TV casting directors receiving multiple nominations include Alexa L. Fogel (The Politician, . Sherry Thomas: Good reader whos not too close to the camera and not trying to audition for themselves. 2023 Oscar Predictions Who Are the Oscar Voters? 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. I love it you all sound like youre very close casting partners! Even the actor didnt know until that episodes script rolled around. Send it to the producers. I think a lot of people have made that shift in their mentality. Toothpicks and blue jeans. Good lighting is typical, and shooting from the right angle, and just be yourself in the slate. Casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, who have worked on "Better Call Saul" and "The Walking Dead," say: "You tell where casting directors are making the effort. Contact To get in touch with Sherry, use the contact form below or send her an email at sherry @ sherrythomas.com (w/o spaces). In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. And, Id imagine, completely challenging. It sounds like you didnt look back after the job found you. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. We thought wed cast an unknown. 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. All Rights Reserved. RS: A lot of times those small roles are the hardest to cast. You guys cast this while everything was locked down. It was the soul of the actor and what [showrunner Bruce Miller] was looking for.. I get told all the time that I remind people of Melissa McCarthy. So, I got that part covered. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. Did it make your job easier or was it challenging having actors come in with a preconceived notion of what the show should be? To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. I mean, I was still completely nervous, but I felt more comfortable in that sort of nervousness. Thats what it is all about. Sherry Thomas Lane is on Facebook. Its a natural human thing to think of somebody in one way. Hes being very humble right now, but it took a lot of strategizing and basically producing. And whats exciting for us in casting, and it keeps us 23 years later together excited about things is to try new things, and to see an actor as a whole. Name one of your favorite television shows and its a sure bet that Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas were the casting directors for at least one of them. It all kind of comes together. Oscars 2023: Preview and Predictions + Contest! RS: With Katey, we wanted someone who is very special because there is a lot to unpack there with Lindas mother being in prison. Lets try it. We had readings for that part. 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. But what they don't realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might . 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. Was that something you were both conscious of when originally casting him? We got so many emails from agents asking, Where did you find these actors? Everybody was blown away, says Greenstein. That openheartedness that Gidget needed to have, Skyler innately has., J. Sherry Thomas. I dont want to make it sound so righteous, but I think it was just a good, interesting, and different way to go. And also sometimes not having all the producers in the room gives the actor, even on a zoom call back with us, we can play with them more and theyre not trying to please everybody, theyre just concentrating on the work. Heres what to know, From Chris Rock to the SAG Awards. We all miss it. Unless it is really not Theres a couple things going into play. These are edited excerpts from that conversation. 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. Your email address will not be published. I think we got to try. And she says, You feel really passionately about it. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. The Envelope spoke with some of TVs top casting directors about their part in helping stories get told and actors get Emmy nominated. And my sister has had her own salon for about 35 years now its called the Hairspace Salon in Easthampton, Massachusetts. But Id love to work with her, so let me just say shed be my choice. The Robert Downey Jr. -produced HBO series Perry Mason -which places the famed criminal defense lawyer played by Matthew Rhys in the era he debuted in literature, the 1930s-features a stellar cast. Keep reading for a window into everything from how she works including her Emmy-nominated casting of Barrys third season to what shed be doing if her chosen profession werent an option. Sherry Thomas - Awards - IMDb Samira Wiley plays Moira in The Handmaids Tale, a performance that has brought her a third supporting actress Emmy nomination. ST: Russell worked very, very hard on that. Having her name value in that role grounded the whole office., For Skylars role, we auditioned lots and lots of great people, says Ulrich of the co-worker character with romantic potential. It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. We were finding choices and some incredible singers, but it just clicked when it became Alex. So, I knew Id have a paycheck once I arrived and took my two weeks vacation to make the trip over and get settled. Ask a Casting Director: Sherry Thomas and Gohar Gazazyan of - Observer 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. That is such a skill, and one I wish I had. Then he went to dinner with Regina and came back and said, Why didnt I just I feel so ashamed. Because here, on a plate, is this great actress. . But going into the second season, the world knows the show, and we dont have to explain what it is. So, you have to just be mindful of the process or the questions and anticipate what theyre going to ask, the producers or the director. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The 2020 Emmys are closer than you think. You really want to buy into that environment. If its somebody who were like, Ive never seen them audition for us before. 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You do a dark show and they go, lets get the girls to do the dark show. In a COVID and post-COVID world do you think youre job will permanently change? We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. It might help for other projects more so than this, just to get a sense of it when youre in the room with us. From our perspective though we are still always trying to surprise the producers. 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. Our job is to connect with people to bring out the best performance. Showing all 1 wins and 28 nominations. And thats exciting when were able to do that. Its really wonderful to see that. One day, Damon said, Hey, theres this guy, Yahya! I went, Yeah. I think in this particular project that Georgia [Pritchetts] writing was incredible, and the tone was on the page, but still it helped. We knew her, but I wouldnt say that a lot of people knew her, Greenstein adds. Hes often the heavy for this, he was a father who had a lost son., We cast Chris in Gotham but have known him for years, says Thomas. 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. We ended up moving the schedule around a little bit for her through communication with her reps and our production team. We put out the offer, and he was on board. RS: It was a very extensive search. And were really fing funny! Among them, theyre responsible for five of the shows nominated for casting Emmys this year as well as a host of others that have received acting nominations in the past. So, to be able to support her in a role like this, where she really gets to show what she can do as an actress and the layers and the levels that she has and that she is nuanced, is its exciting. I think Mindy had said she ran into him at a Vanity Fair party and said something to him. Instead its all of the supporting players, the day players, because you have to have great actors, the majority of who are in scenes with Christina and Linda. Big titles like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Handmaid's Tale may first come to mind. 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. Listen, come to my office and Ill do your hair youll be fine. I grew up thinking that acting was going to be my path in life, so when I was 22, I packed up my car and drove cross-country to LA with just 150 bucks in my pocket. You really need to find actors who can do all of those things which can be challenging. Sherry Thomas @SherryThomas_ST , Twitter Profile - instalker.org Thomas says of the then-not-so-well-known Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, I kind of always knew Yahya was it. She is a positive, light person, and that carries into her portrayal of [dancer] Gidget. Thats how we kept bringing up Natalie Morales. 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. Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. But then she had also read with us on Danny McBrides Vice Principles. Get to Know the Casting Director: Sherry Thomas Cat Elliott August 2, 2022 It's hard to pick just a handful of credits that cover the breadth and depth of Sherry Thomas' casting rsum. 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. 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. So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. Sharon Bialy & Sherry Thomas Q&A: 'Breaking Bad' casting You do a drama and they say you can only do drama. He was pursuing editing work on the side. To see somebody with natural comedic timing who really got the nuances of the scenes and really got the multidimensional character she wasnt just reading lines. 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. 'Perry Mason' Casting Directors Reveal the Casting - Daily Actor By Vinnie Mancuso 12/30/15 10:00am. Artios Awards: Casting Directors for 'The Boys,' 'Pose,' 'Watchmen We had to make sure all of the players were lined up, and from there, it was a lot of immediate yess. 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. Defying past portrayals of female friendship on television, Dead To Me enamoredaudiences with its unexpected casting choices of Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. And he even said, coming in, I dont really know why Im here. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. Im fully vaxed. Boom. Its great for the world to see his story; something that youre certainly seeing more and more television, which is wonderful, but that you dont see every day., When putting together an ensemble in which one star cannot shine brighter than the others, theres a key to getting it right: You need strong people all around, people who can match each other talentwise, says casting director Billy Hopkins. When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. Sharon Bialy: Right. She was kind of in my head when I read it. Sherry Thomas: Yeah, it was. If its somebody that we have known for a long time and we just say, not sure if its right, but just want to see if there is something there that connects the spirit of the actor to the spirit of the character, but its not right, then we can sort of move on and with respect because we know its not the perfect fit.

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