As the former in-house head of casting and consulting executive for television and motion pictures for MGM Studios for 16 years, Paul Weber has been behind many critically acclaimed and Emmy-nominated series, casting roles for the Stargate franchise, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Outlander, Dead Like Me, She Spies, Poltergeist and The Outer Limits, among others.
Weber also cast and advised on numerous MGM feature films, including the James Bond franchise, Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods, Red Dawn with Chris Hemsworth, Zookeeper with Kevin James, Fame, Robocop and more. Among the stars he has worked with are Johnny Depp, Ryan Reynolds, Reese Witherspoon and Jason Momoa.
Today, he is an independent Casting Director and Producer and has cast projects for HULU, Starz, Netflix, A&E and Lifetime, and heads his own production company, producing independent feature films and helping create diverse opportunities in the new digital arena.
Weber is a long-standing member of the Casting Society of America and the Writers Guild of America, has served on the host committee for the annual Academy Awards, and was a recent judge for the Emmy Awards.
Regal Star Productions CEO, Lovely Bandal says: “His work has not only shaped the careers of numerous actors, but has also influenced trends in fashion as seen on screen.”
Weber is visiting Australia in May as a VIP guest and panel speaker at the inaugural Asian Fashion Festival to be held from 17-18 May in the Blue Mountains (NSW), coinciding with Australian Fashion Week. He will also be presenting a mentoring workshop.
“This workshop will provide aspiring actors from 16 years of age with unique insights into the casting process and how they can navigate their careers in the competitive entertainment industry,” explains Weber.
ArtsHub sits down with Weber to learn a little more about this specialist field, and inspire a next generation of casting agents, and aspiring actors.
How would you describe what you do to a non-arts friend?
That’s a great question, because casting is often seen as a mysterious ‘art’. Our job is to find and curate the best talents available for any given project. We are the chefs who prepare and present the ‘ingredients’ (potential cast) to directors, producers, networks and studios for their approval. We also work closely with agents and talent managers, and rely upon our deep relationships within the talent industry to ensure the best talent possible for the projects we have been hired to cast.
What qualifications do you need for this job?
There are very few academic institutions that offer any training for casting directors, so most of us receive our training and experience by interning in casting offices, then graduating to assistant, casting associate and, ultimately, casting director. A strong knowledge of the talent base, as well as deep relationships with talent agents and managers as well as directors and producers, is vital.
How did you get your start in this career?
I started my career as an actor and director for stage. When I moved to Los Angeles, US as a young actor, I had experience in the theatre, but very little on-camera experience. So I thought it would be a good idea to apply for an internship with a casting office, so that I could observe how casting works and how actors interact with casting directors. I quickly realised I had a talent for working with actors, having been one myself and, over time, decided to make it my chosen career.
How collaborative is this job?
We cannot do our jobs without collaboration. Directors depend on our taste, instincts and the ability to work effectively and creatively with all of our talent partners to help realise their vision for their projects. We work diligently with agents, managers, studio executives, network executives, producers, writers and talent to ensure the strongest casts for their films and television projects.
What are some of the challenges you face in your job?
With every project comes different challenges. They are often related to budgets, talent availability, competition for talent with other projects happening simultaneously, time limitations and the pressure to assemble the best cast possible for our creative collaborators as quickly and creatively as possible.
What’s an average week like?
When starting on a project, we are in constant communication with our directors and producers regarding their aspirations for casting. We discuss well- known actors that may be right for lead roles, as well as lesser-known actors for all the supporting roles. We creatively explore casting unknown actors for some lead roles. We educate agents and managers about the projects and enlist their expertise to help us find the talent we would like to invite to audition. We organise auditions for actors, hire them, after being approved by all creatives, and make ourselves available to coordinate any support needed before production begins.
What’s the most common misconception about your job?
One of the greatest misconceptions is that casting directors choose the actors. The decision to hire an actor falls upon the directors and producers. Casting directors facilitate, using our taste and judgement, the top choices that we believe our creative partners will respond most favourably to.
How competitive is this job?
Extremely. It is, in many ways, as competitive as the acting profession is. There are many fine casting directors, but a limited number of projects that are casting at any given time.
In an interview for your job, what skills or qualities would you be looking for?
Taste, good talent instincts, a strong knowledge of the talent pool, experience, strong industry relationships and an ability to work collaboratively with all of our talent partners.
What’s changing in your professional area today?
The transition from in-person auditions to self-taped auditions has been dramatic. But overall it is working out quite well. Requesting self-tapes from actors has expanded our access to the talent pool and, because of that, we are able to see many more actors virtually. But many of us, myself included, miss the interaction and immediate personal connections that we experience with actors when we audition them ‘live’. The entire industry is also being disrupted by emerging technologies, economics and the rapidly changing landscape in streaming and how films are theatrically produced and distributed.
What about gender balance and diversity in your industry?
Gender balance and diversity is a major consideration in our casting decisions. We want our casts to reflect the world as it is, as well as its many diverse cultures. Diversity and inclusive casting also gives actors who have been marginalised, with fewer opportunities, greater access to our projects, and introduces new and emerging talent to our film and television audiences.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you in this job?
One incident that comes to mind is when a well-known actor came in to audition for a role, and became so agitated in the scene (the role was an extremely volatile one), that he began throwing things during the audition. We all had to duck to avoid getting struck with flying objects. Our cameraman was hit in the head by a tape cartridge. It was mayhem and entirely inappropriate. Needless to say, that actor didn’t get the role and was never asked to audition in my office ever again.
