Just like many casting administrators, Jennifer Cooper discovered her method into the sphere following a short stint pursuing performing.
She has forged greater than 500 episodes of tv in her profession, which is an astonishing quantity while you break it down. Among the greatest franchises on the small display characteristic her work, with titles like CSI: NY and the reboots of Hawaii 5-0, MacGyver, Magnum P.I. and Quantum Leap. Including to her intriguing profile, she additionally curates small indie movies between orchestrating main TV initiatives, sharing her insights with us from Los Angeles.
Insights From Jennifer Cooper
- Actors ought to deal with being genuine to themselves and the story, moderately than making an attempt to guess what the casting director needs.
- Constructing long-term relationships with casting administrators is efficacious as a result of casting is a collaborative, ongoing course of.
- Don’t be afraid to tackle numerous or smaller initiatives to develop your craft and preserve casting administrators focused on your vary.
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How did you get into casting?
I went to Emerson they usually have a program, you’ll be able to spend your final semester in LA, interning within the discipline that you just discover fascinating. So I interned in a casting workplace. From there, I obtained my first assistant job, then obtained my first affiliate and simply climbed the ranks of casting from internship to opening my store.
What was it about casting that you?
I believed I needed to be an actor after I moved to LA and I made it for like two weeks and determined instantly that that was not for me. I look again now and I really feel like in each performing class, I at all times favored watching and critiquing and at all times most popular engaged on my pals’ scenes versus being the one up there. I didn’t know that on the time. I didn’t know casting was a factor till I moved right here.
There are two issues that I hear quite a bit from casting administrators. One is quite a lot of them thought they needed to be an actor first, and the opposite, with a few exceptions, say some variation of “I didn’t even know casting was a factor.”
(Laughs) It’s true. It’s so humorous. I imply, even after I meet folks out on the earth and also you say, ‘Oh, you’re a casting director.’ Everyone seems to be like, ‘What does that imply?’ Each one among my mother’s pals is like, ‘That’s so cool. I’ve no thought what that’s.’
Properly, how do you clarify it? It appears simple to me. It’s the job title.
I at all times attempt to clarify it in methods like we’re the cease earlier than you get to closing choices in order that we are able to start to curate in our creativeness what it’d appear like, or sound like, or totally different variations of it. I believe there’s additionally some type of misunderstanding that we get a directive from somebody who says, go discover this actual factor, which is so removed from the reality.
We’re type of the conduit of creativity, between what the actors are doing and what persons are in search of. I can’t inform you what number of occasions somebody will say, ‘That is what I need,’ and also you deliver them one thing totally different, and instantly they’re like, ‘Sure, that’s precisely what I used to be speaking about.’
Now do your mother’s pals perceive? Whenever you clarify it to them like this?
Sure. Then all of them need to be on no matter mission you’re engaged on. (Laughs) Considered one of my very first jobs was CSI: NY and each single individual was like, ‘Can I please be a useless physique?’ One of many issues that’s arduous to elucidate, it’s just like the worst job on the earth being a useless physique. Laying round nonetheless, for like eight hours. It’s the worst.
That’s a very good segue as a result of I needed to ask you about your focus being totally on tv. Was that the intention?
I really feel like much like any profession, most likely while you begin doing one thing and you’ve got some quantity of success in it, it begets extra work. In order quickly as I began doing a giant procedural tentpole present and it was going very properly, you get identified for doing the factor that you just did.
I believe there was some quantity of, sooner or later in my profession, feeling like I higher begin angling to take jobs that look totally different in order that I’m not doing the identical factor. As a result of it’s not even like I went out and sought out to do this, it simply type of spun out into swiftly you’re taking job after job after job, [which is] what you’re getting identified for.
It needed to be an actual aware option to say I’m going to start out passing on exhibits that I historically can be the precise individual you’d consider to do it. To take one thing that feels actually totally different and actually off-brand or a distinct colour in order that I get to a spot that feels extra well-rounded.
I be sure that I allocate 25 % of what I’m doing to tiny Indies. Films that I believe are actually fascinating or cool that possibly don’t have the funds to go get a giant casting director that you would be able to start to flex in different areas. Simply to maintain myself and rising in what I’m doing.
What piece of recommendation or knowledge would you give to somebody coming in to audition for you?
Gosh, I believe that what pops into my thoughts is to not fear about what I’m in search of. Deal with what’s proper for the story and best for you as an actor. As a result of I really feel like when actors make choices primarily based on being forged, it’s so arduous to get it proper.
Your precise take and your precise essence are what I’m most focused on, versus all people making an attempt to return in and match it into the field that they assume I’m in search of. With each single tape that I present or that I have a look at, I’m praying it’s the individual. At all times. Or, that I’ll be capable of craft it into serving to to get you the job or, barring that, to construct a relationship with you over nonetheless a few years it takes to get you 10 jobs.
It’s a long-lasting partnership between actors and casting administrators and I actually have a look at it like a partnership, as a result of in the event that they don’t do good, then I don’t really feel good. It’s in direct correlation to one another.
This interview has been edited for readability.
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Written by Casting Frontier