Mia Cusumano: The Artwork of Casting with a Visionary Eye

Casting Director Mia Cusumano will inform you that casting is without doubt one of the most vital threads in movie and tv manufacturing, weaving collectively the story with the actors who convey it to life. With a eager eye for expertise and a deep understanding of character dynamics, Cusumano has been instrumental in assembling the casts of quite a few initiatives similar to The Trial of the Chicago 7 (for which she received an Artios Award) and The Throwback, making her a sought-after determine within the leisure business.

Cusumano’s strategy to casting is each intuitive and collaborative, making certain that every position is stuffed by an actor who not solely suits the half but additionally enhances the general narrative. 

Mia Cusumano shares her journey into casting, the challenges she faces within the business and her insights on what it takes to construct a profitable, cohesive forged. 

Insights From Mia Cusamano

• Actors ought to discover a private connection to the fabric in each audition to convey authenticity, even when the position doesn’t initially resonate with them.
• Confidence is essential in auditions; actors have to personal their selections and mission assurance to make a robust impression.
• Embrace simplicity and grounded performances that reveal layers and nuance as a substitute of overcomplicating the character.

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You started your profession because the Casting Coordinator for ABC’s Primetime Casting Workplace. How’d you get that job? What did the job entail?

I began, first, as an intern at ABC whereas I used to be at school. I did just a few years of pilot season interning and discovered invaluable info about casting. A couple of years had handed since I had labored at ABC and I used to be very near everybody who labored within the New York workplace. They have been on the lookout for a temp to come back on for pilot season. I gladly took the place and it become a everlasting gig.

I used to be extremely lucky to be taught from these unimaginable casting administrators. I had 4 mentors in my first job as a casting assistant. Rosalie Joseph, Marci Phillips, Janet Murphy and Geoffrey Soffer have been so affected person and type throughout the years after I was studying and rising on this business. Their kindness, not solely in direction of me however in direction of actors coming in, has all the time been my guiding gentle for a way I work in the present day. 

Give us some childhood background.

I grew up in a really small city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Previous Forge. We’re simply outdoors of Scranton. It’s a beautiful small city of solely 10,000 individuals. All of whom, I both know personally or I’m associated to. Everybody is aware of everybody. Which, wanting again on it, is certainly one of my favourite issues about rising up in a small city.

Once I was youthful I all the time needed to do one thing artistic. I needed to be a chef. I used to be about to go to the Culinary Institute of America after I backed out. I really like cooking for individuals I really like, however felt cooking for the plenty was not what impressed me.

Then I thought of doing inside design, however, finally, I ended up finding out trend at FIT. I liked trend. I nonetheless do, however the business left one thing chilly in me. I began longing to be in casting.

I knew somebody who was a casting director and he or she inspired me to attempt it out. I do really feel as if trend and casting are extra related than individuals may assume. It is rather just like development forecasting. Realizing what individuals need earlier than they know.

Photograph by Nick Parisse, courtesy of Mia Cusumano.

You’re the co-owner of M&M Casting, working alongside Meghan Rafferty. How did you two meet? What was the driving drive behind you beginning your individual casting firm? Please share your journey about opening up a enterprise.

Meghan and I began working collectively over a decade in the past. Our first mission was The Leftovers. What an unimaginable expertise this present was. I liked all the pieces about it. The artistic crew was simply so great and inspiring. I’m nonetheless impressed by that work.

Meghan and I are enterprise companions and in addition greatest mates, so for us constructing our skilled footprint collectively was a no brainer.

How would you strategy casting a mission that doesn’t personally resonate with you?

When one thing doesn’t personally resonate with me it may be difficult. In these initiatives perhaps the general story doesn’t communicate to me, however there are all the time characters that do.

While you give attention to simply particular person moments, you join. Particularly if you find yourself working with actors and discovering moments of levity with them. Watching an actor take a scene that perhaps I used to be not sure about after which working their magic and turning it into one thing much more relatable if you hear it out loud vs. simply studying it. 

Please stroll us by way of your casting course of from the primary script learn to the ultimate casting choices.

Once I first learn a script I immediately create a imaginative and prescient of who I see in every position. I begin with the primary actor that involves thoughts after which my thoughts begins filling with concepts. My artistic juices begin flowing and I begin writing down lists of parents who I believe would convey to life these characters and assist construct the world we’re creating. I additionally put out casting requires brokers and managers to ship me concepts.

I wish to say my first impression of a personality is all the time appropriate. It’s not. Typically if you begin the method you hear the phrases out loud and you might be immediately modified in your idea and imaginative and prescient. Typically an actor is available in that may do one thing in a scene that you simply didn’t see and it conjures up you to maneuver in a special course.

That may be a great factor. To be impressed by one actor’s efficiency, a lot that it permits it to maneuver you, very organically, into a brand new course. I really like that about my job.

Photograph courtesy of Mia Cusumano.

How do you strategy casting for a job that requires particular cultural or linguistic nuances?

I’ve had plenty of initiatives the place they’re very particular with the characters’ descriptions. With Ramy, particularly, we have been casting Egyptian/Center Japanese actors. As it’s with all languages, Arabic just isn’t a one-size-fits-all-all. There are particular regional dialects.

Though you might be studying and listening to somebody talking Arabic, you aren’t essentially presenting somebody who’s the precise area you might be in search of. There may be plenty of outreach to the communities you wish to forged. You need to faucet into these communities by way of artistic methods. Whether or not it’s by way of group teams on Fb, by way of group facilities, or by way of my Center Japanese actor mates who’re all the time keen to assist unfold the phrase. You simply try to be sure to’re authentically telling the story. 

Are you able to share an instance of a time if you took a danger on an actor, and it paid off?

I believe anytime you might be pushing for an actor that your artistic crew isn’t contemplating and attempting to get them to look in that course vs. the one they appear to be pulling in, there’s a danger. Just lately I had two completely different roles the place my artistic crew needed to go in a special course and I used to be capable of change their minds and take a look at the actor I used to be strongly combating for.

It actually might have gone badly in the event that they acquired to set and my crew felt they weren’t pleased with their performances and it was I who satisfied them have been the perfect selections… I used to be fortunate to be instructed they’ve been thrilled with each actors. And one they wrote an extra episode for him to be in. So, I think about {that a} success.

What recommendation do you have got for actors who wish to make a long-lasting impression in an audition?

Take pleasure in your self in an audition. Discover a strategy to join on a private stage to any materials you might be engaged on. Even in stuff you really feel should not one thing you could connect with, there may be all the time one thing throughout the character you possibly can perceive and can resonate with you.

I’m all the time drawn to easy, grounded performances. Easy doesn’t imply boring. Easy doesn’t imply there aren’t layers and nuances to the character. Confidence… Be assured in your selections. Confidence is without doubt one of the most essential qualities in an audition. If you’re going to faux to be something in an audition, faux to be assured.

How, if in any respect, do your private political beliefs affect the selections you make within the casting course of or in selecting initiatives to work on? Have there been situations the place your political opinions formed the course of a mission, or do you try to maintain your skilled work separate out of your convictions?

I’ve very sturdy and vocal political beliefs. And sure, they actually do affect me in each facet of my life and the initiatives I work on. I’m very lucky to have the ability to work in an business that embraces telling tales with political tones.

I’ve been very lucky to get to be a part of that particular storytelling. The Trial of the Chicago 7 and She Mentioned have been each vitally essential to me and the activism I really feel strongly related to.

Photograph courtesy of Mia Cusumano.

The rest you’d prefer to say?

All the time know I’m rooting for you. I’m all the time hoping you’re the reply to my drawback. And my drawback is an open position that must be forged. At the beginning of each audition, I’m going in believing and hoping you’re going to be unimaginable and I’m going to get to give you the position. That’s all the time my hope. For each actor I see. 

Go to Mia Cusumano’s Instagram.