Get to Know the Casting Director: Chris Gehrt

Chris Gehrt didn’t come to California to become a casting director, but life has a way of sending you down pathways you weren’t expecting. Like the time he drove west for a job he thought he had, but didn’t, or how someone else’s baseball hat would lead him to a thriving career. Born and raised in Wisconsin, with a three-year stopover in Chicago, Gehrt arrived in Los Angeles to be an actor, but has instead become an Emmy-nominated casting director. Alongside his mentor, Wendy O’Brien, he was recognized for his work on Abbott Elementary’s second season. He also, it should be noted, still appears now and then on screen in roles like “Pizza Guy” (A.P. Bio), “Bystander” (Tacoma FD), and “Young Reporter” (The Lincoln Lawyer). So, basically, he’s the full package. He chatted with us before the SAG-AFTRA strike from his LA home.

Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get into casting in the first place?   

It’s kind of an odd story. When I moved out to Los Angeles in the fall of 2003, I was doing extra work on The O.C. I was 26 playing a high schooler. We were on a break one time, and I was just walking around the Manhattan Beach lot. I walked past the CSI: Miami casting offices of Nan Dutton. Outside was Peggy, her associate. She had a Kansas City Royals hat on and I chatted her up about baseball. I asked if they needed interns. She told me to write a letter and I started working for Nan Dutton right off the bat. I started with CSI: Miami Season Three, and as people above me moved on or quit, they hired me on as the assistant.

What got you out to California in the first place?

I was pursuing acting. I’ve always had an itch for entertaining and comedy and things like that. I was a little directionless after high school. I never really went to a four year college. I was a radio DJ in Appleton, Wisconsin, and I kind of thought that was gonna be my thing for a bit. I wanted to move on to Chicago to pursue that more, but found that my experience in Northeastern Wisconsin radio wasn’t enough to get me in with the big boys at the larger Chicago radio stations. I got a job with the White Sox and the Bulls, and kept talking about moving to LA and eventually knew I had to shit or get off the pot. The White Sox told me I could transfer to the Staples Center in LA, that they could get me a job out there, because they’re owned by the same company. So I came out here, didn’t know anybody, my car broke down, I ditched it in Pasadena, and then I showed up for what I thought was this training day for working at the Staples Center, and they were like, Who are you again? They had no idea who I was.

Oops.

Yeah. (Laughs) They were nice enough, though. They said, Well, we’ll hire you, but you’re gonna be at the bottom of the food chain, you know? I ended up working at the Staples Center and getting my feet wet in the acting stuff.

So you were working at the Staples Center at night and auditioning during the day? Getting extra work?

Yeah, totally. And, you know, the games are sporadic, so I got other jobs. Then I got thrown into casting, and it was just fun, and stressful, and crazy, and wild. CSI: Miami was this huge show at the time, and just getting to meet all these people I knew from television was so cool. Eventually, around the time of the last strike, 2007 or 2008, I went to Wendy O’Brien’s office, and I’ve been there ever since.

What is it about casting that you love so much?

I’ve always been a fan of movies and television, and just being able to be so close to these people who were seemingly untouchable, growing up in Wisconsin … it’s, I still get, I’m not gonna say starstruck, but so happy to see these people that I grew up watching. I still pinch myself a little bit. It’s just a world that seemed so far away, and to come here and be a part of it, it’s amazing.

I noticed you sometimes pop yourself into a little small role here or there, too.

(Laughs) Well, you know, I appreciate any work that gets thrown my way or any opportunities. But I’m not one of those guys that’s like, Hey, cast me! I’ve just been very lucky in that regard, to pop up here and there. It’s another part of dreams coming true.

You work for and with Wendy, but you’re a full casting director in your own right. She won the Emmy for the first season of Abbott Elementary, and now there’s a good chance you’ll both be nominated for Season Two.

Getting bumped up in Season Two was awesome, especially on such a fantastic show. Wendy has been so good to me. She’s given me opportunities, and I’ve learned from her. I’m learning from the best, and it’s great to see her knowledge and professionalism at work, every day.

Have you thought about getting nominated?

All I could say is, we all we all work very hard, and it would be a real blessing.

A lot of actors are gonna read this, so what is your best advice for an actor going into an audition room?

I mean, preparation is obviously key, but if it’s a comedy, have a couple of tags handy. I always say do what’s written, and then you can always add something. Add your tag, and then have another when you do the scene again. You do the fresh tag the first time, it’s funny. When you do that surprise tag again, it doesn’t hit as hard, so have a second one ready. Also, just just doing the preparation and knowing it inside and out. Being familiar with the show definitely helps. And keeping it fun. Showing your true self is very important, because what’s inside you? No one can duplicate that. When you bring as much as you can, have your own inflections, your own heart, your own vibe. That’s what makes you stand out.

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