Sunday Mirror (UK)
Lucille Howe, August 10, 2003

Posted by Pfyre on the POTC Movie Group

Dan Hubbard is the youngest member of London's family-run Hubbard Casting. He has cast Lord Of The Rings and Tomb Raider, and counts Kate Winslet among his discoveries.

`There's a common attitude in every successful actor - it's a swagger, gifted timing and the unflinching confidence that they actually should be in every film ever made. A good performer doesn't really "act", they just have a brilliant screen technique.

When we found Kate Winslet, we'd gone down to see her year at Redroof Theatre School in Berkshire to help director Peter Jackson cast Heavenly Creatures. We'd already seen thousands of girls, none of them right. As we walked down a line of girls with acamera, we landed on Kate and knew there was something special about her. We took her to meet Peter and he fell in love with her. She was very driven, intelligent and hungry for success - possibly no different to how she is today. When Colin Farrell walked into our offices in Dublin and introduced himself, all the girls just said, "Wow. He's so good-looking." We got him into the casting loop straight away and he picked up Ballykissangel. He was constantly up for projects. He's acharming man.

As far I'm aware the "casting couch", as people refer to it, doesn' t exist. Sure, I've dated a few actresses (I'm not saying who) but I've certainly never slept with anyone over a role. It's a family business, with an open-plan office so I'd never getaway with it. In the States, maybe, but these days you'd get sued.

You have to have a very good relationship with the actors, but more importantly with their agents. They're in control of the talent - well, them and the managers, publicists and advisors. When we deal with Johnny Depp, for example, there are 10 people wehave to talk to before we even send him the script. Even then, he may be receiving up to 20 a day. I might also come up against, "Julia Roberts is only doing romantic comedy," so I won't bother sending her a sci-fi script.

Lord Of The Rings took four months to cast. We met all the big English actors for Gandalf, but Ian McKellen was exactly right. I think Peter had settled on him right from the start. And Orlando Bloom had walked into our office a few years before. Hewasn't a trained actor - in fact, he could have been a model. I made friends with him and we sat in Soho Square and perfected his script reading. By the time Lord Of The Rings was in pre-production, he'd studied drama at The Guildhall (as did JosephFiennes), done an episode of Casualty and he was ready. Peter Jackson was like, "Who is this guy?" - and the rest is history.

We had more difficulty with Tomb Raider - we saw hundreds of Lara Crofts. One useless model actually asked me what to do with the script - you just hold it to one side or arrive having learnt it. Eventually, we decided a British name didn't have theweight to carry a big franchise, so the director went to the US to talk to Angelina Jolie. She'd just won an Oscar for Girl, Interrupted, so she was hot property.

But I do like to cast people you wouldn't expect to see in the role. I'm certainly not limited by stereotypes. Occasionally, I get in " real" people (the Vinnie Jones types who aren't necessarily actors), models, comedians... To me it's obvious if actors have the right chemistry. Sometimes you feel responsible when they eventually get it together. I cast Andrea Corr and Teachers' Sean Evans on a recent project and now they're an item. It's funny.

Is there anyone I get nervous meeting? Well, there was one time when I went to see Ewan McGregor in the play Malcolm And The Eunuchs. Trainspotting is my favourite film and Renton is a character of pure vision, so when I knocked on the door and he said,"Come in," I just started stuttering like an idiot.' Jane Deitch is head of casting for BBC Drama Series. After 15 years in the business, she now oversees the casting of 12 flagship BBC shows, including EastEnders, Holby City and Casualty.

`When I audition actors it's pure talent I'm looking for - something in their performance that puts butterflies in my stomach. TV is very close- up so I need people who keep their movement very minimal. And I don't want actors to be skinny, justcomfortable in their own skin. Discovering new talent is a matter of going to all the drama school showcases, fringe and mainstream theatre. A colleague spotted Tamzin Outhwaite in Oliver! and I found her fellow former EastEnders star Michael French when he was in a production of LesMiserables. Some say you can't put musical theatre people on the telly because the genres are so different, but that's clearly not true.

Martine McCutcheon was part of a girl group when I auditioned her for EastEnders. She came in for the part of Tiffany looking so sweet and pretty, and we said, "Look, we love you, but you have to sass yourself up a bit." Next day, in a short skirt andtons of lipstick, she sold us the part. Actors are always overwhelmed when we take them around the set on their first day, and it was even more bizarre for Martine to find a poster of her girl band up under the bridge - it was life imitating art. Sometimes characters are created by actors in special workshops. The Slater girls came together that way when Jessie Wallace and the girls started playing around with ideas. Nobody knew we'd come out of those sessions with a family of sisters - myassistant, Julia Crampsie, should take the credit for nurturing that.

Occasionally, if we're casting a couple for a show, the director asks that the actors don't meet until they come into the room, so we can watch how they react to each other. When two actors have the right chemistry, you just can't ignore it. Other timesyou see it developing on screen, like with Kat and Alfie. We all said, "We have to do something with that."

Do I get criticism for my choices? Sure. EastEnders is a long-running show and people are passionate about characters. When the Slaters moved in, everyone was like, "These women are taking over the square." Then they settle in, and everyone feels morecomfortable. It's like getting used to a new member of the family. When I cast Holby City and Casualty, I don't cast nurse types and victims, I cast people. I'd seen Jeremy Sheffield before for another show and he hadn't been right, but if we like someone at the BBC we try to find them a home. The special ones, likeClaire Goose, go all the way to the top. I gave her her first job, in an education programme called Landmarks. Afterwards, we gave her Casualty and now she stars in Waking The Dead. The BBC doesn't haven't any contracts with artists to tie them to thestation but we do commit to developing actors by using them again and again. And for every part we see about six people. I cast 2,500 actors last year. That's a lot of new stars.'

David Grindrod is the principal casting director for West End musicals. He put Denise Van Outen and Claire Sweeney in Chicago and hopes to land Melanie Griffith to play the part of Roxie. `What I'm looking for depends on the show I'm casting. For example, with Chicago, I need people with good bodies and a skill for choreography. I always thought Denise Van Outen could sing and dance, but nobody just gets the part - she auditioned, justlike everyone else. I can' t remember what she sang, but I do remember she impressed everyone.

Claire Sweeney and Gaby Roslin came to us. A lot of people drop by for a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive. Claire said, "I want to do a musical," so we had a chat and I suggested Chicago. Likewise with Gaby. You might consider them unusual choices,but producers trust us and the public like to see a name they recognise. I don't make mistakes - I've got great taste. Marti Pellow was also in Chicago, playing the lawyer, Billy Flynn. It was his idea to do the show but he was really nervous. To his credit he worked really hard, took acting lessons and pulled it off.

Other discoveries? Years ago I was casting Joseph And His Technicolor Dreamcoat for Andrew Lloyd Webber, and I'd seen Phillip Schofield on TV. "Give him a go," said Andrew. So I phoned up his agent and asked if Phillip could sing. "In the shower, sure!"he said, so we called him in for a private audition, he got the gig and was on stage for two years.

Usually it takes longer to find the right actor for the role. It took two years to cast the original Bombay Dreams, then for the new cast I saw hundreds of people but ended up giving the lead roles to the original understudies. On the other hand, when I cast the largely unknown Steve Balsamo as the original Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, he was the first person we saw. He came in at 9.30am and sang our socks off. It was fantastic, the right person just walking in. We calledhim back in 14 times because we couldn't believe we'd been so lucky straight away.

I'd like Melanie Griffith to play Roxie in Chicago on the West End stage, just like she's doing on Broadway. Antonio Banderas is there as well doing a show called Nine. He can come too. I won't say how much these actors get paid. They get good rates but it's not about the money. It's a big thing, you know, performing eight times a week to a live audience, but it's a kick they won't find anywhere else.'

What does this face say to you? Our writer, Lucille, put herself under the casting directors' scrutiny to see how they might cast her on first impressions. Dan, the film expert: `You have the right look for the sassy girl-next-door, the comedy mate ofthe lead actress. It's a good picture - you've got a nice smile, and vibrant eyes. There' s definitely comic potential.' Jane, the TV expert: `It's a great photo. That's a good start. It actually looks like you. You'd be surprised how many people don'tlook like their photo, and I'll be like, "Is that really her?" I can see from the picture that you have a good sense of humour - maybe for a comedy role - but I wouldn't cast you until I saw you act.' David, the theatre expert: `You have a good over-alllook. You could play as young as late teens because you've got a slim face and good skin. Maybe a part in Our House, or something more exotic like Velma or Roxie in Chicago. Can you get your leg over your head?'

OUR CASTING DIRECTORS' FINDS
Left to right: Jane Deitch cast EastEnders' Slater sisters and Waking The Dead star Claire Goose; David Grindrod launched the stage careers of Phillip Schofield in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Denise Van Outen in Chicago; Dan Hubbard discovered Kate Winslet, Colin Farrell and Orlando Bloom