Not too long ago I received a wonderful email from Prague-based American casting director Nancy Bishop. Seems she does the same sort of things there that I do here in Hollywood. She casts, she speaks to groups of actors, and she writes about how she does her job (and how actors might want to do at least some parts of their jobs, in order to make it more likely that they are cast). Well, in February 2007, Nancy moderated a casting symposium for the Berlinale Film Festival in Germany. This was a panel featuring some of the world’s top casting directors (members of the International Network of Casting Directors), produced by the European Film Promotion.
As moderator, Nancy did something quite similar to what I have done in moderating past events with fellow casting directors: She took notes! And now she has graciously donated her summary of the event so that readers worldwide may benefit from the many voices at once. Today marks the beginning of what will be a four-part series by Nancy Bishop, as we wind our way through the various topics covered by international casting directors during this intriguing panel discussion held in Berlin.
Typecasting
Many actors feel that they are typecast. Patrick Tucker in his book, The Secrets of Screen Acting, argues that actors can’t fight against typecasting. It’s just something that exists and proof of this lies in the fact that headshots are one of the first ways that we identify if an actor is right for a role or not. However, some actors typecast themselves into a box. They ask me: “Well, what type do you think I am?” and I wonder why they would pigeonhole themselves like that.
The most interesting casting happens when we cast against type and I’ve had actors come in and say, “Well, I’m not right for this,” and in this case they already don’t have the part. One time, for example, I gave an actor a chance to play an aristocratic character and he said, “I only play working-class characters.” So is it helpful for actors to know and follow their type or even more helpful for actors to know and break out of their type?
Béatrice Kruger, who has cast such films as Casino Royal from Rome, asserted that “we cannot deny that there is typecasting for the pure reason that it’s not just the actor’s personality but also the director’s.”
Lina Todd of New York sided against typecasting. “I think that the most important thing is talent. To limit [actors] in one way or another is dull, uninteresting, and does not make for an exciting film. I think that people often run into directors who have a vision that the character is blond and blue-eyed, or this and that and can’t get that vision out of their head until an actor who’s African American and the complete opposite physicality comes in and is so right that you just feel it. Because it’s actors who bring the pages of the script to life. It helps if they can feel the character internally rather than externally. I always say to the director, ‘Go for the most talented actor rather than the one who looks [right].’ For example with the Lynch film that I’m working on now, one character was a 25 year old white guy, junkie, and we ended up casting Amber Valletta. We chose a woman… who… shaved off her hair, made herself look different, because she had that spirit of that character. She understood where this character was coming from and the director was very open to that. But some directors are not open and will not budge from their point of view.”
I added also that if you get sides that have a description of the character, just ignore it — and the age too — because it’s a case of the writer trying to assert a certain aspect of the character. Once, for example, I had to cast a role called “Fat Bitch.” It wasn’t very nice for the actors coming in to read for the role, of course. Well, that was the writer’s way of saying that the character was unpleasant, but there are other ways to express that through the acting.
Rie Hedegaard, who casts many of the Dogma films from Denmark, encouraged actors to “keep on developing. Just grab the chance and make the time to prepare for it.” “Indeed,” added Lilia Trapani, who cast Casanova from Rome, “I think the aim of the actor should be a different type in every movie she does.”
Conversely, Patrícia Vasconcelos of Portugal claimed that it is the casting director’s job to challenge the actor. “I think it’s really our job to go to the theatre, see what that actor is able to do,” but then challenge them by offering another type of role entirely. “This is what I think is more interesting in our job.”
I agree with Patrícia but not all casting directors see it this way. One time I was casting a comedy but when I would suggest an actor, the casting director I was working with would say, “Oh, he’s not funny.” And I thought, “Well that’s because he hasn’t done any funny roles, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be funny.” In fact, comedy is about pain.
Emma Style, who casts mainly TV in London agreed that “even if you’re playing the most idiotic character, you have to believe that the character is perfectly sane and sensible. I think in a way the most difficult comedy is romantic comedy because it looks effortless, but it’s so difficult to get it right. If you think about the ones who are really successful, there are really very few of them. That is very much the writing married to the actor’s talent to make it look effortless. [Regarding] dramatic roles, I think that’s easier to talk about from our point of view because we can say, ‘Go away and do your research so you can understand where that character’s coming from.’ For example, go ahead and learn about Queen Victoria or whatever. It’s difficult to say go away and learn how to be funny. You can’t teach somebody to be funny but you can learn your part while doing research.”
I noticed that while I was teaching a casting workshop with another casting director that we gave completely opposite suggestions to actors about their show reels. She felt that they should present a unified image of their work — the tough guy, the funny gal, or whatever — while I was urging them to present the most varied work possible. It just goes to show that there is no specific recipe or formula to success and, as with anything in life, you can’t please everyone.
My strongest advice to actors is always to make your own work. Don’t wait for us to come to you. Get out there and devise your own show about something that you care about. That’s what fringe festivals and indie film festivals are for.
Oh, I’m so very excited about this series from Nancy Bishop! The many voices she is sharing with us — via this transcript and analysis of the casting symposium — really do provide the foundation for exactly what we hoped these POVs would accomplish! You’re “hearing” directly from those who have these opinions about how they do their jobs (and how actors should do theirs). Join us again for the next installment from Nancy and her panel of international CDs: “Casting Director: Friend or Foe?” Yay!
About Nancy Bishop
American casting director Nancy Bishop has cast nearly fifty projects from her home in Prague ranging from studio pictures such as The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Alien vs. Predator to TV miniseries such as NBC’s Revelations and ABC’s Anne Frank: The Whole Story, for which she received an Emmy nomination. Nancy also teaches casting workshops to actors through out Europe, the UK, and the US. For more information please visit NancyBishopCoaching.com.
This contribution originally ran at Bonnie Gillespie’s online column on September 15, 2007.