Backstage Magazine Digital Issue: March 11, 2021

03.11.21

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SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS NOMINEE OUT S TA N D I N G AC T R E S S CAREY MULLIGAN

WINNER

© 1995 SAG-AFTRA

“THE PERFORMANCE OF CAREY MULLIGAN’S CAREER. ‘Promising Young Woman’ lands like a lightning strike” THE NEW YORK TIMES

WINNER

BEST ACTRESS

®

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan

Atlanta Film Critics Circle

Columbus Film Critics Association

WINNER

WINNER

BEST ACTRESS

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan

Denver Film Critics Society

Houston Film Critics Society

WINNER

WINNER

BEST ACTRESS

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan

Kansas City Film Critics Circle

Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association

WINNER

WINNER

BEST ACTRESS

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan

Nevada Film Critics Society

Music City Film Critics’ Association

WINNER

WINNER

BEST ACTRESS

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan

North Texas Film Critics Association

Sunset Circle Awards

WINNER

WINNER

BEST ACTRESS

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan

St. Louis Film Critics Association

New York Film Critics Online

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY EMERALD FENNELL

Sign up at FocusInsider.com for exclusive access to early screenings, film premieres and more.

For more on this film, go to FocusFeaturesGuilds2020.com.

SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON CAPITOL RECORDS

© 2021 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

WINNER BEST ACTRESS CAREY MULLIGAN National Board of Review

“Daringly directed and FEROCIOUSLY PERFORMED BY AN ALL-TIME GREAT CAREY MULLIGAN, this ultra-modern fable is seductive, bruising and utterly intoxicating” TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY EMERALD FENNELL Sign up at FocusInsider.com for exclusive access to early screenings, film premieres and more.

For more on this film, go to FocusFeaturesGuilds2020.com.

SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON CAPITOL RECORDS

© 2021 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

03.11.21

SAG Awards 2021

The 24 female acting nominees you need to know

Nicole Kidman

reveals the acting trick she learned from Stanley Kubrick

BACKSTAGE.COM

3 steps for nailing your next self-tape

4 Pages OF CASTING NOTICES

Jurnee Smollett

is taking no prisoners on her way to the top

Contents The Green Room 8 The 2021 Golden Globe winners 10 This week’s roundup of who’s casting what starring whom

12 Nicole Kidman talks “The Undoing”

Advice 16 CRAFT Tips for a powerful self-tape 18 #IGOTCAST Ethan Thomas Jung

vol. 62, no. 08 | 03.11.21

Cover Story

Calling the Shots Jurnee Smollett is finally at a place in her life and career where there is “no more waiting for the phone to ring” page 20

18 SECRET AGENT MAN Choosing the right clients

Features 6 BACKSTAGE 5 WITH...

Demián Bichir

14 MEET THE MAKER Deborah Snyder, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” producer 16 THE ESSENTIALISTS Susan Jacobs, music supervisor 19 IN THE ROOM WITH Laray Mayfield

25 THE LADIES WHO LEAD For your SAG Awards consideration: the 2021 female contenders 32 ASK AN EXPERT Lenka Silhanova on social media etiquette for actors

Casting 28 New York Tristate 29 California 30 National/Regional Jurnee Smollett photographed by Gari Askew II on Feb. 17 in Los Angeles. On cover: Top

by L’Agence. Pants by Alexandre Vauthier.

Necklaces by Jennifer Meyer. Bracelets by Jennifer Fisher and Jennifer Meyer. Rings by Belladaar. Earrings by Jennifer Fisher. On this page: Top and pants by Annakiki. Necklace

by Jennifer Fisher. Earrings by Jennifer Meyer.

Additionally in story: Shirt by Anna Quan. Crop top by Paris Georgia. Pants by Mantù. Necklaces

by Jennifer Meyer and Beladora. Bracelets by David Yurman and Jennifer Meyer. Rings by Belladaar and Jennifer Fisher. Cover designed by Ian Robinson.

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03.11.21 BACKSTAGE

F O R YO U R C O N S I D E R AT I O N

KALEY CUOCO

SAG AWARDS® NOMINEE

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

PERFORMANCE ‘‘A PHENOMENAL

BY KALEY CUOCO ’’ ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

KALEY CUOCO IS ‘‘IRRESISTIBLY WATCHABLE’’

‘‘

A STAR TURN FOR KALEY CUOCO...

BRIGHT, GLOSSY & POSITIVELY BUOYANT ’’

COLLIDER

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

‘‘

KALEY CUOCO’S PERFORMANCE IS A

PITCH-PERFECT COMBINATION OF HIGH-ENERGY

‘‘A CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCE

FRANTICNESS & REAL EMOTIONAL INSIGHT

FROM KALEY CUOCO...

HIGHLY ENTERTAINING, ENJOYABLY TWISTY

VULTURE

ROGEREBERT.COM

’’

KALEY CUOCO IS A ‘‘ MARVEL TO WATCH EVERY SECOND SHE’S ONSCREEN CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

’’

KALEY CUOCO’S ‘‘REMARKABLE

’’

PERFORMANCE IS A BREAKTHROUGH ’’ THE NEW YORKER

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BACKSTAGE, vol. 62, no. 08 (ISSN#53635 USPS#39740) IS A WEEKLY PUBLICATION, WITH OCCASIONAL DOUBLE ISSUES IN MARCH, MAY, SEPTEMBER, FEBRUARY, JUNE, AUGUST AND DECEMBER AND ONE ISSUE PUBLISHED IN APRIL AND JULY (except the fourth week of December) by Backstage LLC, 45 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201, $3.99 per copy, $99 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256 and additional mailing offices. Printed in USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Backstage, 45 Main St., Ste. 416, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Publication Mail Agreement No. 40031729. ©2017 Backstage LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Backstage LLC: Joshua Ellstein, Chief Executive Officer.

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

NICOLE KIDMAN

SAG AWARDS NOMINEE ®

OU TSTA N D I N G P E R F O R M AN CE BY A F E M AL E ACTO R I N A L I M I T E D SE R I E S

“ nicole kidman delivers one of

THE BEST, MOST NUANCED ROLES OF HER ENTIRE CAREER” NPR

“ADDICTIVE &

WELL-PERFORMED nicole kidman delivers a rock-solid performance COLLIDER

”

“ nicole kidman owns with AN IRRESISTIBLE FORCE” VARIETY

kidman brings “annicole upscale gloss that is

ENDLESSLY ENTERTAINING” BBC

“ nicole kidman delivers

A SHARP PERFORMANCE ” OBSERVER

“ nicole kidman delivered

AN ASTOUNDINGLY RAW TURN as grace fraser’s life came undone TVLINE

“ nicole kidman

”

IS LUMINOUS” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Backstage 5 With...

Demián Bichir

By Allie Volpe

A member of Mexico’s famed Bichir family—both of his parents and his two brothers are actors—Demián Bichir grew up in the theater. He has conquered both screen and stage in Mexico, winning an Ariel Award for best actor in 1995 for his performance in “Hasta Morir.”

Bichir found acclaim stateside with 2011’s “A Better Life,” which earned him an Oscar nomination, and on FX’s “The Bridge.” He now stars alongside Robin Wright in her feature directorial debut, “Land,” playing a rugged outdoorsman.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I [used to] take [acting] extremely seriously, to the point that I was suffering every time I was creating a new role, every time I would step into a new character, a new play. You have to enjoy the ride [and] enjoy the process.

Don Winslow’s “Savages,” and I created my own stuff, and I did it at home. I sent it over, and he said, “That’s a fucking character!” But that [role] was for Benicio Del Toro.

What is your worst audition horror story? Growing up in the theater in Mexico, all of the projects would come to me.

So I moved to New York, and I got an agent. I took three different courses of English and speech training. I remember the first time I sat in front of this new entity that I had never seen before in my life, a casting director, and I was a wreck.

I began reading, and after the first line, she stopped me right away and said, “No, please don’t do that accent.” I froze, because I thought, What accent? This is the way I talk. So I go again, and she stops me again and looks at me with wide eyes and goes, “Let me stop you right there. That’s all I need from you.” That was my first audition.

How did you get your SAG membership? Thirty years ago, I did a commercial for Pac Bell. That’s all that I remember.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done to get a role?

I put myself on tape for “Savages” because I wanted to play a different role than Oliver Stone wanted me to play, than the role that I ended up playing, Alex. He said, “No. You’re too handsome to be bad.” And I’m like, “I don’t agree with you.

I think I can be very bad.” I said, “Can I send you a scene?”

He said, “I don’t have a script yet, but yeah.” I knew the novel,

“If I can’t make it because I have some talents, I will make it because I’m stubborn.”

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

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ILLUSTRATION: NATHAN ARIZONA/PHOTO: DFREE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

You come from a family of actors, but growing up, you wanted to play soccer. When was the moment that you decided you wanted to be an actor? I grew up doing professional theater, ever since I was a kid. At the same time, I was trying to become a professional footballer. I invited [my coach] to an opening night of a play that I was doing. The next time we were training, he called me up and said, “It was beautiful to witness that. And I wanted to ask if you know who [famed Brazilian footballer] Pelé is?” Of course! Everybody knows Pelé. “I just wanted to tell you Pelé didn’t have any other choice in his life. And you’re a great actor.” It was a very kind and subtle way to tell me I was not talented enough to play football.

[From] that point on, I embraced what I was doing in the theater way more.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

MICHAELA COEL

SAG AWARDS NOMINEE ®

OU TSTA N D I N G P E R F O R M AN CE BY A F E M AL E ACTO R I N A L I M I T E D SE R I E S

3 NAACP IMAGE AWARDS OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES

MICHAELA COEL

®

NOMINATIONS

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES

MICHAELA COEL

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A COMEDY SERIES

SAM MILLER, MICHAELA COEL

“ michaela coel is riveting

IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN AWAY FROM ” THE NEW YORK TIMES

“ michaela coel has the kind of

SCREEN PRESENCE THAT CAN DISRUPT GRAVITY ”

“ michaela coel’s

FEARLESSNESS IS BREATHTAKING” UPROXX

THE ATLANTIC

“AN ODE TO THE BLACK FEMALE ARTIST thrillingly bold DECIDER

”

coel’s discipline “ michaela and sense of structure are formidable

AN EXTRAORDINARY, BREATHTAKING ACHIEVEMENT ” THE GUARDIAN

“

michaela coel is magnetic and memorable

A BRILLIANT LEAD PERFORMANCE ” NPR

“ michaela coel is

TRULY CAPTIVATING” THE WASHINGTON POST

HAVE YOU BEEN CAST IN A PROJECT THROUGH A BACKSTAGE CASTING NOTICE? Share your story with us and you might be featured in an upcoming issue! Just tweet @Backstage using the hashtag #IGotCast and we’ll be in touch to hear your success story! @BACKSTAGE

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Frances McDormand in “Nomadland” Awards

‘Borat,’ ‘Nomadland’ Win Big at 2021 Golden Globes

The 78th ceremony recognized the year’s best TV and film—and the fact that it has work to do when it comes to diversity

By Jack Smart

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

voting members. The organization’s vice president, Helen Hoehne, announced: “Tonight, while we celebrate the work of artists from around the globe, we recognize we have our own work to do. Just like in film and television, Black representation is vital. We must have Black journalists in our organization.”

However, she cited no concrete steps or actions that the HFPA is taking to increase diversity.

Emerging as the night’s top film victors were Amazon Studios’ “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” winning for comedy or musical film and for

writer-producer Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance in the title role; and Searchlight Pictures’ “Nomadland,” the drama film winner. “Nomadland” writer-director-producer Chloé Zhao also made history as the first woman of color and, after Barbra Streisand in 1984, the second woman ever to win the Globe for film directing. Aaron Sorkin, meanwhile, took home best screenplay for Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

Rosamund Pike of Netflix’s “I Care a Lot,” Andra Day of Hulu’s “The United States vs.

Billie Holiday,” and the late

8

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COURTESY SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

BROADCAST FROM BOTH New York City and Los Angeles and presented virtually by returning hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the 78th Golden Globe Awards kicked off Hollywood’s 2021 awards season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual ceremony honors the best of both film and television, as chosen by an international group of 87 journalists.

Fey, Poehler, and other presenters (as well as a few winners) addressed the recent controversy surrounding the HFPA’s apparent lack of Black

Chadwick Boseman of Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” were also recognized in leading acting categories, while Daniel Kaluuya of Warner Bros.’

“Judas and the Black Messiah” and Jodie Foster of STXfilms’ “The Mauritanian” took home the evening’s supporting film prizes. A24’s “Minari” and Disney’s “Soul” earned the prizes for best foreign language and animated film, respectively.

Given the timing of this year’s Globes, which fell not long before the Oscar nominations announcement on March 15, these results could shake up the film awards race in an unusually extended season.

The Globes’ TV wins echoed many of those of the 2020 Emmys, with Catherine O’Hara, Mark Ruffalo, and comedy series “Schitt’s Creek” repeating wins. Emma Corrin, Josh O’Connor, and Gillian Anderson all won accolades for Netflix’s “The Crown,” which also earned the Globe for outstanding drama. The series’ fourth season will be in the running at this year’s Emmys. The same goes for Anya Taylor-Joy of Netflix’s limited series winner, “The Queen’s Gambit”; comedy actor winner Jason Sudeikis of Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso”; and supporting TV winner John Boyega of Amazon Studios’ “Small Axe.” Norman Lear accepted the third annual Carol Burnett Award in recognition of his enduring TV comedy legacy, and Jane Fonda was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for her contributions to the entertainment industry. For a full list of 2021 Golden Globe winners, head over to goldenglobes.com.

And for more coverage of this strange awards season, stay tuned to Backstage!

“AMY ADAMS AND GLENN CLOSE ARE FEROCIOUS.” ARIZONA REPUBLIC

“AMY ADAMS CONTINUES TO PROVE WHY SHE IS ONE OF THE BEST ACTRESSES OF HER GENERATION.” DEN OF GEEK

2

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD NOMINATIONS ®

BEST ACTRESS AMY ADAMS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS GLENN CLOSE

F O R Y O U R S A G A W A R D S® C O N S I D E R A T I O N

“GLENN CLOSE IS MAGNIFICENT, DELIVERING ANOTHER UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER IN A CAREER THAT HAS BEEN FULL OF THEM.” DEADLINE

FILM.NETFLIXAWARDS.COM

its students. The instructors bond over their love of teaching while relying on each other to survive the frustrations of dealing with a bureaucracy that prevents the betterment of their pupils. Wendy O’Brien is casting the project, which will be created, written, and executive produced by Quinta Brunson (“A Black Lady Sketch Show”), who will also star.

Production is set to start in March in Los Angeles.

What’s Casting

secured original stars Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, but has yet to announce the return of any other prominent players from the original film.

Production is set to begin in May in Ireland.

A Disney Princess Reconsidered An “Enchanted” sequel gets existential

By Rebecca Welch

STAY IN THE LOOP ON INDUStry and casting news with our write-up on who’s been slated for recent film and television roles!

Please note that shoot dates are subject to state and county restrictions and may change.

Refer to Call Sheet for updates, and keep checking Backstage for the latest news on project development during this time.

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

Get cast!

For more upcoming productions and casting news, visit backstage.com/news/casting

TELEVISION

‘The Girl Before’ Nabs Top-Tier Leads

By Casey Mink

10

For the latest news, check out backstage.com/resources to find thousands of production listings, casting directors, acting classes, agents, and more!

BAFTA-NOMINATED ACTORS GUGU Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo are heading to HBO Max. The “Morning Show” and “Selma” stars, respectively, have signed on to lead “The Girl Before,” a four-episode psychological thriller. The miniseries is based on the novel of the same name written by J.P. Delaney, who created the adaptation and will also serve as writer and executive producer.

Lisa Brühlmann, an Emmy nominee for “Killing Eve,” will direct the project. More casting and a premiere date are still to be announced.

backstage.com

MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON

“Disenchanted” Disney knows how to keep its audience’s attention; one way the studio is doing that is by flipping the script on what people expect from a princess story. Instead of focusing on a woman seeking out a prince to live happily ever after with, the

studio is digging into a protagonist’s personal growth. 2007’s “Enchanted” brought Disney fans the expected happy ending—the archetypical animated princess, Giselle, stepped out of her musical world and into live-action New York City. The sequel will be set 10 years in the future as she starts to question her life and sets off a chain of events that wreak havoc on both the real world and the magical kingdom of Andalasia.

The Disney+ project, cast by Cindy Tolan, has already

“Harrity Elementary” While education remains a hot topic in the news, ABC will explore the lives of teachers in a new comedy series.

Fighting against the hierarchy of public education, “Harrity Elementary” will showcase a group of teachers at one of the worst public schools in America as they try their best to counteract their district’s blasé attitude toward

“Call Jane” Before the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v.

Wade legalized abortion in the United States, women seeking the procedure often had to fend for themselves—and look out for each other—while risking their health and safety. Based on the true story of the Jane Collective, a group of women working underground to provide safe abortions in the 1960s and early ’70s, the film will follow a married woman who finds herself in need of the service and whose work inspires other women to take control of their own destinies. The Sheila Jaffe–cast drama will star Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara, and Rupert Friend. Filming is set to begin in early spring in New York.

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD NOMINEE ®

BEST ACTRESS VANESSA KIRBY

“VANESSA KIRBY is RAW AND DYNAMIC.

She is fiercely unguarded in an UNFORGETTABLY

VULNERABLE PERFORMANCE.”

F O R YO U R S AG AWA R D S ® C O N S I D E R AT I O N

PIECES OF A WOMAN MARTIN SCORSESE KATA WÉBER AND KORNÉL MUNDRUCZÓ

FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER A FILM BY

FILM.NETFLIXAWARDS.COM

Nicole Kidman on “The Undoing”

The Slate

Unlocking ‘The Undoing’

Nicole Kidman takes us to acting school and breaks down her process

By Benjamin Lindsay

The following interview for Backstage’s on-camera series The Slate was compiled in part by Backstage readers just like you! Follow us on Twitter (@Backstage) and Instagram (@backstagecast) to stay in the loop on upcoming interviews and to submit your questions.

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

Kidman says that “an actor can’t be a control freak” and admits to still weathering the peaks and valleys of a career onscreen.

“As any actor knows, so much of it is about the director when you’re working on a film, and so directors very much choose who they want in their films.

You’re still, no matter where you’re at in your career, at the mercy of whether somebody wants [you] for a role. I’ve had the luxury and the ability to move into being a producer, which gives me a little more control over some of my destiny as an actor, but not all of it. And I’m still very much an actor.”

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FILM

Three of Your Faves May Team Up

By Casey Mink

When it comes to that prep work, Kidman goes back to something she learned while filming “Eyes Wide Shut” with Stanley Kubrick.

“I was taught really early on to always read the whole script from beginning to end, and the first time you do it, to write everything down—because you’ll never have that first response, you’ll never have that first reading, ever again.

You’ll have different ways of approaching it when you reread it. But the first time, you get an immediate response.

And so, quickly write your feelings down so that you can capture that. Stanley Kubrick was the one that said that to me, and it was just wonderful; I’ve never stopped doing it.

That always has a wealth of information in it.”

Want to hear more from Kidman? Watch our full interview at backstage.com/ magazine, and follow us on Instagram: @backstagecast.

THREE ACTORS YOU LOVE ARE signing on to play characters you hate— potentially, anyway. Oscar winner Allison Janney, Emmy winner Annie Murphy, and Tony winner Ben Platt are in talks for “The People We Hate at the Wedding,” a feature directed

by Claire Scanlon that’s adapted from the Grant Ginder novel. Billed as a next-generation “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” the film boasts a script from “Bob’s Burgers” duo Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin and Wendy Molyneux.

More casting news is still to come.

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NIKO TAVERNISE/HBO

“I SUPPOSE MY SENSE OF identity [in relation] to my physical identity is always up for grabs,” Nicole Kidman says of her dedication as a performer.

“I wanna be able to change and become a character. When I started, it was always about: Create a character and bring that character to life.” Sitting with Backstage for a Jan. 26 acting webinar in which she spoke to a sold-out audience of 1,000 working actors, the Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award winner showcased the character-building process behind her most iconic roles, including her latest on HBO megahit “The Undoing.”

Over the course of six episodes, her role as Grace Fraser on “The Undoing” offered all-new acting challenges. “[The role] was very, very nuanced, but at the same time emotionally charged and exciting. It just required constant focus, because you don’t shoot in sequence; so you’re shooting

the final [episode] and then you’re shooting the beginning, and you could be shooting that in the same day. And that’s where [I go], OK, I’ve gotta have my act together here. And I’ve gotta emotionally have some sort of arc, but I’ve also got to be willing to move with every actor who comes in, and dance and change and respond and be very, very supple. So a lot of it was that suppleness and trying to stay in that place, and that was an emotional commitment to a state of being; but it also just requires real preparation.”

Y O U R

2 2

S A G

A W A R D S®

C O N S I D E R A T I O N

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD NOMINATIONS

ANYA TAYLOR- JOY

W

I

G O L D E N

B E S T

N

OU T S T A N D I N G M A L E AC T O R

BILL CAMP

N

G L O B E

L I M I T E D

BEST ACTR ESS

IN A LIMITED SERIES

OU T S T A N D I N G F E M A L E AC T O R

IN A LIMITED SERIES

®

(LIMITED SERIES)

F O R

®

E

R

A W A R D S

S E R I E S

A N YA TAY LOR- JOY

“THE TV EVENT OF THE YEAR.

THE SERIES OWES ITS POWERHOUSE EFFECT TO THE SMASHING,

STAR PERFORMANCE OF ANYA TAYLOR-JOY.”

“BILL CAMP

DOES EXCELLENT WORK.”

“ANYA TAYLOR-JOY’S

PERFORMANCE IS THAT OF A GRANDMASTER.”

FYC.NETFLIX.COM

culture+

Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

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Meet the Maker

Deborah Snyder, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” producer

By Lisa Granshaw

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League”

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

change what she looks for first when considering whether to take on a project: a great story that’s also relatable.

“A lot of the things we work on have these larger-than-life superheroes or fantastical characters. But I think it’s also important to ground them in reality so they can be relatable,” Snyder says. “You might not have those superpowers, but there might be something in that character that relates to you. They might be looking for their place in the world. For me, I’m attracted to stories that are a hero’s journey; and I think seeing someone grow, build, and change over time, and then [reach] their full potential, is something that’s really interesting to me as a filmmaker.”

When she does find that

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story, one of the most exciting parts of the creative process for Snyder is putting the team together. Those decisions, though they are made in the nascent phase of a project, have a huge impact on what the finished product will look like.

“First and foremost, it’s about choosing the right director and making sure that their voice is the same voice that you see when you talk about what this script is,” she explains. “From there, finding the costume designer, the production designer, the cinematographer—all those pieces and each of their styles—really makes the film what it is, because it’s such a collaborative process…. Then, it’s about coming up with a production methodology. Where are we going to shoot this?

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COURTESY HBO MAX

WHETHER IT’S SUPERMAN flying through the air or Wonder Woman using her incredible strength, watching heroes onscreen who are gifted with superpowers is meant to leave viewers in awe. These characters and more from DC Comics are returning to save the day in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” a dramatically different director’s cut of 2017’s “Justice League” that hits HBO Max on March 18.

Deborah Snyder, a producer on this film and Zack Snyder’s producing partner and wife, is well acquainted with such heroic figures. In addition to the upcoming release, she was also behind films like “Aquaman” and “Wonder Woman.”

But even when a movie follows superhumans, it doesn’t

Is it onstage or on location?

Putting together a budget. Then casting: Who is going to be the best person to make these characters come to life and leap off the page?”

Snyder is involved in the entire casting process, and she makes it a point to be available for anyone on set to turn to if they have an issue. As far as she’s concerned, it is her job to create a safe working environment, and so she has an open-door policy for anyone to come and talk to her. “As a producer, you’re kind of the point person for people in any department, whether it’s talent or the art department,” she explains.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” however, is a unique production in that it finds Snyder, along with her titular producing partner, returning to a project they previously had to step away from. (The duo exited “Justice League” due to personal reasons after production had concluded, but before post-production began.) The film was ultimately released in 2017, having been overseen in the editing phase by Joss Whedon.

Despite rapturous fan support for the release of a director’s cut, Snyder never imagined that they’d see Zack’s vision realized. Then came a call from Warner Bros., asking if they’d be interested in debuting his version on HBO Max. The remastered release required a lot of work over about six months, and includes 2,600 visual effects shots as well as a new score and a fourhour running time.

“It’s been an enormous amount [of work],” Snyder says, “but a labor of love. It’s really nice to see it fully realized, and I’m very excited for the fans to get to see this full version.”

NEW YORK CITY’S MOST AMBITIOUS SUMMER TRAINING PROGRAM! Alumni include Charmaine Bingwa (“The Good Fight”), Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”) & Cameron Gellman (“StarGirl”).

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ATLANTIC IS THE REASON I WORK.

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ARE YOU NEXT? SUMMER INTENSIVE July 6 - August 6

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Online atlanticactingschool.org | Email admissions@atlantictheater.org | Call 212-691-5919

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Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

Craft

Tips for a Powerful Self-Tape

THE ESSENTIALISTS

SUSAN JACOBS music supervisor

By Clay Banks

1. Art: Your talent and ability to get underneath character and story to make yourself shine.

You’ve got to deliver an outstanding read. This is key for a self-tape or live audition!

Whether you’re shooting with your phone or a professional camera, if your performance isn’t there, it’s not going to matter who shoots you.

When making the decision to shoot it yourself or work with a professional, think about which scenario will enable you to deliver your best work. Even though you may feel comfortable with your friend, they may not give you the best input to help your performance.

2. Technicalities: The specific details and methodology required to do something well.

Throughout my years in the industry, I’ve seen more emphasis being placed on the quality of the deliverables: name, role, height, whatever they’re asking for. Between meeting the approval of your representation

You bet that Paris Hilton will cost you.

“Emerald talked to me about her love of pop in a real way: ‘It’s not ironic; this is what I really listen to’…. The first conversation [was]: ‘We have no money, and you want to do pop.’ I think our music budget could afford us two songs. That was it! We

knew that we had this huge problem, and then that becomes, for me, an architecture thing.

We talked about Paris Hilton [and her song ‘Stars Are Blind’]—Paris Hilton was over half our music budget.”

One song can change a whole movie.

“I had this wonderful conversation with Philip Seymour Hoffman when I was working with him on a film he directed called ‘Jack Goes Boating.’ There was a very important scene in that film that had a lot of people in the room. I said, ‘Do you want to be in [one character’s] head, or do you

and that of casting, self-tapes need to be accurate and look like actual movie scenes as much as possible. Know exactly what they’re asking for and deliver it, staying mindful of opportunities to show your personality and openness to the camera.

3. Craft: The ultimate skill resulting from your ability to combine both art and technicalities.

Making it personal, believable, and interesting—that’s your craft! Take the time to understand the project you’re auditioning for, develop the character to the best of your ability, and know the story your character is telling. Learn the material—don’t just memorize the lines. (Although good memorization skills are a huge plus.)

The seeming advantage of submitting a self-tape over a

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

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want to be watching the whole room?’…. It kind of blew his mind when he saw two pieces of music on the same scene do something so utterly different. I’ve been doing this [for] 30 years, and [I] never get bored of what a piece of music does to a particular scene.”

live audition is that with selftapes, you can shoot 50 takes in an effort to get it just right.

While that may make you feel good, if and when you get called back to audition live, you’re not going to be granted that same liberty.

The solution? Always be working! Whether you’re on a project or in class, keep working. A working actor is the easiest actor to hire, and it’s not difficult for casting to differentiate between the two. The more you work, the more experienced you become, and with that comes confidence, strength, and presence. Then, when the camera is on you, it won’t seem like such a big deal, and you certainly won’t need endless takes to get it right.

Banks is an acting coach and Backstage Expert.

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SELF-TAPE: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; “PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN”: MERIE WEISMILLER WALLACE/FOCUS FEATURES

THE CALL COMES IN: YOUR agent is asking you to lay down a self-tape, and you need to get it in right away. Even if it’s a self-submission, it’s an audition, and it needs to be great!

With all the advancements in cell phone technology, shooting quality video is easier than ever. However, we’re not making YouTube videos here.

Self-tapes are part of your job interview, and the results must be high-quality. So what do you do? Shoot it yourself? Ask a friend for help? Use a self-tape company?

While there’s a lot of great advice on the mechanics of a self-tape, I’m instead going to focus on what needs to happen in front of the camera on your end, and what it takes to give a powerful performance.

In a late 2020 twist, Paris Hilton’s 2006 single “Stars Are Blind” reentered the cultural consciousness in a big way thanks to Emerald Fennell’s revenge thriller “Promising Young Woman”—and it’s thanks to music supervisor SUSAN JACOBS.

By Casey Mink

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Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

2 Secret Agent Man

How I Choose Clients AGENTS ARE DECISION-MAKing machines. That’s what we do each and every day. Who should I submit for this role?

Which call needs to be returned first? What’s the best way to improve this deal? Decisions and choices, choices and decisions—it never stops.

This begs the question: What’s the most important decision an agent must make? The answer is simple: Should I or should I not sign this actor? That’s No. 1 by a country mile, because we’re judged by the clients on our lists. To be effective, agents need to have the right mix of people. So how do we choose?

Here are the top three reasons I’ve said yes to an actor seeking representation: An experienced performer with the ability to generate immediate cash flow gets a quick yes. That’s just common sense.

Assuming talent is a given, I will jump on anyone who

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fills a hole on my list. Those holes are defined by age, gender, type, and other broad categories. For example, if I don’t have a young Asian American male who’s good with comedy, I will probably grab the first one who walks through my door.

I like signing actors who have been referred to me by someone with a lot of weight in the industry. Doing so will strengthen my relationship with that person, which I can then exploit at a future date. And the actor gets extra attention, so it’s a win-win!

Now, here are the top three reasons I’ve said no: The actor might be too close in type to someone on my list. That’s called a conflict. I prefer to avoid them.

I will pass on actors I like if I can’t stand nor trust their manager. Why repeat past mistakes when I can avoid them?

There are the ones you just don’t like. Sometimes, you

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What’s the most important decision an agent must make?

The answer is simple: Should I or should I not sign this actor?

Ethan Thomas Jung

By Jalen Michael Though he started small, child actor ETHAN THOMAS JUNG dreams big—and it’s led him to booking tons of gigs.

Humble beginnings can blossom into big successes.

“I was in a small classroom play in my school a couple of years ago, and that’s when I fell in love with acting. I took classes and now have two agents. All of the projects I have worked on so far have been different. I have been a child, a student, a kid teacher, a neighbor, and a patient!”

Hang with Backstage, and gain real experience.

“There are great opportunities on Backstage—paid opportunities that allow me to act and model, which is what I love to do. I am getting so much experience, building my résumé, and having fun!”

Keep your materials as up to date as possible.

“As soon as I finish a job or get new pictures, I update my profile immediately. In the meantime, build a professional social media presence so you can have your following grow as you do.”

TO SEE YOUR SUCCESS story in print, tweet @Backstage using the hashtag #IGotCast, or email us at igotcast@ backstage.com.

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RAQUEL APARICIO

1

#IGOTCAST.

ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; JUNG: DEBORAH KOCH PHOTOGRAPHY

don’t even have a reason. There’s just something about the person that rubs you the wrong way.

Trust me—it’s hard to represent someone you don’t like.

And now, just for fun, here are three of the strangest reasons I’ve said no: I once had to pass on a promising actor because he looked like my associate’s ex-husband. She insisted there was just no way she could stare at his face all day.

Before Uber was a thing, a young man showed up for our meeting covered in sweat and smelling like an old sock.

The kid explained he had ridden his bike to our office in the summer heat because his car was in the shop. You have to ask: What if he did that for an audition?

A female actor once came in for our meeting in the skimpiest dress I’ve ever seen; there’s no shame in that, but it was inappropriate for a professional setting, and let’s just say she accidentally showed us a little too much after animatedly jumping out of her chair while sharing a story. Again: What if that had happened during an audition?

To sign, or not to sign, that is the question. Agents are all individuals with unique backgrounds and experiences that influence our decisions.

Sometimes we’re right; sometimes we’re wrong. That’s why I’ve always thought it would be fun to spend an entire month choosing clients with a Magic 8 Ball. Should I represent this actor? “My reply is no.” “Signs point to yes.” “Ask again later.”

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Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

In the Room With

Laray Mayfield

Even after a decades-long collaboration with David Fincher, casting “Mank” still felt new

By Elyse Roth

look at it from the overall view of the story and the people in it, like an extended family portrait, and how each person fits together. It was a very specific time period. There are things you’re looking for in people’s demeanor: the way they speak, the shape of their face, those kinds of things. People looked very different in that time period than people look now, or people looked in the ’60s or the 1800s. The most important thing is the performances, but because this was set in a distinct time period, the physicality of people had to match up to when it took place.

What can actors expect from auditioning for you?

They make an impression, and if they don’t get the job, I remember them for something else.

RAQUEL APARICIO

ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; JUNG: DEBORAH KOCH PHOTOGRAPHY

NOBODY BUT LARAY MAYFIELD COULD HAVE CAST NETFLIX’S “Mank.” She saw the first version of the script back in the late ’90s thanks to her long-standing working relationship with director David Fincher, which dates back to making music videos in the ’80s.

Her work in film alongside Fincher and beyond has earned Mayfield both critical and popular acclaim. An expert at building ensembles and finding new faces, she again worked her magic on “Mank,” which chronicles Herman J. Mankiewicz’s writing of “Citizen Kane.”

Here, she shares her advice for actors and illuminates how she works with Fincher after all these years.

How did the ensemble for “Mank” come together?

We spent a lot of time reading and meeting actors. Of course, we offered it to Gary [Oldman] first, and that was a pivotal piece of our casting. And then we went to Charles Dance. For everything else, we jumped in and started doing lots of auditions, running lists, and talking

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to David about different actors.

We did that for seven months.

What were auditions like?

You read lots of people who are wonderful actors and do incredible jobs, but only one person gets the role, and there are all kinds of reasons why. You whittle that down to the people who really stand out, and you

start to spend a lot of time with them. It’s something that shows itself very clearly very quickly.

There are people who are great and have a very interesting take on the roles, which was very important. It’s not [about] looking for someone who is impersonating these people; it’s getting the nuances and the depths of the different types of characters and what made them who they were, and then taking all that and folding it into their interpretation of who the person was. It’s a very talented actor who can do that, and it’s really fun to get to watch.

What do you have to consider when putting so many actors together in a cast? You have to

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What was different about casting this project? The time period, of course, and [the fact that] so many of these people are legendary, historic film figures. The cast was very big, and our shoot spread over several months. Plus, actors were working on other things, so they lived in other places besides Los Angeles; there was a lot of that balancing act of showing people to David who were really great, but making sure they were available and double-checking with what they had going on and what our schedules were. That part of it was a little daunting, but once we got a groove going, it all worked out.

Want more?

Read the full interview at backstage.com/magazine

03.11.21 BACKSTAGE

Calling the Shots

TO JURNEE SMOLLETT, ACTING ISN’T JUST a job. It’s nourishing. It’s spiritual. It’s everything. Case in point: Smollett was recently in Australia filming “Escape From Spiderhead” for Netflix, a sci-fi film in which she acts opposite Chris Hemsworth. Unlike in many places in the U.S., theaters and restaurants are open in Australia, so Smollett could have socialized and gone sightseeing. Instead, she was alone inside her rented house, missing her son and doing a one-woman production of the play “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea,” a two-hander by John Patrick Shanley.

“I found myself in full tears,” Smollett exclaims, laughing. “Like, no one’s in this house, [and I’m] full-on talking about how what I did was really bad; I did a bad thing.

Full-on fucking tears, man!”

Drama, it turns out, is where Smollett finds joy and comfort. “I need that high; I need to exorcise that person that is in me,” she says.

“I’ve never done drugs. I really don’t drink.”

Instead, to her, there’s nothing like “bringing that character that’s in me already to life.”

Smollett, now 34, has been acting since she was a toddler; she got her SAG card at age 3. But it is her grounded yet intense performance as Leti on the HBO series “Lovecraft Country” that has helped catapult her into superstardom.

The Misha Green–created, Jordan Peele–produced series is based on the novel by Matt Ruff.

It takes place in segregated 1950s America and features Black heroes who have to fight not just violent institutional racism, but also monsters, ghosts, and literal white wizards.

Smollett has lead billing on the show as Leti, or, to quote the show itself, “Letitia fucking Lewis!” And whether she is outrunning shoggoths, exorcising ghosts, or being interrogated by a racist white cop, Smollett is able to imbue Leti with a gravitas that makes the sometimes otherworldly scenarios that the character finds herself in feel real and visceral. The cast of “Lovecraft Country” has rightly received a SAG Award nomination for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.

And that’s not the only high-profile, physically demanding role that Smollett took on in 2020. She played fan favorite Black Canary in “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” for which she did most of her own stunts.

For Smollett, the key to tapping into these larger-than-life characters is surrendering to BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

Jurnee Smollett is finally at a place in her life and career where there is “no more waiting for the phone to ring”

By Diep Tran - Photographed by Gari Askew II

the truth of the moment—and to whatever emotions that moment brings out.

“We ask our hearts to break,” she explains.

“You go to work, and sometimes what is demanded of you is that you break your heart. And at the end of the day, you hope that the spirit can help you put it back together. It’s a very mystical thing, artistry.

But it’s absolutely therapeutic for me.”

Smollett grew up the fourth of six siblings, all of them performers. She credits their careers to her mother, Janet, who loves the arts. The Turner Classic Movies channel was always on at home, and Janet loved watching her children perform. “For instance, instead of wanting gifts for Mother’s Day, she would want us to put on a show or a concert, do a play,” says Smollett, fondly. “It had to be, like, Broadway-ready. She wanted quality: Diana Ross costume changes!”

Her three older siblings got into the entertainment industry by chance; they lived in New York City, and some family friends who worked in the business encouraged the Smollett kids to get into modeling and commercials. “People always were telling my mom that they were cute and that she should put them in,” says Smollett. So it was that when she was 10 months old and on the set of one of her siblings’ shoots that a photographer asked Janet if the baby in her arms could be in the shot, too. After that, Smollett did commercials for Cheerios and Pepsi, and by age 3, she was in the union.

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From there, she graduated to television.

Her first appearance was on one episode of the NBC sitcom “Out All Night” in 1992.

Then she appeared on “Full House” for 14 episodes as Denise Frazer, Michelle Tanner’s best friend. The role was originally written as a young white girl, but Smollett impressed the network executives. The family was approached about giving Smollett her own show, which became the ABC sitcom “On Our Own,” starring all of Smollett’s siblings.

It aired for only one season.

During those early years, acting was just a fun pastime, “the way Little League is fun for kids.” It wasn’t until she starred in “Eve’s Bayou,” Kasi Lemmons’ Southern Gothic film, that acting became a calling. In the 1997 feature, Smollett played Eve, who witnesses her father (played by Samuel L. Jackson) cheating on her mother. Smollett’s performance as a 10-year-old girl who sees something extremely traumatic is both extraordinary and scary in its verisimilitude.

“I remember Sam would always make jokes and say, ‘You’re not really 10 years old—you’re a 40-year-old stuck in a 10-year-old body,’ ” Smollett recalls. That film marked the first time she felt her craft marry her passion.

“Being able to think as the character was the hook into understanding her, bringing her to life,” she explains. “That’s the high you chase after as an actor, to just be able to think their thoughts and feel their emotions.

And that translates to your behavior, to the backstage.com

backstage.com

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04.02.20 BACKSTAGE

Once you actually hear your own voice, you can’t unhear it.

Once you taste your own agency, your own power, you can’t unknow it.

choices you make, how you communicate outwardly. Having that inner life is the goal.

“I knew what it was like to live in a home where your parents are in turmoil,” she adds, citing her parents’ own “tumultuous” marriage at the time. “It’s a very painful thing for a child to experience. So I had that life inside of me.”

Smollett won a Critics’ Choice Award for the performance. But it also gave her the foundation for her craft. She believes children are “the most truthful actors” because they naturally use their imaginations when they’re playing pretend with stuffed animals or acting out tall tales with their friends.

“It’s the adults around them…. They mess with the very natural instincts that children have,” she says. Fortunately, her mother was her first acting coach, and a pivotal figure in her development as an artist. So instead, “she allowed it to flourish in a way where I was able to learn how to just be.”

By the time she was 12, Smollett had complete autonomy over what kind of roles she would take. She doesn’t have a degree in acting (though she has worked with multiple coaches), but her natural talent was so prominent that, while on the set of the 2007 film “The Great Debaters,” about a Black college debate team in the 1930s American South, director-star Denzel Washington would ask her for input into her character.

“He would ask me all the time, ‘Well, how would you do it? How would you say it?

Trust your instincts,’ ” she says. “That gift of a coach, a director, any collaborator to empower you to trust your instincts is so precious.”

All this work from a young age, and still Smollett’s résumé is not as long as you might think. She has never hesitated to turn down work that doesn’t fully employ her talents or feel meaningful to her.

“The stuff they were writing was very frustrating,” she says of a memorably lean time in the 2000s. “For me, it was often the girlfriend.

I don’t mind playing someone’s girlfriend if she has agency [and] a full inner life. But the writers were too lazy to create that.”

During that time, she found purpose in activism. She has long worked with Artists for a New South Africa, a nonprofit organization fighting to combat HIV/AIDS. She met Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She realized that she didn’t need to act onscreen to be happy. These days, the advice she gives young artists is: “Don’t wait. You can create in your apartment; you can create in your room.”

In the late aughts, Smollett began getting better roles, and was a series regular on “Friday Night Lights” and “True Blood.” But the turning point was in 2016, when she got cast as Rosalee, the lead character on “Underground”—a slave who discovers her courage and voice while escaping bondage.

“Underground” was canceled after only two seasons, much to the consternation of fans.

But Smollett became good friends with backstage.com

co-creator Misha Green, who later cast her in “Lovecraft Country.”

When she first read the script for “Lovecraft,” one of her initial reactions was, “Oh, this is going to disrupt shit.” Smollett smiles at her choice of words, before adding, “I am drawn to stories that feel fresh, that feel like they’re subverting societal norms.”

That subversion includes speaking very directly about horror and sci-fi godfather H.P. Lovecraft’s racism, and how his monsters

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were a metaphor for his fear of Black people.

(He even wrote a poem in which he called Black people “beasts” and “semi-human.”)

It also includes putting Black heroes at the center of sci-fi and horror—genres in which those characters are usually sidelined at best and killed off as collateral damage at worst.

Smollett loves genre storytelling, but she hadn’t played those roles before because she had only been offered “the Black chick killed on page 37.” Her wait paid off, because Leti

03.11.21 BACKSTAGE

is anything but a throwaway character; her agency is powerful.

On one episode of “Lovecraft Country,” Leti buys a house in an all-white neighborhood that she turns into a boarding house for the Black community. Her white neighbors respond by burning a cross on her front lawn. In a scene that can only be described as iconic, Leti walks down the street with a baseball bat, in a party dress and heels, and smashes their car windows.

The sequence was filmed in only two takes, and Smollett got so immersed in the moment that she cut her hand on shattered glass and didn’t even realize it. She says she channels “blood memory” in moments like that—similar to when she played Rosalee on “Underground.” “These revolutionaries that we come from, the superheroes that we come from—that’s in my DNA,” she explains. “Our people had to survive slavery. I’m Black and Jewish. It is a lot of shit we had to survive, right? And so that spirit of survival, that spirit of triumphing over tragedy…I tried to really channel with Leti.”

That process still isn’t easy, though.

Playing characters who are experiencing trauma forces Smollett to relive her own trauma, as well, whether it’s inherited or from her own life (such as the time someone put a dead fish in her family’s yard).

“There are for sure moments that it’s just like, even after ‘Cut,’ even after they wrapped, I’m still on the floor of my trailer crying,” she admits. She says this with a hint of sadness, before declaring, more resolutely, “But because I still believe in the art of storytelling, and I do believe in bringing your body and your spirit and your mind to the altar, it’s a part of the sacrifice.”

(And following such episodes with a long bath and some music—“putting on Rihanna and fucking dancing”—also helps.)

Smollett has a deep relationship with religion and spirituality. She believes her acting is a gift from God, and she also says that the roles she takes usually come at a pivotal time in her life and help her evolve into her next stage. The role of Leti came at a time when Smollett was feeling overlooked, when she was living for other people’s expectations rather than listening to herself. At the time, she was a new mother, faced with all of the pressures that society places on women.

As she puts it, visibly frustrated: “You’re supposed to be a mother, a wife, an executive, [and] a boss bitch, and not have acne or ever struggle with weight—and then never complain about those expectations. You’re just supposed to suck it up and perform it all in an effortless manner. And it’s bullshit! It really is bullshit.”

This is partially why Smollett has now gotten into producing, inspired by creators like Green, Peele, Ava DuVernay, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Margot Robbie, all of whom have created narratives about Black people and women that had not been seen before and finally gave Smollett the type of work BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

that she was craving. She has realized that if she wants to continue feeling that high, she’ll need to take a more active role in the business: “Society hasn’t actually evolved a space for women to just be their full, authentic selves. And we can’t really wait for society to evolve. We’ve just got to do it ourselves.”

While she’s got some projects in the

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producing pipeline that she can’t speak about yet, Smollett enthuses that, in the meantime, there’s “no more waiting for the phone to ring!”

“Once you actually hear your own voice, you can’t unhear it. Once you taste your own agency, your own power, you can’t unknow it.” backstage.com

The Ladies Who Lead

Kaley Cuoco on “The Flight Attendant”

For your SAG Awards consideration: the 2021 female contenders

By Backstage Staff WITH VOTING UNDERWAY FOR THE 2021 SCREEN ACTORS GUILD Awards leading up to the 27th annual ceremony on April 4, the time has come for SAG-AFTRA members in good standing to cast their votes for the season’s best performances! Read on for Backstage’s official breakdown of the female SAG Award nominees in individual television and film categories.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

“THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT”: PHIL CARUSO/HBO MAX; “THE CROWN”: SOPHIE MUTEVELIAN/NETFLIX; “DEAD TO ME”: SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

Christina Applegate,

“Dead to Me” We don’t want to live in a world where Applegate isn’t on the small screen. Luckily, Liz Feldman’s “Dead to Me” is both infinitely watchable and rewatchable, thanks in large part to Applegate’s glorious turn as the widowed, wine-swilling Jen Harding. She’s as good at digging deep for emotional breakdowns as she is at muttering scathing insults under her breath.

Linda Cardellini,

“Dead to Me” Cardellini has her work cut out for her on Netflix’s “Dead to Me” as a character who is both sweetly naive and a walking cyclone; Judy Hale leaves chaos in her wake while smiling the most earnest smile. But in Cardellini’s hands, material that shouldn’t feel cohesive combines to form a portrait of a woman soldiering through her pain and seeking to better herself.

too silly to feel substantial, the producer-star unveils another authentic, poignant layer to her Cassie, raising the emotional stakes amid all the mayhem. Plus, she’s clearly having so much fun.

Annie Murphy,

“Schitt’s Creek” “Ew, David!” For lessons on how to use line delivery to produce instantly memorable quips, look no further than Murphy’s ditzy Alexis Rose. Her distinct combination of bubbly, bratty, and sweet reached its peak on the last season of “Schitt’s Creek,” which featured the Emmy-winning Murphy warming our hearts as much as she cracked us up.

Catherine O’Hara,

“Schitt’s Creek” Much has been said about O’Hara’s

iconic performance as Moira Rose—but we guarantee she’d have the oddest, most delightful way of saying it herself. She dominated the spotlight every time she was in frame with her line readings as the wacky, wig-wearing, pasther-prime actor and one percenter.

Having rounded out her Emmyand Golden Globe–winning final season as the lovable narcissist, O’Hara left us wanting more.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Gillian Anderson, “The Crown” Anderson is virtually unrecognizable in her turn as Margaret Thatcher, which isn’t just remarkable for its contrast to any of her prior performances (including a steely sex therapist on “Sex Education”). As England’s

first female prime minister and this season’s foil to Olivia Colman’s Queen Elizabeth II, she introduces the most captivating politician-sovereign dynamic on “The Crown” to date. In all its restrained fury, their face-off over the Commonwealth is a master class in quiet intensity.

Olivia Colman, “The Crown” Colman excels at capturing Queen Elizabeth II’s stillness and composure down to the smallest gesture on Season 4 of Peter Morgan’s royal drama, set in the Buckingham Palace of the 1980s.

Case in point: her vividly rendered conversation with Tom Brooke’s Michael Fagan, the man who broke into the queen’s bedroom to list his grievances. Colman’s silences express as much as a monologue.

Kaley Cuoco,

“The Flight Attendant” Cuoco’s wildly funny yet emotionally shrewd performance as an alcoholic flight attendant entangled in a gruesome murder is what grounds even the most absurd twists on this HBO Max comedy-thriller–character study.

Just when you think the series is

backstage.com

Linda Cardellini on “Dead to Me” Olivia Colman on “The Crown”

25

03.11.21 BACKSTAGE

Kerry Washington on “Little Fires Everywhere”

Emma Corrin, “The Crown” Stepping into an onscreen character who received almost as much scrutiny as her reallife counterpart, Golden Globe winner Corrin successfully captures something essential about Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales: her ability to draw you in and demand you watch her.

Between the spot-on makeup, hair, and wardrobe work, and those eyes that convey sorrow and shyness, Corrin pulls off the difficult task of stealing this show.

mastermind, and that sinister smile of hers proves she’s in her element at last. On Season 3 of this increasingly dark Netflix drama, the Emmy- and SAG Award–winning Linney excels at guiding us through everything on Wendy’s map: messiness, vulnerability, shrewdness, and, ultimately, devastating guilt.

Julia Garner, “Ozark” Season 3 of Netflix’s “Ozark” finds ample opportunity to explore its morally bankrupt core cast of characters, giving an actor of Garner’s wondrous skill level the juicy material she deserves.

Her twice Emmy-winning Ruth Langmore is a survivor who is prone to making dangerously criminal decisions, but there are always rational reasons behind them—even if Garner makes us guess what they are.

Cate Blanchett,

Laura Linney, “Ozark” Linney’s Wendy Byrde has gone from dissatisfied suburban housewife to money-laundering

Michaela Coel,

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries “Mrs. America” One of this TV season’s greatest treats was watching Blanchett scheme. Actors should study her take on Phyllis Schlafly.

Her multilayered work as the conservative queen of the 1970s, a woman seeking power and finding her voice as she advocates for policies that would prevent her fellow American housewives from doing the same, is elevated by her restraint.

“I May Destroy You” The range that Coel taps into to deliver a story inspired by

26

her own sexual assault on this follow-up to her series “Chewing Gum” is nothing short of heroic.

Her Arabella is equal parts frightened and frightening in the complex aftermath of her assault.

Watching Coel detangle her character’s pain from the power it has unearthed within her makes for some of the year’s best TV.

Nicole Kidman, “The Undoing” Kidman deserves every acting award on record for her newest collaboration with “Big Little Lies” creator David E. Kelley, including (if there were such a thing) best performance by an eyeball in a leading role. The heavy lifting her pupils alone do in this story of paranoia and perception speaks to the laserlike focus this star has on her characters’ reactions.

Kerry Washington,

“Little Fires Everywhere” What a spectacular return to TV drama this is for Washington, one of those Hollywood stars who can straddle the line between juicy melodrama and multilayered subtlety. Her work as Mia Warren, a newcomer to the story’s pictureperfect suburban neighborhood, makes Liz Tigelaar’s smallscreen adaptation of the bestselling Celeste Ng novel all pleasure, no guilt.

Viola Davis in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

Anya Taylor-Joy,

“The Queen’s Gambit” As much a character study in addiction as a chess prodigy’s coming-of-age tale (and a gorgeously wrought period drama to boot), this Netflix hit owes a heaping sum of its success to Golden Globe winner and rising star Taylor-Joy. Her skill at rendering Beth Harmon’s growth shows physicalized acting at its finest. Every moment she levels those enormous eyes at her chess adversaries or up at the ceiling becomes iconic.

backstage.com

“I MAY DESTROY YOU”: NATALIE SEERY/HBO; “LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”: ERIN SIMKIN/HULU

Michaela Coel on “I May Destroy You”

“MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”: DAVID LEE/NETFLIX; “NEWS OF THE WORLD”: UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Jason Sudeikis on “Ted Lasso”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

“I MAY DESTROY YOU”: NATALIE SEERY/HBO; “LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”: ERIN SIMKIN/HULU

“MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”: DAVID LEE/NETFLIX; “NEWS OF THE WORLD”: UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Amy Adams, “Hillbilly Elegy”

Playing heroin addict Bev, Adams swivels from raw vulnerability to shaking ferocity on a dime in this Netflix original film from director Ron Howard. She brings her character’s narcissism and keen desperation to the screen as only she can. It’s like the actor is digging into every nook and cranny of her own soul to produce this aching portrait of someone who has been robbed by circumstance.

Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” What’s the best part of Davis’ performance as the titular crooner in her latest August Wilson adaptation? Is it her gruff, smoky voice, her swiveling hips, or the fire in her eyes? The fivetime SAG Award winner uses her bone-deep physical performance to convey the rich interiority of the real-life Ma Rainey, Mother of the Blues and sufferer of no fools.

Vanessa Kirby,

“Pieces of a Woman” If you didn’t know Kirby’s name before, you will after this awards season thanks to her stunning, wrenching, beautiful work in Netflix’s “Pieces of a Woman,”

which sees the “Crown” Emmy nominee working through the aftermath of losing a baby in agonizing emotional detail. It’s the kind of role that requires so much of an actor that it boggles the mind.

Frances McDormand,

“Nomadland” Calling McDormand’s “Nomadland” performance her most understated one yet feels redundant, given the documentary-like quality of Chloé Zhao’s study of vandwelling nomads. It’s as if the actor lived for months as the determinedly grieving Fern, and Zhao’s camera simply captured her everyday movements. But make no mistake: The four-time SAG Award–winning McDormand is at the height of her powers, finessing every moment.

Carey Mulligan,

“Promising Young Woman” Mulligan’s turn as Cassandra Thomas in “Promising Young Woman” is like the film itself: Don’t let her character’s sunny styling and California surroundings fool you. Her measured portrayal of a woman on a mission—gradually revealed by writer-director Emerald Fennell—surprises until the very last moment. If the sinister way Cassandra toys with handsy men

Helena Zengel in “News of the World”

weren’t so delightfully thrilling, it would be downright terrifying.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” A welcome addition to the bizarro world of “Borat,” Bakalova shines as Tutar, the Kazakh journalist’s teenage daughter and willing accomplice in his latest plot: to win over “McDonald” Trump. For every clandestine farce the mockumentary concocts, Bakalova is right in step with Sacha Baron Cohen, delivering side-splitting improvised dialogue with unwavering commitment.

Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy” This season, we can confidently crown Close as the queen of one-liners. Her larger-than-life Vance matriarch represents the hard-knock starting point of this story’s multigenerational narrative. While her grandson fights to overcome the povertystricken hand he’s been dealt in the Appalachian backwoods, Close’s Mamaw unapologetically steeps herself in all things “hill people.” She demands, and earns, our attention.

Olivia Colman, “The Father”

We’ve seen a nonstop succession

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27

of superb screen work from Colman ever since her Oscar win for “The Favourite.” Now, playing the daughter to an ailing Anthony Hopkins, she seems to remove even more barriers between herself and the camera lens. What is it about magnetic performers like Colman, who can turn crying into high art? Her tears are stars in their own right.

Youn Yuh-jung, “Minari”

Irreverent, foulmouthed, and, at least in little David’s (Alan S. Kim) eyes, as un-grandmotherly as can be, Soonja complicates the central Korean American family’s fragile dynamics in “Minari” from the moment she arrives. Youn’s delightful comedic timing gives way to poignancy as David and his grandmother evolve from cheekily adversarial to genuinely friendly. It’s a great example of a performance that gives a film its heart.

Helena Zengel,

“News of the World” It takes a lot to pull focus from Tom Hanks; to do it as a young actor with few lines (mostly in the language of the Kiowa people) is even more extraordinary. Zengel matches Hanks on every step of this perilous journey across America’s antebellum South. Her Johanna Leonberger is lost in more ways than one, as evidenced by the actor’s every profound gesture and facial expression.

03.11.21 BACKSTAGE

Plays Musicals Film TV & Video Commercial Modeling Variety Voiceover Gigs Events

Submit a Notice |

New York Tristate Plays ‘Everything is Super Great’ • Seeking video submissions from

Equity actors for “Everything is Super Great.”

• Company: Dreamcatcher Repertory

Theatre. Staff: Laura Ekstrand, artistic dir.; Betsy True, dir.

• Rehearsals begin Apr. 12; runs Apr.

29-May 9 remotely.

• Seeking—Tommy (Cast): male, 18+, 19

years old; Anne’s son. Lost and melancholy, but with a spark. Anne (Cast): female, 40-49, Tommy’s mother; sweet; spacey. A little immature.

Caring. Dave: male, 30-39, all ethnicities, a doormat. Spineless. A little broey. Hopeful. Alice (Cast): 18+, 21 years old. Dead-pan. The most exhausted and overworked person. Ever.

• Seeking submissions from NJ. • For consideration, videotape yourself

performing a one-minute, comedic contemporary monologue. Slate your name and title of the piece before beginning your monologue. Attach your headshot and resume to your audition email and send to info@ dreamcatcherrep.org. Submissions deadline is Mar. 15. Callbacks will be held Mar. 31 via Zoom.

• Pays $271/wk. Equity SPT Contract.

Short Films Greenwood Exhibit Space

• Casting a short film that will be pro-

jected on glass at an exhibition space that will tell the remarkable and resilient story of Greenwood and it’s community before and after the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. In this film, we meet a barbershop owner, his head barber, and their apprentice barber, as they discuss what brought them to Greenwood, and what life is like. This scene takes place prior to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Note that these roles are composite characters, not based on specific real people.

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

SUBMIT YOUR CALLS FOR CAST AND CREW: Visit backstage.com/findtalent and click on “Post a Notice.”

Include all relevant project requirements, including any pay, fees, dues, costs, required ticket sales or nudity.

• Company: Liz Lewis Casting Partners.

Casting picks of the week

Staff: Angela Mickey, managing dir. of casting; Ashley-Lauren Elrod, coord.

• Fitting Mar. 12 or 15; shoots one day

Mar. 16-18 in NYC.

• Seeking—TC Morris: male, 50-60,

Black / African Descent, all body types; height, 5’10-6’2” tall; a barbershop owner; he is tall, clean-shaven, big friendly smile, very charismatic and welcoming but all business - he keeps a tight ship, and doesn’t allow too much horsing around; he has side wave hair, manicured hands; his business was on of the first storefronts in the neighborhood; TC is proud to be one of the first black-owned barbershops for black men in the South; he is politically active, and loves getting into talks about politics with his customers; TC believes in what they are doing in Greenwood; he was one who turned inward to consider black communities’ organization while also engaging in the self-reflective work that produced black cultural movements; he knew that the needs of a private business are balanced with the needs of collective dialogue, so he promotes a positive outlook whenever he can; would love someone who is able to do an Oklahoma or Southwestern accent, if possible. Jerome Clark: male, 35-45, Black / African Descent, open to men of all body types; height should be 5’116’2” tall; TC’s Head Barber; he has a high-tight haircut, and is quiet and more introspective, with a manicured mustache (we are open to actors with and without a mustache); Jerome was TC’s first employee and learned everything he knows from TC; Jerome is quiet, and more introspective and measured in his delivery; a perfect balance to TC’s bigger than life personality; Jerome is genuinely interested in his clients and anyone visiting from out of town; he is empathetic and will often know intuitively what you’re about to ask before you ask it; Jerome has his finger on the pulse of local living; anything you want to know about day to day living in Tulsa, he’ll know about it would love someone who is able to do an Oklahoma or Southwestern accent, if possible. George Satterwhite: male, 18-25, Black / African Descent, height should be 5’11-6’2” tall; an apprentice barber at the shop; he is extremely

BY LISA HAMIL

stage

‘Everything Is Super Great’ Celebrate reality in this Equity production in NJ

lasts long; he has a tendency to be brash and speak without thinking through the consequences, which has gotten him in trouble in the past; would love someone who is able to do an Oklahoma or Southwestern accent, if possible.

• Seeking submissions from NY. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Auditions Mar. 2-3, Callbacks Mar. 4-5.

Links regarding project: www.tulsa2021. org/rising, https://localprojects. com/ work/museums- attractions/ greenwood- rising/.

• Pays $25 for fitting, $50 table read,

tv

‘Godfather Of Harlem’ Run NYC in this Epix series in NY

student film

‘Before Night Shift’ Stay up late in Los Angeles, CA

stage

Epix, ‘Godfather of Harlem’ Season 2

• Casting background for season 2 of the

Epix series “Godfather of Harlem.”

theme parks

Experience: all genders, 14+, Black / African Descent, must have flexible schedule and be available for testing and filming in Brooklyn. Casting calls may be last-minute requests. Pay provided for testing, fitting, and work days.

Ladies in Lingerie for Club Scene: female, 21-35, all ethnicities, no visible tattoos. Coverable tattoos (the size of a quarter or smaller) are acceptable.

Must be comfortable in lingerie on set.

Interior club scene. Italian Mob Types: male, 18+, White / European Descent.

Harlem Mob Types: male, 18+, Black / African Descent. Italian Mob Wife Types: female, 18+. Harlem Mob Wife Types: female, 18+, Black / African Descent. Italian Mob Kid Types (Minors Ages 6-15): all genders, 15, White / European Descent, child performer work permits required. Parent required on set with child. Harlem Family Kids Types (Minors Age 6-15): all genders, 15, Black / African Descent, child performer work permits required. Parent required on set with child.

confident, with a kind smile, and boyish good looks, clean shaven, hair short on the sides and pushed back; he came in to get a haircut for prom and said he wanted a summer job and earned a position on the spot; George is eager to please and works hard; he watches Jerome carefully to make sure he can learn as much as he can; he is proud of his apprenticeship, and can sometimes walk around with swagger and confidence like he owns the place, earning a quick reprimanding look from TC; George knows what makes the city run from a manual labor perspective - he is part of a network of maids, shoeshiners, gardeners, delivery, cooks, and cleaners who keep Greenwood running; George bucks authority a bit, thinking he knows better than anyone else what is needed; if he is reprimanded, he may sulk a bit, but it never

28

Scripted TV & Video

’Slow Food’ Savor your meal in tis CA virtual Equity production

Six Flags Discover your inner stunt performers in Upper Marlboro, MD

VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING for full character breakdowns, script sides, and more casting notices

$500/8 hr. shoot day.

• Company: Roman Candle Casting.

Staff: Todd Feldman, casting dir.

• Shoots in Brooklyn and Harlem, NYC. • Seeking—BG With Martial Arts

• Seeking submissions from NY. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Submit recent photos, height, and

sizes.

• SAG-AFTRA rates apply for union mem-

bers. Nonunion rate: $165/10 hrs.

backstage.com

California casting

General Voiceover NY Post, ‘Surviving NYC’

server will have them examining everything from their menu choices to their very future together. Will their shared desperation get them their spanakopita—or end their marriage?

• Company: International City Theatre.

NYC,” a voiceover-driven explainer video on how to survive in New York City.

Staff: Marya Mazor, dir.; caryn desai, prod.-artistic dir.; Michael Donovan, CSA, and Richie Ferris, CSA, casting dirs.; Wendy MacLeod, playwright.

funny, snarky, and acerbic. Looking for a New York accent.

will be recorded (probably during the second week of rehearsals). Play will stream for 12 performances, Thursday through Sunday, from Apr. 29-May 16.

• Casting voice actors for “Surviving

• Company: NY Post.

• Records remotely on dates(s) TBD. • Seeking—Main Voiceover: male, 27-61,

• Seeking submissions from NJ and NY. • Send submissions to amamlet@nypost.

com.

• Pay provided.

Southern California Plays Santa Cruz Shakespeare

• Casting Equity actors of all ages, gen-

der identities, and ethnicities, as well as those with disablitiies, for roles in Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s 2021 season.

Season includes “The Agitators” (Paul Mullins, dir.; Mat Smart, writer) and “RII” (Jessica Kubzansky, writer; Melissa Rain Anderson, dir.). No roles will be understudied.

• Company: Shakespeare Play On DBA

Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Staff: Mike Ryan, artistic dir.

• Rehearsals begin June 28, 2021; tech

begins July 15, 2021; previews July 20, 202; opens July 25 (“Agitators”) and July 26 (“RII”) runs through Aug. 29 with a possible one week extension to Sept. 5.

• Seeking—Equity Actors: 18+, all

ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to auditions@santa-

• Rehearsals begin Mar. 30; performance

• Seeking—Waiter (Stephen): 40+, all

ethnicities, gay. A long-time Palm Springs waiter. Lies about his age. Has seen his share of parties. High strung, needy. Great comedic timing. Man (Peter): male, 40-59, all ethnicities, husband of Irene. Businessman, empty nester, confident, charming when he wants to be. Father of a recent college graduate. On vacation but finds it a challenge to relax; hungry for dinner and a little something else. Note: Actors who are couples in real life particularly encouraged to submit for Irene and Peter. Note on submissions. Woman (Irene): 40-59, all ethnicities, wife of Peter. Therapist, empty nester. Mother of a recent college graduate. Quick-witted; attractive. Hungry. Wants to be and have fun! Note: Actors who are couples in real life particularly encouraged to submit for Irene and Peter. Note on submissions.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, submit an appropri-

ate self-taped short monologue of your choice with a YouTube link to md@ michaeldonovancasting.com. Taped submissions must be received by Mar. 15. Actors who are couples in real life particularly encouraged to submit for Irene and Peter. Note this on your submission. Callbacks are TBD (and will be on Zoom).

• Pays $318/wk. Equity SPT 2 Contract.

Non-Equity pays $175/wk. (plus EMC points).

cruzshakespeare.org.

• For consideration, prepare one con-

temporary and one Shakespeare monologue totaling less than three minutes and email video or a link to video along with headshot and resume to auditions@santacruzshakespeare.org.

Submissions deadline is Mar. 12.

• Pays $728/wk. Equity LOA ref. LORT

Contract.

‘Slow Food’

• Seeking video submissions from Equity

actors for roles in “Slow Food.” Note: This is a virtual production, requiring multiple props, which will be duplicated for all 3 actors and then delivered to the actors’ homes. Because the theatre is based in the Los Angeles/Long Beach, CA area, local actors particularly encouraged to submit. Synopsis: Irene and Peter just want to have a nice meal out on their big anniversary in Palm Springs. But their highly neurotic waiter, Stephen, will not bring them their food, and everything goes horribly, ridiculously wrong. This absurd backstage.com

Student Films ‘Before Night Shift’

• Casting for “Before Night Shift”, a LMU

MFA thesis film. Synopsis: After a postwork conversation over a late-night snack, a man realizes he must come to a critical decision about his relationship with his boyfriend.

• Company: Loyola Marymount

University. Staff: Po Wei Su, dir.-prod.

• Rehearsal a week before shoot; shoots

between Mar. 26-29 (not needed for all days) in L.A.

• Seeking—Shaun: male, 28-55, all eth-

nicities, Shaun moved to the States a long time ago. His parents used to own a small aquarium back home before they passed away, so when he VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING for full character breakdowns, script sides, and more casting notices

settled down here, he found a job working at an aquarium as well. His dream is to open his own aquarium.

Shaun was a heavy smoker before he got together with Ed. American Spirit, especially the yellow one is the only brand he smoked. He always says he’s gonna quit because his boyfriend doesn’t like it, so he always secretly smokes while working at the aquarium. He likes to listen to music during night shift. No kissing or hugging will be involved in the shoot. Ed: male, 18-35, all ethnicities, a moviegoer.

Loves vintage and weird stuff. His favorite movies are the “Three Colours” trilogy, and he has these posters in the house. He’s currently a third-year grad film school student.

Although he loves Shaun very much, he’s still too young to figure out the perfect balance between working on film sets and his relationship with his boyfriend. His dream is to direct a feature as soon as possible. No kissing or hugging will be involved in the shoot.

Michael: male, 35-64, all ethnicities, the fish shop owner where the main actor Shaun works. He always looks mean but he actually takes good care of Shaun and other people working there. He likes to put his hands in his working apron when he’s walking.

There’s always a blue and a red pen hanging off his pocket.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to pwsbvision@

gmail.com.

• Meals and credit provided. Gas reim-

bursement provided if needed.

Online Commercials & Promos Electronics Product B-Roll Shoot • Casting a male actor between ages

25-35 for B-roll shots using electronics products.

• Company: Simplimotion Inc. Staff: Pat

Rapeepat, CFO.

• Shoots in L.A./Orange County, CA. • Seeking—Lead: male, 25-35.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Pays $150/day, plus lunch, snacks, and

drinks provided.

Stage Staff & Tech Santa Cruz Shakespeare

• Seeking Equity stage managers for

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s 2021 season: “The Agitators” (Paul Mullins, dir.; Mat Smart, writer) and “RII” (Jessica Kubzansky, writer; Melissa Rain Anderson, dir.).

• Company: Shakespeare Play On DBA

Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Staff: Mike Ryan, artistic dir.

29

• Rehearsals begin June 28, 2021; tech

begins July 15, 2021; previews July 20, 202; opens July 25 (“Agitators”) and July 26 (“RII”) runs through Aug. 29 with a possible one week extension to Sept. 5.

• Seeking—Stage Manager: 18+.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, submit resume to

auditions@santacruzshakespeare.org or mail to Santa Cruz Shakespeare, 500 Chestnut St. Ste. #250, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Submissions deadline is Mar. 12.

• Pays $728/wk. Equity LOA ref. LORT

Contract.

Northern California Short Films ‘Lemonade’

• Casting “Lemonade,” a 15-minute short

film about letting go of the past and, in doing so, finding the parts of ourselves lost along the way.

• Company: In the Sun Pictures. Staff:

Michael Lena, dir.-prod.; Jeremey Bandt, prod.; DeVron Randle, DP.

• Shoot dates TBD in Berkeley, Oakland,

and Mono Lake, CA.

• Seeking—Louis Melvin: 55+, Black /

African Descent, an older man in the November of his life, trying to come to terms with the loss of his wife Abbey, and, in doing so, pressing forward with a will to continue an existence without his soulmate. Louis Melvin (child): male, 7-13, Black / African Descent, the protagonist, Louis Melvin at 10-years old; a small but a vital component to the story and the reveal of Louis’ fears of swimming. Louis Melvin (young man): male, 18-36, Black / African Descent, Louis Melvin at age 27 on a particular day at a lake in which his wife tried to teach him to swim (life-long fear of his). This is a fear that Louis finally decides to confront in his old age in order to cherish his wife’s memory. Abbey Melvin: 18+, the wife of protagonist Louis Melvin. We find her within Louis’ memories on a particular day at a lake in which she attempts to encourage him to face one of his greatest fears: swimming. This distant memory of her is the crux of Louis’ return to the lake and his final attempt of facing his fears. Mila: female, 7-15, all ethnicities, a young girl who inadvertently encourages her neighbor-curmudgeon, Louis Melvin, to find a sense of purpose and hope in a solitary life he leads after the passing of his wife and soul-mate. Mrs. Crawford: female, 40-89, White / European Descent, a gentle woman who stops by a yard sale of our stories protagonist, Louis Melvin, to inspect some items of interest. She is promptly chased away when Louis realizes he is not ready to part with some of his belongings as they hold sentimental value to him.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Pays $100/day.

03.11.21 BACKSTAGE

casting National/Regional

National/ Regional Plays Children’s Theatre Company • Seeking video submissions from Equity

actors for the Children’s Theatre Company’s 2021-2022 season. Local actors particularly encouraged to submit. Seeking flexible, creative actors as well as strong singers and movers. All roles are understudied. Season includes “Annie” (had been cast and planned for 2020; retaining same cast); a new play by Lloyd Suh; a new play by Cheryl West, and a TBD Spring Musical.

• Company: Children’s Theatre Company.

Staff: Peter C. Brosius, artistic dir.; Miriam Weisfeld, dir. of artistic development.

• Season runs October 2021 through June

2022.

• Seeking—Equity Actors: 18+, all

ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions from MN. • For consideration, prepare two contrast-

ing monologues at one minute each and two contrasting songs, 16 bars each.

Choose challenging, well-written material. No need to pick something from traditional children’s literature or children’s theatre genre. Submit your video at https://airtable.com/shrD15rUItmIa1spd.

You will be asked to fill out a short form & submit your video & headshot/resume.

Submit video audition and introduce yourself with your name and what you are going to perform at the start of your video. Submissions deadline is Mar. 28.

• Pays $856 for 2020-2021 season (con-

tract renews July 2021) Equity Special Agreement Contract.

Illinois Shakespeare Festival 2021 Season • Seeking video submissions from per-

formers for the 2021 ISF Season. Season includes “The Winter’s Tale” (Rebekah Scallet, dir.) and “Measure for Measure” (Jenny McKnight, dir.). Casting all roles for a 9-person rotating repertory of “The Winter’s Tale” and “Measure for Measure.” All actors will play multiple roles.

• Company: Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

Staff: John C. Stark, artistic dir.; Robert Quinlan, assoc. artistic dir.

• Rehearsals begin June 1, 2021; season

runs July 2-Aug. 7.

• Seeking—Equity Actors: 18+, all

ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions from IL. • For consideration, submit a video of two

Shakespeare monologues, not to exceed three minutes total. Send a link to a private YouTube video to ISFauditions@ gmail.com. Submissions deadline is Mar. 15.

• Pays $688/wk. Equity URTA Tier 2

Contract.

VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING for full character breakdowns, script sides, and more casting notices

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

Nashville Shakespeare Festival 2021 Season

Short Films

Shakespeare Festival 2021 Season.

Season includes “August Wilson’s Jitney” (Kenneth Dozier, dir. Rehearsals begin July 13; runs Aug. 12-22) and “Twelfth Night” (Jim Warren, dir.

Rehearsals begin July 27, 2021; runs Aug. 26-Sept. 19.)

‘4EVER’

Festival. Staff: Denice Hicks, NSF artistic dir.

Cesar Perez-Beato, dir.-prod.

• Casting Equity actors for the Nashville

• Casting “4EVER,” a horror short film.

Logline: After the sudden death of his lifelong wife, a disgruntled businessman receives a night visit from his younger lover. They will soon learn that unfaithfulness does have a much darker side.

• Company: Nashville Shakespeare

• Company: Bluemoon Filmworks. Staff: • Shoots in May in Miami, FL. • Seeking—Brenda: female, 30-40,

• Season runs in Nashville, TN. • Seeking—Equity Actors: all genders,

Asian, Black / African Descent, Latino / Hispanic, White / European Descent.

18+.

• Seeking submissions from TN. • For consideration, upload your video to

a sharing platform such as YouTube, and send a link to videosubmission@ nashvilleshakes.org with your headshot and resume. For additional info, visit nashvilleshakes.org/audition.

Submissions deadline is Mar. 15, 2021.

For Twelfth Night: Slate your audition either at the beginning or end. Perform 90 seconds of Shakespeare (two short contrasting pieces that showcase versatility), at least one verse piece preferred. Optional: 16 bars of a song (one minute or less) acapella, self accompanied, or with prerecorded accompaniment. For Jitney: Slate your audition either at the beginning or end. Perform two minute Monologue of your choice (choose pieces that showcase versatility). State if you are interested in being in Twelfth Night too (not a requirement).

• Seeking submissions from FL. • For consideration, submit a link to a

self-recorded audition to bluemoonfilmworks@gmail.com. Must submit a demo reel and self-recorded audition to be considered.

• Pays $400/day.

Reality TV & Documentary Dance Pop Casting

• Casting the next big phenom for a major

actors for roles in the upcoming 2021 Clinton Area Showboat Theatre season.

Season includes “Always, Patsy Cline” (Rehearses May 24-June 3; runs June 3-13), “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” (Rehearses June 4-17; runs June 17-27), “All Shook Up” (Rehearses June 18-July 1; runs July 1-18), “Church Basement Ladies” (Rehearses July 9-22; runs July 22-Aug. 1), and “Constellations (Nick Payne, writer.

Rehearses July 23-Aug. 5; runs Aug. 5-15).

network series. Seeking triple threats, ages 7-13. Production states: “The most prominent momager and dance teacher in the nation is casting triple threats to create the world’s next big phenomenon.

This momager is rebooting her dance competition team which will serve as the training ground to create the world’s next big girl group that will rival the success of the spice girls. She is seeking dancers ages 7 to 13 with major star potential! But you can’t just be a competitive dancer for the universe to take notice, true artists are triple threats.

Extra points for sass and personality! Is your daughter a fierce dancer in the world of competitive dance? Does she have the potential to be a triple threat?

Team management are seeking parents (or legal guardians) and their kids who are willing to give up everything and relocate to LA for a once in a lifetime opportunity in hopes of dominating on the world stage. Parents (or legal guardians) must have the drive, competitive edge, determination and skills to help navigate their daughters to be the next generation of stars! If you and your daughter fit the description above apply today.”

Staff: James Beaudry, artistic dir.

Matthias, casting dir.

• Pays $526.50/wk. Equity LOA

Agreement. Note: One Equity Contract planned. Local Nashville TN actors are strongly encouraged to submit.

Musicals Clinton Area Showboat Theatre 2021 Season

• Seeking video submissions from Equity

• Company: Clinton Area Showboat.

• Performances are typically Wednesday

through Sunday at 8 p.m. All shows planned to be live and in-person, pending Equity approval.

• Seeking—Equity Actors: all genders,

18+, all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions from IA. • For consideration, prepare 32 bars of a

traditional musical theatre song of your choice or you can sing along to the tracks provided at https://drive.google. com/drive/folders/12Af2S0 myTSMX7wxxNXaFHhnJPuADUm3_? usp=sharing and submit audition videos to jamespbeaudry@gmail.com.

Submissions deadline is Mar. 23.

• Pays $318/wk. Equity SPT 2 Contract.

• Company: Evolution Media. Staff: Dan • Shoots in Los Angeles.

• Seeking—Triple Threat Kids: female,

7-13, all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to danmatthiascast-

ing@gmail.com.

• Talents kids will need at least two dance

videos and two singing videos for the application. An in-person call back will take place in March in Los Angeles after nationwide casting.

• TBD with network.

HBO Max, ‘First Dates Hotel’

• Casting HBO Max’s “First Dates Hotel.”

• Casting states: “Are you looking for

your perfect match? ‘First Dates Hotel’

30

will wisk you away to find that special someone you’ve been looking for.

Looking for all ages and all daters. You can watch the UK version on YouTube.”

• Company: RRV casting. Staff: Noreen

Reilly, casting.

• Shoots late summer 2021.

• Seeking—Daters: all genders, 30+, all

ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Apply online/submit yourself at www.

firstdateshotelus.com.

• Stipend provided.

Online Commercials & Promos A Manly Soap Product, Two or Three Fun Guys Who Live Together • Casting two or three guys who cur-

rently live together in one location for a manly soap project. Synopsis: The men will all be in the bathroom at once talking about and using this manly soap and bantering with each other. Think of a frat house, the guys from Epic Meal Time, etc. This is a family friendly ad that you won’t be afraid to show mom and your little sister. Must be comfortable without a shirt. This will be a remote project which can be shot on a smart phone.

• Company: TubeScience. Staff: Sarah

Furlong, casting.

• Shoots mid March or as soon as we find

the right cast, in Los Angeles, CA.

• Seeking—Male With At Least One Male

Friend Living in The Same House: male, 18-35, all ethnicities, looking for two or three guys who currently live together in one location for a manly soap project; the men will all be in the bathroom at once talking about and using this manly soap and bantering with each other.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Do not appy if you do not have at least

one male friend available to do this project with. I am also casting for a shave club project which will be a better fit.

• Pays $250 per person/non union/ all

media buyout.

Chesapeake Bay Tourism Commercial

• Casting a commercial spot featuring

exciting tourism activities on the Chesapeake Bay. Non-union talent of all ages and ethnicities are welcome to apply with headshots. Especially interested in friends, couples or families with children who are already in their own COVID-safe pod or living together.

• Company: Harbor Craft Films. Staff: J.

Morrison, casting.

• Shoots the first week of May at various locations around Chesapeake Bay in MD. Note: Standard COVID safety protocols adhered to during the production. Shoot is entirely outside, mostly on boats, on the open waters of the backstage.com

National/Regional casting

Chesapeake Bay so this is not ideal for those prone to sea sickness.

• Seeking—Adults and Children, any age

or ethnicity: 8+, all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions from MD. • Send submissions to office@harbor-

craft.net.

• Must be able to work as local to

Maryland.

• Flat rate TBD plus federal minimum for

travel reimbursement.

Content Creations, Actors, Influencers & Models • Seeking actors, influencers, and

models to create content for promotional videos. Company states: “If you are that good creating content...If every time you post a picture or a video you have so many likes and followers that you think you could be as good as any known influencer... We want to know you. We produce content. We ask not one but many videos each week for our top brands. We will choose our Top50 to work on many productions. We are looking for charismatic and confident talent. By the way: better gadgets produce better videos.”

• Company: Ready Set. Staff: A S, casting

dir.

• Videos will be self-taped and home

based between February and June.

• Seeking—Follow the Leader, Girl, (18-

28): female, 18-30, all ethnicities, you don’t know if you like to lead, but your words always ignite the hearts of your friends and they will follow you on any adventure. Sometimes you are the voice of reason and sometimes you seem like the best salesperson in the world. You are calm, emphatic and direct, and that is why others always listen to you. My Own Style Girl (1828): female, 18-30, all ethnicities, you go your own way and that’s why you have your own style. Your determined and different look speaks of you to everyone and your words always say what you think. You are not afraid to express yourself or to impact those around you. Energetic Girl (18-28): female, 18-30, all ethnicities, When you tell a story, it seems like sparks are flying everywhere. Everything you do you live so intensely that when you tell it you influence everyone with enthusiasm. Everything is exciting and amazing, and you want everyone to share that joy. Seduction Skin Boy (18-28): male, 18-30, all ethnicities, elegant with words and your tone of voice always seduces the listener. You do not need to use force, your words have the hypnotic and persuasive power that invites others to follow your advice. The Adventurer Boy (1828): male, 18-30, all ethnicities, don’t take anything for granted, that’s why you always go further and try everything that catches your attention. You learn from all your adventures and what is best, you share it with everyone and invite them to live these new experiences. The Boss Boy (18-28): male, 18-30, all ethnicities, very clear about what you want and you speak directly and without fear; you usually get what you want. Your friends ask you to speak for them or invite you to backstage.com

Theme Parks & Attractions

guide them with your determination.

You are a born speaker.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to cast.me@ready-

set.co.

Six Flags America

• Talent will be invited to audition for a

specific role. Do not apply for more than one role. Include in your submission if you have a ring light, tripod, camera, or two cell phones (to shoot yourself with cell phone in hand), a microphone and / or a reader.

• Seeking skilled and experienced indi-

viduals to join Six Flag America’s awardwinning entertainment team.

• Company: Six Flags America. Staff:

Craig Putman, creative dir.-live show stunt coord.

• Depending on script.

• Rehearses in the Spring with a Summer

opening (there is a possibility to be hired on until January) in Upper Marlboro, MD.

Highlights, ‘A Club for Every Kid’ • Casting a child actor for a paid social

• Seeking—Stunt Performer: 18+, stunt

ad to promote Highlights magazine.

performers engage and entertain all park guests through high intensity stunts such as stage combat, sword work, gymnastics, acrobatics and more.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities: Perform high intensity stage combat routines in accordance with Company and Brand guidelines.Attend weekly fight rehearsals to ensure a quality performance is delivered at all times.

Engage crowd members through interactive scenes intended to “break the fourth wall”. Make appearances in character at special functions, media events, and community outreach events. Operate in a safe and efficient manner at all times while holding safety to the highest regard.Maintains cleanliness and sanitation of designated entertainment venues for all guests and team members.Assist in wardrobe maintenance and repair.Be a reliable member of the team. This includes always arriving to work on time and for your scheduled shift. Occasionally serve as an usher for other entertainment venues in the park. Maintain professional standards in accordance with all Six Flags policies. Perform other duties as assigned. Skills and Qualifications: Must be 18+.

Demonstrated knowledge of specialty skills such as stage combat, gymnastics, mid-falls, acting, acrobatics, sword work, and martial arts. Ability to perform in and be exposed for long periods of time to varied weather conditions, including heat, cold, and rain.Must maintain character appearance, including hair, costume, piercings, etc. during the entire duration of contract. Must have the ability to walk, crouch, bend, stoop, kneel and lift up to forty pounds occasionally. Will be required to work various shifts as project and park needs dictate, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

• Company: Bamboo. Staff: Jake

Fordyce, content prod.

• Tentatively shoots Mar. 20-23 (subject

to change) in the Seattle, WA area.

• Seeking—Highlights Magazine Cover

Kid: all genders, 6-9, all ethnicities, child will be acting out multiple scenarios that represent clubs for Highlights magazine (adventure, mystery, science, ocean, etc.). Shoot will be take place in a green screen studio, so imagination and taking direction is crucial in capturing takes production builds out in post-production.

• Seeking submissions from WA. • Send submissions to jake@growwith-

bamboo.com.

• Include an up-to-date headshot and

video sample or reel with your submission.

• Pays $500 for half-day (five hours) and

video use in perpetuity.

Home Spa Skit

• Casting three separate videos about

creating your own home spa with prizes you can win from a game.

• Staff: Katherine L., creative market-

ing coord.

• Shoots remotely.

• Seeking—Actor/Actress: all genders,

26-60, all ethnicities, role requires the following props: smart mug, aroma diffuser, and a blanket that looks like a weighted blanket.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Pays $800 for all three scripts.

Social Media Ads for Lighting Products

• Casting product ads for various home

lighting products.

• Company: Max Out Media. Staff:

Dylan Hayes, DP.

• Shoots will take place throughout the

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• For consideration, submit your applica-

year (typically five hours per shoot) in Raleigh, NC.

tion, headshot, resume, and demo reel to Craig Putman, Cputman@sftp.com.

• Seeking—Model: all genders, 18-25,

all ethnicities, include a video reel if available. Actor: all genders, 18-25, all ethnicities.

• Compensation based off of experience.

• Seeking submissions from NC. • Send submissions to dylanwarner-

Audiobooks & Podcasts

hayes@gmail.com.

• Indicate your availability in March and

April. Include headshots and a video reel if you have one. For more info on the products, visit https://virallights. com/.

‘Wolfe Brothers Saga’

• Casting “Wolfe Brothers Saga,” about a

husband and wife team, producing a romantic suspense audio drama.

• Pays $100/day. No participation fees

required. Travel not covered.

31

• Company: Fiction for Adults. Staff: Lita

Stone, writer; Max Redford, writer.

• Recordings are made remotely.

• Seeking—Maggie Stewart (recast):

female, 24-34, sassy, 20-something female, grew up on the right side of town, with money, and power (Mayor’s daughter); after being gang-raped in high school, she resorted to a life of risk and promiscuity; she is the main lead in the series; some sexually graphic scenes will be required. Here is a link to a scene recorded with the original voice actor. An example of one of our more graphic scenes. https://open.spotify. com/episode/2s7An7bNV1hcTHr8DHNa 0c?si=WXyIcny6T6ymZvn5_qYUTA This is as graphic is it gets. “Maggie” is a recast for her role later in the series.

Sex scenes from this point in the story will be minimal and not as graphic. But this is ongoing story so there is always a possibility of future (more sexually graphic) scenes. If voicing sexually graphic scenes makes you squeamish, this isn’t the project for you.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to lita@fictionfo-

radults.com.

• Pays $150 p/f/h. Discord participation

required. Record remotely. Upload to Google Drive. Post share link in respective channels on Discord server.

Compensation is through Paypal.

Competitions Ladies of Laughter Virtual National Competition • Seeking storytellers and stand-up

comedians to join Ladies of Laughter’s 2021 virtual competition.

• Production states: “We are seeking film

shorts, storytellers and stand-up comedians to compete for cash prizes, major publicity and the coveted Ladies of Laughter titles.”

• Company: Ladies of Laughter, Inc.

Staff: Margaret Boyce, exec. prod.

• Competes May 7 (video shorts), May 14

(storytellers) and May 19 (stand-up comedians) virtually.

• Seeking—Funny Woman: female, 18+,

all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Funny women stand-ups, video content

creators and storytellers will send a link of their work. For stand-up and storytelling the link should be no more than seven minutes. For video shorts, the video should be no more than 3:30 minutes.

• No pay. Production states: “Stand-up

comedians compete for close to $10,000 in national theater bookings with the Ladies of Laughter Funny & Fabulous Tour. Storytellers and video short creators each compete for $500 and the right to have their video shown during the tour. Additionally, winners receive a major career boost that will put them on the map!”

VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING for full character breakdowns, script sides, and more casting notices

03.11.21 BACKSTAGE

Ask An Expert Agents Auditions Film Headshots Social Media Theater Unions Voiceover

Q:

When is it appropriate for me to announce on social media that I booked a recurring role on a television show?

—@Looking4Advice, Backstage Community Forums

Our Expert

*Submit questions for our Experts on Backstage’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts, or via our forums page at backstage.com/forums!

The views expressed in this article are solely that of the individual(s) providing them, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.

BACKSTAGE 03.11.21

32

backstage.com

ILLUSTRATION: MARGARET RULING/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; SILHANOVA: COURTESY LENKA SILHANOVA

Lenka Silhanova is a social media consultant.

This is a great question, and congratulations! This is an amazing moment in your career. Before you post anything on social media, you should always check what your contract and your nondisclosure agreement (NDA) say about sharing any information about the show online. I know it’s an exciting time and you want to tell everyone about it, but you might get into trouble if you share something you’re not supposed to.

If you don’t have a contract and an NDA yet, you should check with your agent or manager. Ask them what you are allowed to say about the role and the show, and when you are allowed to post about it. There may be a specific timeline that the show’s marketing department has in mind for making any announcements on social media and to the press. The department might also have official promotional materials that you can use to create the post. Your agent should be able to find out this information for you.

What should you do if you don’t have an agent or manager yet? If this is the case, ask your contact person from the show. Make sure you have their written permission to post on social media, in case of any future misunderstanding in which you might need proof that you had permission to share the news. It doesn’t need to be anything special; just save the emails or text messages you’ve exchanged with your contact.

The key takeaway is to ask first, and always check your contract and NDA before you post anything about your recurring role on social media.

WINNER BEST ACTRESS CAREY MULLIGAN Los Angeles Film Critics Association

“An incendiary work of filmmaking that’s bound to get people talking.

Fennell is a master of her craft and CAREY MULLIGAN IS UNFORGETTABLE” COLLIDER

“Carey Mulligan delivers a breathtaking high-wire act” T H E H O L LY WO O D R E P O R T E R

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY EMERALD FENNELL Sign up at FocusInsider.com for exclusive access to early screenings, film premieres and more.

For more on this film, go to FocusFeaturesGuilds2020.com.

SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON CAPITOL RECORDS

© 2021 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

WINNER BEST ACTRESS CAREY MULLIGAN San Diego Film Critics Society

“Carey Mulligan’s TOUR-DE-FORCE turn in ‘Promising Young Woman’ cements her as one of the true acting greats” DEADLINE

“Mulligan’s performance is TRANSFORMATIVE and TREMENDOUS” MASHABLE

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY EMERALD FENNELL Sign up at FocusInsider.com for exclusive access to early screenings, film premieres and more.

For more on this film, go to FocusFeaturesGuilds2020.com.

SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON CAPITOL RECORDS

© 2021 FOCUS FEATURES LLC