How They Cast It: An Insider's Look atFilm and Television Casting [Paperback]

Rob Kendt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Breakdown Services is the starting point for casting actors in just about every TV show or movie in Hollywood. This insider's look at how the biggest films and TV shows matched actors with roles and created cultural icons. Read about the inside stories of who turned down Friends and who got fired from the pilot of Frasier.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rob Kendt

Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Lone Eagle (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580650619
• ISBN-13: 978-1580650618
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,699,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A keen examination of the film and television casting process for popular modern-day shows, September 8, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How They Cast It: An Insider's Look atFilm and Television Casting (Paperback)

Former Editor-in-Chief of "Back Stage West" magazine and Los Angeles Times theatre critic Rob Kendt is the author How They Cast It: An Insider's Look At Film And Television Casting, a keen examination of the film and television casting process for popular modern-day shows including "Will and Grace", "The Lord of the Rings", "Alias" and many more. The "presenting partner" of How They Cast It is Breakdown Services, a successful casting notice firm that contributes insights, anecdotes, sample documents from the casting process, and valuable suggestions for casting directors and auditioning actors alike. How They Cast It is not written in a "how-to" or textbook style; it is entirely about the close analysis of its chosen cases, each of which forms a different chapter, giving it an episodic structure that is as enjoyable for lay people wondering how the "Friends" cast was selected as it is useful for professionals who have already studied "how-to" manuals and want to learn from real-life examples.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended for the Actor, June 9, 2005

By 

Donna Grayson "Donna G. Grayson" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How They Cast It: An Insider's Look atFilm and Television Casting (Paperback)

As an Actress living in Los Angeles, I think this book is a great tool for actors who want to learn more about the business side of the entertainment business.
It is so easy if you don't get a part, to think somehow you did something wrong or to feel like a failure. Well, this book will show you all the things that the Casting Directors and the Powers-That-Be go through to find the right Cast for a TV Show or Movie. I never realized how complicated it can be, and this book was a real eye-opener.
Just reading about the casting of "Friends", and the failed pilots some of the actors were in before they hit it big - well, it just amazed me. And that Lisa Kudrow almost ended up on Fraiser instead ... wow....
If you are an Actor, this book will give you a better understanding of the side of the Biz that you never see. I highly recommend it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Publisher, February 11, 2005

By 

Book Reviewer (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How They Cast It: An Insider's Look atFilm and Television Casting (Paperback)

Breakdown Services is the starting point for casting actors in just about every television show or feature film in Hollywood. Providing this little-known window into the needs of each television show or feature film, Breakdown Services is proud to present an insider's look at how the biggest films and TV shows matched their actors with the roles they went on to make famous-and in some cases, even created into cultural icons. How did Lord of the Rings find their Frodo? How did Will find his Grace? How did Sydney come by her Alias? And just how hard was it to find a nine-year-old guitar prodigy for Jack Black's School of Rock? Find out in this entertaining, fact-packed guide that takes you from script and "breakdown" through the casting (and recasting) process. Read about the inside stories that happen even before they go "behind the scenes."

Rob Kendt is the former Editor-in-Chief of Back Stage West magazine and is a contributing theatre critic for the Los Angeles Times.

"What all casting directors are waiting for, hoping for - dying for - is that one actor who comes in and blows them away with his or her reading. Every audition is a chance to strut your stuff, to make the casting director a fan of your talent. The bottom line: A good casting director never forgets a great actor."
- Ellie Kanner, casting director
Friends, Sex and the City, author of How NOT to Audition: Avoiding the Common Mistakes Most Actors Make (2004)