Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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)

I was dissapointed with the lack of detail provided about the actual process of casting some of these awesome shows and movies. It was very general. As an actor, I didn't really learn a lot from this book. I was hoping to get some in depth, behind the scenes info about each of these projects. I wanted to know who didn't get cast and why, how each of the actors who made it in did their role-landing auditions, even the casting/director/producer conflicts in sweet detail. I just got a very broad "This actor was wonderful and just felt right." I want to know why! I found "A Star Is Found: Our Adventures Casting Some of Hollywood's Biggest Movies" by Hirshenson to do a much better job of telling all the behind the scenes action as well as giving me a better feel for who the casting directors are as people, what makes them tick, why they love their jobs, how they find talent, etc. Bonnie Gillespie's "Self Management for Actors" is also a great how-to for actors, and gives you great insights into the casting world (because Bonnie is a casting director and much of the book is written from that perspective.)