Interview With LA Casting Director: Deb Dion

How did a girl from North Carolina end up as a Casting Director in Los Angeles?

I think everything I did before ending up here as a Casting Director was the journey I needed to take to get where I am today....ending up in casting was a big surprise to me.

Often we start out on a journey with a goal in mind and along the way we take a turn which really is the right turn for us...not our original goal perhaps but exactly where we

are supposed to be.   I started out as an actress in New York and along the way was approached about going into casting.  I was told I had a good eye for talent.  I almost did not

do it but when i really thought it over, I admitted to myself that I was tired of the struggle and constant search for the next job.  Once i made the decision to go into casting, I never struggled again.

Everything I had done up until that point was the best training I could have gotten to go into casting.  It was meant to be. 

Why do you shlep to ATC year after year woman?

I LOVE ATC.  I am in awe of the amazing staff.  I love them and I love the students and get so excited to see many again and again.  I love the passion and the creativity and the energy and the 

love I feel in the school.  It is my favorite.  I wish I lived there so I could teach every single week.  I look forward to my visit so much.  And I hope to see many familiar faces!!

What is unique about L.A., is it for everyone?

L.A. is a bunch of small towns under the same dome.  I love it.  I found my town here and friends tease me that I never leave it.  No, it is not for everyone.  It is

hard - it can be lonely if you do not have a great support group of family and/or friends.   But it is alive and it is competitive.  If you like to compete - if it inspires you 

and pushes you to be your best then it is the place for you as an actor.  But make sure you are competitive before you come here or it can defeat you.  Know what you

are doing.  Study hard.  I see so many unprepared actors arrive here and LA eats them up and home they go.  Be ready.  

How often do you reach out past L.A. for actors and how does that work? Where do reach out to?

I reach out past LA on every project.  I reach out to NC - I know many of the talent there.  I reach out to ATC since Dibo and associates know all the talent there.

I often post my breakdown to the entire country and Canada.  I sometimes reach out to talent in London and Australia.  The world is so much smaller with technology 

so I can really search and find gold.  

What makes a good impression on you when an actor gets in the room?

Energy energy energy.  Good energy.  I am very sensitive to it.  If you come in with darkness and negativity, I will feel it.  I like actors who come in and who are excited to show me their work.  I like actors who are not in their head about booking the role but just want to live it in the room.  I love actors who have fun and who love creating. Prepared actors are my joy.  Unprepared actors make me crazy.  

Is there one thing you wish actors would keep in the back of their heads when they audition?

I would love them to feel like in that moment they own the role.  They are not renting or just trying it on for size - they own it.  That is when the magic really

happens.  

Explain what your role is as the Casting Director. How much say do you have in the final casting?

I read the script, talk to the director and producers about it and get an idea about what they want in the characters.  Then I go out and try to find the actors who will bring their vision.  Sometimes I try to show them another vision as well with actors they originally did not see in the role.  

I know a lot of actors of course so I schedule them to read for roles they fit and I always try to find new actors in my process as well.  That is very fulfilling for me.  I present the actors I like and the director and producers choose the one they like best.   Ultimately it is their decision but their decision is usually based upon the actors I bring who I like, the knowledge of the actors, their work and their personalities, and my opinion.  Sometimes I will fight for someone who I feel is being overlooked.  And many times I have won.  So it varies from project to project.  It varies from director to director.

Sometimes I just sit back and present my favorites and let them decide and sometimes I go into the ring and fight it out.  

What are you working on these days?

Well I was looking for a couple of American kids for Tim Burton's Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children right before Christmas.  Then after the holidaysI helped out with the kid search for Kenny Lonergan's new movie.  Right now I am starting to work on a feature called The Scent of Rain and Lightning which is based

on the novel by Nancy Pickard.