Casting

When people talk about movies, the conversation inevitably rolls around to the quality of the acting. People talk about the actors more than they talk about the music, or the cinematography, or the costumes, and even the director. Alas, my role isn’t what people remember. It’s all those bright faces that make them believe.

So it should come as no surprise that casting the exact right people is vitally important to me. And given the distinct nature of my film, these actors have to be good. I mean, really fantastic. I don’t think of my actors as cattle (like Hitchcock), but as artists who will transform what I wrote on the page into living, breathing characters that you will think about, hate, love, admire, or fear long after the screen has gone dark.

This weekend I did just that. I watched talented people from all over San Diego stand in front of me and morph into people that had previously only existed in my imagination. Honestly, it gave me goosebumps. And these people were all very good at what they do. So good, that my decisions (which haven’t been finalized yet) are going to be difficult to make. But I’m glad that it’s difficult. It’s going to make the film really, truly amazing when they breathe life into the pages in front of them. I can’t wait!