ShowbizU: Tips on Casting Actors- Brian Kite & Tim Kashani

You've got a number of different talented actors. What are you looking for?

Well, it's true, there are people who have talent. That's why they're in the business, but they have different types of talent and they focused on different things. As a director, I like to, well, first of all, connect to the person themselves. That matters. I want to work with people I want to work with, and whenever I challenge myself and say, well, they seem a little difficult, but their acting seems great, it's going to be worth it. It's never worth it. It's never worth it. It's always too hard and too much energy is focused on kind of servicing an ego when the time is better spent working on the entire piece.

I have a friend who's also a director who always thinks he can fix that person.

You can't fix them. That's it. You sense it immediately in the audition. Uh-oh, there's something wrong with the, with the, the monitor who signed them in outside says, you know, they kind of gave me a little bit of attitude. It's already going to be a problem. Yeah. After that, I look for specificity and honesty. So I want to see somebody really making sense of the word. It's a red flag to me if I get a sense that they are playing generally, right? This speech is sad, or this speech is angry. I want to be really specific about what they want and how they're going to get it. You know, what are they saying? They're using those words to do something to the other person in the scene. So I'm looking for that. Some actors just get it right away. I get every word. Others, I've listened to it 10 times already today, or 50 times, or 100 times, and I'm not sure what they're saying. I can tell they're upset, or they're, you know, happy, but the specificity isn't there. So first I look for that. Once we're over that, and I also check if they can take my direction. So even if they're great, I'll still usually give them an adjustment. You know, that may be right for this moment in the play, but "Can I see you, you know, talk as if you're sitting in Starbucks talking to a friend?" Okay, so just an adjustment to see if they can work with me. And then I want to see if they're right for the part, if there's something about them that just says, "Oh, I see the slimy side of that guy," or there's an innocence and a naïveté about the way she's playing this moment that I think will really work. So you can be specific and there's something about the part, although the better actor is almost more important to me than they look like the part or act like the part. We don't know. In most cases, it can be anything unless it's a historical figure. Even then, I think there's some room to just get the best actors.

And it sounds cliché, but there are many times where there are 2 or 3 people that it's so close between the 2, and you're going to have to make that decision for one. How do you then talk to the one that didn't get it, and are there times where that person has come back and worked with you in another role?

Good question. Yeah, you know, I try to be honest, especially when I have friends, or now a lot of actors I know, they're auditioning for me, and then I try to be honest with them. I say, listen, you were great, it was a little thing, she, you know, you, she, you were better size for my leading lady, uh, they were better size or something. But usually I'll try to tell them, great performance, and I don't mess around with them. I'll try to say Really good, loved what we were doing there. It was between you and the other one, and I went with the other one this time. We'll work together on something else. You know, it's just the next job. It's not the job. I always try to remind actors and directors too, we don't always get it too, that's just my next job. There'll be plenty more.