Casting 75 Principals for Metro PCS: Flex Dancers to Dirigido Musicians to BMX Riders to Ping Pong Players...
Posted by Brooke Thomas
When producer Cathy Cooper first contacted me about casting Metro PCS she laid it on the line. "This job is going to be huge. Are you up for it"? How hard could it be I thought? And so began one of the largest commercial casting jobs I've ever done. France-based Luc Janin, a highly talented director, had not yet done a job in the States so I was to be his first casting director to work with in the US. He and I had several video chats prior to casting so his vision for the commercials and the scope of the casting were clear.
For three different commercials, I found and cast over 75 principals with many different and unusual skills. Flex dancers, ping pong players, runners, musicians, dirigido players, bike messengers, BMX kids, families, people of all ages, the list went on and on. And everyone had to have a certain urban look. My friend and colleague, Nef Jones, street-caster extraordinaire, helped with lots of street casting, scoping out people from all walks of life to bring the spot together. The casting took over three weeks from start to finish, and we had three full days of callbacks alone. They found everyone they needed, the agency was happy, and the result was three beautiful Metro PCS spots that were a thrill to cast. Check out one of them in the vid above.