The Best Cast Films of 2023 – “Anatomy of a Fall”

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“Anatomy of a Fall” — Cynthia Arra

By: Heidi Levitt (“Raymond and Ray,” “The Artist”): In the last decade there has been an emphasis on “real people” casting, meaning casting people who may not be actors but instead are authentic to the story. Watching the brilliantly directed “Anatomy of Fall,” you feel like you are watching “real people” and the essence of each performance feels so true and vulnerable that it could be a documentary. I was on the edge of my couch trying to figure out the truths unfolding in the courtroom and inside their family home nestled in the French Alps. The performances are across the board authentic, and yes, they are actors! I became an observer inside the story witnessing the emotional trauma as it unfolded. 

The leading cast is led by the luminous Sandra Hüller who makes the most complex character shy away from melodrama and instead reveal an interior world that is tormented, fragile, and also sprinkled with levity and love. As I watched I wondered continually, “Could she have done this?” and at the same time I felt torn inside. Her son, played by Milo Machado Granor gives a performance so vulnerable, it reminds me of Jodie Foster’s haunting work in “Taxi Driver.” But, what really blows me away is how all the actors feel like real people, and yet they are actors — skilled actors who disappear into their characters. I only wish more American movies would allow this kind of casting, opening up the process to less recognizable stars and less Hollywood gloss.

Authentic doesn’t mean we can’t cast actors. Wonderful actors are real people too. They are actors who know how to become anyone. Sandra Hüller, who we have seen play so many different roles from comedic to dramatic, is truly that movie star who has the talent to disappear and “act” without ever flaunting it.

Read the Full Article Here:
The Best Cast Films of 2023 – IndieWire

Congrats to the 2018 Emmy Winners

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On Monday September 17th, the Primetime Emmy’s aired. We wanted to say Congrats to all the winner’s, especially the 3 actors Genie sent out newsletters for. Regina King the winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role in Netflix’s “Seven Seconds.” Claire Foy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for “The Crown” and Jeff Daniels for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in “Godless.”

All 3 newsletters are posted below. Stay tuned for Oscar Season and more great films opening this Fall.

BEST CAST FILMS OF 2017

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Casting directors remain the only job in the opening titles that doesn’t have its own Oscar category, but there’s reason to believe that will change. 15 Casting Directors were asked to write about the best cast films of the year for Indiewire. “What is an authentic performance? Simple, right – it is a performance that we believe so wholly, we never question who the actor is…”

Heidi Levitt was asked to write about “The Florida Project,” Casting By: Carmen Cuba. Read the entire article. The Best Cast Films of 2017, According to Top Casting Directors. 

November Rising

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A scene from “Human Flow” Ai’s Weiwei’s documentary about the global refugee and migrant crisis.

The Fall season has been filled with climate disaster, political doom here and abroad, cries of terrorism, crazy acts of violence, fears of deportations, and every other day there is a new charge of sexual harassment and strife in Hollywood.

Serious stuff is happening and peoples’ lives and jobs are at stake. I am so proud of the many strong women and men who have come out and shared their stories, written intelligently and passionately, and most importantly started a movement, a movement for change.

November is also a month for the best movies to be trotted out for Academy Award consideration. This is the season for important and impactful films. But imagine a world where we could see stories that matter all year long, a world where superhero, sequels and tentpole films were only a small fraction of what was offered. Imagine a world where thoughtful character-driven stories and documentaries could be found in your local theatre. Imagine such a world that represented us all, a world where gender, language, physical ability and color do not set limitations, but rather reflect characters in complex truths.

If we imagine these scenarios, we can write and produce them for audiences to see and be inspired by. We can use the power of film, to change the narrative that we see in today’s’ headline s and push a political movement for change, equality and justice forwards. With the power of good storytelling and equal representation, 2018 may become a little brighter for us all.

 

Genie is Back for the Summer

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School is almost out and Genie is back for the summer.  With the Fall season set and the lineups announced  Genie is reporting on what’s casting and who’s who in Hollywood.  Don’t forget, every day we will feature your favorite actor’s giving advice and insight in Today’s Take.Take the summer to do your best research and try and build your resume. Summer is also a great time to take a new class, get new headshot and improve your audition technique.

Genie is thrilled to be back in action and ready for her close-up. Log on to see What’s Casting in LA and NYC.

Time to Take a Bow

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Dear Family, Friends and Fans of Actor Genie,

We launched our App on iTunes in January 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival. Mark Ruffalo, one of Actor Genie’s first supporters and a frequent contributor, premiered his film Sympathy For Delicious and won a Special Jury prize. Genie cast that film, launched the app, and the journey began.

Since our launch on iTunes in 2010, we expanded to Android and have connected with over 65,000 users. We loved connecting with you, and along the way, we made lasting friendships and our small dent, or as Steve Jobs said, a “ding in the universe”, becoming a true voice in Hollywood.

We were the first app on the market of our kind and chosen twice to be featured by Apple on the front of the iTunes App Store. And, even better than that, we cast a few actors who reached out to us through the app. One of those actresses even got to experience Awards season back in 2012 as we cast her in the Oscar-winning film, “The Artist”. The story was featured in this article in The New York Times. Maybe It Should Be Called ‘The Artists’

As Sundance plays to a close this weekend and The SAG Awards are presented on Sunday, Genie will take a bow. We will no longer update ‘What’s Casting’ after February 1st, 2017. But will continue to update “Todays’ Take,” the opening page of the app where we feature people we admire; Actors, Writers, Producers, Directors. We will continue to share inspiration, advice and Genie’s unique perspective daily. We will also maintain our contact base in LA and NY and our users can still register with Genie on our app to get updates through our newsletter.

We know that this is a bummer for many of you during pilot season, but Actor Genie was never meant to be a job listing service. It was meant as an informative app to empower and educate those interested in pursuing a career in the film and television business. Most importantly, the App will continue to be free on iTunes and Google Play and our Actor Genie website will list resources for you to track what’s casting.

Genie is taking a bow with a heavy heart, but you never know, when we might come back for an encore, a revival or a complete reboot. Stay tuned and stay connected through our Actor Genie Website, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, which will continue to be active.

Love,
Genie

Resources for Who’s Who and What’s Casting

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Now that Actor Genie is taking a hiatus (February 1st, 2017) from posting What’s Casting, we still wanted you to have access to the resources available that will help continue to empower you as you continue being a proactive Actor. Here is our list of our favorite resources for Who’s Who and What’s Casting. Our resources will always be updated and available on the right panel of our website.

Resources for What’s Casting

CASTING ABOUT

FUTON CRITIC

SAG-AFTRA

CASTING FRONTIER

ACTORS ACCESS

LA CASTING

CAST IT TALENT

BACKSTAGE MAGAZINE

NOWCASTING

Contact Resources

IMDBPro

SPOTLIGHT UK

BEST CAST FILMS OF 2016

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IndieWire asked 13 of the top casting directors to nominate films worthy of casting recognition this year. Heidi Levitt wrote about Asghar Farhadi’s film “The Salesman,” in lieu of global casting, even though “Moonlight,” is close to her heart.

Casting Directors have a strange distinction in the awards world: Their guild has an Academy branch, but it’s the only one without its own Oscar category. Imagine for a moment that they did. What are the best-cast films of 2016?

Here’s why “Moonlight”, “Loving” and more deserve honors, according to 13 of Hollywood’s best casting directors. Best Cast Films of 2016 According to Top Casting Directors. 

MAKE HOLLYWOOD GREAT AGAIN

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** Note to our users. We have recently moved away from using Parse as our app server and would love for everyone to re-download Actor Genie again at either the App Store or Google Play Store to get the latest updates!

Make Hollywood Great Again
By: Heidi Levitt

Hollywood, the dream machine, the center of global entertainment and movie culture was built by immigrants like Samuel Goldwyn, from Warsaw and Louis B. Meyer to Minsk.

The history of Hollywood includes films and filmmakers who challenged the status quo, went to jail for defending their free speech and who have made a difference by speaking out. And yet, in 2016 Hollywood cinema, perhaps The United States most important export, the beacon for global cultural exchange is dominated by blockbusters, tent pole, sequel, superhero popcorn movies that are led by a white male presence.

Now is the time more than ever to shift the paradigm and make movies that matter. We need to include voices and faces of those who have been left on the perimeter of our industry.

Last years #OscarsSoWhite seems small in light of this past week’s election results, but it is not small by any means. In fact, now more than ever we need to show the country and the world that we in Hollywood have compassion, empathy and the power to open hearts and minds. We must make certain that those behind and in front of the camera reflect who we are; Black, White, Brown, Yellow and every shade in between.

Recently, the hugely talented actor Jon Leguizamo wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about this subject called “Too Bad You Are Latin.”

The article highlighted the difficulties any minority actor faces trying to make it big in Hollywood. Today more than ever is the moment to harness the power of story to change the culture. We must start by telling stories that reflect who we are, where we have come from, and where we hope to go.

In this year’s Oscar season we have already seen an excellent contender in Barry Jenkins film, “Moonlight“ that authentically allowed us into the world we seldom see on the big screen. I hope that Moonlight gets the attention it deserves, because not only is it a powerful film, but it is a film about people who are black, gay and poor. It delivers a sense of hope through humanity. Donald Trump and his supporters could take a few lessons from watching a film like this one that opens your heart and leaves you feeling breathless and transformed.

I hope Oscar season brings us more surprises and more films that are inclusive and diverse. We can change the direction of our culture through the power storytelling. And we need to see many stories to change the way we think, because as the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said in her powerful Ted talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” is not that it is untrue, but rather that it is incomplete.

For example, if we only tell the story of Mexicans crossing the border without papers, then that story becomes the story of the undocumented and we fail to see and know the individual. Through great storytelling and the power of global cinema, we can break racial and ethnic prejudice by allowing us to see the person, the character and not merely the color of their skin nor the accent in their voice. These kinds of stories will enable us to see how much we share in common as the human experience is not defined as much by color and language, as it is by the universality of the shared experiences of mothers daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, and sons.

2017 is the year for Hollywood to focus on producing films that reflect the true population and not the Electoral College. 2017 is the year to push the envelope not only in America but also around the world where the refugees and the disenfranchised are fighting for freedom and a better life. Let us show President Trump and the rest of the world that making films and television reflect who we are.

To the 11,000,000 undocumented, the refugees, the exiled living in poverty, the minorities, women and anyone else who feels marginalized – Hollywood can help make America great again because in less than 15 years from now the American population will be more brown than white. I hope and pray that inclusion and diversity in our voices and numbers will translate into a society that is accepting and empowered. Hollywood can and must do their part to change the culture.

voice2

Los Angeles Protest, November 12, 2016 @Chessdesign