June 7, 1999 - In creating Episode I: The Phantom Menace, many key people of the team needed to be found -- not just for this film, but to work on the full trilogy. That included the casting director, a role that producer Rick McCallum felt would be integral to the team for the duration.
In tonite's chat session at Talk City (co-sponsored by Talk City and the official Star Wars website) casting director Robin Gurland talked about what she looks for when casting, her work on this film, and some expectations for the next. The session started at around 6:00 PST.
Some tidbits from the chat...
Audience:
Do you decide who's in the movies or just set up the choices for
the director or someone else to choose?
Gurland: It's a cooperative effort between the director and myself, as to which actors would work best for which roles.
Audience: How long did it take to cast all the actors and actresses for Episode I?
Gurland: For me, it was a unique situation. I was brought on board early, in June 1995, due to Rick bringing me in. He wanted someone who would work well within the team, long-term, through Episode I, II and III. So he brought me in early to introduce me to the crew, and to George. We knew also the search for Anakin would be different. We weren't going to use open calls in cities for a thousand kids for a "needle in a haystack," so to speak. I had to go out to the kids individually, and that was going to take much more time.
Audience: What is the process you go through to cast an actor in a role?
Gurland: Initially, you interview them, see if they have any past work, which you review. You'll do readings with them on portions of the script, and in a major role, it would proceed to a screen test, and then the selections would be made. You narrow down the choices as you go, using reading, assessing, testing.
Audience: Robin, how many actors/actresses were auditioned for the main roles?
Gurland: For the role of Anakin, I interviewed a little over 3000 boys. For the role of Queen Amidala, probably about 200 girls. And for Obi-Wan, I met approximately 100-150 actors and for Qui-Gon Jinn, about 30 actors were considered.
Audience: How may we get casting info for Episode II?
Gurland: The best way to handle it is to look at the website (www.starwars.com) which will tell you when casting calls will be out.
Audience: What did Portman have that was the extra little "something" that made you give her the part?
Gurland: I think she had the inner and outer intelligence and beauty that the role required. And she's an amazing, amazing young actress. She can do more with one look than others can do with pages of dialogue. She can harness an energy, one which I was looking for. Queen Amidala's character will bloom further in Episodes II and III, and you will understand why such a strong presence was desired from the actress.
Audience: Has this been your hardest casting job?
Gurland: I wouldn't say hardest, but it was the most interesting. Traditionally, you work in pre-production, and then, you're just a consultant. In this one, the role expanded into principal photography and post-production. It's been interesting and educational for me on that level, as I entered levels casting directors usually don't go to.
Audience: What advice would you give to people hoping to follow in your line of work?
Gurland: Go see movies. See what performances are, what is good versus bad, and the styles. There is no one way to act, and different movies call for different styles. It depends on types of scripts, type of movies, the director's view. You then learn to decide what kind of actor a role needs. I have cast people off the street just because they had a quality that would work with a character. With casting, while film school is helpful or drama school, you learn much of this as you go, apprenticing within the ranks. You would start as an intern, than an assistant, then an associate, then a local casting director, then finally a principal casting director. You also see both sides, the celebrity and the business side. You negotiate the contracts, too. I like that part a lot. I have a very analytical side that doesn't mind it. Many forget film is many sides, not just the production side. And that business decisions are as important as creative decisions. They just think it is glamour, glamour, glamour.
Audience: What was the deciding factor that made you say, "Yes, I want to be a part of the making of the new Star Wars trilogy"?
Gurland:
It was kind of a no-brainer. I'd love to say I had a great epiphany,
but after meeting Rick and George, there wasn't even a question
about doing it.