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The Casting Director Index

Bookmark this page for easy access to the tips and advice across all our content from the casting directors you may find yourself auditioning for.

Spotlight has always championed the role of casting directors, and over the years we’ve had the opportunity to speak to the best the UK and Ireland has to offer. We have interviews, advice articles, videos, podcasts and more in our News and Advice section – full of valuable tips and advice for our actor members.

To make it easier to look through this wealth of knowledge, we’ve put together this index of all the content we’ve done with every casting director we’ve spoken to. You can find everything from what they want to see in auditions and self-tapes to how they cast internationally, their preferred approach to networking, and their experience casting your favourite productions for the stage and screen.

You never know who your next audition will be with, but if that casting director is on this list, hopefully our content can help share some insight on their preferences.

This page was last updated on 03/01/25.

Casting directors in alphabetical order by last name:

Jump to: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | S | T | V | W

Sonia Allam

“Never walk into an audition with an excuse.”

Jane Anderson CDG

“You want [a headshot] that’s well-lit and is basically a reference to the person who’s going to walk in the room.”

Emma Ashton

“Sometimes you get two set different things, so you have to cast quite creatively.”

Heather Basten

“If you do learn your lines it just makes such a difference in the room and there’s more time as well to just do more things.”

Sharon Bialy CSA

“[A self-tape] is not a performance – you’re not being paid yet. It’s really to hear your voice in the character.”

Nancy Bishop CSA

“Actors need to concentrate on the work before the marketing. [Sometimes] they’re marketing too much when they should be working on their craft.”

Lucy Bevan

“Got for it. Put your own take on [a self-tape] because you don’t know what anyone’s looking for.”

Andy Brierley CDG

“Any interaction with a casting director benefits from a real person being there rather than someone just trying to put on a professional appearance.”

Emily Brockman

“Make sure that we can see and hear you clearly [in a self-tape]. It is honestly the most important thing.”

Aisha Bywaters

“Stay in your own lane. [Don’t] worry about what’s happening with everyone else around you.”

John Cannon

“Avoid excuse making such as ‘I only just got the script last night, I haven’t had time.’ It may well be a true and valid reason, but not something you want to play too strongly.”

Kristian Charbonier

“An interesting and exciting moment of any casting process is when we come to the realisation that someone who might not fit as obviously or inherently as is described or understood to be comes in and shines light on what the character could be.”

Nathalie Cheron

“I think we all agree on the showreel that it should be no longer than four minutes, that we don’t care about people running on the beach with music. We want to hear people act and talk.”

Kharmel Cochrane

“A lot of the time there’s no rhyme or reason to [commercial casting]. I could do a commercial, see 20 people. The five people who did the best performance might not even get pencilled.”

Ellie Collyer-Bristow

“Sometimes those phone calls are annoying, but if they’re right, the reason we’ve put the breakdown out is because we want your help. We want your suggestions.”

Irene Cotton

“Learning lines, getting a good night’s rest and researching as much as you can about the role all contribute to building your best performance.”

Kahleen Crawford CDG

“One of my top tips for actors is to be very well prepared – preferably off-book.”

Anna Dawson

“I would never expect an under 16 year old to have a showreel unless they’re working all the time.”

Rachel Desmarest

“Don’t put all the stuff you’ve ever done in one showreel.”

Amanda Lenker Doyle CSA

“I like to just meet people and get to know the person as a person, and not necessarily as an actor.”

Daniel Edwards CDG

“Never look at the camera unless it specifically asks you to. We’ll say that in our notes, ‘Do look at the camera this time because that’s what’s going to happen in the actual show’.”

Lauren Evans

“If ethnicity doesn’t feed into the narrative, we can ask why it has to be this character, can we keep it open and find the best person for the job to make sure everyone is having an opportunity? Because I think that’s what is lacking – the opportunity.”

Rachel Freck

“Good comedy has got a musical rhythm to it. It’s got an innate timing and rhythm, and I did a lot of music in my background and my degree. I hear those comedic rhythms – it’s like a score and it can either be on or off rhythmically.”

Martin Gibbons

“I have very specific thoughts on showreels. In my mind, showreels only work if you have the footage to warrant one. Don’t run before you can walk.”

Nina Gold

“You’ve got the sides, if you haven’t learned it but [are] looking at the page and trying to remember what it is you’re meant to be doing, it’s not conducive to the best possible audition.”

David Grindrod

“Remember all the people in the room at the final [audition] can do the role(s), so it’s a case of putting the jigsaw in place with heights, dance, singing, acting, covering, etc.”

Thom Hammond

“You’re taping a quick audition in the same way that most meetings are quick the first time you go in for any job. What that means is you shouldn’t put any more or less thought into it than would go into that meeting.”

Kelly Valentine Hendry CDG

“I don’t like having to skip through three or four minutes [in a showreel] in order to find somebody’s best work.”

Sophie Holland

“I’m completely drawn to are actors that make it feel so completely true and honest that they draw you in. You don’t question what you’re hearing; you don’t question the choices that they’ve made. It feels natural.”

Amy Hubbard

“As you grow in confidence and as you train, as you get more experience, start to work out what would excite you if someone else was to play this part.”

Ros Hubbard CDG

“Own the part. It’s your part, you should be doing it, that’s who you are, do it that way. Don’t do it as an actor doing a part,  do it as ‘this is me, this is how I was meant to be’.”

Maureen Hughes

“Acting and casting has changed so radically over the past 10 years and visibility within this industry as an actor is what you have to work at. Shooting your own stuff, developing material, keeping your presence on Spotlight fresh.”

Peter Hunt

“You don’t expect young performers to have a showreel of really, professionally shot work and I don’t think that’s needed at all. We just need to get a sense of what somebody looks like and what somebody sounds like.”

Kate Rhodes James

“This may seem obvious, but it’s so important to read the whole script before you attend an audition, not just the sections for the part you’re hoping to play.”

Victor Jenkins CDG

“It’s a very subjective field, and you only know what someone’s going to bring to you when you see it. There’s no rhyme or reason as to what’s good and what they can do to stand out.”

Priscilla John CDG

“[Include] something [in your showreel] that makes [us] want to see more.”

Sam Jones

“Be curious. Go and see things, read scripts. Be plugged into the business.”

Avy Kaufman

“Sometimes when I’m working with a team, I’ll give them three choices for something and just say, ‘It’s not that they’re all right, they’re kind of three separate movies, because this one person will give you that. This person will give you that.’”

Louise Kiely

“Each project comes with a different set of challenges, doesn’t it? And I wouldn’t say challenges in a negative way. I’d say challenges in a sort of exciting new adventure way.”

Jerry Knight-Smith

“The most important thing is dealing with nerves. Every actor has got to find some strategy for getting over what we all feel, and nerves can make us do all sort of things that may come across negatively.”

Beatrice Kruger

“As an actor, you should take the time and sit down and really fill in your profile in every single detail. Sit down and think, ‘Okay, what can I do, and how well can I do it?’ It might take half a day, or two days, or even a week maybe, but then when you’ve done that, your profile can work for you.”

 

Tusse Lande

“[Be] on time, but [don’t be] too early, and definitely not too late. And know your lines by heart, because if you know your lines then you can feel a little bit more secure.”

Luci Lenox

“If you haven’t got good material, never show anything that’s not going to show you in a favourable light.”

Matthew Lessall CSA

“Go online. There’s so much free information to figure out how to self-tape correctly.”

Destiny Lilly

“The thing about casting is it’s subjective. Back to the idea of acting being like music, [the right person is] someone who’s able to really hit the notes in a way that sounds right but also fresh.”

Jeanne McCarthy CSA

“I like to really be able to connect with somebody in a genuine way. Not in an actory way.”

Debbie McWilliams

“Don’t confuse [your showreel] with a scene with lots of other people.”

Juliette Ménager

“Be present and prepare!”

Rich Mento

“My job as a casting director is to get to know everyone in the world who is an actor or who may one day be an actor. I’ll never be done and that’s a wonderful thing – it’s exciting!”

Frank Moiselle CSA

“Make sure [your self-tape] is logically named. Maybe your name, [then] the name of the role. Don’t just say ‘Movie 1’ or something like that.”

Verity Naughton

“With theatre, particularly for musicals, you tend to be looking for different disciplines. You’re looking at the acting, the singing and the dancing so that tends to take a bit longer.”

Ruth O’Dowd

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something, if you don’t understand the pronunciation of a word. That’s what we’re here for because we want you to do the best possible job.”

Sue Odell CDA

“You have to have a hard skin. Do something else as well – my husband is an actor, but he’s a carpenter and a gardener as well. Very few actors can survive just being an actor. You have to do other work.”

Dave Peacock

“[Casting directors are] finding the piece of the jigsaw to fit into somebody else’s picture.”

James Pearson

“Remember that you are your own business.”

Rosie Pearson

“It’s really important to find space prior to your audition, either at a studio or at home depending on the style of audition, where you can put yourself in the right headspace.”

Tree Petts

“There’s no point getting [a headshot] that makes you look really beautiful and then you come in and I’m like, ‘Oh, well, you don’t really look like your picture’, or the other way around.”

Kelly Phelan

“Training is the silver bullet – it’s the key to everything. Make as much of your own work as you can and [invite] us to see it.”

Annelie Powell

“Make sure your CV is as complete as possible. Include dates, directors and producer names, companies – everything you can remember. Casting directors and agents have famously good recall and even if they don’t necessarily remember you first-off, then the name of someone you have worked with can help jog their memory.”

Andy Pryor CDG

“Just keep at it. Keep working hard. Get prepared. Be as prepared as you can be.”

Manuel Puro CDG

“Be quiet out in the waiting area and be ready to launch right into the audition. I want to see the character almost as soon as you walk into the room.”

Rachel Sheridan

“If you’re a comedic performer but don’t have any/many credits just yet, then film your own short pieces and put them online. Look at performers like Jonny Weldon, who has used a social platform to create brilliant content.”

Jessica Sherman

“We have a long-term relationship between casting and actors, and the goal as an actor should be to build the relationship, and then the work will follow, as long as you’re preparing yourself for the opportunity.”

Susan Shopmaker

“In a room, you literally watch someone walk into a room. You watch someone open a door, you watch them sit down, and a lot is gleaned from being with an actor. You’re still looking for the same thing – a good performance – but there are lots of other things that come into it.”

Hannah Simons

“Try to be as confident as you can, it’s never great to see people fiddling with their fingers, or looking nervous or scared. Just enjoy yourselves – show me why you love performing!”

Alison Solomon

“I do view showreels but I prefer to see an actor in something, whether that is in a theatre, film or television role.”

Emma Stafford

“Try and get off-script for every audition, as it’ll help you be in the moment and we won’t see you thinking about the next line. It’s about inhabiting the moment and reacting to the scene as if it’s your first time hearing the lines.”

Emma Sylvester

“Record the scene [for a self-tape] a maximum of three times. Hopefully, with your rehearsal, you have gotten yourself to the best possible place performance-wise, so you won’t need to do lots of different takes.”

Lucinda Syson

“You do need, where possible, to gear the showreel around yourself. […] It’s good to have as much material of recent times [as possible], don’t make it all old material.”

Danielle Tarento

“It seems silly but this is really important. If you’re based in Aberdeen we need to know that, as it may affect our expenses budget so at least we can flag it up with your agent when calling you in rather than going through four recalls only to find that you can’t afford the travel and turn the job down!”

Bernard Telsey

“What I love most and feel very lucky about is getting to work with all the other casting directors in the office. Like actors, they are all amazing individuals and bring so much to their projects.”

Patrícia Vasconcelos

“The first thing I would say as a piece of advice would be just be yourself. Don’t try and act anything.”

Martin Vaughan

“A lot of the time, I will be given character artwork from the creative team, so I’ll be using that to guide my casting searches.”

Martin Ware

“With some less experienced young actors, the nervousness can mean that they don’t always listen to notes. They’ll do a scene through and then you might give them a few ideas or a few ways to change it, and they’re just in a place where they aren’t listening and then they don’t enact that thing.”

April Webster CSA

“I would rather there’s more time for the scenes [in a showreel], so I can get a nice variation of different roles that you may have played.”

Lindsey Weissmuller

“We’re going to keep looking for authenticity in performances – and not just authenticity in performances, but authenticity in actors themselves.”

Alex Wheeler

“If you’re sending out a brief that’s very good money, then you’re going to be looking at a higher level of agents. This is quite an awkward conversation, isn’t it really? But it’s true because the narrowing down has to happen somehow.”

Catherine Willis

“[As casting directors] you meet someone and then you go, ‘They’re not right for this’. But you keep them in mind.”

 

Auditioning in the US or with a US casting director? Take a look at the casting index on Casting Networks for more tips and advice.