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A Star Is Found: Our Adventures Casting Some of Hollywood's Biggest Movies

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Casting directors Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins have cast more than 135 movies and still going, which is why "A Star Is Found" -- a mix of advice, innocuous anecdotes and advertisement for their services -- is frustrating, irritating and intermittently enlightening.

This book is as edgy as a Parade Magazine profile. The stars are all gracious, patient and professional, and Jane and Janet even find forgiveness in their hearts for the callous actors, poor dears, because they probably had a bad day when they came in for a reading, or had to deal with pushy fans who won't let them have a quiet dinner at Spago's.

The stars' assistants who will turn to the extensive index in the back will find nothing to cause their bosses any uneasiness. Tom Cruise was always "warm and friendly." Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton "are extraordinarily gracious and generous" during casting, "unfailingly professional and gave 150 percent in each audition." To the Hollywood insiders in a recent Radar magazine poll, Russell Crowe may be a "nightmare actor" to work with, but here he's "a true craftsman [who] looked for solid training in every single actor he worked with."

As for the casting process, the advice doesn't go much beyond relax, don't be a jerk and accept rejection. Luck, timing and connections also are important. Each star seems to have caught a break in a different way. They pushed Brendan Fraser for a role in "School Ties," even though the director had already rejected him. They sought out Bruce Willis on the advice of a costumer who dressed him for "Miami Vice." Not only did they pressure Michael Keaton to meet with Tim Burton for "Beetle Juice" -- he was "genuinely disgusted" by the script -- they convinced Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Sylvia Sidney to reconsider as well.

Behind the endless soothing vibes and feel-good stories, there seems to be an undercurrent in"A Star Is Found" that, while the writers and directors deserve credit for their success, Jane and Janet put them in that position first. If they can't be stars in real life, they can do it in this book. They are, after all, casting directors, and it's time for their close-up.

Janet Hershenson and Jane Jenkins are freelance casting directors in a still predominately female career who first got together in 1970 when the field was wide open; they retain their own offices and staff in a transient business, most moving on after a project wraps. Their successful endeavor, The Casting Company, "works hard to fill the smaller parts, granting them the same meticulous attention that we'd give major roles." In retelling their history, the text reads like a blast from the past, referencing stars and celebrities of yesteryear, as well as newcomers. Although the main attraction of this book is its gossipy nature, the relevant bits are interesting, buried in the detritus of yesterday's films and TV shows (Suzy Coelho, wife of Sonny Bono; Walter Matthau; Ralph Waite, "Pa" on "The Walton's"). Casting the new James Bond (Daniel Craig) and The Da Vinci Code brings the dialog up to date.

Written in a chatty style that shares the spotlight between each casting director, Janet and Jane, the women discuss their freelance careers, citing films and actors they have cast in roles, from unknowns to stars. Anecdotally, they explore every aspect of this unique career from the Call to final Casting, and, hopefully, a successful project. An insider's peek into the inner workings of the movie business, the authors speak of the joys and pitfalls of casting roles as imagined by moviemakers, using an extensive client list and movie credits to frame their tales: The princess Bride, Something's Gotta Give, The Perfect Storm, Stand By Me, Ghost, Apollo 13. Directors they have worked with include: Ron Howard, Wolfgang Peterson, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Rob Reiner, Tim Burton and John Hughes.

In filling parts, they often use well-known actors or stars on their way up the ladder, but frequently they are driven to extended searches for the perfect match for a particular role. Of all the familiar names, many are cast at the beginning of their careers, and later going on to fame and fortune. One chapter speaks to the special difficulties of child actors, balancing age with skills, meanwhile deflecting too eager parents from interfering in the process. Filled with behind-the-scenes details, this is a quick and interesting read, names dropped throughout to keep the reader hoping for a juicy bit of gossip. Unfortunately, the authors are too professional to let slip any secrets, providing just enough information to keep it interesting. Luan Gaines/2006.

A Star is Found: Our Adventures Casting Some of Hollywood's Biggest Movies is a rarity among the flood of acting and Hollywood guides on the market: a survey which examines how actors are chosen and careers made, coming from two of the top casting directors in the business. You can't get much more authoritative than this: the two review their craft, reflect on stars they helped build, and offer specific tips actors can use to catch attention and interest. Any collection strong in acting guides, drama or Hollywood insights will welcome this expose.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

First and most important, A Star Is Found isn't a tell-all book. You won't find gossipy stories about actors with poor attitudes. The authors mention a couple of negative incidences without naming names for the purpose of sharing what can and has happened and what shouldn't be done.

Hirshenson and Jenkins magnify the effort that goes into the process of casting a role with as little as one-line. A Beautiful Mind viewers, recall when Nash went into a bar and bluntly asked a woman to have intercourse with him. This role proved challenging to cast for the casting directors nee authors because of the complexity of the woman's reaction to his proposal in addition to having the right look.

The authors tell engaging stories such as searching for an actor with complicated character traits and casting a baby who can't start walking before the filming ends as well as finding alternate actors when their dream actor isn't available and convincing actors who initially want nothing to do with the movie.

No one should be surprised that casting children has an extra challenge, but the authors explain why beyond the obvious. John Cusack almost didn't get cast in The Sure Thing because he was 17 at the start of filming. Had Reiner decided he'd rather not deal with the pains that come with hiring a minor, it would've been Anthony Edwards in Cusack's role.

We can't imagine anyone else but the selected actor in plenty of famous roles, but they weren't always the first choice. The authors share some of these first choices that we may not know about. The Maltese Falcon? George Raft had first dibs, not Bogart. Imagine Ernest Borgnine saying, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." It was Borgnine, not Marlon Brando who was first choice for Don Corleone role in The Godfather.

Few people are qualified to write a book detailing the casting process from before the script exists to the completion of a movie. Hirshenson and Jenkins exceed the requirement having worked with over a hundred movies and directors like Rob Reiner, Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, Nancy Meyer and more.

The book will attract actors, employees in the biz, and non-entertainment folks who like to know the stories behind the scenes of a movie or television show. I'm not an actor or involved in the entertainment business. For me, the process behind making movies is fascinating plus I've got the odd ability of remembering character actors and their names.

So I ordered this book, used, for like, less than $6. I LOOOOOVED it. It's going in my library. I'm an aspiring actress and what I wouldn't give to get into the mind of the casting directors who have worked with Spielberg and other "greats." Dude. It's important to know HOW things work in the industry. It's important to get to KNOW who your potential future co-workers can be. Professionals go to college to learn from professors who have been in their industry. Since film actors don't have "Movie Star University"--we have to rely on books like this to be our "text books."
These ladies know what they're looking for when they are searching for lead roles, supporting roles, or "small" roles, and they SHARE that info... and if you are an aspiring actor, why not capitalize on that? I didn't buy this book for gossip on movie stars, who the heck cares. I'm an aspiring actor, HOPING to WORK with those "movie stars" and possibly be one myself----READ THIS BOOK ACTORS. It's helpful and an ENCOURAGING read. Jane & Janet are super duper cool for writing this book. God bless them.

This was actually just a little surprise gift for my son who's a theater major in college. I can say that when visiting at Thanksgiving he had it in his hand and was reading it a lot of the time, so it must be pretty good!

I found this book to be fantastic! Not only do Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins share their many years of experience in casting for major films, but they also share a lot of valuable insights about other areas of the entertainment industry, both film and television. They offer a wealth of information in a variety of these areas, which makes the book well worth the purchase price.
The only complaint I have--which is a mild one--is that some of the punctuation could be better, and some of the material could perhaps be organized a bit better, in my opinion.
But, overall, this book is one of the few I have added to my collection about theater and film productions.

These two casting directors have put together a long, repetitive and mostly dull book discussing how actors are cast in Hollywood. A job that must seem fascinating to them and to some actors comes across as rather boring and a guessing game.

Instead of putting their stories together in an interesting tell-all, this meadering mess starts a story about casting a movie like "A Beautiful Mind," then goes off on a tangent about Francis Ford Coppola, only to be interrupted by telling the reader how wonderful Tom Cruise is to work with--never finishing the story of "A Beautiful Mind" until many chapters later! They also stop often to brag about themselves and praise almost everyone they work with.

The two writers go back-and-forth describing in too much detail the process of casting many insignificant roles often in minor projects. The reader will not recognize or remember many of the parts in films made 25 years ago. There is too much about old movies and not enough about current films.

The authors also seem to be addressing the book to actors and often write a side note to performers looking for work. And it's worth reading for the person who wants to figure out how to make it as an actor. But this turns the book into a textbook instead of something the general public would read.

Yes, there are some fun stories here. But the first really interesting piece doesn't come until about 100 pages into the book! The best advice would be to skip the first 95 pages--then use the index in the back to only read the pages about movies you are familiar with.

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (10/06)

If you've ever wondered how an actor is chosen for a particular role or, alternatively why an actor who seemed totally right for a part wasn't chosen, this is the book for you. Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins are the founders and co-owners of The Casting Company, which they started when Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios closed down in 1983.

A casting director's job is to furnish producers and directors with a selection of actors for every role in their production. To do this job efficiently, the casting director needs a huge inventory of available actors in all shapes and sizes to fill every role. From the bottom of the ladder, the Wannabes, to the top rung, the Superstars, each actor has to be matched to a role. Another major consideration for the casting director is budget restraints. And if you have several superstars wanting the same role, you need tact and diplomacy to gently discourage someone from a part while still retaining the option of using them in a future production.

The authors have worked with top directors and producers in the industry such as Ron Howard, Chris Columbus and Cubby Broccoli as well as stars such as Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Julia Roberts and George Clooney.

In between talking about their casting adventures (and misadventures) they discuss their method of choosing someone. First they read the script to get big picture. Then they break the roles down into categories like star, extra etc. Those categories are then broken down further into sections such as hero, bumbler, smart and sexy and on and on. Then they measure each actor they consider against their own inner criteria of how the actor should look and sound to make the script work.

Every evening I turn on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) at 7:00 p.m. without fail. I don't watch too many of the movies, but I do want to watch the introduction done by the host, Robert Osborne. He gives you some background on the movie that will be playing, such as the political climate of the day, stories about the actors and how they were chosen and why some were not chosen. I find this background information absolutely fascinating, even though I'm not a movie buff. If you are a big movie fan, you will probably enjoy "A Star is Found" even more than I did.

Received book free of charge

Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins, two of Hollywood's biggest casting directors (their credits are listed on the cover of the book, there's no need for me to list them here), discuss the inner workings of casting a major Hollywood film.

A Star Is Found is a (somewhat) candid description of the daily life of a major Hollywood casting director, recounting casting stories from several major films, citing extensively from A Beautiful Mind, Harry Potter, and The Princess Bride.

What makes the book such an interesting page-turner is the quick, almost gossipy writing style. Once you start reading, it's hard to put it down. Finding out surprising facts about how a certain person was chosen for a role is always exciting, especially for anyone with a real interest in filmmaking or the film industry in general.

There is a little bit of information and tips to smaller actors in how to behave in an audition, callback, screen test, and beyond, but mostly this book is dedicated to describing the casting adventures that have already occurred. The first few chapters mention the break down of actor categories: Wannabes, Unknowns, Working Actors, etc. The rest of the book is about casting the Stars, and how Unknowns became Stars. This has the effect of at first saying that everyone has a shot, and then saying, as long as you know someone or have been seen somewhere else.

Janet and Jane discuss their rules of auditioning, involving always treating every actor fairlt, which is refreshing to hear from such a big casting team. Anyone who is at all interested in working in film should check out this book. It offers definite insight into how you can help a casting director do their job, and end up getting yourself a job (as an actor) because of it.