Ep. 11 - A Chat with Hollywood Casting Living Legend John Frank Levey

Congratulations - you've just found one of the most insightful interviews ever conducted between an actor and an accomplished casting director. In this episode, Thomas speaks with John Frank Levey, the legendary 4-time Emmy Award winning casting director behind some of television's biggest hits including E.R., The West Wing, Shameless, and many, many other productions! Thomas spends much of the episode talking to Frank not of his experiences as a casting director on those shows (you can read all about that in his fantastic book, Right for the Role), but rather, what a casting director looks for in a captivating audition from an invigorating, new actor. The pair talk about how actors he's cast breakthrough roles, like Jeremey Allen Wright evolving from his character in Shameless over the years into Carmy on The Bear, and why John's frank vulnerability in this book serves as such a sterling example of how we as actors can operate with vulnerability in our auditions and truly captivate our auditors (brownie points to those who caught that pun.) If there's one episode in this season that you absolutely cannot afford to miss, it's this one.

About John: For nearly four decades, John has been instrumental in casting some of the most revolutionary — and beloved — television shows of all time, including China Beach, ER, The West Wing, Third Watch, Southland, Animal Kingdom, and Shameless. A recipient of the Casting Society of America’s prestigious Hoyt Bowers Award for Lifetime Achievement and four Primetime Emmy Awards, Levey hasn’t just witnessed some of the world’s greatest acting talents make it in Hollywood; in many cases, he’s had a major hand in it. With a deep love of the craft of acting from childhood, legendary casting director and author John Frank Levey has an uncanny knack for knowing who’s right for the role. And, thanks to incredible professional opportunities and collaborations, he discovered the role he was destined to play in television history — and life. So he put it in a book. Order from John's website to receive a signed copy of his book, Right for the Role, by visiting https://www.johnfranklevey.com.