CELEBRITY CASTING SECRETS REVEALED ✨ - podcast episode cover

CELEBRITY CASTING SECRETS REVEALED ✨

Jan 23, 202133 minSeason 1Ep. 5
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Episode description

GEORGINA HARROP THE CURRENT IT GIRL IN CASTING!

Today on the podcast I have a television genius. Georgina has just collaborated with ITV studio’s and Channel Ten with placing the current batch of celebs in the jungle. 'For I'm a celeb.' 

We will find out why her quirky humour and nack for casting has everyone in the business clambering for her services.

Georgina has kicked more goals in television than you’ve had hot dinners working as a talent agent - formerly the head of casting for channel seven plus previously shaping the careers of people like Rob Miles, Sam Frost and currently Yvie Jones! 

So what makes todays guest tick? Well we are about to find out…..

Get started with some exclusive content as we find out how these shows get made.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Speaker 1

Welcome back to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris, and on this podcast, I'll be going behind the scenes with the biggest players in television today. On the podcast, I have a television genius. It's Georgina Harrap, the current IT girl in television casting. Georgina has just collaborated with ITV Studios and Channel ten with placing the current batch of celebrities in the jungle for I'm a Celebrity. We'll also find out why her quirky humor and nack for casting

has everyone in the business clamoring for her services. Georgina has kicked more goals in television than you've probably had hot Dinners, working as a talent agent, formerly the head of casting for Channel seven plus, previously shaping the careers of people like Rob Mills, Sam Frost, and currently Ev Jones. So what makes today's guest tick, Well, we're about to find out. So we should probably get started with some exclusive content as we find out how these shows get made.

Speaker 2

The thing is, when you're casting, you have to be across everything. Just wait until you see who've round up this year? You know, I watch everything. I watch all the dramas, I watch all the reality shows.

Speaker 1

You're not going anywhere, girl, You've got great potential.

Speaker 2

You watch them, you think that person's that person's got something.

Speaker 1

Like another celebrities or not.

Speaker 2

You need to get people from all age groups. You think you've seen it all, think again. Once you get a bunch of really diverse, interesting people. It's riveting. People like to watch people.

Speaker 1

Georgina, how are you?

Speaker 2

I am very well, Thank you very much.

Speaker 1

Ben, Well, that's good. I'm glad that you're here.

Speaker 2

Does anyone ever say shit out when you ask that question?

Speaker 1

I'm waiting for it. I'm waiting for it. I think it's a good thing to say. I spoke to so many people in the industry and just to let you know, everyone is obsessed with you, obsessed. So I'd like to share with the audience something which hopefully is not too embarrassing for you either. But I begged you to do this chat.

Speaker 2

You did. You even offered roses, but I've just found out was an emoji rose. So I'm a little disappointed and I might hang up soon.

Speaker 1

Please don't now. I need to ask you what makes you get out of bed when it comes to casting.

Speaker 2

Well, it's really it's the challenge very rarely in TV is anything planned too far ahead. So usually when I get a phone call, it's someone's been trying to cast the show themselves and realize that it actually requires someone with a skill set yeah, or that a lot of people are quite organized, and go, we're about we're doing a show. We've just got the green light from the network, and here's the brief. And that's fine because you know

that it's never the same. It's rarely going to be like we've got this show where we just need twelve celebrities to sit still in a room for twelve hours a day. It's always something a little unusual, and I like unusual.

Speaker 1

I prefer to deal with crazy people who genuinely are okay with being crazy, then to deal with people who are pretending to be something that they're not.

Speaker 2

Oh yeah, And you can see through that in a second, you know, particularly when you're casting your show and you get on the and sometimes you're talking to the manager. You might be talking directly to the talent and they're trying to sell themselves, and you know, straight away someone says they're crazy. They're not. And I've done casting on like Big Brother shows, just regular people coming in, you know, doing that with a line outside some entertainment center and

they're coming in, You're asking to do things. You say, you know, what's the most interesting thing about you? And they say, I've got a tattoo of Elmo and you're like, well, that's not exactly going to set someone's world on fire when they're watching on TV. We asked for a three minute video telling us a bit about themselves. I'm a primary school teacher, teach grade three.

Speaker 1

As a part time.

Speaker 3

Jackreu and Peakanto as well.

Speaker 2

I'm a computer technician during the day, but once I get that special phone call, I become the dragon. It's the quiet ones. It's the ones that often don't say much when you're casting a show that's not celebrity base that you think, oh this, why is that person standing in the corner and there's something about them rather than the person trying to jump up in front of you and get your attention. Yeah, so, yeah, you're right. It's the crazy is good, but it's not always great TV.

Speaker 1

What's the biggest lie that you've caught out someone when doing casting where we don't want to say their names, but feel free to say them if you want to. Will end up in the Daily Mail.

Speaker 2

Oh well, they pretend that they're not scared of heights, or that they don't mind eating pigs testicles, and then you find out that they're actually terrified of heights. But they're doing it because they want the gig, which each actually works out really well for the producers of the

show rather than them. They're the ones that suffer. Yeah, right, So as far as lies, I don't think people really, you know, most people you're talking to a lot of managers, you hope they're not lying because if they do lie, they always get caught out.

Speaker 1

You've also you've just been assisting casting with I'm a Celebrity and Alex Meverdiker said that you did a fantastic job. But what was that experience like for you?

Speaker 2

Look, I love doing that show. It's one of those shows I haven't done it before. I've sort of ticked off a lot of those shows, like Dancing with the Stars, you know, like you love doing those big as they call them, the shiny floor shows for those ones. But I'm a celeb was fun because I've watched the show. I know what works and doesn't work, and the great thing about it is working with that's a real team

of people that also know the show really well. I mean Alex and Reema and Beth and all you know, ben On, all those guys from ITV know that show inside out. They know from a casting point of view what they need and what they want. And Channel ten the same Stephen Tate, it's his baby, it's the protective of it, and they know that just a couple of crap cast members can let the whole thing down. It's one of those TV shows where a lot of people sort of turn their eyes up it and go, oh,

it's I don't watch that show. It's crap, and what is that show again? And you think, what a lot of crap. You know it and you watch it, but you pretend you don't. People often do that, you know with reality shows. I like to pretend they don't watch them, but they've of course seem to know every character and what they do. But for that show, for me, it

was great because it was incredibly collaborative. So you can't come in as a casting producer and start to sort of put your hands and hips and tell them this person, this person, this person. All you can do is fight for the people that you really think are going to work on it, and give them a good reason as to why, and good producers will listen. And that's when it really works. When you're casting a show with really good EPs and good producers, they'll listen and they'll, you know,

take your advice. And the thing is, when you're casting, you have to you have to be across everything. You know. I watch everything. I watch all the dramas, I watch all the reality shows, so I know, and I watch you know, I watch ABC, SBS. You know, because a lot of people say, oh, you know, working commercial TV, you need to know the commercial people. But quite often it's the people that are working on other networks that

you suddenly you watch them. You think that person's that person's got something or that'd be interesting in the mix. You know. I'm always sort of looking at and that's it's really nice and you can just throw them, throw them in the mix, and they go, oh god, that's a great idea. I hadn't thought about them, wouldn't they work well with blah blah blah. So for working on that show and watching it, go to wear is great fun because watching it at the moment, everyone is pretty

much behaving how I thought they would. There's always surprises. But it is a strange thing sitting back and watching the edit because I'm nothing to do with the edit and a lot of the people sitting in the jungle don't even know that I'm the person that made the

phone call to the manager. It is one of those things where I've done a lot of shows like that where the show's been to wear and it's gone and I run into someone at some sort of industry event and I've walked on said hi, and Georgina, I actually sorry, but the one who made you take your pants off from the Full Monty. I never thought I'd actually be asked to take my top off and get my boobs out on national television. And then they go oh, and then they go, oh, no thanks. I love doing that show.

And so it's actually, really it's a nice It's always you know, I don't really walk up to people and I know they had a terrible experience. You know, I don't go to zigzag through the room to seek out those people. But yeah, I'm a celeb is I think it's a great show. You know, it makes you laugh. And I was sitting at home watching it the other night and I cried and I texted the guys on the show and I said, all right, you cracked me. You know, you made me cry. And it really was

one of those moments where I didn't expect. I was like, damn. I thought it was hard enough, you know, to sort of go, this is just TV, you know, but but you know, it's once you get once you get a bunch of really diverse, interesting people, you know, confined in the space. It's riveting. People like to watch people, and there was every chance to that she pulled Terri. She might not even remember any of us, which was quite heartbreaking, you know, one of the toughest times.

Speaker 1

And how old was she? Twenty seven? It's so fascinating. And you know, the interesting thing is the ratings are so high for this season, like it's the highest I think that they've had. And I think that has a lot to do with casting. But why do you think that this mix now that they're in there have connected with audiences, Because you can get a fantastic show that

you go, oh, this is great. I've cast this really well and it's working for us, but then the audiences don't love it, you know what I mean, why do you think that this cast has resonated with its audience so much.

Speaker 2

Ah. Look, it's always hard to figure out what they do. I mean, if you knew the formula, then every show you cast you just sort of make the phone calls and tick them off and sit back with your feet up. I mean it's often hard to predict it, you know in your heart, like you know that there's certain people that are going to be warm and friendly, and other people are going to be a bit prickly and other people sometimes not so much with this show, but other

shows have done that. You know, you've got to tick off the AFL player and the rugby player so you get the Sydney audiences and the Melbourne audiences.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Sometimes it's a formula that you use because you need to get people from all age groups that can sit down with their family. There's very few shows that people sit down with their family and watch anymore, a show where you know that your sixteen year old daughter like mine will sit down and go, I know two of the people on the show, but who are those other

people that they get to discover them? Or their parents at home go oh, we grew up with Tony Perron, you know, she used to be the person we watched on TV. So a lot of it is that sort of sharing experience when you've got generations watching your show like that, and that's important. You can't just put a show like I'm a cleb full of people of one age group from one place. It just it's not interesting. Yeah, it just doesn't work.

Speaker 1

So when you're running things past the cast and you're trying to get them on the show, because there's going to be people out there that don't want to do these shows, you go, oh, come and do I'm a celebrity. Was it being in Australia a selling point over Africa? Or were people like, yes, I want to do the show and they were disappointed that they didn't get to go to Africa, Like was it a change this year being that it was being filmed at home?

Speaker 2

You know what. I think that people were a bit relieved because no one wanted to. I think even if there was the opportunity to get on a plane to go to Africa, I think that people would have been frightened, you know, and I think it people would have felt unsafe. So I just think that it made sense. It wasn't one of those phone calls where I was making to either the managers or talent where they were like, oh, well,

I'm not doing it because it's not in Africa. And I think that for a lot of people, it's an extra, you know, added thing they need to think about when they're going to Africa because they're so far away from their family. You know, even though in the in the Australian jungle as they call it, it's they're still not seeing their family, but they know they're not far away.

It felt like it was probably easier to get some people because of that, because they didn't feel though too far away from their family.

Speaker 1

When you put out a call to say some of these celebrities, you're like, I saw them on SBS or however you've come across them and you call them and they go, oh, I don't know. Do you scratch them off the list? And they never get another shot? Like what happens to those people?

Speaker 2

If there's some people that are deluded, we love the deluted where they think they're going to get another crack at it, and what they need to understand and what their manager needs to understand, is that they're hot right now, or they've just come off a show and the audiences are interested, so they're not going to be as valuable in a year's time or even for the next series, which could be at the end of the year.

Speaker 1

So what sort of personality archetype is the best suited to reality television in your mind?

Speaker 2

A big dickhead. I don't think there is any one type. You can't just say, oh that, you know, it just doesn't work like that, you know. That's the magic of it. It's you know, you can't just say they need to be, you know, a sports person that can walk and talk on camera and read an aud a cube it also be funny. It's like it depends on the show and what you're putting them in, you know. It's like, sometimes you want people to be vulnerable. Sometimes you want them

to be larger than life. You want that character. It's a bit like Brant Jenu at the moment on I'm a Celeb, he's just on. He's so used to being on TV and on that he's just he's not sitting there quietly watching people in the corner.

Speaker 1

What do you think the audience wants most, because like when you watch reality television, there's different things that connect. But there's a word I can think of that. I think audiences want most and that's the currency between being on screen and the audience falling in love with you. What do you think that is?

Speaker 2

You know, I think people like seeing people fail. I think people like seeing people being triumphant. You know. That's why I think Dancing with the Stars is always a show. When I talk to people about doing that show, it's like, no one ever comes out of that show badly because you know, they're having a crack and it's really hard, they're having to learn and something. They're being a living amount of time to do it, and most people seeing

on the couch going god, I couldn't do that. So they like seeing people succeed and they like I think people like connecting and people like crying. You know, people like sitting at home going oh god, like I did the other day I was caught out myself. People go like, I really, that was a really raw moment and you know, a really beautiful moment of TV. People like that and people talk about that afterwards, did you see that thing? But they also love seeing someone, you know, slap someone

or throat drinking someone's face on Housewives or something. So who knows we're all people, and we all you know, we all love a bitch, we love a bit of a cat fight. We're love a little bit of a punch up.

Speaker 3

And when you get home, get your husband to review your medication because medication dosterone level needs to come down and everything else needs to come up.

Speaker 2

Good luck with your deck of cards for.

Speaker 3

Your life, because that's all you've got is a deck of cards that are back to Topple in the Lind.

Speaker 1

I think what's amazing is you can be a good person and you can be a bad person. But as long as you're authentic, I think audiences will relate because they're like, oh, that's a real person, and that's I think that's the currency.

Speaker 2

For me.

Speaker 1

I'm like, Okay, as soon as I connected believing that that person is going through something and it's a human moment, I'm like, that's the cash. That's the ding ding ding moment for me.

Speaker 2

Yeah. But then you've got someone like Frez Durrani, who I love. When he did sas you know, did he come out of that well, I don't know. I mean I thought he was brilliant television. I loved watch him on that because I was thinking, yeah, I'd tell him to get stuff too. Someone's told me to do four hundred push ups and tell me to jump in the mud, So you kind of and I think that was him being himself. But did the audience like that or did they like the way he was edited? Probably not?

Speaker 1

Number ten Merrick is fit up unleashing on number eleven for us who has proven himself to be incapable of keeping his mouth.

Speaker 2

Shut three in a row.

Speaker 1

But we're all done with.

Speaker 2

What are you done with? We're done with?

Speaker 1

You? Govin off to the yes, mate, don't say anything, don't say shit to us, get through the course.

Speaker 2

What are you screaming about?

Speaker 1

Mate? I think it was good television. It was interesting for me. What I think is also interesting is the media loves to grab onto something and then villainize someone. And I think that Sas was so popular and they were getting so many clicks in the industry about Sas. They were like, just keep talking about how awful this man is on this show.

Speaker 2

I did feel for him.

Speaker 1

What do you say to him? Though? After the experience? Did he say? Oh God, I wish I wouldn't have done that. I mean, what do you say when someone comes out of reality? Television and they don't get the experience they wanted.

Speaker 2

Well, I didn't cast that show, so I didn't cast him on it. But I had cast him on the Real Dirty Dancing, which was fun. It was where they all went to the lake resort where they did the film Dirty Dancing, and was a really fun TV show where they got to where you really saw who he was. You know, he's a show off, he's got a good sense of humor, he loves to give you everyone a cuddle,

and he was a lovely guy. And then suddenly he does this other show and he's portrayed as someone that, like you said, you know, the media wanted to jump onto something, which is fine. You know that's what they're going to do because it's there has to be something to talk about. But look, I haven't really I haven't actually had anyone call me afterwards and have a crack, said, I wish I hadn't have done it, even the real full Monty shows, which I loved casting that. I love

those shows. They I mean you're asking people to take their gear off. You know. I always think that after doing those shows, every casting job should be easy. So it's like, yeah, yeah, sure, I've got people of table pants and you know, girls to flash their boobs. But it was a messaging. It was one of those shows where literally people did the show. People walked on the street after the show had been to where and said, you know what, I watched that show went and got checked.

You know, I had prostate cancer. I got onto it early. Thanks. I'm not, you know, And I haven't cast the shows where you're putting regular people on TV, like the Bachelorettes and those sort of shows where you literally thrown people in who don't really understand TV. And I'm sure there's plenty of those people, you know, if married at first sight all those sort of shows, who probably walk out

and think, God almighty, what just happened? But I think the shows that I'm casting a celebrity based and they know what they're getting themselves into. And so no, I you know, I haven't had any horses heads left on the end of my bed yet.

Speaker 1

You know, what sort of framing do you do for your people to say do the show or don't do this show, or do this show? But it could be this, like what kind of framing are you doing?

Speaker 2

Look, you have to I always say that because I do manage a few people, and I always say to them, it's this is like a business relationship, so take my advice. But in the end, it's you. It's your head on the on the screen, or it's you know, it's your reputation.

But I'd like to think that I've been on both sides and done enough more of many hats in this industry to know, you know what's going to work and what isn't going to work, and what's going to be of benefit, and sometimes their heart like sometimes they might be a show where you know someone's a crap dancer and you know they're going to be a crap dancer, and you know that they're not going to like win the show, but it's going to be a good experience

for them. More people are going to know who they are. So is it such a bad thing for you to do if the worst thing that's going to happen is that you're not going to be seen as the world's best answer, Is that going to really ruin your reputation? I don't think so. So it's more like just explaining to people what they're getting themselves into, and then also going is the money good enough? You know it's like, sometimes it gets down to that, you know, it's a

money conversation. It's like, well, I'm I kind of I'm thinking I might do it, but you know, it doesn't feel like it's paying enough. So if it gets down to that, then it's just a conversation of well, we can go and ask for more money.

Speaker 1

Or no, it's more money, this is my price, and this is how it happens.

Speaker 2

I'm also into always taking to talent the offer because I know from being on the other end of casting that I can talk to managers and I know that they're not telling the talent that they're even offer the job. And it's happened to me where you know, I've run into people at events and things, so be careful managers,

because I'm everywhere. But you know, I've run into people, you know, offering to people that said men's leather truths and I've said, it's such a shame that you didn't do you know, blah blah, and they go, we didn't even know we're offered it. I love that show.

Speaker 1

Is it easier or harder to cast shows once the show is then popular? So we're going to use a really good example of sas when says was being cast, you know, no one really knew what it was going to be. There was no expectations, and it was a little bit harder to cast because there wasn't as many people wanting to do it. The show got it's really really strong cult following, and there's more people now wanting

to do it. What's an easier series to cast? A good cast too, a show that's extremely popular or a show that less people know about and you can take your time.

Speaker 2

Oh no, you always want the show that everyone knows what it is, because it's really hard to sell a concept of a show that doesn't exist, because people are wary, as they should be, because it could be a big stinker. It's much easier to cast a show. Look, I was luckier. I came in to do the full Monty shows after the first one had been to Wear and I didn't cast the first one. I came and did all the ones after that, so and it had raided really well and it had a good reaction. It was a much

easier show. Even though while asking people to take their pants and tops off, you know, people had seen it go to where the managers were aware of it. There were some people that still had no idea. There were some brilliant people that said, so you didn't tell me that they're going to have to take their clothes off? And I said, what do you think the full Monty means? Which bitter you not understand? Here? And look, it all

always helps when you're ringing from a network. If you're just ringing sort of a random randomly ringing people, if they know it's coming from the network, they'll ring your back. I always find that it's better to not give people to too many details when you're doing the first call because quite often, look, they might say no, but you want to get them on the phone to explain what the show is, because that's the other thing with casting. It's important to pick the phone up and make phone calls.

Don't send email emails. People sit there and see an email. It's really easy just to say no, thanks and see you later. But getting on the phone and be able to sell the show and sell what their role is is really important. So it's just lazy casting, you know. And some people just sort of say, oh, I've contacted them and they said no, And all I've done is sent five emails off to someone and got to know that,

and it's amazing the a matter. People will say no when you on the phone to them, and by the end of the call, you've got them. Yeah, which is what it is. You're selling them an idea and you're casting them, and it's why have you chosen them? And why do you want them to be on the show?

Speaker 1

You know this is? Is it true? I don't know if you heard this one. This might be an open legend. What about these myths that are out there about some shows. I heard that to get onto sas you have to run with a bag of bricks for ten kilometers and there's all these celebs running along with these bricks. Are there any trials beforehand that these celebrities have to go through to get these jobs?

Speaker 2

Most shows there's a medical involved, which makes sense because you know, you have to know if someone's allergic to something or you know, you don't want them to drop out of a heart attack doing something.

Speaker 1

No, I don't know why I'm laughing.

Speaker 2

But yeah, or do you? But you know? But what are you going to do with bachelor? Get into a start pashing in a room? See how good without pashing or flirting when they're drunk? I don't know, it's not something I've asked anyone to do. It's more like, this is what we require you to do. He's the show's the times, here's the dates, here's the money, here's the contract. Now you've given me a really good idea. It's like what you could do to people that you really don't like.

You don't want them on the show, but you can just humiliate them.

Speaker 1

Can Yeah, just tell them to go go home, set up a little video camera and film yourself pouring some fire ants on yourself. Yeah, send it back to me. And then they do it, and you go, it's a no. It was great and highly entertaining. Yeah, And then flashing to Georgina's sitting there at nighttime, drinking a glass I've red with all of her friends.

Speaker 2

You're roaring with laughter.

Speaker 1

One of those footy players that's been in a footy scandal, just sitting back with your girlfriends, laughing as they've poured fire ants on themselves. I'm going to help.

Speaker 2

What is it with the footy guys and their scandals? Whenever I'm casting a show, there's always like, you know, we go through all the football plays and seriously, at one show I was working on I got the production assistant who thought I was joking, but I was deadly serious. I was quite annoyed when she thought I was joking.

I did have the list. At the end of the two weeks, I said to her, can you please just write a list of all these people that I know, like a rattle off a bunch of mainly in their old players, and just tell me what they've done that might be a little bit too grubby so that we couldn't possibly put them on the show. And seriously, it's like I could sit here now and just rattle off ten at the top of my head. Where you go, no, no, no, I think they did they not? It's unbelievable.

Speaker 1

Do you move away as soon as you hear something like even if it's not true. Let's just say you're casting Fred McInerney. Who's you know, North Melbourne footy players, champion of champions Is he real? No? He's not real. You ask a gay man about a football player's real name. You're joking.

Speaker 2

I was thinking, I think, who's he? Do I need to get him? He sounds great.

Speaker 1

So you find out that there's just a rumor that Frank McInerney. I think that was his name, he has been rumored to have, you know, done something salacious in his in his private life.

Speaker 2

No. Look, if it can't rule people out because of rumors, it pretty much has to be they've been convicted of something or they've done something you know, pretty unsavory. That's it's, you know, because I mean this rumors about everyone. Everyone's got a rumor.

Speaker 1

So you know, there was a rumor that went around last year that someone who was on a reality TV show had a checkered past the surface while the show was on, and then there was a question about did this person do it? And should they edit that person out of the show or give them less screen time? But yet the conviction wasn't really they didn't know whether it was true. What do you think they should do in that regard? Do you reckon that they edit that person out?

Speaker 2

Well, I just think that's a mistake. In casting, you've really got to You've got to do your research. You've got to know who you're putting on camera. That's you know, part of my job too. You know, when people are asking me to cast and I'm giving them names. If I'm giving them a name of a couple of people who who've got criminal charges that I didn't know about because I haven't bothered asking questions or researching them. Then

it reflects badly on me. That's the other thing. When you've been doing it long enough, you know all the rumors, you know all the stories, and usually it's a question to ask the manager. You're read the manager and you go listen, I've heard that they're being convicted for blasting a policewoman or whatever some hideous thing. Is this true or is they going to court? Or is it you know, is this some mad ex girlfriend or you know, whatever it is. They need to they need to be honest

with you. You know, the managers need to tee what's going on. And managers also have a reputation, so they don't want to They know they're going to screw up. They lie to you about something like that. It's that the person's going to be pulled off the show and they're not going to get paid, so they tend to be pretty upfront with that.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that's a good result. Sorry, you lied to us, You had this big, dark secret. It was a nightmare for us. You're not getting your cash, tough titties.

Speaker 2

And you know what, it's a small town. We all know everyone's secrets. Let's face it, there's very few. You know, everyone loves everyone loves goss. People know something about so synergym As soon as this is a little sniff of it out there, people go, have you heard? Have you heard? You know, I'm always getting the phone cause have you heard? You heard? And you're like, by the time it's got

to you think, really has this? You know, you end up ringing the person yourself and they go what so you know, yeah, I love it that.

Speaker 1

It's so funny. I love the way that it passes around. Now. Diversity is such a big buzzword, and diversity is something we you know, like all the heads of the networks are saying, of course we're trying to be diverse. But then, if you think about it, what point does diversity and casting a person of color or an LGBTI person, When does that land on your table as a casting person? Are you halfway through the casting process?

Speaker 2

I like to think that when I'm casting something, I'm always thinking broadly, and by saying broadly, I'm thinking of I'm not actually thinking, oh, I need a cast of white middle class men. You know, I don't think like that it's more like, I know that this person's great

and fun and blah blah blah. So I then present those people to whoever I'm working with, and then I like to think that I'm always putting a bunch of diverse people in there, because I think that's an important role of the casting person, because if you're not doing it, it doesn't start with the casting person, then it's almost a bit too late because you're then relying on someone at the network mainly to say where's the diversity? Now?

If that person's not asking that question, this thing can just go on and suddenly it's on air, and then you've been the show's being criticized and the network's been criticized. But in saying that, some networks are more immediately asking where's the diversity in the cast? Straight away? Which is nice, it's great, and that hasn't always been how it's been. I mean, let's look at a Strain TV. It just

hasn't been like that. I remember, you know, when I was doing the Real Dirty Dancing and I was watching the hilarious Lebanese family on goggle Box, and that again when Fras came up and they went for it's the lad. We love him, you know, And at that moment I thought I hadn't even thought about him like that. I just thought he was a spunk with a good torsie.

Speaker 1

Can you tell me who the best person you've ever cast in your entire life that you've literally basically cut out a picture of them and framed them on the wall because he's so proud of them being cast on a show. And this is no disrespect to everyone that you've ever cast, But is there someone that sticks out in your mind that you go that just worked.

Speaker 2

I did enjoy Patty Newton immediately saying yes to the full Monty. I think she called her breasts Patty and Bert she and it was just it was just the brilliance of someone that you've known since you were a kid suddenly going I'm up for that. And also, you know she's not young, and she was like she was fitter and faster and vibe than most of the other cast.

Speaker 1

The question I always ask everyone on this show is really important. What is your favorite story? So your go to story, Say, when you're sitting around the dinner table for dinner conversation and someone goes, oh, that's right, you're the casting person, you do that, what's your go to story sitting around the dinner table.

Speaker 2

Like all the fun stories were when I was working on Channel V. You know, Courtney loved. That was a great one where we'd been told that unless she has a monitor and she can see herself, she won't do the interview. Now, this was someone who the last time that she was at the big day out that we were filming at, had got up on stage. I mean, I mean almost dead. You know. She was that battling into drugs and she was playing with the top off, you know, I mean she had There were not many

standards there about how she was looking. Fast forward like three years and she's demanding a monitor, you know. So I've been tipped off that this is you know, this is what she needed. So we just got this monitor and plugged it in and we actually lit We lit it so the monitor looked really good. We just tweaked all the buttons on the monitor so that actually didn't we were shooting was we didn't have time and had

one life, so we just did this. I remember sitting in the chair and the cameraman sort of tweaking it to make it look good in the monitor. And pretending I was caught in them. Anyway, she sat down and she goes, well, you guys now had to meet me. Look fucking good. I'll do this interview and she blew off everyone else's the rest of the day.

Speaker 1

And that's how you do it. I just want to say thank you so much for being able to join us. You are hilarious, you have so many fun stories. I'm sure that everyone's gonna love this. Thank you for joining me today.

Speaker 2

All Right, I'mus Levs butt. Come on, I gotta thanks lovely Bye,

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