Get to Know the Casting Director: Anousha Zarkesh
Anousha Zarkesh has been one of Australia’s most influential creative forces in film and TV for the past 25 years. A vocal champion of the Aussie industry, Zarkesh has worked with some of Australia’s most dazzling talents, from Toni Collette to Hugo Weaving, Judy Davis to Aaron Pedersen, Angourie Rice to Sam Neill.
Here she talks about her journey to becoming one of our industry leaders and her experience at last year’s Casting Guild of Australia (CGA) Awards—where she was nominated a remarkable seven times.
You’ve previously said you “fell into” casting — a happy accident for the Australian screen industry! What was it that then sparked your love and kept you here?
I’d always loved the theatre. I joined the Australian Theatre For Young People (ATYP) from 10-16 and stage-managed a few shows. I loved what actors do—transforming and storytelling in such an emotionally palatable way—[but] I preferred being backstage!
After studying Anthropology and Fine Arts at university, I went on tour around Australia and New Zealand with Les Misérables as the production secretary for 12 months, which led me to work for Cameron Mackintosh and the Really Useful Company for a while, and then into casting at Mullinars.
I never really knew what casting directors did until I worked in the field. It blew my mind. I still love what actors do and being part of the creative puzzle. Film and TV are still so exciting. [The job] changes on every project.
If you hadn’t fallen into casting, do you have any ideas on what you might be doing instead?
I was always interested in storytelling and art, so I might have ended up being an anthropologist, sociologist and/or documentary maker. I love [exploring] what makes people tick.
That makes a lot of sense. Can you walk us through what a typical audition might look like in your Sydney office?
It’s a long process until we get to auditions. First, we get the script and discuss with the director/producer what they want from each role. Then, we receive a precise brief and send this brief out to agents.
Sometimes, we only test a few people for a role or offer it to a certain actor. If we audition, we pull a few scenes relevant to the role and give the actors several days to learn the material for an in-studio audition or self-tape. If in the studio, we run the scene a few times and give direction, tweaking the performance if we need to. Then, we send all auditions and self-tapes to the director/producer, ask for feedback and discuss each performance and why we like them or not. [From there], we do callbacks or offer an actor the role. That’s it in a nutshell!
Last year, you took home a record-breaking four gongs at the CGA Awards, including Best Casting in a Feature Film for the second year running. What was that night like for you?
It was lovely to be acknowledged by my peers and for the hard work we all do. I was very proud but rather embarrassed! It was lovely, but it’s the work that excites me—the awards are the icing on the top. So, it was good to celebrate with my colleagues, but I was mortified with embarrassment! We all work very hard and should be rewarded for the work we do.
I think the public acknowledgment is good for all casting directors and promotes us to the wider film and TV business.
On this, what keeps you so excited about your job?
The stories and great filmmakers I get to work with. I love, love, love their ideas, and I am so proud to be part of their creative team. I also love what actors do and the adventure we embark on together.
An adventure, indeed! You’ve worked with some of the highest-caliber Aussie talents. Have you noticed any common threads that these actors share?
It’s so hard to put my finger on why some actors work all the time and are consistently good… It’s a combination of intelligence, emotional authenticity, thoughtfulness, charisma and gravitas… Each job is different—each performance is different. Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s the material, and sometimes it’s pure talent. I don’t know. It’s magical…
Being the casting director extraordinaire that you are, if someone made a film about your life, who would you cast to play you?
That’s so funny—I’ve just been watching Better Things, starring American comedian/actor Pamela Adlon. All my friends say it’s me! I reckon it’s just because she has a husky voice…She’s awesome by the way, haha!
What a brilliant choice! Finally, as one of our most in-demand CDs, how might we find you relaxing after a long day’s work?
In summer, I swim—I’m a water baby. I do like a drink every now and then, too!
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