Christine Ebersole - American Academy of Dramatic Arts

An interview with Carol Nadell,
Owner and Founder of
Selective Casting
Working in Industrials
Can you explain to us what an
“industrial” is?
I like to say that an industrial is a film, a
video, a play with a purpose. It may be
to educate, to train, to market. It can be
very entertaining but, unlike other areas
where the purpose is solely to entertain,
an industrial has another purpose,
usually to educate, as well.
How much money can an actor
expect to earn doing industrials?
An actor can make as much money
doing an industrial in one day as they
will make in a week doing an Off-
Broadway play. There is usually a flat
fee – no residuals although the rules
are changing.
How did you become a Casting
Director?
I was an actress and I had a friend who
worked in one of the major corporations
– this was before there were
independent casting directors – and
they needed actors. I brought in my
friends and the company was very
happy with them and told me that this
could be a terrific cottage business for
me. Initially I declined, because I was an
actress. When I left acting, I didn’t
immediately turn to casting, it took five
years. But I would do some casting
occasionally. One day the New York
Times was doing a story on corporate
television and the reporter had heard
that I was an “expert” in this field.The
story came out and I was quoted, and
people told me that I was good in business,
so I took a business course, and in
1988 my agency, Selective Casting was
born. It feeds me both financially and
emotionally because I am able to help
actors and run a business in a way that
I would like to be treated.
How do you audition actors?
I bring actors in when I have something
for them. I don’t do generals. I don’t see
monologues; I hear them on scripts in a
cold-reading. I sit with them and I talk
to them and I get to know them.To be
an effective casting director you have
to like actors.When spending the time
this way I get to form an impression of
them. I like to say that I don’t have a
pool of actors, I have a river – actors
are constantly changing.
How much input do you have
as the CD?
It depends upon the client.As a job
comes in, actors will immediately come
to mind.The initial session with the
client is small – approximately 6-10
actors.The client relies upon me to be
the screener. After the initial session I
will be in the room with the director,
producer and the client who will
choose their favorites.They show their
client (who may be a corporate client)
their choices and then the field is narrowed
down.There have been times
when I have been asked for my input.
And this is when having personal
knowledge of the actor is important.
What is a typical Day?
It depends upon the industrial. Like on
a soap, there is not a lot of rehearsal
time.An actor has to do his homework.
Acting is acting. It’s playing off someone’s
behavior. It’s [an industrial] hard
because it’s done for a purpose; they
are not necessarily a piece of cake – it
can be difficult because it’s not organic
and the actor has to make it organic.
There may be language that is difficult
as in the case of an industrial for a
pharmaceutical company.
What is one of the more interesting
projects you have worked on?
I was working for a religious theme
park in Branson, Mo. when I was asked
to find an actor to play Jesus. I found
an AADA alumnus for the part!
Sometime later, the theme park was
working on a piece about Adam and
Eve, and they asked me to find the
same Jesus. I called the actor, who happened
to be vacationing in Singapore at
the time. My client flew the actor in for
one day to play Jesus and flew him back
to Singapore.
Any Pet Peeves?
Actors who don’t come with a headshot,
don’t take responsibility and who
have such insecurities that they come in
with a chip on their shoulder. Being so
focused on getting the job as opposed
to having the experience of auditioning.
When actors come in they should make
decisions and bring something to the
table. I would rather see an actor make
a strong choice, and from there I can
make adjustments.
Any advice?
An audition starts the moment you
come into the room. Be yourself and
see it as an opportunity. I want actors
to be wonderful as much as they want
to be wonderful. In the end, it may not
be the role for you but that doesn’t
mean that you are not right for something
else. We’re all in this creative collaboration
together.We all have roles to
play; you’re allowed to ask questions.As
Kipling wrote, “If you can dream and
not make dreams your master.” It’s a
tough business. If you have the dream –
pursue it. Give yourself five years and
after those five years give yourself
another five years…