Post by nwchimom on Oct 12, 2007 14:29:50 GMT -5
Great article on Backstage.com about how shows are cast in the L&O universe. The principal casting directors for SVU and Criminal Intent and the background casters for all three shows are interviewed. They also talked to some of the actors who have appeared on all three shows...interesting experiences for all.
And the picture that ran with the article? Goren and Eames in dress blues from Amends. Respect noted.
www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/features/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003657981
'Law & Order'
On the Case
October 12, 2007
Read any New York actor's bio and you'll probably find at least one of the three Law & Order shows among the credits. The long-running franchise has been one of the city's biggest employers of talent since the original series debuted on NBC in 1990. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit began in 1999, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (now on the USA Network) premiered in 2001.
To learn how all those cops, lawyers, perps, witnesses, and lab technicians are cast -- and how you can become one of them -- Back Stage spoke with the principal casting directors for SVU and Criminal Intent and the background casters for all three shows.
Equal Opportunity Offenders
It takes all types to make 'Criminal Intent.'
By Simi Horwitz
It's not just the white-collar crimes of New York's upper crust that inspire the writers of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. "It's true the program is about the major-case squad, and it focuses on high-profile cases that often involve affluent people," says casting director Kimberly Hope. "But we've done episodes on serial killers, 9/11 retaliation, and the black market."
So, like its franchise siblings — Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Criminal Intent is always looking for a mix of actors in terms of race, ethnicity, physicality, and age. "Casting requirements vary with each story," says Hope, who has been with the program for two years. But the show is determined "to use actors that we haven't used before, and use them in unexpected ways. For example, last season we used comics in serious roles, such as Tom Arnold and Steven Guttenberg. And instead of casting your typical deli owner, we may cast a young kid running the store. Each show has its own particular rhythms."
Like many New York-based programs, Criminal Intent (which stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Chris Noth, and Julianne Nicholson and airs on the USA Network) often employs playwrights as writer-producers — including Warren Leight, Diana Son, and Theresa Rebeck — who like to bring in actors they've worked with or want to work with. But with 13 to 30 principal performers hired for each episode, there's still plenty of work to go around. "So we look at headshots and résumés, but not unsolicited tapes," Hope says. "We go to showcases, and even if we can't get there, our assistants and interns go. They want to look good in our eyes and find actors we can use."
The headshot that works best represents the actor accurately, Hope says. She prefers casual pictures, not glamour shots with unnatural poses and too much makeup. Résumés should be accurate too. Lying doesn't help — particularly about a role on a previous L&O episode — but on-camera experience does, including background work. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," she says. "If two actors give great auditions, I will cast the actor who has had some experience on a set."
Hope also likes actors who have formally studied acting. Conservatory training is one option, but there are many excellent private teachers and coaches in town, and experienced casting directors know their names. If she's interested in a particular actor, Hope may bring him or her in for a prescreening — an informal audition with just the CD at which the actor will read from sides.
Whether it's a prescreening or a formal audition for producers, the actor will have 24 hours to go over the material, so arriving prepared is essential. So is presentation. "At the end of the day, an audition is a job interview," Hope says. "If you come in frazzled, talking about what a crappy day you've had, that's not good. Neither is nonstop talking — the belief that it's your job to warm up the room. Actors should take their cue from the energy in the room. If they're greeted, then they should definitely engage the casting director and whoever else is there. But if it's obvious that the people in the room want to get on with the audition, then that's what the actor should do."
As for arriving in costume, "Don't hit us over the head," Hope says. "If you're auditioning for a doctor, don't come in with a lab coat and stethoscope around your neck. When we were casting for a scene where the characters are playing volleyball on the beach, one actress came in wearing a bra and very short shorts. It didn't help. It was distracting. A sundress would have been just fine." But what's most likely to lead to a callback is often intangible — sometimes even "a matter of luck," she says.
Hope, who has been in the business for eight years, sees technology playing a larger role in the casting of movies and television. For one international film she worked on, audition tapes were uploaded to a protected website, where the director and producers, located in different cities, could watch them. Though Criminal Intent usually casts locally, "every once in a while we do ask an actor who may not be in New York to send in a taped audition," she says. "Last year we got a great self-taped audition from an Albanian actress, Masiela Lusha, and we cast her. We were specifically looking for an Albanian. She was terrific, and it was a great outreach."
Turning Stereotypes on Their Heads
'SVU' CD Jonathan Strauss keeps his options open.
By Wendy Weisman
The iconic status of the Law & Order franchise has led to misguided assumptions among auditioning actors, according to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit casting director Jonathan Strauss. He says they sometimes stick to the conventions of the courtroom genre at the expense of developing a character. He calls the style "Just the facts, ma'am," and actors who adopt it invariably emphasize plot over the emotional lives of the people they're playing.
Now in his fifth year of casting SVU, Strauss believes that the show, with its gritty portrayal of violent crimes and abusive relationships, requires that the audience identify with the characters as much as possible. "If the actor is sidestepping the emotions simply to convey the narrative, we won't end up with the impact we need," he says. Yet given the intense, sometimes uncomfortable territory the series explores, it can be difficult for actors to create that empathy. "It can be a challenge to find the person brave enough to tackle the pedophile or the child rapist, or the 10-year-old to play the victim." He looks for authenticity, for actors who can illuminate rather than exploit. For example, a child actor portraying mental illness earns his praise for how "she avoided playing a caricature or mimicking Rain Man."
Strauss also likes to confound expectations: "What thrills me is to push the boundaries of what my writers, producers, and directors' initial conceptions of the characters may be." In casting a rape suspect's lawyer for an upcoming episode, he convinced his colleagues to skip the Caucasian male stipulated by the script and choose an Asian woman instead. Strauss felt the choice would make the audience more open to sympathizing with the suspect.
Helping writers see their characters in new ways is an essential part of the job for Strauss, who has only eight days to cast 20 to 40 roles. But he doesn't take all the credit for making the imaginative leap; often it's the actors who surprise "and through their auditioning process convince us to go in a completely different direction," he says. "On happy occasions," he adds, actors will produce a unique take on a character "that may not be explicit in the body of the text but makes sense within the context of the scene." He recalls an audition in which nearly every actor used a British or European accent to convey old-money wealth and entitlement; the actor who made a lasting impression, however, turned the character into a Southern belle. While difference for difference's sake tends to backfire, he says, bold choices that fit the scene and enrich the text make a performance memorable.
Still, standing out can be a challenge. To cast an episode with 25 roles to fill, Strauss may audition 80 actors. Screening so much talent, he says, is what sets SVU apart from the films and TV shows he tackled in the past. When he was casting NBC's Ed (for which he shared a 2001 Emmy nomination), only a small number of new characters were introduced each week.
'The Best of Both Worlds'
Strauss' career trajectory has been remarkably focused. His epiphany came when he was a 19-year-old NYU student with an interest in producing, which led to a casting-office internship. "I fell in love with it," he says, having discovered that casting offered "the best of both worlds": the creativity required to bring a script to life and the business side of producing, such as negotiating with agents. At 31, he credits mentors like Todd Thaler, with whom he worked on Ed and the film Maid in Manhattan, for instilling in him the skills of a good CD, including an eye for talent.
An effective casting director becomes aware of fresh talent before the general public does, notes Strauss, who takes pride in his willingness to consider "any type of actor, whether they come from agents and managers, whether they come unsolicited in the mail, or whether I see someone on the street." And though SVU's accelerated time frame doesn't let him "turn over all the rocks I might if I had more time," he cites Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theatre as sources of talent for the show.
Strauss' affinity for "turning stereotypes on their head" means that actors known for a particular niche are often presented in an unexpected light on SVU. The show's writers and producers are receptive to the way he encourages actors to "show their full range," which is how Martin Short and Bob Saget came to play dark characters outside their usual "comedy comfort zones." When Melissa Joan Hart expressed interest in appearing on the show, Strauss and the creative team cast her as a teacher having an affair with a student — a scenario unimaginable on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. (The episode will air later this season.)
"We try our best to have as much fun as we can with characters that seem to be only one specific type on the page," Strauss says. Fortunately, he adds, "my executive producers are open to being surprised."
Jonathan Strauss will be appearing on the Filming in New York panel at Back Stage's Actorfest on Oct. 13. For more information, visit ActorfestNY.com.
Background on Background
By Simi Horwitz
As the cliché goes, sometimes it seems as if every actor in New York has appeared at least once on one of the three Law & Order programs — if not as a principal, then at least as a background player. Central Casting's Deanna Gallucio (Law & Order) and Heather Reidenbach (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Grant Wilfley Casting's David Waldron (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) are responsible for filling all those jury boxes, precinct houses, and law offices with extras.
Up to several hundred background actors could be hired for a given episode, but the casting needs vary each week, depending on the story. "But on every episode we need background players for the courtroom scenes: stenographer, court clerk, court officer, and gallery members," says Waldron. "In the assistant district attorney's office we need lawyers, and in the squad room we need cops, most of whom are real cops who also function as consultants and are paid an additional fee for their expertise."
Background firefighters, paramedics, and nurses are often the real thing too. In addition to verifying the script's accuracy, they can supply their own uniforms. In general, background players are responsible for their wardrobe, and "they must be prepared to hurry up and wait," Waldron says. "There's blocking, rehearsing, and shooting, and lots of time in between. Background players should be prepared to spend up to 14 hours on the set."
Both Central Casting and Grant Wilfley have a mammoth database of actors, union and nonunion, and also post what they're looking for each week, either online or on a casting hotline. For actors who'd like to work background, the first step is to register. Grant Wilfley holds an open registration for SAG members the first Wednesday of every month, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at its offices at 123 W. 18th St., 8th floor, NYC. Central Casting registers actors every day at 4 p.m. at 875 Sixth Ave., 15th floor, NYC (enter on West 31st Street); for SAG actors it's Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; for nonunion, Tuesday and Thursday.
For more details, including hotline numbers and current casting needs, go to www.centralcasting.org and www.gwcnyc.com.
'Law' Briefs
We asked actors who have appeared on any of the three Law & Order shows to share their experiences. Here's what they wrote.
Jeanne Barnes
I played different background roles in three episodes of Law & Order last season. As a courtroom gallery visitor, I register curiosity and concern when the attorney (Sam Waterston) questions a bereaved mother about her teenaged daughter. Next, as a seated mourner, my face shows shocked surprise when the funeral director gets arrested, handcuffed, and led from the funeral parlor during the service. In the last episode, I am a conservative evangelical church member. In one scene, I gain a "brother-in-law." I shake in disbelief seeing my minister arrested for murder after the Sunday service. Raising manacled wrists high, he shouts, "Don't worry! Everything will be all right!" Yet before he disappears from sight he shrieks, terrified, "I'm innocent!"
Myra Cubero
I'm a retired high school teacher who got started acting late in life (50 years old). But I studied like crazy one night a week for several years. Got lucky with some commercials in Philadelphia, and when I retired four years ago I dared myself to go to an open call at Grant Wilfley. I did some feature work on Criminal Intent as a housekeeper opening the show and got a lot of airtime. In another episode, I played a drug mule and was arrested by Chris Noth! (What a thrill!) I was on a natural high for days. Then Feb. 23, I was seen on Law & Order as a juror. For me, life began at 50!
Rich Duva
Way back in 1993, I was watching some episodes of Law & Order and noticed that two actors, Aida Turturro and Rob Cea, had appeared on the show. They were both in the New York production of Tony n' Tina's Wedding. I had recently done the Baltimore production of the show. So I wrote Suzanne Ryan at Lynn Kressel's office and brought that to her attention. A month later, she called me in to read for the part of an EMT, and I got the part. It turns out it was one of the best episodes of Law & Order, called "Conduct Unbecoming." It starred a young Julianna Margulies and was based on the Navy Tailhook incident. Since then I've done four more Law & Orders, a Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and an episode of Conviction. And I'm still getting residuals from that first episode. It was the first television I had done and got me my SAG card. All because Suzanne Ryan reads her mail!
Brian Hyman
I've worked on Law & Order five times as various lab tech characters. The cast and crew are top-notch — professional, courteous, welcoming. The shoot days went like this: hair/makeup, then go to your trailer or dressing room, then off to the set to rehearse your scene(s) with the other actors and the director, then shoot the scene(s). I've worked with many of the series regulars and the amazing director Constantine "Gus" Makris. Everybody makes you feel like family. Easily one of the best experiences I've had as an actor.
T.J. Mannix
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: In 2003, it was my first prime-time speaking role. I was pretty green, but once on set, I realized there was no time for nerves. That first take had to be re-created from eight different camera angles. Hell of a learning curve. When shooting close-ups for the other actors, the director told me not to say my lines anymore. I was sure I had screwed it up and been cut out of the scene. I didn't realize they needed clean audio for each shot and didn't want my lines to overlap. Our location was a backyard garden in Gramercy Park. The feeling on set was great. The director and crew greeted me by name, immediately putting me at ease. What a smart move on their part: Making the guest actors feel relaxed and comfortable meant fewer takes and a shorter workday for them.
Al Nazemian
I appeared on Law & Order in 2001 as an Indian sales clerk. In the scene, Jerry Orbach and Jesse L. Martin come into my store and inquire about a briefcase that I sold. When I arrived at the location, I found out I had my own trailer, complete with toilet, sink, and radio. I didn't expect that, since I only had four lines. Luckily, the trailer was air-conditioned, because it was 95 degrees that day. My call time was noon, and I got into hair and makeup shortly after. Incredible! I hardly had to "hurry up and wait." As soon as I entered the store, Jerry Orbach welcomed me by saying my name: "Al Nazemian!" He broke the ice immediately by telling me that he grew up with Armenian immigrants in the Bronx and many of them had last names that ended in "-ian." Between takes, he would shoot the breeze with me until the director said, "Camera rolling." Then he would look down, focus, and on "Action" look up and connect completely with me in character. The shoot went smoothly, and by 3 p.m. I was wrapped. Not a bad day of work!
Edward Prostak
I appeared as Julian Decker in Law & Order in 1991. It was a great role. He was a slimebag who sold young girls into prostitution. He was discovered murdered — at the top of the show! Four hours in makeup to get just the right shade of yellow skin tone, decay around the fingernails, and a pair of bloody scissors lodged in my back. I had to lie on my stomach for the entire shoot. For six hours I was on the floor, recognizing cast and crew by their shoes. For four more hours, I was on a gurney, recognizing them by their belt buckles. After all this time lying on my stomach, even though I purposely did not drink a drop of water, I had to pee. Two lowly PAs escorted me to the john, one holding the scissors in place and the other holding the lid up! I don't know which of us was more embarrassed, but I think it was them!
Susan Secunda
I was chosen to play a juror on Law & Order several years ago. While I was sitting in the green room waiting to be called to set and thinking about jury duty, I started to get an uneasy feeling. I suddenly remembered that I had gotten an actual jury duty notice in the mail some weeks back and had a vague recollection of the date. Sure enough, I was supposed to have reported for real jury duty that morning and had totally forgotten! Luckily, it was a two-day shoot with a day off in between. So the next morning I rushed down to the court to plead my case, hoping for a laugh. The clerk was disinterested but kind (they've heard it all, I'm sure) and gave me a new date. So I spent the second day of the shoot relaxed, volunteering to sit in for "sightlines" (much more interesting than the green room) and enjoying the action. I got jury duty out of the way twice over.
And the picture that ran with the article? Goren and Eames in dress blues from Amends. Respect noted.
www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/features/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003657981
'Law & Order'
On the Case
October 12, 2007
Read any New York actor's bio and you'll probably find at least one of the three Law & Order shows among the credits. The long-running franchise has been one of the city's biggest employers of talent since the original series debuted on NBC in 1990. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit began in 1999, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (now on the USA Network) premiered in 2001.
To learn how all those cops, lawyers, perps, witnesses, and lab technicians are cast -- and how you can become one of them -- Back Stage spoke with the principal casting directors for SVU and Criminal Intent and the background casters for all three shows.
Equal Opportunity Offenders
It takes all types to make 'Criminal Intent.'
By Simi Horwitz
It's not just the white-collar crimes of New York's upper crust that inspire the writers of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. "It's true the program is about the major-case squad, and it focuses on high-profile cases that often involve affluent people," says casting director Kimberly Hope. "But we've done episodes on serial killers, 9/11 retaliation, and the black market."
So, like its franchise siblings — Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Criminal Intent is always looking for a mix of actors in terms of race, ethnicity, physicality, and age. "Casting requirements vary with each story," says Hope, who has been with the program for two years. But the show is determined "to use actors that we haven't used before, and use them in unexpected ways. For example, last season we used comics in serious roles, such as Tom Arnold and Steven Guttenberg. And instead of casting your typical deli owner, we may cast a young kid running the store. Each show has its own particular rhythms."
Like many New York-based programs, Criminal Intent (which stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Chris Noth, and Julianne Nicholson and airs on the USA Network) often employs playwrights as writer-producers — including Warren Leight, Diana Son, and Theresa Rebeck — who like to bring in actors they've worked with or want to work with. But with 13 to 30 principal performers hired for each episode, there's still plenty of work to go around. "So we look at headshots and résumés, but not unsolicited tapes," Hope says. "We go to showcases, and even if we can't get there, our assistants and interns go. They want to look good in our eyes and find actors we can use."
The headshot that works best represents the actor accurately, Hope says. She prefers casual pictures, not glamour shots with unnatural poses and too much makeup. Résumés should be accurate too. Lying doesn't help — particularly about a role on a previous L&O episode — but on-camera experience does, including background work. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," she says. "If two actors give great auditions, I will cast the actor who has had some experience on a set."
Hope also likes actors who have formally studied acting. Conservatory training is one option, but there are many excellent private teachers and coaches in town, and experienced casting directors know their names. If she's interested in a particular actor, Hope may bring him or her in for a prescreening — an informal audition with just the CD at which the actor will read from sides.
Whether it's a prescreening or a formal audition for producers, the actor will have 24 hours to go over the material, so arriving prepared is essential. So is presentation. "At the end of the day, an audition is a job interview," Hope says. "If you come in frazzled, talking about what a crappy day you've had, that's not good. Neither is nonstop talking — the belief that it's your job to warm up the room. Actors should take their cue from the energy in the room. If they're greeted, then they should definitely engage the casting director and whoever else is there. But if it's obvious that the people in the room want to get on with the audition, then that's what the actor should do."
As for arriving in costume, "Don't hit us over the head," Hope says. "If you're auditioning for a doctor, don't come in with a lab coat and stethoscope around your neck. When we were casting for a scene where the characters are playing volleyball on the beach, one actress came in wearing a bra and very short shorts. It didn't help. It was distracting. A sundress would have been just fine." But what's most likely to lead to a callback is often intangible — sometimes even "a matter of luck," she says.
Hope, who has been in the business for eight years, sees technology playing a larger role in the casting of movies and television. For one international film she worked on, audition tapes were uploaded to a protected website, where the director and producers, located in different cities, could watch them. Though Criminal Intent usually casts locally, "every once in a while we do ask an actor who may not be in New York to send in a taped audition," she says. "Last year we got a great self-taped audition from an Albanian actress, Masiela Lusha, and we cast her. We were specifically looking for an Albanian. She was terrific, and it was a great outreach."
Turning Stereotypes on Their Heads
'SVU' CD Jonathan Strauss keeps his options open.
By Wendy Weisman
The iconic status of the Law & Order franchise has led to misguided assumptions among auditioning actors, according to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit casting director Jonathan Strauss. He says they sometimes stick to the conventions of the courtroom genre at the expense of developing a character. He calls the style "Just the facts, ma'am," and actors who adopt it invariably emphasize plot over the emotional lives of the people they're playing.
Now in his fifth year of casting SVU, Strauss believes that the show, with its gritty portrayal of violent crimes and abusive relationships, requires that the audience identify with the characters as much as possible. "If the actor is sidestepping the emotions simply to convey the narrative, we won't end up with the impact we need," he says. Yet given the intense, sometimes uncomfortable territory the series explores, it can be difficult for actors to create that empathy. "It can be a challenge to find the person brave enough to tackle the pedophile or the child rapist, or the 10-year-old to play the victim." He looks for authenticity, for actors who can illuminate rather than exploit. For example, a child actor portraying mental illness earns his praise for how "she avoided playing a caricature or mimicking Rain Man."
Strauss also likes to confound expectations: "What thrills me is to push the boundaries of what my writers, producers, and directors' initial conceptions of the characters may be." In casting a rape suspect's lawyer for an upcoming episode, he convinced his colleagues to skip the Caucasian male stipulated by the script and choose an Asian woman instead. Strauss felt the choice would make the audience more open to sympathizing with the suspect.
Helping writers see their characters in new ways is an essential part of the job for Strauss, who has only eight days to cast 20 to 40 roles. But he doesn't take all the credit for making the imaginative leap; often it's the actors who surprise "and through their auditioning process convince us to go in a completely different direction," he says. "On happy occasions," he adds, actors will produce a unique take on a character "that may not be explicit in the body of the text but makes sense within the context of the scene." He recalls an audition in which nearly every actor used a British or European accent to convey old-money wealth and entitlement; the actor who made a lasting impression, however, turned the character into a Southern belle. While difference for difference's sake tends to backfire, he says, bold choices that fit the scene and enrich the text make a performance memorable.
Still, standing out can be a challenge. To cast an episode with 25 roles to fill, Strauss may audition 80 actors. Screening so much talent, he says, is what sets SVU apart from the films and TV shows he tackled in the past. When he was casting NBC's Ed (for which he shared a 2001 Emmy nomination), only a small number of new characters were introduced each week.
'The Best of Both Worlds'
Strauss' career trajectory has been remarkably focused. His epiphany came when he was a 19-year-old NYU student with an interest in producing, which led to a casting-office internship. "I fell in love with it," he says, having discovered that casting offered "the best of both worlds": the creativity required to bring a script to life and the business side of producing, such as negotiating with agents. At 31, he credits mentors like Todd Thaler, with whom he worked on Ed and the film Maid in Manhattan, for instilling in him the skills of a good CD, including an eye for talent.
An effective casting director becomes aware of fresh talent before the general public does, notes Strauss, who takes pride in his willingness to consider "any type of actor, whether they come from agents and managers, whether they come unsolicited in the mail, or whether I see someone on the street." And though SVU's accelerated time frame doesn't let him "turn over all the rocks I might if I had more time," he cites Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theatre as sources of talent for the show.
Strauss' affinity for "turning stereotypes on their head" means that actors known for a particular niche are often presented in an unexpected light on SVU. The show's writers and producers are receptive to the way he encourages actors to "show their full range," which is how Martin Short and Bob Saget came to play dark characters outside their usual "comedy comfort zones." When Melissa Joan Hart expressed interest in appearing on the show, Strauss and the creative team cast her as a teacher having an affair with a student — a scenario unimaginable on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. (The episode will air later this season.)
"We try our best to have as much fun as we can with characters that seem to be only one specific type on the page," Strauss says. Fortunately, he adds, "my executive producers are open to being surprised."
Jonathan Strauss will be appearing on the Filming in New York panel at Back Stage's Actorfest on Oct. 13. For more information, visit ActorfestNY.com.
Background on Background
By Simi Horwitz
As the cliché goes, sometimes it seems as if every actor in New York has appeared at least once on one of the three Law & Order programs — if not as a principal, then at least as a background player. Central Casting's Deanna Gallucio (Law & Order) and Heather Reidenbach (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Grant Wilfley Casting's David Waldron (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) are responsible for filling all those jury boxes, precinct houses, and law offices with extras.
Up to several hundred background actors could be hired for a given episode, but the casting needs vary each week, depending on the story. "But on every episode we need background players for the courtroom scenes: stenographer, court clerk, court officer, and gallery members," says Waldron. "In the assistant district attorney's office we need lawyers, and in the squad room we need cops, most of whom are real cops who also function as consultants and are paid an additional fee for their expertise."
Background firefighters, paramedics, and nurses are often the real thing too. In addition to verifying the script's accuracy, they can supply their own uniforms. In general, background players are responsible for their wardrobe, and "they must be prepared to hurry up and wait," Waldron says. "There's blocking, rehearsing, and shooting, and lots of time in between. Background players should be prepared to spend up to 14 hours on the set."
Both Central Casting and Grant Wilfley have a mammoth database of actors, union and nonunion, and also post what they're looking for each week, either online or on a casting hotline. For actors who'd like to work background, the first step is to register. Grant Wilfley holds an open registration for SAG members the first Wednesday of every month, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at its offices at 123 W. 18th St., 8th floor, NYC. Central Casting registers actors every day at 4 p.m. at 875 Sixth Ave., 15th floor, NYC (enter on West 31st Street); for SAG actors it's Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; for nonunion, Tuesday and Thursday.
For more details, including hotline numbers and current casting needs, go to www.centralcasting.org and www.gwcnyc.com.
'Law' Briefs
We asked actors who have appeared on any of the three Law & Order shows to share their experiences. Here's what they wrote.
Jeanne Barnes
I played different background roles in three episodes of Law & Order last season. As a courtroom gallery visitor, I register curiosity and concern when the attorney (Sam Waterston) questions a bereaved mother about her teenaged daughter. Next, as a seated mourner, my face shows shocked surprise when the funeral director gets arrested, handcuffed, and led from the funeral parlor during the service. In the last episode, I am a conservative evangelical church member. In one scene, I gain a "brother-in-law." I shake in disbelief seeing my minister arrested for murder after the Sunday service. Raising manacled wrists high, he shouts, "Don't worry! Everything will be all right!" Yet before he disappears from sight he shrieks, terrified, "I'm innocent!"
Myra Cubero
I'm a retired high school teacher who got started acting late in life (50 years old). But I studied like crazy one night a week for several years. Got lucky with some commercials in Philadelphia, and when I retired four years ago I dared myself to go to an open call at Grant Wilfley. I did some feature work on Criminal Intent as a housekeeper opening the show and got a lot of airtime. In another episode, I played a drug mule and was arrested by Chris Noth! (What a thrill!) I was on a natural high for days. Then Feb. 23, I was seen on Law & Order as a juror. For me, life began at 50!
Rich Duva
Way back in 1993, I was watching some episodes of Law & Order and noticed that two actors, Aida Turturro and Rob Cea, had appeared on the show. They were both in the New York production of Tony n' Tina's Wedding. I had recently done the Baltimore production of the show. So I wrote Suzanne Ryan at Lynn Kressel's office and brought that to her attention. A month later, she called me in to read for the part of an EMT, and I got the part. It turns out it was one of the best episodes of Law & Order, called "Conduct Unbecoming." It starred a young Julianna Margulies and was based on the Navy Tailhook incident. Since then I've done four more Law & Orders, a Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and an episode of Conviction. And I'm still getting residuals from that first episode. It was the first television I had done and got me my SAG card. All because Suzanne Ryan reads her mail!
Brian Hyman
I've worked on Law & Order five times as various lab tech characters. The cast and crew are top-notch — professional, courteous, welcoming. The shoot days went like this: hair/makeup, then go to your trailer or dressing room, then off to the set to rehearse your scene(s) with the other actors and the director, then shoot the scene(s). I've worked with many of the series regulars and the amazing director Constantine "Gus" Makris. Everybody makes you feel like family. Easily one of the best experiences I've had as an actor.
T.J. Mannix
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: In 2003, it was my first prime-time speaking role. I was pretty green, but once on set, I realized there was no time for nerves. That first take had to be re-created from eight different camera angles. Hell of a learning curve. When shooting close-ups for the other actors, the director told me not to say my lines anymore. I was sure I had screwed it up and been cut out of the scene. I didn't realize they needed clean audio for each shot and didn't want my lines to overlap. Our location was a backyard garden in Gramercy Park. The feeling on set was great. The director and crew greeted me by name, immediately putting me at ease. What a smart move on their part: Making the guest actors feel relaxed and comfortable meant fewer takes and a shorter workday for them.
Al Nazemian
I appeared on Law & Order in 2001 as an Indian sales clerk. In the scene, Jerry Orbach and Jesse L. Martin come into my store and inquire about a briefcase that I sold. When I arrived at the location, I found out I had my own trailer, complete with toilet, sink, and radio. I didn't expect that, since I only had four lines. Luckily, the trailer was air-conditioned, because it was 95 degrees that day. My call time was noon, and I got into hair and makeup shortly after. Incredible! I hardly had to "hurry up and wait." As soon as I entered the store, Jerry Orbach welcomed me by saying my name: "Al Nazemian!" He broke the ice immediately by telling me that he grew up with Armenian immigrants in the Bronx and many of them had last names that ended in "-ian." Between takes, he would shoot the breeze with me until the director said, "Camera rolling." Then he would look down, focus, and on "Action" look up and connect completely with me in character. The shoot went smoothly, and by 3 p.m. I was wrapped. Not a bad day of work!
Edward Prostak
I appeared as Julian Decker in Law & Order in 1991. It was a great role. He was a slimebag who sold young girls into prostitution. He was discovered murdered — at the top of the show! Four hours in makeup to get just the right shade of yellow skin tone, decay around the fingernails, and a pair of bloody scissors lodged in my back. I had to lie on my stomach for the entire shoot. For six hours I was on the floor, recognizing cast and crew by their shoes. For four more hours, I was on a gurney, recognizing them by their belt buckles. After all this time lying on my stomach, even though I purposely did not drink a drop of water, I had to pee. Two lowly PAs escorted me to the john, one holding the scissors in place and the other holding the lid up! I don't know which of us was more embarrassed, but I think it was them!
Susan Secunda
I was chosen to play a juror on Law & Order several years ago. While I was sitting in the green room waiting to be called to set and thinking about jury duty, I started to get an uneasy feeling. I suddenly remembered that I had gotten an actual jury duty notice in the mail some weeks back and had a vague recollection of the date. Sure enough, I was supposed to have reported for real jury duty that morning and had totally forgotten! Luckily, it was a two-day shoot with a day off in between. So the next morning I rushed down to the court to plead my case, hoping for a laugh. The clerk was disinterested but kind (they've heard it all, I'm sure) and gave me a new date. So I spent the second day of the shoot relaxed, volunteering to sit in for "sightlines" (much more interesting than the green room) and enjoying the action. I got jury duty out of the way twice over.