Sherry Thomas: They called him, pitched him and Sharon says, huh. Im just blown away with how Bill can be in a scene, fully connected to it as an actor, even when I know his eye as the director and ear as the writer are simultaneously at work. [Laughs] I love them, as well as my husband, and we all have fun together. Get to Know the Casting Director: Sherry Thomas, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. And my sister has had her own salon for about 35 years now its called the Hairspace Salon in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Sherry Thomas: Good reader whos not too close to the camera and not trying to audition for themselves. The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. Kay says, I met with [showrunners Jemaine Clement and Paul Simms] in the beginning, and they were like, You know, just bring us good faces. 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? Sherry Thomas: Yep. And then we pulled from that to go and seek out the right people for the roles. [Tatiana is] someone we really believed in and highly recommended to Tim and the producers., [Gayle was] the only one who read, Thomas says. We sent the audition, and Jemaine fell in love with him: We have to have him! And the next season, they wrote an episode for him, but he couldnt do it. A lot have to be able to do comedy, drama, all of it.. 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. 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. 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. When you work in television and when you work with really great material, you do get excited for this time of year. Sherry Thomas (I) Casting Director Casting Department Producer IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Sherry Thomas was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA. Casting just felt right for me. Jonathans secretary. That makes sense. AD: This wasnt your only nomination this year. You were also nominated for your work on the third season of The Handmaids Tale. At some point Sherry suggested Katey Sagal. Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. Its OK because now youll get great volume when you blow dry it. 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. We are very passionate about not pigeonholing actors. 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. Its hard to pick just a handful of credits that cover the breadth and depth of Sherry Thomas casting rsum. When you guys watch a self-tape, how long do you spend on it until you move on. Theres a lot of complexity to the role and we needed someone funny. 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. To say I was enthused was another thing. Every actor that comes in, even if they dont get the job, we keep a lot of notes . Well often write notes like, Remember for BCS because theres a naturalistic approach to the acting on the show; its not showy at all. We wanted the fans to believe this, too, like, Oh my God, hes so cute. I mean, its just, its incredible. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. Its definitely a world that were extremely interested in.. I think Mindy had said she ran into him at a Vanity Fair party and said something to him. Well, Russell was able to work with production to make it happen, adds Thomas. Casting Director. It might help for other projects more so than this, just to get a sense of it when youre in the room with us. Toothpicks and blue jeans. You have this sort of visceral, gut reaction when its right, and thats how it was for me with casting. I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris. We have been very lucky on this show. Top Gun: Maverick, Banshees of Inisherin, All Quiet on the Western Front Win at MPSE. Part of our journey is the process of learning about the actor, says Bialy. She came in for Mo [Zoeys neighbor, played by gender-fluid actor Alex Newell], and everybody remembered her when we were casting [Zoeys sister-in-law] Emily, says Ulrich. Those interested in learning more about the stacked list of TV and film titles on her rsum can find them listed on IMDb. The parameters of that character were a tall order to fill. 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. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. But honestly, I had no idea how well Jane could sing., I knew she could sing because she had been on Broadway, and she just brought such a fun element to the show, says Ulrich of the Gilmore Girls and Parenthood vet, who made her Broadway debut in a 2009 revival of the musical comedy Guys and Dolls; Graham plays Zoeys boss. It was fun to be able to draw on somebody that I had thought was so talented for so long.. They also discuss what its like to be casting directors in the middle of a pandemic and if they think their profession is permanently changed by it. And then when I did it, you kind of jumped up in your chair. So now, if I leave at one oclock today [at time of interview] to go pick up my kids from camp, its OK. 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. ST: Not at all! And thats exciting when were able to do that. 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. The vampire mockumentary series was a surprise Emmys 2020 comedy series nominee, but dont look for hidden meaning behind the fun, say its writers. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for. But Thomas and Scott have been able to channel their passion into rounding out the ensemble of the second season with big name guest stars from Frances Conroy and Katey Sagal to utilizing some of the best character actors working today. So that bar was set very high., She had been finishing up something and was not available, Thomas says of the actress who plays E.B. We put out the offer, and he was on board. He doesnt necessarily work with people twice in a row, so we didnt immediately go to Regina, says 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. 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. Sherry Thomas: And the show director, Jesse Peretz, just really kind of took everybody and, everybody shines. But this is definitely a collaboration between Jack and Luca, and who teenagers are today, in this moment., [The character of Sam Pratchett] was really about mixing and matching with whoever [would be playing his girlfriend] Caitlin. For 'The. And so I said, Oh my God, oh my God, Michael Rispoli is going to be in town from New York and we need to get him in. The Shield was my favorite show at the time, and its still in my top five. The others laugh a little. She came in and was so natural, so funny. 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. I mean, I was still completely nervous, but I felt more comfortable in that sort of nervousness. Wiley plays the rebellious Moira on Handmaids and has one Emmy win in three nominations for the role. They have to be funny and in the moment with so few lines, and that is such a hard thing to do. She was shooting a movie here in LA. Sherry Thomas is represented by the brilliant Kristin Nelson of . After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. Sharon Bialy: And it was the hardest thing in the world to not be hysterical, laughing when she wrote, I meant Michael Imperioli. And then we had to go through the audition and Im biting my lip so that I laugh. 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. Disclaimer: Daily Actor at times uses affiliate links to sites like Amazon.com, streaming services, and others. 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. For the vampire mockuseries What We Do in the Shadows, nominees Gayle Keller, Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay find themselves looking for actors who dont look like typical actors. Sherry Thomas: I think it is a little bit of both. She even officiated when my husband and I were married. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Once I opened that door, though, there was no going back. As an art form, acting is often viewed as a personal endeavor. So, I get an idea for the cadence and tone of the role, which I add to what I already have about it on paper. But then she had also read with us on Danny McBrides Vice Principles. Sherry Thomas: Ive been a longtime fan of Casey. We needed him to feel younger than the other boys, other than Jack. Join Facebook to connect with Sherry Thomas Lane and others you may know. 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). Slowly they realized that Maitreyi and Jaren have this really great chemistry, so it naturally evolved into this love triangle, which was really fun to see., Finding stars for a show that centers entirely on musical numbers is not the daunting task one imagines especially if you were the casting director of Glee and have an enormous roster of singing actors at your disposal. Look, I think Bill Hader is in a category all his own. I want to get a sense of who they are, and how they handle text, and what they bring to the table in terms of choices, well watch it the whole way through because were educating ourselves. Its when I really first started, when I was having a lot of autonomy with Sharon. 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. Thomas says of the then-not-so-well-known Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, I kind of always knew Yahya was it. Sherry Thomas: Yeah, it was. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. And Sherry was like, Shes so smart. Shes the real deal.. We talk about what hes looking for, and I like to ask if he has any prototypes dead or alive for the characters. We can explain things like tone. All Rights Reserved. And he even was like, Im not right for this, but Im here. When we started out, I was her associate for about two years, and then we became partners. And sometimes the sides are fake. For Season 2 of Handmaids, we were surprised with Sydney Sweeney [as Eden]. 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. Closing out the conversation we were joined by their casting partner Sharon Bialy to discuss their second nomination of the year for their work on The Handmaids Tale. 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. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. 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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. You do a dark show and they go, lets get the girls to do the dark show. After first meeting the Massachusetts native a Masshole as she calls it you may feel as if youve known her for much longer. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The 2020 Emmys are closer than you think. Liz Feldman, Christina Applegate, Jessica Elbaum, and all of our producers fell in love with working with him and figuring out a complex way to bring him back. But what they don't realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might . Awards. She gets it. I knew him from The Glee Project and I just think he is one of the most extraordinary talents around. AD: The biggest addition of the second season was the character of Michelle, who is played by Natalie Morales. Get our L.A. Five seasoned entertainment journalists predict the shows and performances the Television Academy will honor with Emmys; do you agree with their picks? So theres some benefits to both. So, I was working with Shawn Ryan and Sharon was working with David Mamet, I mean, it was like a big deal. I mean, that had to have been completely It was all brand new. Better Call Saul, were not even allowed to give you anything. We rely so heavily on the loudness, and the shoutiness, and the calling out ideas and really kind of collaborating in that way. We were finding choices and some incredible singers, but it just clicked when it became Alex. We would give a little context of the tone. [Laughs] Sharon always says that she spends a lot of money to get her hair done for special events like the Emmys, only to ultimately wind up at my house so I can fix it. You also have to believe that that actor is capable of things you havent seen them do before. It was the soul of the actor and what [showrunner Bruce Miller] was looking for.. 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. 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. Personnel: Sharon Bialy, Casting Director. #LucindaSyson #TheoPark #SherryThomas SharonBialy #CastingDirectorsQ&A with casting directors from several Apple TV+ series; Lucinda Syson (Foundation), Theo. Murdoch has survived scandal after scandal. Im fully vaxed. Boom. A lot of offices have become that even prior to pandemic, to COVID, but thats just never been the way that we like to generate the work. In Season 1, says Keller, Harvey Guilln, who costars as Guillermo, familiar to one of the vampires, starts talking to this other familiar at a party, and it was a very nondescript part. Casting Networks acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land throughout Australia. You dont have to try to crack jokes and just be yourself. Im pretty sure Im the loudest, so I think whoevers the loudest wins, joked Thomas. In the case of Lawrence Gilliard, that role was. Survivor Users Leaderboard Coming Soon! John Ennis is a character actor weve known for a long time and he was amazing as the exterminator. While leaving no stone unturned in his search for the perfect San Francisco enclave, Ulrich ended up with more than a few recognizable names of both stage and screen in key roles. For Dead to Mes second season, Scott said the main task was finding the new love interest for Linda Cardellinis character. ST: Russell worked very, very hard on that. ST: I mean I cant even Its ridiculous. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. ST: We hadnt discussed the idea in general, probably because of the previous relationship with Christina, and we didnt want to pull anybody out of it. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. Sometimes our job is basically that of a casting director/producer. I appreciate that insight into collaborating with such a talented multi-hyphenate. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. Let me try it. We actually hit the limit of how many emails Gmail can accept in a day. After Kaling posted the open call on her social media and more than 13,000 submissions poured in, the duo discovered Toronto-based, then-17-year-old Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company. Now in the show's second season, casting directors Sherry Thomas and Russell Scott were tasked with the challenge of expanding on that world and filling out an ensemble that were able to keep up with Applegate and Cardellini. Hes daring. The bar has been set and we set it for ourselves as creative people with high standards. 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. Its all so seamless, though, that you cant see any of those divisions in his performance. What can you tell us about the process of assembling the cast for its long-awaited third season? Sharon Bialy: There are always challenges, but this season there were a couple of roles that caused some particular challenges. He hadnt done anything either. We went back to our theatre brains, and Laila Robins is someone I had seen over 25 years ago doing The Real Thing opposite Jeremy Irons. Your email address will not be published. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. No. Sherry Thomas retweeted. Its also an emotional drama. As a casting director, the joy is in discovering talent, says Ulrich. Shes fantastic. Thats a fantastic pick! Theyre opposite sides of a coin., Skyler has an exuberance that is hard to describe, Ingram says. Yahya took a leap of faith. Primetime Emmy Awards. 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. Sometimes the nomination day is like Christmas morning, but this year we completely forgot. Natalie Morales, left, joined the cast of Dead to Me in Season 2 as the love interest for Linda Cardellini. We can be a force of nature in our career and still want to spend more than an hour and a half with our newborn baby. With self-tapes and zoom callbacks. Thats me, Thomas says. After a 2007 surgery that required general anesthesia, Steenburgen, who plays Zoeys mother, Maggie, began hearing original music in her head. And, Id imagine, completely challenging. And were really fing funny! And one of the first things that we did together as Bialy/Thomas was The Unit with Shawn Ryan and David Mamet and Eric Haney. A lot of times in these teenage parts, you have 20-year-olds playing 15, and that wasnt the case, says Cuba, who wanted the coming-of-age roles to be occupied by fresh faces. The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Barry and many, many more, they are one of the top casting offices out there. Sign up to get must-read entertainment headlines and audition advice delivered to your inbox every weekday. Photo Credit: Deanna Baldwin Boyd, courtesy of Sherry Thomas. Id read about her ability, Ulrich says of the Oscar winner, a prolific singer-songwriter. He is so wonderful. 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.

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