Why I Love Casting Docudramas

Casting director Nikki Meadows explains why docudramas are a serious, award-winning genre offering actors the chance to tell emotionally truthful stories with integrity.

In this article, I’ll showcase why I love drama-documentaries and why I think they offer an exciting opportunity for actors to showcase their skills. Over the coming weeks, in a series of articles, I’ll explore what I look for in a docudrama performance and the stakes involved when real people’s lives meet crafted storytelling. I’ll dive deeper into the challenges of authenticity and equal opportunity, the responsibility of working with true stories, and how we can bring a fresh lens to factual material. Together, we’ll look at how docudrama can evolve, reach new audiences and shine a light on stories that deserve to be told.

It’s time to change your way of thinking about docudramas and the opportunities they present for storytelling.

Nikki’s Summary:

• Approach docudrama projects with an open mind, as they offer serious, award-winning opportunities that can be as high-calibre as full dramas.
• Focus on delivering honest, emotionally truthful and naturalistic performances rather than trying to imitate the physical appearance of the real people you are portraying.
• Be aware that casting directors are often looking for fresh talent for these projects, which can create excellent opportunities for both emerging and established actors.

Drama-documentaries demand a delicate balance, blending the authenticity of real people’s stories and historical events with the craft of actors who can bring those stories to life. As a casting director specialising in the format, I’ve seen first-hand how thoughtful casting shapes the emotional core of these productions and elevates audience engagement…and it’s where I’ve found some of the most powerful, moving and meaningful work of my career.

Whether it’s a historical drama or a modern story where families of the real people may be watching, casting with respect and authenticity is everything. I look for thoughtful, natural, layered performances. It’s not about lookalikes. It’s about emotional truth. Actors often get the chance to reveal lesser-known sides of familiar stories. That’s a fascinating responsibility and one that takes emotional intelligence and openness.

I’ve heard plenty of, “They don’t do docudrama,” from agents over the years, but the truth is not all docudramas are created equal.

I’ve been lucky to work with brilliant directors and showrunners, working from powerful scripts with epic production ambitions and shooting with cinematographers whose work is stunning. These productions look incredible. The drama is absolutely on par with full drama, so I’ll always say to actors, please read the scripts, look at what the story is saying and set aside past assumptions.

Great Storytelling is Great Storytelling

Docudramas are winning BAFTAs and Emmys. They’re giving focus to untold histories and overlooked people. They’re bringing a fresh lens to old stories, engaging new audiences to history they might not have felt was relevant to them. Some are shining a light on injustices of the past, looking for answers and calling for action. It’s a genre worth taking seriously.

In drama-documentaries, we get to honour real stories with integrity. Casting Disaster at Sea: The Piper Alpha Story docudrama was one of the most humbling jobs I’ve done. The series centred around the Cullen Inquiry, with actors on screen voicing verbatim testimony from the men who survived that night. It couldn’t be theatrical. It had to be honest and true. That kind of material demands actors who get the weight of what they’re doing. Some productions allow more stylised performance and that’s great too (we’ve had a lot of fun with some epic shows!), but with real-life trauma, we have to strip everything back and get the tone right. These stories deserve nothing less.

A Unique Opportunity for All Actors

Docudramas are a brilliant space for emerging actors. Often, high-profile casting doesn’t feel right and that opens the door to fresh, exceptional talent of all ages. So, we’re meeting new talent all the time, which is about as good as it gets for a casting director (and hopefully welcome news to actors worried that we call the same agents/actors in every time. We don’t).

At the same time, there’s a real buzz when we bring in actors who’ve never considered the genre before. Casting Charles Dance as ‘Michelangelo’ for Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty (dir. Emma Frank, BBC Two) was a proud moment. And the first time I realised he looks just like my Dad as Michelangelo!

In short, drama-documentaries are exciting, creative work that can surprise everyone involved. It’s demanding, exciting work and with brilliant casts attached, we are bringing to life everything from The Gunpowder Plot to America’s Founding Fathers, while championing pioneers like Olive Morris and the Suffragettes. I want to encourage actors to look with fresh eyes at the format and embrace the value of this kind of storytelling. 

Actionable Insights:

• Navigating the world of docudramas can be an exciting path for new actors. The genre offers a unique opportunity to tell powerful, real-life stories and can be an excellent way to gain experience. Here are a few actionable insights to help you get started.
• Focus on delivering honest, natural and layered performances, as casting directors prioritise emotional truth over a physical resemblance to a real person.
• Read every script carefully to understand the story’s tone and intent and don’t make assumptions about the genre based on past productions.
• Embrace the opportunity to audition for docudramas, as many casting directors actively look for fresh, emerging talent of all ages for these projects.

Watch Disaster at Sea: The Piper Alpha Story on BBC iPlayer.

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Nikki Meadows is a UK-based Casting Director working across television and film in both the UK and the US, with a focus on factual drama and high-end drama documentaries. She is a full member of the Casting Directors’ Guild, the Casting Directors Association and a voting member of BAFTA.