At the packed Pavlos Zannas theater, on Friday morning, November 8th, the audience of the Thessaloniki Film Festival had the opportunity to attend a unique masterclass about the art of casting delivered by the renowned American casting director Ellen Lewis. Being amongst the most acclaimed professionals in her field, the experienced Ellen Lewis has some impressive collaborations under her belt, with some of the most iconic filmmakers in the history of cinema, such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Jim Jarmusch. She has also contributed to legendary films and television series, including The Scent of a Woman, The Wolf of Wall Street, Goodfellas, and Queen’s Gambit. In the masterclass “The Art and Craft of Casting,” Lewis divulged her techniques and secrets for the casting process with the audience, analyzing the key moments of her great career.
The artistic director of the Festival, Orestis Andreadakis, welcomed Ellen Lewis to the Festival: "Today we are hosting a legend, perhaps the most famous casting director in the industry. But what is a casting director exactly? During the previous days, we hosted Juliette Binoche, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Dillon. So, a casting director is the one behind the stars, the one who transforms an actor into a star," he initially said and then he went on to welcome Ellen Lewis immediately afterwards, amidst an ovation from the audience.
"I feel anxious, I have never done anything like this before, but I am very delighted to be here, and I’d like to thank the Festival, Angeliki Petrou and Leda Galanou. It's great to be among you, and not in the US right now," Ellen Lewis initially mentioned. Unraveling the threads of her long career from the very beginning, and by screening excerpts from several legendary films she was involved in, Lewis highlighted several pivotal collaborations in her career, sharing the secrets of a successful career with the audience: "Early on in my career, I worked on small productions in Chicago, where I originate from, having no clue about what the job of a casting director included. In 1982, I was lucky enough to meet my mentor, Juliet Taylor, and her mentor, Marion Dougherty. I learned everything from Juliet, who in turn had learned everything from Marion, one of the pioneers in the casting process. Taylor kicked off her career during the 1950s, when live television emerged, and thus there was an urgent need for casting directors," she stated, while showcasing a background photo of the three women.
Immediately afterwards, Ellen Lewis referred to the main characteristics she considers a requirement for a casting director, thoroughly unfolding her own experience: “I think indispensable qualities for a casting director are curiosity, kindness towards the actors, so as to make them comfortable. I have incredible respect for actors, casting directors have to be on their side at all times. However, I realize it's difficult. Every time I start a film, even now, and believe me I've been doing this job for a very long time, I still get nervous. I keep wondering if I can make it in this business, but simultaneously, every new beginning is extremely riveting," she said.
Next, she referred to the first turning point in her career: “The first project I was involved in for Juliet, who is indeed the most important casting director of all time, was Woody Allen’s film, Broadway Danny Rose, in which I was responsible for the supporting roles. Working in Woody Allen’s films was an essential component of my traineeship with Juliet, and each of these experiences was truly astonishing. Getting in touch with the producer of my own films was the starting point of my collaboration with Martin Scorsese.”
She then talked about her encounter with Martin Scorsese, which was a breakthrough for her: "When Woody Allen's producer was working on the film New York Stories, Martin Scorsese, who was directing one of the film’s three episodes, had not found a casting director yet. At the time, Martin was at a turning point in his career. The Last Temptation of Christ had just been released in theaters. We worked together on Life Lessons, his own segment in New York Stories, and eight months later he called me to collaborate on The Goodfellas. I wasn't aware of the impact this would have on my career. I've been working with Martin ever since, for 35 years," she said, visibly touched.
She then touched upon her experience working in The Scent of a Woman: "After participating in The Goodfellas, I started receiving more phone calls. When I got the offer for The Scent of a Woman, directed by Martin Brest, I was initially hesitant but eventually accepted thanks to a friend who worked as an assistant at the William Morris Agency, who encouraged me not to hesitate," she said, before referring to the different actors in the film and their subsequent successes: "June Squibb became a movie star at the age of 80 through Alexander Payne's Nebraska. Frances Conroy was brilliant in the television series Six Feet Under, as well as in many other films. Not to mention, Philip Seymour Hoffman. There are so many different moments during which an actor can make the leap, transforming their career entirely, but you can never tell if and when such a thing will occur," she added.
Then she referred to her collaboration with the renowned filmmaker Sara Driver, who is a part of this year’s jury at the Festival’s International Competition section, and Jim Jarmusch. “I did the casting in Sara Driver’s film, When Pigs Fly, and she introduced me to Jim Jarmusch, with whom I ended up collaborating from 1996 until today. This is the second longest professional relationship with a filmmaker," she said, before adding: "Jim works in a way that differs from the way most directors work. It's a peaceful process with him, he trusts me completely and we always come to a mutual decision," she commented, and then a snippet from Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai was screened immediately afterwards.
Furthermore, she didn’t fail to mention her collaboration with Steven Spielberg, showcasing an excerpt from The Post: "I contributed to three of Steven's films: Bridge of Spies, Ready Player One, and The Post. I try to pick actors who have something that makes them stand out, who are not like the others. Every once in a while, I'll become obsessed with an actor, like Jesse Plemons, and I was so happy to recommend him to Steven for The Bridge of Spies and The Post, while I also selected him for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman."
Then, she referred to his experiences from working in television series, speaking about the success of the film, The Queen’s Gambit: “Nothing makes me happier than going to the cinema. Television is not exactly what I do, but things change. The Queen’s Gambit was released during the beginning of the pandemic, and it seemed like it resonated with the people. I believed Anya Taylor Joy would be perfect for Ready Player One, but Steven didn’t perceive the role the same way. You know, it’s interesting how things unfold,” she stated, and then displayed to the audience an excerpt from Martin Scorsese’s film, Killers of the Flower Moon. “Making this film was an amazing journey. I had the opportunity to initiate an open call, working with a wonderful casting director, Renee Haines, who specializes in casting indigenous American roles. We did an open call in Oklahoma, in November, 2019, and 2,500 people showed up,” she added.
In response to a question about the process of auditions, the acclaimed casting director stated: “Experience doesn’t play such a pivotal role. I try to limit each scene to two or three pages because I get the impression it is very hard on the actors. I always keep in mind what the filmmaker is seeking. It’s a bit intuitive, as I try to evaluate who or what will live up to the filmmaker’s requirements.” On the Academy Awards acknowledging casting directors this year, in 2024, she remarked: “This development in the Academy Awards is an extremely important achievement for the casting community. We have been striving to achieve this recognition for years, and we managed it at long last. Unfortunately, certain casting directors are no longer with us, and they will not get the recognition they deserve. Julia Taylor will receive an honorary Academy Award, and I couldn’t be prouder. She deserves it so much, she probably would have won at least six or seven awards throughout her career,” she stressed. When asked to provide some suggestions to filmmakers so that a better relationship with the casting director can be established, she stated: "You have to build a relationship with the casting director so as to trust in the ideas they present to you in the same way that you probably want to connect with anyone else on your crew, the director of photography or production designer for instance.”
