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 was a great audition, for sure, but he also really interested Luca as a person. But what they dont realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might actually be looking straight into the actors souls. Luca was definitely familiar with his music [as Kid Cudi] and loves it. 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? So, I love self-tapes. I didnt know anyone here, but was a manager at The Gap at the time and got transferred to an LA location of the store. The storylines and arcs are massive, and youre also in a period piece, so it was important to make sure that each actor [remained] defined within their own self, even if the character wasnt around all the time, says Thomas. 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. He felt just perfect for Bruce. Thomas says, Damon tried to give me a hint: He should be a little unusual. My associate, Elizabeth, who knows the comics very well, she guessed it.. Our job is to hopefully bring her people that she doesnt know yet. Toothpicks and blue jeans. Someone was really good when they read for Better Call Saul, a drama, but theres something there. When you read that someone is meant to be beautiful, what does Luca think beautiful is? says Cuba. We had read her for The Handmaids Tale one season, and we had read her for an independent movie that was a really deep and layered character. Sherry Thomas: Ive been a longtime fan of Casey. And my sister has had her own salon for about 35 years now its called the Hairspace Salon in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Big titles like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Handmaids Tale may first come to mind. I wrote a brief commentary of why there was only one Emily Dodson [mother of kidnapped boy]. But what the self-taping does is give so many more people opportunities because we can see 25 actors for a role. You believed everything that was coming out of her mouth., We did an open call for Kamala and I feel like [Richa Moorjani] came in pretty early on. Sherry Thomas: Well, its crazy. With Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd attached to it, if I went in for an audition, Id automatically think, this was like a more comedic sort of thing. Casting Director. Im always thrilled when stunt casting works, because people immediately feel a sense of connection by knowing somebody from the past, he says. Its definitely a world that were extremely interested in.. Theyre opposite sides of a coin., Skyler has an exuberance that is hard to describe, Ingram says. AD: I imagine one of the more interesting challenges of that character is finding someone who can believably portray someone who has both dated Ana (Diana-Maria Riva) and Judy. When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. But oddly enough, on this show, because on others, we have done producer callbacks over Zoom, we didnt do any. Do you think you guys will rely on that still? 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. Once we started to figure out that it was Jordan [Kristine Seamn], Ben was a perfect match. So theres some benefits to both. Sherry Thomas Lane is on Facebook. But filling the role of a Sherman Oaks-grown teenager of South Asian heritage proved harder than expected. She then added, To be perfectly honest with you, I think that were all in the reality that there are several other huge nominees in there, and so were blessed and honored to be there. Sherry Lansing. 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. Its hard to pick just a handful of credits that cover the breadth and depth of Sherry Thomas casting rsum. We needed him to feel younger than the other boys, other than Jack. Craig Fincannon (Location Casting Director) 2010 Nominee Artios Award: Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Series - Drama Breaking Bad (2008) Shared with: Sharon Bialy. As part of our inaugural BackstageFest, longtime casting directors Theo Park ("Ted Lasso," "Master of None"), Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas ("Perry Mason," "The Comey Rule," "The. Sometimes the casting session is slammed, and you have several actors in the waiting room. So, there you have it. Specialties: Catastrophe Modeling<br>Portfolio Management<br>Reinsurance Pricing | Learn more about Sherry Thomas's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn Okay. AD: One of the reasons the show has become so popular is because of the way it straddles this really thin line between comedy and drama in ways we rarely see on television. Sorry I had to jump in because he is very humble! And I also just love her as a person. Our job is to connect with people to bring out the best performance. Bialy says, For Better Call Saul, we have an inside joke in the office that theyre a Vince-Peter type of an actor [co-showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould]. 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 . I knew that Mary could sing. He was tied to a play in New York., Jemaine does that so much, says Kay. It might help for other projects more so than this, just to get a sense of it when youre in the room with us. I hope she never sees us. 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. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. The theater is located at 38 Commerce Street between Barrow and Bedford Streets in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City.The Cherry Lane Theatre contains a 179-seat main stage and a 60-seat studio. I dont see it. RS: We went through that entire process and read a lot of people. 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. Thomas says of the then-not-so-well-known Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, I kind of always knew Yahya was it. Facebook Icon. Shes amazing with hair, and I have a love for it, too. Join Facebook to connect with Sherry Thomas Lane and others you may know. SB: It will change, but we are hoping once this is over to be able to go back to that mixture of in-person and self-tapes. It is one of our most rewarding jobs., [John McEnroe] was in the original script, and I remember nobody was dealing with it. It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. Those things are leaps of faith, right? And now jumping to present day, congrats are in order regarding the recent Emmy nomination you received with Sharon Bialy for your teams work casting Barry. She is known for Breaking Bad (2008), Barry (2018) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017). In a COVID and post-COVID world do you think youre job will permanently change? So he was intrigued. 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. 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. RT: I looked for her name before I even looked for ours. While eager to gather a diverse troupe for Mindy Kaling and Lang Fishers series, casting directors Collin Daniel and Brett Greenstein quickly realized that until they had nailed down their series leads, there was no ensemble to assemble. Everybody knows he is a wonderful actor. Follow Gold Derby onFacebook,Twitter,Instagram,Tumblr,iTunesandYouTube, Gold Derby is a part of Penske Media Corporation. She even officiated when my husband and I were married. AD: The second season also featured two major guest stars in Frances Conroy and Katey Sagal. Its when I really first started, when I was having a lot of autonomy with Sharon. A naturalistic performance, I think, is what was required in The Shrink Next Door. 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. Three if theres one in there that you just want to give it a shot. Get to Know the Casting Director: Sherry Thomas, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. One day, Damon said, Hey, theres this guy, Yahya! I went, Yeah. I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris. I think Mindy had said she ran into him at a Vanity Fair party and said something to him. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. All Rights Reserved. Hes like 6-foot-5, hes got this huge fro. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company. The cast of Gotham. So, I was working with Shawn Ryan and Sharon was working with David Mamet, I mean, it was like a big deal. 14.1k Followers, 269 Following, 782 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sharon Bialy (@sharonbialy) We will never, ever be an office that is strictly self-taped. Casting Director Casting Department Producer IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Sharon Bialy is known for Rudy (1993), The Handmaid's Tale (2017) and Barry (2018). I personally just do my best to be as organized as possible and stay present in the moment, taking it one day at a time. Hes not afraid to try things. He was pursuing editing work on the side. Robin Bartlett, we have cast many times and she is, kind of in my brain, there was nobody else for it. Shes the real deal.. We rely so heavily on the loudness, and the shoutiness, and the calling out ideas and really kind of collaborating in that way. Sherry Thomas: They called him, pitched him and Sharon says, huh. It was fun to be able to draw on somebody that I had thought was so talented for so long.. She gave so much more than was even on the page [in the role of Mercedes mom], Ingram says. How did you guys bring her on? Get our L.A. And our associate, Alyssa Morris, did the same with the smaller roles. 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. In the meantime, make your predictions for Best Drama Series below the interview using our easy drag-and-drop menu. The age had to be appropriate so there would be chemistry with Linda. He is so wonderful. 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 . Once I opened that door, though, there was no going back. But I dont believe she had ever been a series regular before. You learn what you want to change moving forward. I think within that the process will change a bit. It has all come down to this, friends. Its all so seamless, though, that you cant see any of those divisions in his performance. I dont think it took an hour for every creative to say, Shes perfect. , The most exciting thing is taking that actor everybody sees one way and flipping expectations, Bialy says. You can see so many more people for a role, because you can take chances because you dont have to slot people in to 15-minute time periods with the producers. And then we pulled from that to go and seek out the right people for the roles. And before we wrap, can you share your secret for managing work/life balance? 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. Even Nate said, I cant believe Im in this part. He tapped into the soul of [kidnapped sons father] Matthew Dodson., He was in that initial conversation with Tim it was just determining which role, says Thomas of Patrick. I dont know if theres a generic answer that fits every person when it comes to managing work/life balance, though. She is a positive, light person, and that carries into her portrayal of [dancer] Gidget. For the full interview, check out the video below or on YouTube. She cites the scenes with Mark Proksch as energy vampire Colin Robinson in his workplace. Sharon Bialy: I think theres going to be a hybrid. ST: Not for us particularly. We make several-page lists of actors who might be a good fit. He hadnt done anything either. Thanks, and Ill add that working from home with your kids during the pandemic really shows you what youve been missing out on. 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. Sherry Thomas: But everybody was generous and kind. The thing that Luca seemed to be connecting to is a real combination of, could they do the material, but also could he engage in real dialogue with them about what it means to be their age in this moment and incorporate that into the vision that he had., Jordan didnt even have an agent. The others laugh a little. My wife is my reader and shes terrible. She was kind of in my head when I read it. It was the biggest casting search weve ever done in our career, says Daniel. I forgot to mention Casey Wilson. [Showrunner Damon Lindelof] is pretty specific about what he wants, but if he cant really explain it, hell know it when he sees it. If someone made a series about your life story, which actor would you cast to play the role of Sherry Thomas? Sherry Thomas. We dont get the opportunity to give immediate feedback and really do the other part of our title which is direct. 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. From encouraging this writer about her questionable hair choices to estimating how many times shes forgotten to pick her kids up from school, Thomas candor in our interview provided an intriguing look into the person behind all the casting credits. Part of our journey is the process of learning about the actor, says Bialy. (photo: Mark Seliger/FOX) Welcome to tvDownload's " Ask a Casting Director ," a new series in which we talk to the men and women . Sometimes Clement will become inspired by the actors. 2006 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. He was the heart of the show the first season., Andrew is absolutely hilarious. But, just like any other season, we got the scripts and then talked with [co-creator/star] Bill [Hader] and [co-creator/showrunner] Alec [Berg] to hear what they were identifying within the new characters. The parameters of that character were a tall order to fill. Awards Daily: What was it like jumping back into Dead to Me after the first season became such a breakout hit? I mean, I was still completely nervous, but I felt more comfortable in that sort of nervousness. We really relied on people that we have cultivated relationships with over a period of time as casting directors do. It was really about getting Devi and her mother cast, as they are the heart of the story, says Greenstein. We thought wed cast an unknown. Yahya took a leap of faith. Oscars 2023: Just How Many Oscars Will Everything, Everywhere All at Once Win? Hes coming in this week. . Luca was intrigued [by Alice] and it seemed like a great match. 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. But Cornell Womack, hes a pro, we know him. 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. I get told all the time that I remind people of Melissa McCarthy. I recently got a perm, Sherry, and its been a real challenge. Sharon Bialy: There are always challenges, but this season there were a couple of roles that caused some particular challenges. I knew him from The Glee Project and I just think he is one of the most extraordinary talents around. Liz Feldman has a great knowledge of actors and comedic actors. 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. We also share information about your use of our website with our social media and web analytics partners. 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. 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? When we got the initial call we looked at each other, and were like Isnt he dead? Im in LA. We were trying to find the perfect person that would excite Liz to the point where she would want to continue writing for if the character came back. Hes daring. But Id love to work with her, so let me just say shed be my choice. Sherry Thomas: Fortunately, I feel like everybody did a little bit of research, which was interesting. Id read about her ability, Ulrich says of the Oscar winner, a prolific singer-songwriter. When we started out, I was her associate for about two years, and then we became partners. But if you feel like you want to give it a shot. 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. Were in a very different time and our priorities are a little different, but it doesnt take away from the pride of it and the love and passion we have for it. 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. 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 . 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. Unsurprisingly, the series' casting directors are Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, who have each been nominated for seven Emmy Awards for casting. This is my first experience with Luca, so the process involved me figuring out how he defines a lot of the things in the script. It was the soul of the actor and what [showrunner Bruce Miller] was looking for.. Were just gonna shove everybody out of the way! Heres what to know, From Chris Rock to the SAG Awards. 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. Like everyone else on the planet we love her. And thats exciting when were able to do that. She read the whole book in like 48 hours. Natalies name came up at the very beginning, and she is someone who Liz liked but we were originally told she wasnt available. 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. So weve always cast in a broad, worldly way. Michael was one of those extraordinarily talented people who did not make it onto the show, but I kept in mind and saw him in stage productions and For the Record. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. Type above and press Enter to search. ST: I dont think any character was as challenging as Natalies. RT: Can we just put Rhea Seehorn in here? These are edited excerpts from that conversation. Its interesting, because I think what happens to actors often happens to casting directors, Bialy explained. We knew her, but I wouldnt say that a lot of people knew her, Greenstein adds. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. It's a game A Tale of Two Cities One City: The BAFTA voters chose to give just one award to Everything, Everywhere All 2023 Golden Reel Award Sound Editorial Winners Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing Feature Dialogue / ADR The Banshees of 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. 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. So, I knew Id have a paycheck once I arrived and took my two weeks vacation to make the trip over and get settled. Sherry Thomas, Casting Director. 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. Natalie [Morales] was someone [showrunner Liz Feldman] had in mind from the beginning, but she was working on a movie. Jonathan [Masons employer], was the first one. He was playing a husband. He was kind of signing on to play the girl part., As to King (she and Abdul-Mateen II are nominated, along with costars Jovan Adepo, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeremy Irons and Jean Smart), the Oscar winner and three-time Emmy winner who worked on Lindelofs The Leftovers wasnt a slam dunk precisely because shed worked on Lindelofs The Leftovers.. By Vinnie Mancuso 12/30/15 10:00am. And when they feel that support, they just blossom right in front of the camera. 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. Wiley plays the rebellious Moira on Handmaids and has one Emmy win in three nominations for the role. Sign Up. Shes fantastic. Its about finding complex and compelling actors that can bring nuance even to comedy. He is fantastic. You might look at the character of Lil Murda and think you know this person, but you dont. Thomas called Sweeney wise and mature beyond her years. We didnt want someone who would be instantly recognizable to the world. You are known for bringing in people who are looked at one way, and then you sort of have given this whole new sort of light, this new career almost to them. Often times we are reading more people for those roles than anything else. He once told me, Youre weird too. . Your email address will not be published. As for the ladies favorite guest stars over the years, they bring special attention to Charles Baker (Skinny Pete), Matt Jones (Badger) and Daniel and Luis Moncada (the Cousins), but they admit that Emmy nominee Mark Margolis may be their favorite casting scoop for the show. When you work in television and when you work with really great material, you do get excited for this time of year. ST: Not at all! This cast is definitely a combination of people who Luca knew hed have to shepherd along. Of Seamn, whose outwardly confident Caitlin struggles with gender identity, Cuba adds, But its funny, because we thought this going in, and then Jordan turned out to somehow be a savant and know how to do everything, even though shed had no experience., I have auditioned [Scott] over the years for various things. Weve been able to give multiple women over a certain age really complex material. 2023 Oscar Predictions Who Are the Oscar Voters? But then she had also read with us on Danny McBrides Vice Principles. Were just gonna have a great time.. They have to be funny and in the moment with so few lines, and that is such a hard thing to do. That was a really nice way to come back into the second season. The Emmys may be in September but its never too early to look out for potential nominees, including Succession, Schitts Creek and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. You guys cast this while everything was locked down. John Ennis is a character actor weve known for a long time and he was amazing as the exterminator. But if it is a more substantial role with several scenes, two is fine to send to us. And he even said, coming in, I dont really know why Im here. My mom passed away when I was young, but she used to be a very successful hairdresser back east. It was really sort of a meeting of the minds and people coming together on the choices. Christina Applegate has done amazing dramatic work on the show, but she has largely been known as a comedic actor. That helps give me the essence of what Bill has in mind, and then as I get him going, hell just start going into the characters dialogue in a voice that reflects how he hears it in his head. Id actually liken it to the audition process. But what they don't realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might . 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. Find out if Bialy and Thomas can win their very first Emmy for Breaking Bad when the Creative Arts Emmys are announced August 16. 2021 Nominee Primetime Emmy: Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series . Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. Primetime Emmy Awards. What are some self-tape tips that you have? Its also an emotional drama. To say I was enthused was another thing. 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. In 1975 she joined MGM as an executive story editor. And I write on something next to me, I had Michael Imperioli in my head. So find somebody who really is going to, give you a little bit of something to play off of, but not try to sort of make it about them, because thats not what theyre there for. Sometimes our job is basically that of a casting director/producer. And sometimes the sides are fake. We started talking with her agent, and they basically said to make sure this was the direction we wanted to go in because if Katey found out she would certainly want to do it. 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? Do you guys prefer two takes on the self-tape? 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 She and Bialy relied on their stable of talent from decades in the profession. 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. 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. Sherry Thomas retweeted. Thomas says, His agent called me: Oh my God, Vicky, we just learned who he was! and they screamed. And so, were sitting in the session, and he walks in and everybody says, hi. Hes a wonderful actor. We are very, very excited for season three. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. sherrythomaslane Follow 284 posts 5,086 followers 587 following Sherry Thomas Lane Casting Director / Owner @ Bialy Thomas & Associates Blue collar Northampton, MA native who is Livin' the dream.

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