SXSWORLD

Alexa Fogel Brings Casting Directors Out of the Shadows by Eric Kohn and Oz, and her peers, respect finally seems to be coming. "Historically, casting directors started as secretaries to producers in T here is no Oscar or Tony award for casting direction, but for Alexa Fogel, a veteran casting director who has worked on the- ater, film and television projects for decades, including The Wire the Hollywood system," says Fogel, currently casting the second season of HBO's New Orleans-set drama, Treme. "It's been a slow process, but we're finally part of a union. We used to be the only people on a movie set who didn't have health coverage." Why this lack of recognition? "The general population doesn't really understand what casting directors do," she theorizes. A casting director, she says, creates a "mental database" of talent, from watching a lot of movies and television, remembering faces and names from auditions and compiling lists of suggestions based on the criteria set forth by the writer, director and other members of the production team. "There's a misperception that casting directors just pick people rather than being part of the collaborative creative process," she says. "We're facilitators. You need unbelievable organizational skills." Fogel's description calls to mind the sort of responsibilities more commonly associated with a producer. Unsurprisingly, Fogel also has produced many projects, including Simon Pegg's Run, Fatboy, Run and the 2009 SXSW entry Helena From the Wedding. Juggling that role in addition to numerous casting jobs at once, Fogel claims her multifaceted career speaks to a versatility required of many people in the industry. "One of the things about being good at casting has to do with understanding a lot of different elements of production, such as writing, directing, acting or producing," she says. "My goal is to demystify the process." Fogel began her career by directing plays in college, followed by work which helped foster the warm reception for Helena From the Wedding. "There's this sense that you're tucked in with other filmmakers," she says. "There's so much mutual support. It's so convivial and film-friendly— so much easier than other festivals." Alexa Fogel (right), with Brendan Mason (left) and Joseph Infantolino (center) at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival. works on high profile film productions, such as the recently-completed David Gordon Green project The Sitter, starring Jonah Hill. The two media offer vastly different challenges. "Television is back-breakingly hard," she says, particularly because it just keeps going. "Movies are hard, but they always end." However, she points out that most of her television projects have been contained to 12-episode seasons. She appreciates the opportunity to view some of the results of her casting choices in individual episodes, so she can apply that knowledge to future installments: "Once I have a sense that what we're doing is what I think we're doing, I can continue in perpetuity." That sort of discipline does not come easily. Fogel insists that aspiring casting directors have to apprentice on projects for at least two years before they can try the job themselves. "You can't just do it," she says. Returning to SXSW this year, Fogel looks at the festival experience as an extension of her work. "My job is to see as much as I can," she says. At the same time, she enjoys the intimate nature of the environment, 38 SXSW ORLD / F EBRUAR Y 2011 in an "off-off" Broadway theater. When the house casting director left in the middle of the season, Fogel took over. After ABC invited her to work as a consultant on a pilot season for one the network's programs, she permanently shifted to film and television projects. "There are so many great theater casting directors … I don't miss it," she explains. "The stuff I'm working on now is what I want to do." In addition to major television shows such as Treme, Fogel often " There's a misperception that casting directors just pick people rather than being part of the collaborative creative process," ... "We're facilitators. You need unbelievable organizational skills." Fogel says she always values the individual connections that she forms with present and future collaborators. "You can have three auditions where you don't get the part but then land something on the fourth one," she says. "One of the things I try to explain to actors is that this is a lifelong relationship." n Whether looking to fill another role or simply shaking another hand, Alexa Fogel will moderate "The Art of Casting: Unraveling the Myth" panel at the SXSW Film Conference. Check sxsw.com/film for additional details.

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