Did it make your job easier or was it challenging having actors come in with a preconceived notion of what the show should be? 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. So he was intrigued. Finding actors that can understand the unique tone of the show, one that balances gut-wrenching trauma with unexpected comedy, is an intricate task. And I said, Yeah, I really feel like it could be really cool, and okay, great. Bruce and Lizzie were thrilled with him. 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. He is fantastic. When people used to ask us, I used to say, Oh, our reward is working with Vince Gilligan every day, which we continue to do and thats still true, Bialy told Gold Derby during our recent webchat (watch below). 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. From our perspective though we are still always trying to surprise the producers. But what they don't realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might . Lets try it. Sharon Bialy: What a nice way to start the day. When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. And my sister has had her own salon for about 35 years now its called the Hairspace Salon in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. Its also a thriller. But going into the second season, the world knows the show, and we dont have to explain what it is. 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. As continuing shows, all three series have established universes and tones, says Thomas. The Commander that Christopher Meloni played [Commander Winslow] was challenging because often times the first script doesnt tell you what the journey is going to be. AD: Except for Emmy voters for whatever frustrating reason. 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. 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? Big titles like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and The Handmaids Tale may first come to mind. It sounds like you didnt look back after the job found you. Sharon Bialy: I think thats a really good note. AD: The second season also featured two major guest stars in Frances Conroy and Katey Sagal. There would be years where people would be like, Where did you get all these drug addicts? . It was the biggest casting search weve ever done in our career, says Daniel. When youre chasing after an actor with a name, you need them to trust you. I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris. 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. This weekend, we'll hear from three more guilds: the ACE (Eddie Awards), the ASC, and the WGA. 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. Let me try it. Heres what to know, From Chris Rock to the SAG Awards. Exclusive: AMCs Emmy episode submissions for Breaking Bad & Mad Men, Even though Breaking Bad is over, Bialy and Thomas are still involved in that universe thanks to their casting of the spin-off series Better Call Saul. However, Bialy warns us, I cant tell you anything about Better Call Saul. Were sworn to secrecy! Theyre also keeping busy casting Halt and Catch Fire, which just ended its first season on AMC, Foxs upcoming comic-book series Gotham and TVs biggest ratings hit The Walking Dead., Hey, whats with all the dark shows on their resumes? For 'The. Instagram Icon Jonathan [Masons employer], was the first one. It was the biggest new role of the season. 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. Our job is to hopefully bring her people that she doesnt know yet. 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. 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. 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 . A lot of it is having support. Contact To get in touch with Sherry, use the contact form below or send her an email at sherry @ sherrythomas.com (w/o spaces). John Ennis is a character actor weve known for a long time and he was amazing as the exterminator. If someone made a series about your life story, which actor would you cast to play the role of Sherry Thomas? And sometimes the sides are fake. 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. RT: I looked for her name before I even looked for ours. My partner Sherry Thomas, who casts the show with me, and I have a history of colorblind casting, so we're always looking for the best actor. 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. Then, I go through my notes and consider actors that I love, as well as some new actors. Get to Know the Casting Director: Sherry Thomas, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. 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. Thats how we kept bringing up Natalie Morales. Sherry Thomas: And the show director, Jesse Peretz, just really kind of took everybody and, everybody shines. We knew her, but I wouldnt say that a lot of people knew her, Greenstein adds. I think we got to try. And she says, You feel really passionately about it. Will Dominion-Fox News lawsuit be different? We wanted to see her because we were such huge fans from all the things that shes done, especially The Night Of. 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. Listen, come to my office and Ill do your hair youll be fine. 2023 Gold Derby Media, LLC. So theres some benefits to both. Sometimes our job is basically that of a casting director/producer. Weve been able to give multiple women over a certain age really complex material. 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. 14.1k Followers, 269 Following, 782 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sharon Bialy (@sharonbialy) But what the self-taping does is give so many more people opportunities because we can see 25 actors for a role. No, but it made me feel like just more confident. So, theres time to do a little bit of research and we tried to educate people as much as possible that this was based on the podcast based on a true story. Id imagine that at this point, after collaborating with Hader since the first season of Barry, you all are very familiar with how you work together. You do a dark show and they go, lets get the girls to do the dark show. Casting Yvonne Strahovskis mother, we needed someone who could be formidable. So, there you have it. But if you feel like you want to give it a shot. If its somebody who were like, Ive never seen them audition for us before. You were also nominated for your work on the third season of The Handmaids Tale. That has been nice because so many of these shows are aged for younger women. 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. Its great to virtually meet you, Sherry, and lets kick things off right at the beginning of your career. Thomas says, His agent called me: Oh my God, Vicky, we just learned who he was! and they screamed. When you guys watch a self-tape, how long do you spend on it until you move on. 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. 2023 Casting Networks, LLC. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. Natalie Morales, left, joined the cast of Dead to Me in Season 2 as the love interest for Linda Cardellini. This website uses cookies. Its about finding complex and compelling actors that can bring nuance even to comedy. 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. In 1975 she joined MGM as an executive story editor. Jonathans secretary. It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. And it worked! You also have to believe that that actor is capable of things you havent seen them do before. That makes sense. Shes fantastic. I knew him from The Glee Project and I just think he is one of the most extraordinary talents around. 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. 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. Id actually liken it to the audition process. 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. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. We really kind of leave it up to the actor. He doesnt necessarily work with people twice in a row, so we didnt immediately go to Regina, says Thomas. 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. Theyre opposite sides of a coin., Skyler has an exuberance that is hard to describe, Ingram says. But not even Thomas and Lewis knew who the character, a nice guy married to Regina Kings vigilante character, would later be revealed to be. These are edited excerpts from that conversation. 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. One day, Damon said, Hey, theres this guy, Yahya! I went, Yeah. Im pretty sure Im the loudest, so I think whoevers the loudest wins, joked Thomas. After a 2007 surgery that required general anesthesia, Steenburgen, who plays Zoeys mother, Maggie, began hearing original music in her head. 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. Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas - casting directors HBO: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 2: Cindy Tolan - casting director Amazon: Russian Doll: Season 1: Christine Kromer - casting director Netflix: Veep: Season 7: Dorian Frankel and Sibby Kirchgessner - casting directors HBO: 2020s. It has all come down to this, friends. We make several-page lists of actors who might be a good fit. Follow Gold Derby onFacebook,Twitter,Instagram,Tumblr,iTunesandYouTube, Gold Derby is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Thank God. We will never, ever be an office that is strictly self-taped. In the case of Lawrence Gilliard, that role was. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Although the self Read More, Your email address will not be published. Kids is the movie that made me recognize that this was something I could do, and the first movie I did on my own as a casting director was a movie called Bully, which was by the same director as Kids [Larry Clark]. Sometimes the casting session is slammed, and you have several actors in the waiting room. In the meantime, make your predictions for Best Drama Series below the interview using our easy drag-and-drop menu. Bradley Whitford @BradleyWhitford 10 months ago. No. Were just gonna shove everybody out of the way! She needed the right role to be able to show that shes not just someone whos gorgeous, and Mississippi allows her to do that., Elarica [as dancer Autumn Night] has a very openhearted vulnerability that comes forward when you just look in her eyes, says Ingram. 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. I feel like I get him. 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Her emotional depth and ability, in the scene, to always find the deepest but most surprising way to play it, is amazing and then to be able to sing on top of it. Daisy Jones & the Six becomes the first fictional band to hit No. WEBN Reporter Ali Inglese sat down with "Breaking Bad" Casting Directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas. 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. Do you guys prefer two takes on the self-tape? And he even said, coming in, I dont really know why Im here. Its all so seamless, though, that you cant see any of those divisions in his performance. He was a great audition, for sure, but he also really interested Luca as a person. Its a natural human thing to think of somebody in one way. And I said, Yeah, I think its going to be really cool and really interesting. 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. We rely so heavily on the loudness, and the shoutiness, and the calling out ideas and really kind of collaborating in that way. She is a positive, light person, and that carries into her portrayal of [dancer] Gidget. He was the heart of the show the first season., Andrew is absolutely hilarious. 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. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. All rights reserved. We discussed a bunch of people [for the role of Caitlins father, an Army lieutenant] and then it just felt natural for Scott and Luca to meet. Thomas adds that they sometimes develop relationships with actors, calling them in time and again for reads. I remember going in for you guys a couple times and unlike a lot of rooms, you guys made it so comfortable, and it was just so warm. ST: Our goal will always be to safely get back in the room with actors. We are very, very excited for season three. I wrote a brief commentary of why there was only one Emily Dodson [mother of kidnapped boy]. Aug. 21, 2020 2 PM PT. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The 2020 Emmys are closer than you think. 2023 Oscar Predictions Who Are the Oscar Voters? Shes just someone Ive been watching. Sharon and I have been business partners for 25 years, and were very inserted in each others lives at this point. Livin' the dream. Part of our journey is the process of learning about the actor, says Bialy. He was pursuing editing work on the side. 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. In person its almost distracting how gorgeous she is, says Ingram. I think actors dont think it happens, and it does. But I dont think that it is ever more important than having the right person. Of course, the greatest discovery of this musical comedy is its lead, Jane Levy, best known to viewers for her comedic skills on the ABC series Suburgatory. 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. At some point Sherry suggested Katey Sagal. Weve always requested self-tapes and explored actors from all over the world. But in a series that tonally feels more like an independent feature, not just any teenagers would do. For Dead to Mes second season, Scott said the main task was finding the new love interest for Linda Cardellinis character. Sherry Thomas (I) Casting Director Casting Department Producer IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Sherry Thomas was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA. I forgot to mention Casey Wilson. Sherry Thomas: Fortunately, I feel like everybody did a little bit of research, which was interesting. (photo: Mark Seliger/FOX) Welcome to tvDownload's " Ask a Casting Director ," a new series in which we talk to the men and women . You can see a number of actors for an audition before that one person comes in, and everything just clicks. I truly love doing hair and have always told people that if I somehow just sh-t the bed and was no longer able to be in casting, I would do hair instead. Hes like 6-foot-5, hes got this huge fro. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. Those things are leaps of faith, right? So, I knew Id have a paycheck once I arrived and took my two weeks vacation to make the trip over and get settled. We were finding choices and some incredible singers, but it just clicked when it became Alex. I recently got a perm, Sherry, and its been a real challenge. And Peter [Gallagher, as Maggies husband, Mitch] obviously had been on Broadway. Like everyone else on the planet we love her. ST: Russell worked very, very hard on that. I was doing a virtual Pilates class when I got a text from Christina that said, Congrats lady! There were large party scenes, and large office scenes, and so you had to be very, very careful. And then when I did it, you kind of jumped up in your chair. Thomas says of the then-not-so-well-known Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, I kind of always knew Yahya was it. Now, here comes my favorite question to ask, Sherry. 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. Five seasoned entertainment journalists predict the shows and performances the Television Academy will honor with Emmys; do you agree with their picks? 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. 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. If its a co-star role and its one scene, a few lines, two takes. Sherry Thomas: Well, its crazy. 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. And it isnt so much that we only do dramas, we love comedies. Liz Feldman has a great knowledge of actors and comedic actors. So, I was working with Shawn Ryan and Sharon was working with David Mamet, I mean, it was like a big deal. The second it became Alex, I ran with it, pushed it, said its a way to really enlighten the world. 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. 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. Once the lead was in place, the other puzzle pieces of this ethnically and neuro-diverse cast started to land. ST: The challenge too isnt necessarily one particular role. Backstage provides its members with the best tools to grow their careers in the performing arts. 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. 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. Sharon Bialy: I mean, I watch the whole thing. Natalies name came up at the very beginning, and she is someone who Liz liked but we were originally told she wasnt available. I have no history with her. Personnel: Sharon Bialy, Casting Director. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. Hes a very soulful actor and person, and his craft is unbelievable. 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. But Id love to work with her, so let me just say shed be my choice. 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. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. They tell the story of when they had to call Margolis in New York and ask him to put himself on tape, despite the fact that his character had no lines. 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. She was the lead casting director on this one and what she did was really take actors that are known for one thing and respect them and the breath of their talent and say, Im going to try something else here. Why Netflix is dabbling in livestreaming. He goes right to the edge, and it works. #LucindaSyson #TheoPark #SherryThomas SharonBialy #CastingDirectorsQ&A with casting directors from several Apple TV+ series; Lucinda Syson (Foundation), Theo. [Tim] talks about the spirit and the soul of the actor marrying with the spirit and the soul of the character, says Thomas. And also, it was shot in LA, in Los Angeles, so everything is large and on a big scale. 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. Im getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it. Oscars 2023: Preview and Predictions + Contest! Sherry Thomas: They called him, pitched him and Sharon says, huh. She read the whole book in like 48 hours. She is known for Breaking Bad (2008), Barry (2018) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017). Sign up to get must-read entertainment headlines and audition advice delivered to your inbox every weekday. Sherry Thomas: Ive been a longtime fan of Casey. At that point, I feel like Ive got it I know who the character is. Luckily he did. I think Chris Meloni brought so much value to that role. Pros from five of the years newest dramas and comedies including 'Perry Mason' and 'We Are Who We Are' also reveal the surprising obstacles they hurdled before production began. I get on the phone with agents, and the casting process goes on from there. My mom passed away when I was young, but she used to be a very successful hairdresser back east. Watch our video interviews with top awards contenders: directors, producers, below-the-line artisans and , Watch our lively predictions slugfests with Experts and Editors. We were like, Wait, did we just see somebody who literally has zero acting experience and was that great? says Brett Greenstein. And I write on something next to me, I had Michael Imperioli in my head. Its definitely a world that were extremely interested in.. 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? Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. 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. It felt like he was going to be her enemy the whole time, Greenstein says of Lewisons character, Ben Gross. Sorry I had to jump in because he is very humble! With self-tapes and zoom callbacks. Thats what I did back in 2012 after my second daughter was born. How do you like the way casting is right now? As an art form, acting is often viewed as a personal endeavor. Sherry Thomas retweeted. 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. 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. 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. But even with such a rsum, the highly sought-after casting director came across as nothing short of a grounded, down-to-earth individual when she sat down with Casting Networks via Zoom. She came in and was so natural, so funny. The process when we started of course is making lists. Sign Up. For Season 2 of Handmaids, we were surprised with Sydney Sweeney [as Eden]. RS: With Katey, we wanted someone who is very special because there is a lot to unpack there with Lindas mother being in prison. ST: Vice versa for Linda Cardellini, who has typically been known for drama to come in and wow everyone with her great sense of timing and comedic skills without ever making it too big. [Showrunner Damon Lindelof] is pretty specific about what he wants, but if he cant really explain it, hell know it when he sees it. 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 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.