We were lucky - we found our Cass, Lubitch, Menendez, and Handler that day. These were not just competent actors, but fabulous.
Lexie first contacted us in response to our ad on Backstage West. In addition to her head shot, she sent photos of herself lying on a grave. (!!) I was dying of curiosity - were these photos already part of her portfolio, or did she have them done specifically for the role we advertised - that of a goth girl who lives in a cemetery. I emailed and asked her this very question. She replied with honesty that these photos had already been taken several months ago.
One could interpret that as an omen - here was someone so perfectly suited for the part of Cass that she was already hanging out in cemeteries. Plus, she looked the part - waifish, with big expressive eyes. We invited her in to audition, and I prayed that she could act.
It's not easy auditioning for the part of a mute girl. The scene we had her do was the one in which she is found cutting herself by Shore. We needed an actress who could convey every emotion through her eyes and body language. And she BLEW us away. Lexie was only 16, but she had the stage presence of a 30-year-old.
The remaining candidates just did not knock us over. Some of them were downright stiff. Michael had each applicant read the audition piece several times over, to give them as much a chance as possible. He also wanted to see how well they took direction.
It was a productive day, but we were still missing three of our four leads - Shore, Jorge, and Lola. Another day of auditions would have to be set up.
I did not look forward to running another ad in Backstage West, and then clicking open each respondent's email, one by one. Fortunately, my cousin Marla produces commercials, so she had a casting director account on lacasting.com. When she heard we were casting, she set up a 'project' for us with descriptions of our available roles. We started receiving applicants immediately. Lots of them. I was able to click on the name 'Shore' and instantly see hundreds of head shots on one screen - very efficient. It was like being a kid in a candy store. It was like being a single person on match.com.
Once again, I studied the applicants' photos, looking for that undefinable "spark" that could somehow transcend their frozen expressions. I couldn't care less about their level of experience. I selected only a few out of every hundred Shores, Jorges, and Lolas.
Tip #1 for Actors - Don't skimp on headshots. Hire the best photographer you can find.
When Marla set up the lacasting.com breakdown, she indicated that either males or females could apply for the role of Lola, our flamboyant transvestite waitress. We received 99% females and 1% males. But I wanted a male. Yes, I know Felicity Huffman won accolades for playing a transvestite in "Transamerica." I watched that film, and personally, I could not for a minute suspend my disbelief. I wanted my Lola to be a male, which means I had to wade through the list of Shore applicants.
One young Shore applicant had both an irresistible smile and beautiful blue eyes. He was flawless. I could easily imagine him wearing a wig and high heels. Now I had the challenge of calling him up and somehow selling him on the Lola role, in spite of the fact that he had submitted for Shore. Fortunately, Macauley needed no convincing. He was perfectly game to come in and read for whichever part we wanted. And so we invited him to the next audition day, Feb. 17.
It is never a good idea to limit yourself to a single applicant for a critical role. Lola was the heart and soul of the story. What if he was a no-show? What if he looked great but was a terrible actor? Or a terrible transvestite?
While I was surfing lacasting, Michael posted an ad on craigslist advertising for a transvestite. Almost immediately - within an hour - we received an email from an applicant named Willam:
hi
Lots of experience including CSI:NY last month, Because I Said So (in theaters now) and a 5 episode stint on Nip/Tuck as Cherry Peck, a transexual.
full resume and more pics available at my site below
willing to work for no pay and relish any chance to do funny roles instead of all embattered trannies.
I'm easy to work with and hit my marks, am frequent with sexual favors, and bring 2 kinds of chili (turkey or tofu) with me to work (just kidding about that last one)
Clearly the most clever and appealing cover letter received thus far. I went straight to his web site and saw that he was not only a professional transvestite with experience in TV, movies, and the Vegas stage (this was the only time I was impressed by credentials), but he was GORGEOUS. He looked (in drag) like a young, thin Anna Nicole. I was ready to hire him on the spot.
The web site contained a link to a youtube video. It was a hysterical parody of cop shows called 'Tranny Magyver', with him playing the lead. I was ecstatic. I immediately emailed Michael: "There is a God." We booked Willam for the next round of auditions.
I wasn't extremely thrilled with the office space we had rented the previous week, so I found a theatre group in Hollywood willing to rent their stage for $15.00/hour. We were good to go for Audition Day Two.
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