Every director will tell you something else, which is important to them while casting. Everything you will read below is based on my own experience while working with the actors.
1. Trust. Can you trust one another? I know it’s hard to say after a fifteen-minute conversation but you can feel pretty much instantaneously whether you are comfortable with someone or not.
2. Is the actor listening when you give them direction?
3. Is the actor co-operating with other actors? Are they giving their 100% to make the other actors look good too?
4. Does the actor look the part (in the mind of the director)?
5. Do you feel comfortable with that actor? (Sometimes some people make me so incredibly uncomfortable that I shut down)
6. If you send the script to the actor, do they read it, do they have any questions?
7. Is the actor confident within the role and themselves?
8. Does the actor seem to feel comfortable around you?
I don’t like the traditional casting process, asking actors to come in and read for me. It makes me feel very uncomfortable, so I can’t even imagine how the actors feel.
As I said before, the relationship and trust are the most important for me when I work with actors, and that reflects in the casting process. I like to meet the actors in person and have a chat, see if we click. If we don’t, I’m afraid we can’t work together.
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