Casting Director | The Art Career Project

Often confused with casting agents, a casting director, or CD, is the individual responsible for finding talent specified by a project’s director, client, or producer. In this process, casting agents or casting agencies are made aware of casting opportunities and given ideas on the types of characters a director or producer is looking for. Casting directors pre-screen actors, and contrary to their title, typically offer hopefuls very little “direction.”

Casting directors will often contract with a number of talent agencies and also use online services such as Breakdownexpress, Castingnetworks or Voicebank for finding talent. In some cases, talent agents and managers will submit individuals for an audition based on the needs of a specific production. The casting director or casting agency then selects the talent felt to be most suitable for the job and schedules an audition with directors and producers.

Professional casting directors must have a vast knowledge of the industry, and an extensive inventory of actors and actresses, and an understanding of their talent and abilities. Obviously, part of the job is instinctive, but even more so, choosing the correct talent for any production takes familiarity with all aspects of a production, observation, insight, and tenacity. But, the casting director’s responsibilities extend far beyond communicating with agents or actors or holding auditions with producers and directors. They also assemble casts, which may total in the hundreds for one audition, negotiate deals with actor’s agents, and manage the signing of contracts once an actor or actress has been chosen for a role. The may work for a studio, own a casting agency or work for one, or be self-employed.

Professional casting directors must have a vast knowledge of the industry, and an extensive inventory of actors and actresses, and an understanding of their talent and abilities. Obviously, part of the job is instinctive, but even more so, choosing the correct talent for any production takes familiarity with all aspects of a production, observation, insight, and tenacity. But, the casting director’s responsibilities extend far beyond communicating with agents or actors or holding auditions with producers and directors. They also assemble casts, which may total in the hundreds for one audition, negotiate deals with actor’s agents, and manage the signing of contracts once an actor or actress has been chosen for a role. The may work for a studio, own a casting agency or work for one, or be self-employed.

Keep in mind that all of this doesn’t happen overnight, and usually takes months or even years to complete. For instance, casting for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind took three years and hundreds of auditions by dozens of actresses before choosing Vivien Leigh. Imagine filling all the various guest spots on TV shows like Chicago Med or Empire (to-date, casting directors have cast nearly 80 actors in guest spots for the show, Empire, alone).