Awards Daily: What was it like jumping back into Dead to Me after the first season became such a breakout hit? And from there, we would have further discussion or conversation. Name one of your favorite television shows and it's a sure bet that Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas were the casting directors for at least one of them. The others laugh a little. As an art form, acting is often viewed as a personal endeavor. Hes like 6-foot-5, hes got this huge fro. Casting Networks uses cookies to analyze our traffic and to personalize content and ads. Although the self Read More, Your email address will not be published. AD: Im sure you cant say anything about the final season, but Im curious if you have a dream guest actor that you think would fit perfectly into the world of the show? Survivor Users Leaderboard Coming Soon! 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. [Tim] talks about the spirit and the soul of the actor marrying with the spirit and the soul of the character, says Thomas. Sherry Lansing - IMDb Its about finding complex and compelling actors that can bring nuance even to comedy. Sorry I had to jump in because he is very humble! Despite the mega success of "Breaking Bad" at the Emmys -- including three acting wins for Bryan Cranston, a pair for Aaron Paul and one for Anna Gunn -- casting directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry . I mean, I was still completely nervous, but I felt more comfortable in that sort of nervousness. You dont have to drive an hour and a half to two hours for an audition when youre getting the pages two or three days before. Awards. You were also nominated for your work on the third season of The Handmaids Tale. Hes being very humble right now, but it took a lot of strategizing and basically producing. Weve been able to give multiple women over a certain age really complex material. ST: It is a challenge when there are so many components beyond Are they a great actor? and Are they right for the part? The age had to be right so that it felt right appropriate for Diana. They met and he loved him, and that was that., There is no shortage of star wattage in the dark origin story of the legendary defense lawyer, but there is an art to combining such talent. After a 2007 surgery that required general anesthesia, Steenburgen, who plays Zoeys mother, Maggie, began hearing original music in her head. I love her performances and everything she does, and Luca felt the same way., Jack has a lot of experience in movies and TV, so he had a flexibility as far as craft goes, Cuba says. 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. Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? Christina Applegate has done amazing dramatic work on the show, but she has largely been known as a comedic actor. She came in and was so natural, so funny. Do you guys prefer two takes on the self-tape? So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. 'Breaking Bad' casting directors Sharon Bialy & Sherry Thomas 'very 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. Theres a lot of complexity to the role and we needed someone funny. I think within that the process will change a bit. "I've known and worked with Sherry in different capacities over the past 7 years. Facebook Icon. Oscars 2023: Just How Many Oscars Will Everything, Everywhere All at Once Win? 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But it really feels good to be recognized by our peers. Then he was totally game to be in the last episode in front of the camera., After co-creator and executive producer Mindy Kaling tweeted an open casting call for series lead Devi Vishwakumar, the casting directors discovered newcomer Ramakrishnan. Weve read her over the years and have been a fan of hers, says Daniel of the role Moorjani eventually landed, as the cousin who initially inspires envy in Devi. Co-Owner Bialy Thomas & Assoc. Three if theres one in there that you just want to give it a shot. 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. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Twitter Icon Michael Ordoa covers film and television for the Los Angeles Times. RS: A lot of times those small roles are the hardest to cast. I would own my own version of a Drybar. It all kind of comes together. Get to Know the Casting Director: Sherry Thomas Id actually liken it to the audition process. Bialy/Thomas & Associates - Casting Director | Backstage It was a surprise to us. But Cornell Womack, hes a pro, we know him. Sometimes the casting session is slammed, and you have several actors in the waiting room. [Showrunner Damon Lindelof] is pretty specific about what he wants, but if he cant really explain it, hell know it when he sees it. When we got the initial call we looked at each other, and were like Isnt he dead? Matthew Dodsons father is not a role he typically plays. Gohar Gazazyan, Casting Director. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company. 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? 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. 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. AD: As our readers can imagine, casting can be a very hands-on role where you are meeting dozens of new people every day. Oscars 2023: Preview and Predictions + Contest! At that point, I feel like Ive got it I know who the character is. 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. These casting directors pull back the curtain on the process 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. THE PHIL SPECTOR BIOPIC (HBO Movie): David Mamet, Writer-Director Barry Levinson, Michael Hausman, Exec Producers Starring: Al Pacino, Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Tambor, Chiwetel Eji of or (HBO) WIDOW DETECTIVE (pilot): Carol Mendelsohn, David Hubbard, Julie Weitz, Davis Guggenheim, Exec Producers TV casting directors receiving multiple nominations include Alexa L. Fogel (The Politician, . Casting director Sherry Thomas (The Righteous Gemstones, Better Call Saul) explains if she has any tells when auditioning actors and how she wants them to fe. 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. DEAD TO ME - Sherry Thomas, Russell Scott, Sharon Bialy, Alyssa Morris (Associate) Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. All rights reserved. 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. Then, I go through my notes and consider actors that I love, as well as some new actors. 2023 Gold Derby Media, LLC. Learn how your comment data is processed. Its a visceral feeling, says Ingram, when you see an actor who you really know should be in a role., [Brandee] really had the strength and the forcefulness and chutzpah that [lead dancer] Mercedes needs, Hopkins says. Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. Sharon Bialy: There are always challenges, but this season there were a couple of roles that caused some particular challenges. And I write on something next to me, I had Michael Imperioli in my head. Liz Feldman has a great knowledge of actors and comedic actors. Hes not afraid to try things. I knew that Mary could sing. ST: The challenge too isnt necessarily one particular role. I think actors dont think it happens, and it does. Sign Up. In the meantime, make your predictions for Best Drama Series below the interview using our easy drag-and-drop menu. Sharon Bialy: I think actors often think, Oh, they only think of me for this. At some point Sherry suggested Katey Sagal. 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. In 1975 she joined MGM as an executive story editor. 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. What is the craziest audition story that you have? It was the biggest casting search weve ever done in our career, says Daniel. You have this sort of visceral, gut reaction when its right, and thats how it was for me with casting. Casting Networks acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land throughout Australia. In a COVID and post-COVID world do you think youre job will permanently change? Its all so seamless, though, that you cant see any of those divisions in his performance. Luca was definitely familiar with his music [as Kid Cudi] and loves it. Shes fantastic. And before we wrap, can you share your secret for managing work/life balance? Sherry Thomas is represented by the brilliant Kristin Nelson of . They have to be funny and in the moment with so few lines, and that is such a hard thing to do. 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. Sharon Bialy: I think thats the exciting thing about casting, and Ill speak for my partner. All Rights Reserved. Mindy did, probably, because she had her on The Mindy Project. AD: Except for Emmy voters for whatever frustrating reason. Sharon Bialy: Also, because sometimes youre only getting a couple of pages, so you have to guess and when youre in the room, we can give you context. Sherry Thomas: Theres an energy. Sherry Thomas: If a reader is really distracting, its not about the reader, its about the actor. 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 you work in television and when you work with really great material, you do get excited for this time of year. 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. I feel like I get him. Women of that level and age arent coming in to read at that point in their careers, so we kept combing through this huge list. We dont get the opportunity to give immediate feedback and really do the other part of our title which is direct. Its an amazing collaboration, and the work is very gratifying and just so much fun. Interview: Casting Directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas on 'The But what they don't realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might . Someone was really good when they read for Better Call Saul, a drama, but theres something there. She cites the scenes with Mark Proksch as energy vampire Colin Robinson in his workplace. Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas Explain The Art of Casting Being in the room with actors is so exciting, especially when youre discovering talent. Sharon Bialy is on Instagram 782 posts on their profile 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. So, theres support at every turn, but balancing a family and a career isnt easy. But in a series that tonally feels more like an independent feature, not just any teenagers would do. What can you tell us about the process of assembling the cast for its long-awaited third season? Sherry Thomas: Well, its crazy. 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. We are very, very excited for season three. 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. And I said, Yeah, I think its going to be really cool and really interesting. Sherry Lansing. This story first appeared in a January stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Casting Director. Were just gonna shove everybody out of the way! Once I opened that door, though, there was no going back. 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. Look, I think Bill Hader is in a category all his own. You guys cast this while everything was locked down. She and Bialy relied on their stable of talent from decades in the profession. 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. With self-tapes and zoom callbacks. Get ready with our TV viewers guide, Damon Lindelof] is pretty specific about what he wants, The Buzzmeter: Our experts predict the 2020 Emmy winners - and so can you, The secret to What We Do in the Shadows success? Do you think you guys will rely on that still? The driving force was that this world felt real, [that] we could see these people living here, Ingram says. We would give a little context of the tone. Jeremy O. Harris was cast in a small role in FXs What We Do in the Shadows. Co-showrunner Jemaine Clement then wrote an episode just for him. [Niccos] brilliant, says Hopkins. BIALY / THOMAS CASTING - The Casting Society of America Russell Scott, Casting Director. Sherry Thomas (I) Casting Director Casting Department Producer IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Sherry Thomas was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA. Once the lead was in place, the other puzzle pieces of this ethnically and neuro-diverse cast started to land. What kind of challenges are there for a show like that where you are three seasons in already? She had to go to some places and the work was beautiful. And then there were some people that we redirected and from the day players up to our more significant roles that were prominent in the piece. And especially for kids, dont try that hard in the slate to be liked and all of that, its just, Hey, Im Lance Carter, Im five foot 10. 14.1k Followers, 269 Following, 782 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sharon Bialy (@sharonbialy) AD: What character in the second season proved to be the most challenging? I dont have to deal with traffic or anything like that, but being in the room, I totally miss. The process when we started of course is making lists. John Ennis is a character actor weve known for a long time and he was amazing as the exterminator. Even the actor didnt know until that episodes script rolled around. 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. 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. He is fantastic. Sherry Thomas: But everybody was generous and kind. For the full interview, check out the video below or on YouTube. We talk about what hes looking for, and I like to ask if he has any prototypes dead or alive for the characters. All Rights Reserved. A naturalistic performance, I think, is what was required in The Shrink Next Door. 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. 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. 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. 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. Liz responds to actors who arent hitting the jokes but have a sense of humor, not typical sitcom, playing-to-the-audience types you might see on traditional multi-camera shows. We will never, ever be an office that is strictly self-taped. As a freelance writer for me at Modern Luxury, NS magazine, Sherry pitched and wrote creative . And he even was like, Im not right for this, but Im here. Big titles like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Handmaids Tale may first come to mind. But if you feel like you want to give it a shot. Those things are leaps of faith, right? In 1975 she joined MGM as an executive story editor. Russell Scott: The show is a comedy, but tonally it is pretty tricky because its also a mystery. Its great to virtually meet you, Sherry, and lets kick things off right at the beginning of your career. And, Id imagine, completely challenging. 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. That is such a skill, and one I wish I had. Mercedes is the one who draws all the crowds into The Pynk, so you have to have someone that has this magnetism about them., Oh, what can you say? AD: This wasnt your only nomination this year. It was the biggest new role of the season. It was really sort of a meeting of the minds and people coming together on the choices. Bialy, Thomas and Russell Scott are nominated twice this year, for Dead to Me along with Handmaids Tale. Another of their shows, Better Call Saul, now has 11 acting nominations. Sherry Thomas Lane - Facebook One of their latest shows, the wonderful The Shrink Next Door, just finished its run on Apple+ and the pair took some time out of their busy schedule to talk about casting the show, their thoughts and advice on self-tapes and much more! When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. There were large party scenes, and large office scenes, and so you had to be very, very careful. It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. Samira Wiley plays Moira in The Handmaids Tale, a performance that has brought her a third supporting actress Emmy nomination. NORTHAMPTON When she was growing up in Florence, Sherry Thomas What she did to prepare for that role was incredible. She even officiated when my husband and I were married. And thats exciting when were able to do that. 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. Sharon Bialy: Right. And it isnt so much that we only do dramas, we love comedies. Im not just saying that because hes my boss Im saying that because Ive had the privilege of watching the dailies [raw, unedited footage shot during a filming day] for Barry and have gotten to see his work from all angles. Now in the shows 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. We had to make sure all of the players were lined up, and from there, it was a lot of immediate yess. All of the shows we do from The Walking Dead to Better Call Saul to The Righteous Gemstones are all over the country. Burrows eventually recommended Thomas for her first paying job in the industry, working as an assistant to the location casting director the person charged with hiring extras for movie and TV . Sometimes the nomination day is like Christmas morning, but this year we completely forgot. 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. The external is not whats important to him. The main cast may seem only six actors deep, but to the casting directors, the world was expansive. We really needed someone for that role who would be able to come in and immediately keep up with Linda, Christina, and James who had already gelled. One thing I love about casting this show is that its not just a lot of offers. Thats why you guys are so successful and all the shows you do, which are fantastic. Weve been bringing him in and casting him for some time, so he was somebody right from the start. Well, Russell was able to work with production to make it happen, adds Thomas. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The 2020 Emmys are closer than you think. 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. 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. Once we started to figure out that it was Jordan [Kristine Seamn], Ben was a perfect match. 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. She is a positive, light person, and that carries into her portrayal of [dancer] Gidget. AD: The second season also featured two major guest stars in Frances Conroy and Katey Sagal. Deadline Media, Get our free, urgent prediction updates and news, 9 Emmy nominees you didnt know were already on Netflix: , Leaderboards: See All Past Prediction Accuracy Scores, Leaderboards: Best Prediction Accuracy Scores for Film, TV and Music Awards, Leaderboards: Best TV Show Predictions by Gold Derby Users, Find a User or Expert / Download Gold Derbys Free, New App. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. He was pursuing editing work on the side. Did you specify that in the breakdowns or did you have to redirect people? We really relied on people that we have cultivated relationships with over a period of time as casting directors do. He was tied to a play in New York., Jemaine does that so much, says Kay. Ask a Casting Director: Sherry Thomas and Gohar Gazazyan of - Observer She was shooting a movie here in LA. Did you experience a lot of actors who struggled to nail the specific tone and how did you help them get there in the audition room? Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Send it to the producers. I think a lot of people have made that shift in their mentality. You can see a number of actors for an audition before that one person comes in, and everything just clicks. And thanks for sharing about the magic of working with the person who not only co-created the show, but who also produces, writes, directs, and stars in it. Instagram Icon