Sara Kay, left, and Jenny Lewis of Lewis Kay Casting.
THE BRIEF
COMPANY
Lewis Kay Casting
FOUNDED
2004, Toronto
SERVICES
Finding actors for films and TV shows
filmography
TV series and movies-of-the- week 25+
Feature films 20+
"It was a winding road. After I finished my film degree at York University, I fell into working as a talent agent. Then I ran away to study art in North Carolina and Oregon. When I came back to Toronto, I wasn't sure what to do with my life, so I offered to do temp work for a casting director for three days.
I was thrown into the job with two hours of training. We were in the middle of casting two films. One film was holding auditions where the girls had to be topless. I remember all the beautiful women walking in, ready to take off their clothes. I loved the chaos, the pressure, and the stress of it all. I was only supposed to work for three days but I stayed for three weeks, and I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.
This is a very competitive industry. There are between 15 to 20 established casting directors in Toronto, and each director casts anywhere from two to 25 projects a year: the big stuff, like film and television dramas, as well as a lot of odd jobs: television hosts, reality TV, short films, kids' shows.
I worked with a few different mentors, and then in 2004 I started my own casting company and took on Sara Kay as a partner.
We've cast dozens of films and television shows. We co-cast for CBC's Wild Roses. We also helped cast Young People Fucking, which just picked up a Genie for best supporting role. In 2006, we won the inaugural Gemini Award for best achievement in casting for Gordon Pinsent's movie-of-the-week, Heyday! and we were nominated twice for Rent-a-Goalie.
Our job is to scour the country to find actors that best fit the role. The right actor brings a role to life. So we bring actors and director/producers together. It starts with a list of roles for a given film. We send out descriptions to dozens of talent agents, and sift through hundreds of resumés. Then we call the actors in for auditions, and that's where it all happens, in the cocoon of casting sessions.
The room is usually bland, with artificial light, and an X on the floor where the actor reads. It doesn't matter what's happening outside-the world stops and we live in the moment. Inside that room, there's a camera operator, a reader, the producer, the director and us. We sit behind a desk and what we call 'the wall of fear.' When an actor comes in, they have one shot: It's fast, usually lasting under 10 minutes.
For the actor, that experience can be overwhelming, because this is how they earn a living. A one-liner pays $417.50 for an eight-hour day. A principal role starts at $618.25 a day. If you're a big name, you could be paid up to $100,000 for a role, or $5,000 to $10,000 a day. An actor has to walk into that room cold and be on, no matter what else is happening in their life. I may see 15 to 50 different actors in a day, so I have to stay focused.
An actor who comes in to read a one-liner might simply repeat the word 'Stop!' We get them to repeat that line three times, in three different ways. It's incredible how different those three versions can be. It's also amazing how bad someone can read one line-it could be nerves, or just bad acting. An actor might also be infusing too much meaning into that one word.
I'm accountable for every actor that comes into that room. If the director or producer is present, and they don't like what they see, I'm the one who gets yelled at. So I'm stressed. If an actor doesn't pull it off, I will certainly hesitate to call them in again. On the other hand, there are great actors who I'll audition for years before I book them a part, because I believe in them. I'm rooting for every actor that walks in.
We've just wrapped the second season of Overruled!-a show that primarily features teenagers. The funny thing is that agents will submit resumés for actors who are 25. This is called 'casting American.' Look at The O.C., where you've got 30-year-olds playing teenagers. In the U.S., actors will get jobs based on how they look. That may be because they have larger production budgets, and it's more about the eye-candy factor. In Canada, we have smaller budgets, and our material has to stand up. We want good actors and a good story, and we're used to not always having pretty faces. An independent film in America has a budget of $10 million. In Canada, we're talking $200,000.
What makes a good casting director is hard to explain. It comes down to instinct and experience. Movie stars have an 'it' quality. The 'it' is the way we know when someone is right for the part. They just are. That's why I have to have a level of confidence in my instincts. Casting directors who don't have that confidence perform the minutiae of the job. If you have the confidence, you influence the film."
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How To ACE THE audition
Moral support goes a long way
"Some directors do a great job of putting actors at ease-Bruce McDonald, for example: An actor will walk in and Bruce will say, 'How's your day so far?' He'll make the experience human for the actor. Gordon Pinsent is also great. He is ridiculously charming, and he's worked as an actor, so he's been there. Not all directors and producers do that."
Be authentic, Be prepared
"In this business, many of the things that would normally put you at ease are outside of your control. The vibe in the room is set by the person calling the shots. There is little you can do to change that. The best you can do is decide who you are, know your material, and come in ready to do the job. That's the best advice I can give."