatre. “While I was interning at the theatre, the casting process sparked my interest. I was there after college, just figuring it out, and something about that puzzle intrigued me. There’s something visceral about the eye required in casting. I like knowing when it’s right and knowing when it’s wrong,” he explained.
After learning the craft in New York, Middleton headed west and ended up interning under casting directors Paul Weber and Vicki Huff. “I worked with them but they weren’t hiring. I had interned for Shari Rhodes on Mississippi Burning before. She is a wonderful casting director and has an incredible eye. She hired me for three weeks and that turned into six years. I was her associate, and then I ended up finding a lot of the kids in [1993 feature film] The Sandlot. Shari made me partner and, after awhile, I went out on my own.”
Middleton didn’t waste any time, making a major name for himself on his own. Out of the gate with the features The Doom Generation, Go, and American Pie, he set a standard that the above-mentioned creator of Project Greenlight recognized and tapped—again. “It’s hard to get to the next level—both for casting directors and for actors—so starting out with projects like that put me on the map.”
Coolest casting gig
“It’s not my job to figure out which project is my favorite,” he began. “It changes, and that’s just what I do. I don’t know how to talk about it in terms of coolest or most challenging, because to talk about it is to devalue what it is I need to do. The challenge is in having a vision, seeing that through the process, and convincing the people to come with me on the ride.”
Currently casting
Middleton is casting How To Win a Date with Tad Hamilton for DreamWorks as well as the Intermedia/Outlaw Productions feature Deep, and the aforementioned Battle of Shaker Heights for Project Greenlight. As for Middleton’s feelings about the accompanying documentary, “It’s interesting,” he said, fidgeting with the body mic pack on his desk. “It’s another process.”
What every actor must have
TiVo. “If you could get a present for yourself as an actor, make it TiVo. That’s your textbook. See every production and know who cast what. When I was coming through the ranks as an associate, I would watch shows and films and try to guess the casting director before the name came on screen based on who was cast. I was quite good at it. Actors should know who their biggest targets are based on what they cast. Know your type, TiVo everything, and watch for where your type is being cast consistently,” he advised. “You can’t get in front of all 600 casting directors in town. Know the ones who cast your type.”
Best way to get seen by him
Ingenuity. “Get a group of ten actors together and make an independent movie. I think—because I do film—half-hour comedies often times don’t register on my radar,” Middleton said of scouting actors while watching television. “I can enjoy the [shows], but the tone of my movies tend not to be as heightened. They are of a more simple reality.”
Key things he looks for in an actor
“It varies per the role and the type of movie. Someone who is right for Bring It On isn’t going to be right for The Bourne Identity. But, on the immediate flip side, they could be! I think the key for an actor is being as open as possible, being as trusting as possible,” Middleton assessed.
“When an actor reaches a moment for themselves—not for anybody else—that’s when they’ve nailed it, that’s power. It’s ingrained in young actors to get through to casting directors. Often they get through to us and then give their power up. During the audition, it shouldn’t be about getting the role. For those three to five minutes, that role is theirs. They starred in that movie for that moment. They may not have been seen by 30 million people, but they starred in that movie just as if they’d showcased their talent for six people in a theatre. It doesn’t change the fact that an actor had that role, just because people didn’t show up at the theatre. The cast still gives 100% for the six people who showed up.”
Does he attend theatre?
“I don’t go to a lot. But if the play has gotten a good review or stars an actor I admire—no matter what their name is—I like to see what’s around that actor I admire. The quality is higher. I’m a little apprehensive of theatre in LA,” he admitted. “There are so many television series that theatre is often geared toward getting a job in TV. The continuity of the process is lost when someone is pulled out for a series and there’s this empty space actors have to fill. That means the process didn’t work because they have somebody else just fill it in.”
Advice for actors
“I appreciate an intelligent and thought-out, rehearsed, prepared actor. Those are all the most important points. Knowing that, I look for the surprises that come during a reading. I love those. The high and the low is all in the same beat of selling that,” Middleton said. “I am fortunate and lucky to do what I do. I love what I do. There are actors that I love out there—actors I have brought in many times but have yet to hire. I think that’s the double-edged sword of the casting director’s life.”
Further advice for actors included the concept of time management. “Don’t overload yourself with too many auditions in one day. Take control of your path. Quit leaving it in other people’s hands. Don’t sit around waiting for someone to say it’s OK to manage your schedule.
“It’s hard if you’re not grounded,” he continued. “This town is constantly comparing you to everyone. You get very lost if you’re listening to all the voices around you.” So, how does Middleton suggest actors diffuse that bombardment? “Do something for yourself every day. Read a script, go to a movie, go to the beach. I’m not sure what it is for each person, but recheck back into yourself every day.”
Trends he has noticed in casting
“I don’t think the process of casting has changed, but the business has changed in the past year and a half. There have been fewer films, fewer roles. It’s affected everyone as it’s trickled down. The higher-level name is taking the lower-level part and that makes it harder than in years of plenty,” he commented.
What does Middleton do to combat the lack of roles for the strong, mid-level actor? “I’m just one of an incredible group of people assembled to make a movie. If I can’t push it through, when I want to see a certain actor get the role, someone else can. I’m not a hand-holder. I’m not the quiet type. I’m a know-it-all. I’m a bully. People who hire me are comfortable with strong opinions and strong personalities.” To that end, Middleton will campaign for the actor he sees as the best fit to the role, whether that actor ever knows about that part of the process.
Most gratifying part of his job
“When all the dots connect. When it’s a script that I love read by the actor I write down who responds to the script that I love, that the agent responds to the money that we have, that the producer gets the talent that I bring, who brings the director to new heights, that the editor gets while in post so that my vision is on the screen there for our lifetime.”
This interview was conducted on February 6, 2003, and it originally appeared in Casting Qs: A Collection of Casting Director Interviews by Bonnie Gillespie, available at Amazon.