I put out a ad in Backstage West looking for this guy. In Hollywood, once you are a man of a certain age, you tend to be typecasted in the worst ways (I sometimes think worst than women). I got a few submissions. Including one from Conrad Bain. Who, if you knew your 80's t.v. trivia, he was the father in "Dif'rent Strokes." I found it odd, since it was a story about an orphan, that his agency or he would submit. This tells you how bad the pool was for men of this age group. Looking back now, and more in tuned with the mentality of those rejected, he must've been scratching his head as to why I never called him. He was perfect for the role. Sometimes we get too much into our own shit.
I also got some Academy Award nominated guy too. I don't want to mention here, but he was incredibly kind to my project. Was very supportive. At the time, I thought he was too young.
So, being a ballsy college student with a meager $10,000 and going to shoot on film. I set out for who I had in mind when I wrote the part. Ian McKellen. I'll be perfectly honest with you, I hadn't seen a damn thing he'd been in. He just looked right. I wrote him a long letter (by hand) found his agency and sent him both the letter AND the script.
Man, what a nutjob I was back then. The following week, I got an amazing email from him indicating that he would've done the role, but was tied up in New Zealand doing one of the "Lord Of The Rings" movie. That blew my mind. I'm sure it was a publicist who wrote it, or an assistant. Maybe the guy didn't even read it ("I'm sure you'll find someone as great for the roll as your writing"). But did that boost my confidence. I was amazed how being kind to people makes this business not so bad.
One other rejection I got, when I submitted my directing reel to Ridley Scott & Associates. Was from his head guy, Jules Daly. He kindly told me they already had someone within my genre and that they couldn't rep me. I knew this was definitely bullshit. My reel sucked. Looking back at it. But they don't want to burn a bridge. And neither did I.
Going back to my senior thesis. Dunno if I ever mentioned it. But as I was casting the social worker, I had a choice between a very attractive typical sweet girl next door type. Traditionally beautiful. Or a gawky tall gangly weird looking chick. My directing teacher said (in his thick Slavic accent "Thom, cast the veer-do." I made the mistake of waving him off. "Dude, I'm 25 years old, I know everything, I'm going for the pretty girl, as God and my movie intended." He argued me. Telling me in a short film, you want someone who has character in her face. I wouldn't have time to set up her backstory. I was SO close to casting the weird looking one. I lost sleep over it. She was perfect in a different way. However, my sensibilities were messed at the time. So I went with the prettier girl.
You know something. He was right. I was wrong. The girl I didn't cast went on to be in "Spider-Man 2," "American Horror Story," and a list of others too painful to mention.
Years later, I ran into her at another shoot, where I was just a cameraman/assistant camera. She was a featured actor in it. She didn't remember me. But I decided to tell her anyway. I told her who I was. I told her how conflicted I was about that decision. And that I thought she was gonna be great. That she is an amazing actress. And, strangely enough, apologized for NOT casting her. I'm really not sure how actors takes this. I get the feeling they don't want to hear excuses. That was just one more lost opportunity and the fact that I didn't cast her was all that mattered. She stared at me blankly said a quiet "thanks" almost under her breath, and went back to set.
So be nice if you can.
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