Casting By

How, in fact, do all those wonderful men, women and children we see on the screen actually get there? As we learn in Tom Donahue’s revealing new film, that’s the contribution of casting directors, who trawl independent movies, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, college theater and summer stock to come up with the new faces constantly demanded by the star-making machinery of the cinema. The film traces the evolution of the casting director beginning after WWII, citing the crucial role of the late Marion Dougherty, who moved from theater to television and eventually to Hollywood, and who perhaps more than anyone else professionalized the field. Interviews with major casting directors including Juliet Taylor, Lynn Stalmaster and Dougherty herself and many of the actors they discovered (including Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood and Al Pacino) give a rich sense of the work that goes on before the cameras start rolling.

Series: NYFF50: Cinema Reflected

Venue: Walter Reade Theater