Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland in Judy, and Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln… These celebrated actors are just a few of the performers who’ve portrayed real-life individuals brilliantly. But how do casting directors go about finding talent to match such icons? Here are insights from four casting directors about this challenging process.
Kim Coleman on casting The Good Lord Bird
Showtime’s The Good Lord Bird is a humorous, dramatic, and historical take on Antebellum America. Ethan Hawke both executive produced and starred as the pre-Civil War abolitionist John Brown.
“We needed actors with the skill level to play both the drama and the comedy,” Coleman recalled. For example, to cast the statesman and abolitionist Frederick Douglass she needed an actor who was able to also perform the “subtle humor” of the role. The part went to Hamilton star Daveed Diggs. “It could be a look across the room or a stare, and you’re not laughing hysterically but it’s there; it lightens up the mood,” Coleman said.
In addition to finding established actors, Coleman sought fresh faces for roles like Henry “Onion” Shackleford, a part that went to the budding actor Joshua Caleb Johnson who’d previously appeared in a couple of episodes of Black-ish.
Carmen Cuba on casting Mrs. America
FX on Hulu’s historical drama Mrs. America shines a light on the political figures of the 1970s and ‘80s who supported and opposed the Equal Rights Amendment. Cate Blanchett executive produced the limited series and starred as the conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. Casting director Carmen Cuba was challenged to find actors to portray Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne), Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba), and Betty Friedan (Tracy Ullman).
Cuba said, “To play a specific person, it’s not going to be something you find in their body of work, really, because you certainly don’t want an impersonation. It’s a fine line, trying to make somebody who exists, who’s already larger than life, your own, and not seeming like a caricature.”
Cuba researched interviews of these historical women on YouTube as well as newspaper photos. More important than their physical attributes, Cuba says, is the energy the actress brings to the role. “Each part was its own in-depth exploration into how we thought about them and what we were trying to accomplish with the audience and the tone,” Cuba said. “There are ages that don’t reflect the actual ages of the characters at that time. We wanted it to feel like the truth, but it didn’t have to be the truth; we didn’t box ourselves in.”
Kimberly Hardin on casting One Night in Miami
Casting Society of America Award-winning casting director Kimberly Hardin was challenged to select actors to portray Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) in the drama film One Night in Miami. “I look for talent to bring their interpretation to roles,” Hardin shared. “That is our part of our job—to find people who can ‘favor’ the real person. Each guy had to tap into that in developing their own interpretation. They use the real person as their inspiration.”
Francine Maisler on casting The Trial of the Chicago 7
Francine Maisler cast Sacha Baron Cohen to play Abbie Hoffman and Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden—two figures who stood trial in the Chicago 7 case. “The process always starts by discussing each character with the director,” Maisler said. “In this case, [Director] Aaron [Sorkin] specifically told me to focus on the essence of the characters and not worry so much about their appearance. In the end, we are always looking for the best actors, and we were lucky enough with ‘Chicago 7’ that the best actors also resembled the real people.”
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