Karen Kondazian - The Actors Encyclopedia of Casting Directors

THE ACTORS ENCYCLOPEDIA OF

CASTING DIRECTORS

CONVERSATIONS WITH OVER 100 CASTING DIRECTORS ON HOW TO GET THE JOB

KAREN KONDAZIAN

Foreword by Richard Dreyfuss

lone eagle

THE ACTORS ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CASTING DIRECTORS

Copyright 1999 by Karen Kondazian

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, scanning, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without permission in writing from the publisher. Inquiries should be addressed to:

LONE EAGLE PUBLISHING COMPANY
5055 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tel: 323.525.2369 or 800.815.0503
www.hcdonline.com

Printed in the United States of America

Cover design by ADVANTAGE, London, T: +44 20 7613 3933

Book design by Carla Green

Edited by Lauren Rossini

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kondazian, Karen.

The actors encyclopedia of casting directors / Karen Kondazian
http://www.kondazian.com

Includes filmographies.

ISBN 1-58065-013-9
ISBN 9781783018376(ebook)

1. ActingVocational guidance. 2. Casting directors Interviews.

PN2055.C66 1999

792 .028029dc21

99-39868

CIP

Photo Credits:

Pages xiii, 1, 9, 13, 19, 23, 29, 33, 45, 49, 57, 61, 65, 71, 75, 79, 83, 95, 99, 111, 117, 133, 139, 147, 151, 157, 167, 183, 197, 217, 221, 225, 233, 253, 265, 271, 275, 285, 289, 301, 305, 309, 325, 329, 333, 343, 351, 357, 365, 369, 377, 385, 389, 393, 397, 405, 413, 417, 421, 425, 431 and 437 by Ed Krieger

Page 243 by Dale MacDiarmid

Pages 37, 187, and 191 by Edward Shapiro

Page 201 by Alisha Tamburri

Page 455 by Stephen Vaughn

Page 443 by Merie W. Wallace

Page 87 by Alan Weissman

All other photos are provided courtesy of the author

Books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for promotional or educational purposes. Special editions can be created to specifications. Inquiries for sales and distribution, textbook adoption, foreign language translation, editorial, and rights and permissions inquiries should be addressed to: Jeff Black, Lone Eagle Publishing, 5055 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90036 or send e-mail to:

Distributed to the trade by National Book Network, 800.462.6420.

Lone Eagle Publishing Company is a registered trademark.

To my parents Lillian Marie Paul and Varnum Paul who, with their constant love and support, have taught me that anything is possible.... Anything.

Karen Kondazian

Casting Directors

In 1976 or 77, I taught a class for ten weeks called How to be an Unemployed Actor in Los Angeles. I interviewed casting directors and agents and I taught the kids how to schmooze people, what the relationships are. I taught them that on an interview, your job is two-fold: to either get the job or to be remembered. I told them that I never brought a picture or a rsum because I figured that if I couldnt get casting directors to remember me from my presence in the room, nothing I wrote down on a piece of paper was going to make a bit of difference. I would be provocative and charming and funny. You want to get agents and casting directors to the point where they wake up at three oclock in the morning and say, I wish I could get Richard a job today. Acting is based on the showing of a personality. Its not just whether or not you can be the character. Can this vivid person show me this character through their own vivid personality?

Sometimes, during a conversation with a casting director on an audition, you can feel the audition slipping away. They might be asking you questions about yourself and you can actually start to feel their indifference. Thats when I would say, Excuse me, let me read this scene for you because thats what I do best. Im the best actor youre going to see today so I might as well read it. And then Id read it. Even if I wasnt the best one, theyre going to remember I said that. And Id do that often. My father once said, Dont you ever apologize for who you are! EVER! I never, ever walked in saying, Oh God, youre so great for seeing me.

My primary ambition at a very early age was to be a great actor. I knew fame was part of that and I wanted it, but I didnt want that first. So, if I was going to write my life story, I would have said the Academy Award was a goal that was best kept in front of me. I liked the pursuit more than the arrival. What I loved in those daysand still lovewas to watch as many of the films as I could. I would watch films over and over and over again. There were films shown thirteen times a week on Channel 9 and Channel 13. I would watch Spencer Tracy, Charles Laughton, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant or whoever it was over and over. And I made no bones about the fact that I was imitating some of them. I would incorporate their stuff. I did that all the time. I was addicted to my ambition and to my love of theatre and acting. It was ferocious. Im much better when Im hungry for something and trying to get it than I am having attained it and being there.

Concerning great screen acting, I believe that there is something mysterious that occurs between a camera, film and an audience. Theres a magic involved. I think part of it has to do with a willingness to be known emotionally... you know, kids these days seem to think that the moments when theyre working are all that there is ... then where is the rest of your life? I would say thisyouve gotta learn patience; youve gotta learn enjoyment. Try to parse your ambition so it doesnt swallow up the rest of your life. And finally, if you want to be an actor, act. Its really simple. The more you act, the better you get. Go to classes. Go to workshops. Act more hours of the day than not. Act for free. If youre lucky, every once in awhile, youll get paid. Think of the early years of your life as an apprenticeship. Dont think youre going to be handed your stardom. But do consider what youre going to do if you get it.

Richard Dreyfuss

You have at your fingertips an invaluable resource which can serve you in any number of ways. Read cover to cover, it can provide vital information to help you create or maintain a career. As a reference guide, the book can serve you every time you have an audition. Called in for Modern Family? Look up Jeff Greenberg and see what he has to say. Meeting with John Levey on Shameless? Go right to the source. Learn what they like and what they dont so you can go into your audition knowing what to expect. Youll be that much more armed and prepared. Youll also see that, while many casting directors feel the same about a lot of issues (they all love training and preparation and hate phone calls), yet they contradict each other left and right over other issues (memorization, props). The reality is that there is no singular, right answer. There are, however, opinions from industry professionals in this book and by reading them and seeing what makes the most sense for you, you can choose your own path.

It is also important to remember that casting directors are a nomadic bunch (which is why a series may go through several different casting directors during its run). They move from project to project and therefore may no longer be where they were when this book went to press. So while their wisdom is timeless, their contact information may be fleeting. If youre having trouble finding a particular casting director, the best source is the directory found on http://www.backstage.com/resources/search/castingdirector/