The WHY: Welcome to Behind the Casting Curtain

  I pulled into Nazareth, I was feelin' about half past dead,
  just need to find a place where I can lay my head...
     The Band, "The Weight"

   I'm not usually one for classic rock quotes, but I've always loved that song and I've always loved that particular line about feeling tapped out and needing a spot - not just to "lay your head," but to claim some small piece of real estate as your own. For sure, as an aspiring actor, that's why I'm looking for - some place in the industry I love to call my own. I'm sure most if not all aspiring artists can relate to that. I'm also sure every aspiring artist can relate to that feeling of being "half past dead." Tired, dejected, deflated, depressed, done. Depending on your temperament, you might battle those feelings yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, and/or hourly. This is hard work, trying to make a dream come true. That's not bitching, it's just calling it like it is. It takes, amongst other qualities, a lot of strength to mark out your territory in this business.
   Now none of the above is ground breaking news. There are a lot of battles to be fought and a lot of obstacles to overcome in the course of one's campaign toward THAT - "that" being however you define success, for you. No new news there (harder to say that than write it, ha).
   But what might cause a bit of a "sea change" in an aspiring artist's outlook is to fix on that prospect - of a tough uphill climb to get to your dreams - with a little more specificity.
    For one, what is THAT for you? In simple, exact words, what is the dream you're chasing? Do you even know for sure what it is? Is it some ideal success that's set in stone, like being an actor that commands $20 million a picture? Or, in all honesty, would you be happy as a pig in slop to just be able to make a living somehow in the industry you love? There's no right answer. And, you might not even have an answer - I'm not sure I do. But I'd like to figure it out. So I decided to start asking people who've found their spot. People who aren't in front of the camera.
   Why not ask ACTORS who've made it? Well, because we've kind of read that story, a couple of times. And, to be honest, you can find that story in some glossy magazine with full page ads. I wanted to turn my attention to the people that hire us - or, in actuality, select us to be considered for hiring by their client. Casting Directors, simultaneously the most loved and loathed beings in the acting universe. The people behind the table, or the camera, or sometimes the one way glass. Oh, the power they wield (kind of - the final decision isn't often theirs). What kind of a sadist would willingly toy with the hopes and dreams of others?
  The answer is, no kind of sadist. Thus far, I haven't met or interacted with a CD who isn't at least respectful and polite. Even the ones that were too busy or unwilling to subject themselves to an interview were courteous. This is a business, after all. And, upon closer inspection, they aren't all that different from you and me. Namely, creative people with needs of both satisfying their creativity and paying rent. And, since being a casting director isn't just something one is born into (well, so far as I've encountered), there's usually a lot of interesting stuff that happened along the way to that casting chair, and a lot of interesting stuff going on now. The general course of interviews with Casting Directors is, IMO,  just pretense to get in ten to twenty questions all asking how you can get cast. I've rarely seen one that just focuses on the Casting Director as, well, an ARTIST.
  So, if you're looking just for tips on how to get cast, you might be disappointed. Or maybe not. Surprisingly, when not being pressed desperately for the one thing that will make you a star, my subjects will organically offer up advice both sage and sound. But, that isn't the main focus. The focus is on how these people found their spot in this business we all love. I wanted to write something I might be interested in reading, not as homework or research, but as a look into another artist's work. I think you might find it interesting, too. But do keep a pen and notebook close by - they are Casting Directors, after all.