Brette Goldstein
I first met Brette Goldstein as part of a week long program at Actors Connection. She taught a class for our group towards the end of our week, on the day prior to the big showcase before panels of agents. The program - NY Connection - was a useful one, where we all had the opportunity to get opinions from respected people in the industry. It had just been a lot of information - and a lot of different information. It's a business of opinions, and no two industry experts will ever give you the same opinion. We were all just feeling a little unsure with what to do with all of that feedback, especially with this golden opportunity just a day away.
Brette put us at ease immediately. She was light, fun, and enthusiastic about the chance to see our work. Her advice for us was to be ourselves - that what the camera and any casting director or agent wanted to see was "you." The class was informative, efficient, and affirming. The prospect of working in front of agents felt less scary now, and personally, it made me feel like I had something to offer them. That's always a good way to enter a room, and I was grateful to Brette for the shot in the arm.
What impressed me the most was her easy manner, which I assumed was a natural character trait. Not exactly. "I am very Type A. I just don't want to make that the actors' problem. My job is to support your best work, and that's hard to do if I am a big ball o' stress." A friendly port in the rough seas of show business, indeed. Brette made time for me between casting and teaching commitments to field some questions.
The Strangest Role Brette Ever Had to Cast
"A commercial for Volkswagen Routan," she recalls. The client was very specific about the casting specifications - a real family, with 3 kids of exact gender and ages, that lived in Northern California and actually owned a Routan. The casting process also took place during Passover and Easter, when a lot of people are unavailable. She did find a family that fit the bill to a T. The irony? "They didn't use the family's actual car in the commercial."
Can Breakdowns Change Over the Course of Casting?
Brette maintains that CD's often don't have too much influence in changing breakdowns or final decisions - but there are exceptions to the rule. One instance was while she was casting an industrial for Intel, which was shot in the style of a hip sitcom. The characters all sold Intel products, one of whom fancied himself a ladies' man. The initial breakdown for the ladies' man happened to ask for a caucasian "leading man" type. The actor that booked the job ended up being a larger black man. "It just so happened that he didn't fit the specs and we brought him in on a whim. It was fun to think outside the box on that one." Why did that actor - who didn't fit the initial specs - book the job? "Because he's hysterical."
On Her Lone Acting Credit on IMDB for The Egoists - as "Casting Director"
It was a project she also cast. "They had to pull teeth to get me to do it. I'm someone who's very happy with just casting and teaching."
Her Entry Into the World of Acting
She got her start in a school play at 8 years old in Maryland. She stuck with it, but when she was 19 years old and in college, she had some epiphanies. For one, she recognized that her type ("Bette Midler roles") wasn't being cast at her age - she'd have to wait a while for the roles to open up. More importantly, she realized that she didn't really want to act - "but I liked being around actors, I liked the community. I graduated with a theatre major, which was a mistake - I should have majored in business." She started interning at the Washington Theatre Festival. "One day, I saw this 40 year old woman sitting in air conditioning, being visited by all of these hot people, getting gifts, and treated like royalty. She was a casting director." Brette pursued for an internship with that casting director. "When I got it, I told the CD I'd have her job in 6 months." Within 6 months, the CD had taken a position elsewhere, and Brette moved in.
Transitioning from Casting Theatre to Casting Film
Brette built quite the impressive resume casting theatre in and around the Washington D.C. area, including classical and Shakespearean work. In the early 2000's, she sought a change in work environment. "There's a different vibe in the indie film world," she says. She cut her teeth in NYC at Charles Rosen Casting and, later, at Michelle Ortlip Casting. Once she went off on her own, she started working on more varied projects, including book trailers and commercials. "I love the comedy in commercials."
On Her Involvement with the British talent contest show The Callback
Brette was a judge. "My good friend in London produced the show. And it was different because there was a service element involved. We were trying to find not only triple-threats, but role models." The contestants were all between the ages of 8 and 13. The experience had its perks. "I loved the judges, especially a casting director from Manchester." But there were challenges involved with filming. "The kids were a bit of a pain in the ass, and really weren't prepared." It was difficult for the judges to come to a consensus on a winner. And the biggest challenge? "I was running a 104 degree fever and was basically delirious. That was pretty heinous. But I got through it and apparently didn;t suck, so all is well."
Her Favorite Director She's Worked With
Brette picks Adam Reid (Hello Lonesome). "He really does know how to make you feel things." Reid - who's also served as writer/cinematographer/producer on his films - has a talent for creating relatable characters and for immersing the viewer in the experience of the film, Brette says. She also cites his talent for using music in film. "I remember one time I saw something of his he did as a lark - just filming his kid in a pool floating on a little raft - and from the way he joined the visual with a specific piece of music, I felt like it was one of the most brilliant things I'd ever seen."
Actors She Wishes More People Knew About
Brette names two - one primarily working in theatre, one working in film. "I had the pleasure of casting Rick Foucheux, a brilliant theatre actor, when I worked in the D.C. area. People don't realize how thriving theatre scenes in areas outside of NYC can be. He's booked a year in advance down there." Brette also cites Boston based film actor Tom Kemp. "He's marvelous." Both actors also serve as good examples of a strategy for actors that Brette recommends - finding out what the best market for you is, beyond just NYC or LA.
Actors' (Im)proper Use of Social Media
Brette says that problems arise when actors "just don't know when to stop." She often finds that after she's helped an actor out in some way, that fortunate actor keeps pressing and pushing for attention and assistance. "They won't stop asking me for more." She's also critical of actors' posting promotional material for a project of theirs on her Facebook page - without even asking. "Definitely not cool."
Brette's opinion of "networking" classes as found at Actors Connection, Actors Green Room, etc.
Brette finds them to be useful. As she explains it, more and more people are trying to become working actors, and "the doors to get in are closed more tightly." Brette cites several factors - such as the continual rise in expenses in the industry and the decreased amount of time and space available to casting offices - as contributing to tougher odds for actors to advance their careers. It's harder even for represented actors to get access to casting directors. "Generals" - scheduled meetings between actors and casting directors set up by agents - happen less frequently. Classes like the ones offered at Actors Connection, Actors Green Room, and elsewhere are mutually beneficial for the actor and the casting director, Brette says. The actor gets to meet the CD and show his/her work. For the CD, it's a structured environment where everything is controlled. She gets to meet the actor, see his/her work, and have a brief chat within a few minutes, minus any akwardness.
Things for actors to consider
Brette feels it's important for actors to be very clear about the kind of work they'd like to do. "I tell actors to pursue what you watch.. what you love." Brette also advises actors to consider the kind of market they're currently auditioning in - and to explore the possibilities of working in markets outside of NYC or LA. She references several friends who were actors and failed to find traction in NYC, but found a niche in another market - Atlanta, Boston, Washington D.C., anywhere with a thriving film, television, or theatre scene. Brette encourages actors to look into what work is being done where, and find where you best fit. She also comments that actors should spend time reaching out to creative people in the industry - writers, directors, producers - as well as casting directors and agents. Lastly, Brette advises actors to know they want their life to look like, and to know their limits. "What matters is having a full life, which acting is a part of."
The Brette Goldstein Movie
Title? "Oy vey."
Playing Brette will be? An unknown... or, Kristen Vangsness (of Criminal Minded).
Mainstream or arthouse? Mainstream.
MPAA Rating? Rated R - "mostly for language."
Thanks to Brette, and thanks to you for reading!
Links to credits for artists mentioned in the article
Tom Kemp
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0447376/
Rick Foucheux
http://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/244713-rick-foucheux
Adam Reid
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1027261/?ref_=fn_al_nm_3
