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 knew her, but I wouldnt say that a lot of people knew her, Greenstein adds. So theres some benefits to both. 2023 Casting Networks, LLC. [Tatiana is] someone we really believed in and highly recommended to Tim and the producers., [Gayle was] the only one who read, Thomas says. As a casting director, the joy is in discovering talent, says Ulrich. 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. At that point, I feel like Ive got it I know who the character is. Now in the show's 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. Showing all 1 wins and 28 nominations. More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Resume Add to list Nominated for 9 Primetime Emmys In some hypothetical situation in which you had to choose a different career, what would your profession be? This interview has been edited and condensed. After appearing in two films, Loving (1970) and Rio Lobo (1970), Sherry decided to leave the acting field. 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. 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 Thomas have been mysteriously overlooked by the TV Academy year after year. 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. Women of that level and age arent coming in to read at that point in their careers, so we kept combing through this huge list. Oscars 2023: Preview and Predictions + Contest! 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. Were lucky., I was a giant fan of Janes for many, many years, from Suburgatory, Robert J. Ulrich says of the lead actress whose Zoey can see and hear what others are feeling via fantasy musical numbers. You have this sort of visceral, gut reaction when its right, and thats how it was for me with casting. 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. 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. Sherry Thomas: Yeah. Q&A with casting directors from several Apple TV+ series; Lucinda Syson (Foundation), Theo Park (Ted Lasso) and Sherry Thomas and Sharon Bialy (The Shrink Next Door). Did you specify that in the breakdowns or did you have to redirect people? So youll see Breaking Bad is peppered with stand-up guys doing their first drama., Join the fiery discussion of Breaking Bad in our forums, Thomas added, But really what we just love to do is great material and hire really interesting actors. With Tyler as Diamond, when you see him experience that, you dont question whether or not thats his truth., We all loved [Harriett] from the beginning. 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. Sign up to get must-read entertainment headlines and audition advice delivered to your inbox every weekday. Weve been able to give multiple women over a certain age really complex material. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. When you read that someone is meant to be beautiful, what does Luca think beautiful is? says Cuba. We make several-page lists of actors who might be a good fit. 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. And thanks for sharing about the magic of working with the person who not only co-created the show, but who also produces, writes, directs, and stars in it. I love it you all sound like youre very close casting partners! 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. Elaine Doremus. 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. That was a really nice way to come back into the second season. 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? Weve always requested self-tapes and explored actors from all over the world. Thats a fantastic pick! Lets try it. I feel like I get him. But Luca is very connected to the human side of actors, so I think he connected with her., Chlo [as Frasers other mother] is someone I have loved from the beginning. 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. And then we pulled from that to go and seek out the right people for the roles. 2021 Nominee Primetime Emmy: Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series . Creator Katori Hall made a short film of her intended pilot that featured several castmembers, but the search still encompassed thousands of auditions and extensive chemistry reads. 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. When we started out, I was her associate for about two years, and then we became partners. 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. 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. Alice Lee was just a discovery. The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Barry and many, many more, they are one of the top casting offices out there. [Tim] talks about the spirit and the soul of the actor marrying with the spirit and the soul of the character, says Thomas. Everything was requested self-tapes, so we would discuss ideas with them for the series regulars, our main players in the piece. Its hard to pick just a handful of credits that cover the breadth and depth of Sherry Thomas casting rsum. The Envelope spoke with some of TVs top casting directors about their part in helping stories get told and actors get Emmy nominated. You can see a number of actors for an audition before that one person comes in, and everything just clicks. 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. And I think you can do that because you have more time, youre at home. 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. 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? 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. 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. We really relied on people that we have cultivated relationships with over a period of time as casting directors do. 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. You really need to find actors who can do all of those things which can be challenging. But he also, as himself, has a real confidence and a unique and very modern feel, which I think really lends itself to Fraser. Unless it is really not Theres a couple things going into play. You always want to work with people who inspire you and who you can learn from, and Bill is one of those people. 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. Sharon Bialy: What a nice way to start the day. Its interesting, because I think what happens to actors often happens to casting directors, Bialy explained. I had the highest hopes and no idea that he could sing as well as he could sing. 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. Sometimes the nomination day is like Christmas morning, but this year we completely forgot. I wrote a brief commentary of why there was only one Emily Dodson [mother of kidnapped boy]. Im always thrilled when stunt casting works, because people immediately feel a sense of connection by knowing somebody from the past, he says. 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? She even officiated when my husband and I were married. RT: I looked for her name before I even looked for ours. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in Frozen, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own, Interview: Casting Director Kim Coleman on Five Days at Memorial, Self-Tape Tips and Portraying Real People, Interview: David Christopher Wells on His Role in To Kill a Mockingbird, Being an Understudy and Getting His MFA, Interview: Clifton Collins Jr. and Molly Parker on Jockey, Research and Bad Auditions, Ted Lasso Star Phil Dunster on How He Got the Role of Jamie Tartt, Theres No Such Thing As Chemistry In Acting. And so, were sitting in the session, and he walks in and everybody says, hi. Hes a wonderful actor. 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. [Laughs] I love them, as well as my husband, and we all have fun together. Liz responds to actors who arent hitting the jokes but have a sense of humor, not typical sitcom, playing-to-the-audience types you might see on traditional multi-camera shows. Your email address will not be published. We received a lot of calls from agents and managers who loved the show with their clients who would love to be a part of it. Three if theres one in there that you just want to give it a shot. Its not recent, but it is really funny. Production was able to move around a lot of stuff, he says. But Thomas and Scott have been able to channel their passion into rounding out the ensemble of the second season with big name guest stars from Frances Conroy and Katey Sagal to utilizing some of the best character actors working today. There was something she found the strength in that character, the fearlessness in her eyes., We werent identifying what roles would be people of color, adds her colleague Sherry Thomas. Alyssa Morris is our associate on this project and it was really, honestly the first time were working on a project where all of us are not together. 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. We were like, Wait, did we just see somebody who literally has zero acting experience and was that great? says Brett Greenstein. Two different ways? Sherry Thomas: I think it is a little bit of both. Sherry Thomas: Yeah, it was. In 1974, Sherry joined Talent Associates, as an executive in charge of development. 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. 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. We are very passionate about not pigeonholing actors. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for. And thats exciting when were able to do that. Sharon Bialy: I think actors often think, Oh, they only think of me for this. Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. We had readings for that part. It was fun to be able to draw on somebody that I had thought was so talented for so long.. So he was intrigued. 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. The bar has been set and we set it for ourselves as creative people with high standards. Casting Director. Everybody knows he is a wonderful actor. But who to play the enigmatic Dr. Manhattan? So, I didnt necessarily find casting it found me. Thats what it is all about. Theyre opposite sides of a coin., Skyler has an exuberance that is hard to describe, Ingram says. 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. That is such a skill, and one I wish I had. 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. I forgot to mention Casey Wilson. Year Program Casting Network He doesnt necessarily work with people twice in a row, so we didnt immediately go to Regina, says Thomas. 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. Sherry Thomas: Ive been a longtime fan of Casey. We have to experience the duality of his life, and that heartbreak, and the choices he makes., I remember in the audition process, the actors had to say to Mississippi how they could take care of her abusive boyfriend, Ingram recalls. Someone was really good when they read for Better Call Saul, a drama, but theres something there. A lot of it is having support. 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. He fell in love with doing the show. 2023 Gold Derby Media, LLC. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Casting Networks acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land throughout Australia. 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. Sharon Bialy: Sometimes well know somebody really well and have them read and literally in two lines, Im like, thats it, shes the one. Its great to virtually meet you, Sherry, and lets kick things off right at the beginning of your career. Find out if Bialy and Thomas can win their very first Emmy for Breaking Bad when the Creative Arts Emmys are announced August 16. Bialy, Thomas and Russell Scott are nominated twice this year, for Dead to Me along with Handmaids Tale. Another of their shows, Better Call Saul, now has 11 acting nominations. Sharon Bialy: And it was the hardest thing in the world to not be hysterical, laughing when she wrote, I meant Michael Imperioli. And then we had to go through the audition and Im biting my lip so that I laugh. Our approach to that is a direct line of communication. It has all come down to this, friends. 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. 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. A lot have to be able to do comedy, drama, all of it.. The cast of Gotham. 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. Casting Networks uses cookies to analyze our traffic and to personalize content and ads. He was a great audition, for sure, but he also really interested Luca as a person. Casting Yvonne Strahovskis mother, we needed someone who could be formidable. I get told all the time that I remind people of Melissa McCarthy. One of their latest shows, the wonderful The Shrink Next Door, just finished its run on Apple+ and the pair took some time out of their busy schedule to talk about casting the show, their thoughts and advice on self-tapes and much more! Its an amazing collaboration, and the work is very gratifying and just so much fun. Learn more about how we use cookies. Its just a wonderful place to be to be able to cast these amazing actresses from Frances Conroy to Katey Sagal to Valerie Mahaffey. 2023 Oscar Predictions Who Are the Oscar Voters? Producer: Indecent Proposal. Then, I go through my notes and consider actors that I love, as well as some new actors. Those interested in learning more about the stacked list of TV and film titles on her rsum can find them listed on IMDb. He hadnt done anything either. Hes often the heavy for this, he was a father who had a lost son., We cast Chris in Gotham but have known him for years, says Thomas. 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. Bradley Whitford @BradleyWhitford 10 months ago. But if you feel like you want to give it a shot. Stacia Kimler, Casting . 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 . Actors often think casting directors hardly even pay attention during their auditions. Being in the room with actors is so exciting, especially when youre discovering talent. 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. 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. And tonally, youd had to have both here. In person its almost distracting how gorgeous she is, says Ingram. But in a series that tonally feels more like an independent feature, not just any teenagers would do. Id read about her ability, Ulrich says of the Oscar winner, a prolific singer-songwriter. We put out the offer, and he was on board. We had lots of auditions. We wanted to see her because we were such huge fans from all the things that shes done, especially The Night Of. 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. 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. Sherry Thomas Lane is on Facebook. ST: The challenge too isnt necessarily one particular role. Hes a very soulful actor and person, and his craft is unbelievable. I knew him from The Glee Project and I just think he is one of the most extraordinary talents around. I think in this particular project that Georgia [Pritchetts] writing was incredible, and the tone was on the page, but still it helped. How do you like the way casting is right now? 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 . Its also an emotional drama. . 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. But it really feels good to be recognized by our peers. She works constantly in New York, but she was this undiscovered gem to the rest of the world, and now everybody knows who she is., To populate Luca Guadagninos vision of an American Army base in coastal Italy, casting director Carmen Cuba knew she had to build her cast out from the kids at the center of the story. We didnt want someone who would be instantly recognizable to the world. 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. At the time, there wasnt really a choice you had to prove yourself at work by being at your desk. 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. 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. In the case of Lawrence Gilliard, that role was. 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. She is known for Breaking Bad (2008), Barry (2018) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017). 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. One of the limited series biggest secrets spoiler alert: If you havent seen Watchmen, skip down several paragraphs was that perhaps the most iconic character from the comic would indeed appear in the show, set years after the source material. However, theres a great deal of team Read More, Two in five Australians between the ages of 16 and 85 experience a mental disorder at some time in Read More, From college basketball tournaments to St. Pattys Day, the new month is synonymous with more than a few events. Read More, I believe there is some anxiety in the air over the expectations for commercial self tapes. 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. Its a natural human thing to think of somebody in one way. 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. That makes sense. Like with Colins office mates; they have like one line here and there and Jemaine said, I need them all back. You dont see loyalty like that a lot.. 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 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 She came in and was so natural, so funny. It has this sense of urgency that I love and the tangible aspect of running a business, but then theres also the creative side of it. But Id love to work with her, so let me just say shed be my choice. With larger roles, you have time to build an arc, but with something so small, the challenge is how to make it memorable. ST: Russell worked very, very hard on that. Fuck yeah!. And it isnt so much that we only do dramas, we love comedies. We have been very lucky on this show. At some point Sherry suggested Katey Sagal. Liz Feldman has a great knowledge of actors and comedic actors. When youre chasing after an actor with a name, you need them to trust you. It might help for other projects more so than this, just to get a sense of it when youre in the room with us. Heres what to know, From Chris Rock to the SAG Awards. We really kind of leave it up to the actor. Because they're not "pro-life". Having her name value in that role grounded the whole office., For Skylars role, we auditioned lots and lots of great people, says Ulrich of the co-worker character with romantic potential. It is one of our most rewarding jobs., [John McEnroe] was in the original script, and I remember nobody was dealing with it. She was shooting a movie here in LA. Its really wonderful to see that. But oddly enough, on this show, because on others, we have done producer callbacks over Zoom, we didnt do any. 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. Okay. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Were just gonna shove everybody out of the way! As long as the work doesnt suffer, why cant we also participate in the lives of our kids? So, even though they might be doing under five lines, theyve got to be able to hold their own. I think we will all be more mindful of that process, but I also dont want to be in a room with an actor with a giant piece of plexiglass between us. This website uses cookies.