Alison Telford and Kate Leonard are the award-winning casting duo behind beloved Aussie TV sequence akin to Deadloch, Unhealthy Behaviour, Shantaram, Utopia and Glitch.
Primarily based on Boonwurrung land (Melbourne, Australia), Telford and Leonard joined forces in 2018 after working collectively within the (natural-light-deprived) casting workplaces on the Australian Broadcasting Company.
Contemporary off their Australian Academy of Cinema and Tv Arts (AACTA) win for Finest Casting in Tv (Deadloch) and Casting Guild of Australia (CGA) award for Finest Casting in a TV Drama (Shantaram), we sat down with Leonard to debate the significance of consistency, casting myths and extra.
Might you stroll us by way of a few of the key moments that led to your profession in casting?
After I was in grade 5 and the college play Charlotte’s Internet was introduced, I went residence and wrote a giant listing of who in grades 5 and 6 ought to play every position and why. I used to be simply obsessive about it!
Then, once I was in my first 12 months at uni learning Arts, the Ned Kelly movie began manufacturing in Melbourne. I requested the manufacturing supervisor, Catherine “Tatts” Bishop, if I might do unpaid work expertise on the movie. When she requested which division I’d wish to work in, I simply stated “casting,” not likely realizing what it entailed, however figuring it might be just like “casting” the grade 5/6 manufacturing. I ended up as an assistant within the extras division casting a whole lot of males with beards and firearm expertise. So, it was a little bit completely different, however I beloved it.
After 10 years in extras casting and stints as a casting assistant and affiliate, I needed to be a casting director and get again to my grade 5 roots. I had met and labored with Alison Telford on the ABC [Australian Broadcasting Corporation] and we’d immediately clicked. When she wasn’t out there to forged certainly one of Chris Lilley’s reveals, she recommended I do it. And the remainder is historical past.
You’ve been within the casting recreation for a while now. What retains you enthusiastic about your job?
That’s humorous. I don’t really feel like I’ve been doing it that lengthy, however I suppose it has been 20 years altogether. Each job is completely different. One week we’re searching for Marathi-speaking Indian actors and the subsequent, we’re placing collectively the British boy band Take That within the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic Higher Man. Proper now, we’re an entire forged of individuals residing with disabilities. It’s all the time thrilling to begin on a brand new present. Illustration on display screen has all the time been essential to me, in order that retains me excited as nicely.
I additionally get pleasure from studying the script for a brand new present for the primary time and [having] concepts come into my head. I like and admire actors. I like watching their work; seeing their nuances and their interpretations of a scene. Watching performances by no means will get outdated. Typically a tape is so good I really feel like we should always have paid to see that efficiency.
On thrilling issues: Telford Leonard Casting gained two main awards within the final six months. What did these wins imply to you?
I used to be actually blissful for us. Alison and I began the enterprise in 2018, and in a brief area of time, we’ve labored on some nice initiatives collectively. We work very laborious. We chuckle quite a bit, we discuss actors and reveals continuous and each have robust—barely obsessive—work ethics. All this led to 2 of our initiatives profitable casting awards, which was validating.
When you consider the actors you’re all the time blissful to name in, can you notice any widespread threads they share?
Constantly nice tapes or tapes which might be enhancing. Typically we’ve an actor who usually will get very shut and we maintain getting them again in, then are so thrilled for them after they land a job.
Are there any myths across the casting course of you are feeling can be useful to dispel for actors?
That you just don’t must be on the casting platforms with up to date profiles and correct search fields! All casting administrators spend in all probability 80% of the day on these platforms, so you will need to be on them.
Different myths: an actor as soon as stated they weren’t certain their self tapes have been even seen, which is a big delusion. Casting administrators watch all the pieces, each single factor that is available in. We additionally watch a whole lot of Australian movies, TV reveals, internet sequence and quick movies, and we make a remark of everybody. We’re all the time watching you —within the non-creepiest of the way.
reminder! Lastly, what’s the final efficiency in a movie, sequence, or present that blew you away?
We discuss this query every single day! Rosamund Pike in Saltburn. I like her. And Kate Field in Deadloch.
This text was initially revealed on Casting Networks.
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Written by Tahlia Norrish
