More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Resume Add to list Nominated for 9 Primetime Emmys 1 win & 41 nominations total Photos Known for Rudy 7.5 Casting Director 1993 The Handmaid's Tale 8.4 Im getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it. 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. 14.1k Followers, 269 Following, 782 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sharon Bialy (@sharonbialy) And then we pulled from that to go and seek out the right people for the roles. Often times we are reading more people for those roles than anything else. ST: I think this year is so off kilter. Its hard to pick just a handful of credits that cover the breadth and depth of Sherry Thomas casting rsum. So, theres support at every turn, but balancing a family and a career isnt easy. And also, it was shot in LA, in Los Angeles, so everything is large and on a big scale. Sherry Thomas, Casting Director. His instinct was that she was the perfect fit for the part, and he didnt give up. 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. He is fantastic. It was the soul of the actor and what [showrunner Bruce Miller] was looking for.. RS: With Katey, we wanted someone who is very special because there is a lot to unpack there with Lindas mother being in prison. Contact To get in touch with Sherry, use the contact form below or send her an email at sherry @ sherrythomas.com (w/o spaces). And he even was like, Im not right for this, but Im here. At some point Sherry suggested Katey Sagal. 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. 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? The vampire mockumentary series was a surprise Emmys 2020 comedy series nominee, but dont look for hidden meaning behind the fun, say its writers. She is a positive, light person, and that carries into her portrayal of [dancer] Gidget. 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. And it isnt so much that we only do dramas, we love comedies. 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. It is one of our most rewarding jobs., [John McEnroe] was in the original script, and I remember nobody was dealing with it. At the time, there wasnt really a choice you had to prove yourself at work by being at your desk. In this case, its Jane, only in the fact that the public did not know that she was a singer. As a freelance writer for me at Modern Luxury, NS magazine, Sherry pitched and wrote creative . And then when I did it, you kind of jumped up in your chair. Shes just perfect. Sherry Thomas: But everybody was generous and kind. Instagram Icon But what they dont realize is that not only are they watching closely, they might actually be looking straight into the actors souls. We thought wed cast an unknown. Thats what it is all about. Her role in "Barry" came about thanks to its casting director, nine-time Emmy nominee Sherry Thomas, as well as the Hollywood satire's dedication to meta humor. The Shield was my favorite show at the time, and its still in my top five. 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. 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. It was really about getting Devi and her mother cast, as they are the heart of the story, says Greenstein. Twitter Icon Seriously. AD: What character in the second season proved to be the most challenging? I dont know if theres a generic answer that fits every person when it comes to managing work/life balance, though. How did you end up finding her for the role? [Laughs] I love them, as well as my husband, and we all have fun together. We had readings for that part. But then she had also read with us on Danny McBrides Vice Principles. 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. WEBN Reporter Ali Inglese sat down with "Breaking Bad" Casting Directors Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. Hes being very humble right now, but it took a lot of strategizing and basically producing. I think she had auditioned for Rocky Horror Picture Show several years before, so I knew she could sing. Sherry was born in Chicago and pursued an acting career after graduating from Northwestern University. My wife is my reader and shes terrible. 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. All Rights Reserved. I feel like this is not in my wheelhouse, or Im not right for this at all, but wanted to come and meet you guys.. I mean, I was still completely nervous, but I felt more comfortable in that sort of nervousness. Sherry Thomas: Yep. I feel like I get him. When you guys watch a self-tape, how long do you spend on it until you move on. What are some self-tape tips that you have? And sometimes the sides are fake. Type above and press Enter to search. Its also a thriller. 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? Our approach to that is a direct line of communication. He was tied to a play in New York., Jemaine does that so much, says Kay. For the full interview, check out the video below or on YouTube. 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. The age had to be appropriate so there would be chemistry with Linda. When Breaking Bad started, we really rebelled and kept looking for stand-up actors. Casting Networks uses cookies to analyze our traffic and to personalize content and ads. Hes not afraid to try things. 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. That makes sense. And I said, Yeah, I really feel like it could be really cool, and okay, great. He felt just perfect for Bruce. What can you tell us about the process of assembling the cast for its long-awaited third season? Thats why you guys are so successful and all the shows you do, which are fantastic. Elaine Doremus. If its somebody who were like, Ive never seen them audition for us before. That was a very, very challenging role, Thomas says of the eager young econowife character who comes to learn just how divorced love and marriage are in the Gilead dystopia. Its just a wonderful place to be to be able to cast these amazing actresses from Frances Conroy to Katey Sagal to Valerie Mahaffey. ST: I dont think any character was as challenging as Natalies. AD: The biggest addition of the second season was the character of Michelle, who is played by Natalie Morales. 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. 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. She has been nominated for eight Emmys (The Handmaid's Tale, Barry, Breaking Bad) and 19 CSA nominations. 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. Okay. 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. Natalie Morales, left, joined the cast of Dead to Me in Season 2 as the love interest for Linda Cardellini. One thing I love about casting this show is that its not just a lot of offers. Toothpicks and blue jeans. 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? TV casting directors receiving multiple nominations include Alexa L. Fogel (The Politician, . ST: The challenge too isnt necessarily one particular role. Send it to the producers. They have to be funny and in the moment with so few lines, and that is such a hard thing to do. Thank God. ST: I think thats one of the reasons we love to be in the room with actors and why right now it is really hard with the world of COVID. 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. And from there, we would have further discussion or conversation. 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. The cast of Gotham. 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. This story first appeared in a January stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. And our associate, Alyssa Morris, did the same with the smaller roles. And say, Lets try them for this.. So, we really didnt do any producer sessions over Zoom. Did you specify that in the breakdowns or did you have to redirect people? 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. Sign up for emails from Casting Networks News. I knew him from The Glee Project and I just think he is one of the most extraordinary talents around. Were just gonna shove everybody out of the way! It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. 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. There was somebody we just couldnt hire recently that is absolutely not known for comedy. I brought in this guy from New York, hes actually a playwright, his name is Jeremy O. Harris. Slowly they realized that Maitreyi and Jaren have this really great chemistry, so it naturally evolved into this love triangle, which was really fun to see., Finding stars for a show that centers entirely on musical numbers is not the daunting task one imagines especially if you were the casting director of Glee and have an enormous roster of singing actors at your disposal. In 1975 she joined MGM as an executive story editor. 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. ST: Not at all! Producer: Indecent Proposal. It might help for other projects more so than this, just to get a sense of it when youre in the room with us. If its a co-star role and its one scene, a few lines, two takes. Michael Ordoa covers film and television for the Los Angeles Times. If you have one weak link, it becomes obvious. According to Ashley Ingram, who also served as casting director on the show, an added challenge of populating the struggling Mississippi Delta strip joint was the desire for authenticity over recognizability. But oddly enough, on this show, because on others, we have done producer callbacks over Zoom, we didnt do any. You might look at the character of Lil Murda and think you know this person, but you dont. ST: Russell worked very, very hard on that. What she did to prepare for that role was incredible. Everything was requested self-tapes, so we would discuss ideas with them for the series regulars, our main players in the piece. We ended up moving the schedule around a little bit for her through communication with her reps and our production team. Find out if Bialy and Thomas can win their very first Emmy for Breaking Bad when the Creative Arts Emmys are announced August 16. Wow. If life begins at conception, why aren't Republicans making sure that the men who cause pregnancies take any responsibility? Good lighting is typical, and shooting from the right angle, and just be yourself in the slate. So he was intrigued. 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. And then, Sherry, you redirected me to do something. Hes a very soulful actor and person, and his craft is unbelievable. Sharon and I have been business partners for 25 years, and were very inserted in each others lives at this point. Its all so seamless, though, that you cant see any of those divisions in his performance. And Peter [Gallagher, as Maggies husband, Mitch] obviously had been on Broadway. Alphonse is truly an incredibly skilled actor, Ingram says. A naturalistic performance, I think, is what was required in The Shrink Next Door. Among them, theyre responsible for five of the shows nominated for casting Emmys this year as well as a host of others that have received acting nominations in the past. So, I didnt necessarily find casting it found me. Look, I think Bill Hader is in a category all his own. Was that hard at all? The Robert Downey Jr. -produced HBO series Perry Mason -which places the famed criminal defense lawyer played by Matthew Rhys in the era he debuted in literature, the 1930s-features a stellar cast. We started back in February of 2020, right before everything shut down, so Covid added some new challenges and parameters that we had to work within. Liz Feldman has a great knowledge of actors and comedic actors. Showing all 1 wins and 28 nominations. Jonathans secretary. Sometimes the nomination day is like Christmas morning, but this year we completely forgot. As a casting director, the joy is in discovering talent, says Ulrich. 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. And my sister has had her own salon for about 35 years now its called the Hairspace Salon in Easthampton, Massachusetts. She gets it. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Once the lead was in place, the other puzzle pieces of this ethnically and neuro-diverse cast started to land. Even the actor didnt know until that episodes script rolled around. So, you give each actor more of an opportunity to really get the role in some ways. He put himself on tape, and Tim really responded to his audition [for the beat-cop role].. I think we all miss being in the room with actors and I think a lot of the actors miss it as well, because theres something that you just get from being in the room with someone and the ability to play. Im fully vaxed. Boom. Shes fantastic. Scott says Dead to Me is a comedy, but its very down to earth. At that point, I feel like Ive got it I know who the character is. Were just gonna have a great time.. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company. 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
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