Casting Director Rachel Reiss, CSA Answers Your Burning Questions

Rachel Reiss, CSA, is an Artios and Heller Award-winning senior casting director at Liz Lewis Casting Partners where she casts film, TV, commercials, podcasts, animation and voiceover nationwide.

Reiss, who sits on the Board of Directors for the Casting Society of America as the VP of Technology, recently took time out of her day to lead a Casting Networks in-person talent mixer event in New York City. There, Rachel sat down with us for an intimate Q&A session, answering questions submitted by Casting Networks members on social media, as well as by members of the audience.

Rachel discussed a variety of topics ranging from her casting origin story, to her favorite thing about casting, to her thoughts on self tapes. Sharing personal stories and sound advice, it was an excellent event for all.

Rachel, thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

First question, how did you get into casting?

I got into casting probably very similarly to how a lot of you got into acting. I grew up right on the other side of the water in [New] Jersey—Central Jersey. It is a real place. And I was a total theater kid. I went to a performing arts high school, camp, [and] loved everything about it. But [I] started realizing that I mostly liked tech week more than I liked opening night.

My parents were lawyers, so I always had this logical part of my brain that wanted to put together the puzzle pieces. One summer I was home from college and I started looking through all my playbills and saw “casting by, casting by, casting by.” This was before American Idol, so before you really knew casting as a career. And I picked up the phone and asked, “Do you need help?”

And that was my first casting job. This will date me, but it was during Step Up, which tells you how long ago this was. [I] found casting really young, tried a bunch of other things like PR and development, but decided, “No, I think I love this.” I just found it really early, so [I] kind of dove into casting, and I dipped my toes in every area of it—whether it was reality, commercials, voiceover, film, or TV.

What would you say is your favorite thing about casting?

I think for me it’s being the mediator between everyone who’s involved in the production. I was that way with my family [and] friends—kind of that buffer/mediator/translator person. So, what I love about casting is hearing the producer, director, writer [and] everyone who’s involved, speak about all their different ideas of how they see this character. Then being able to bring everyone to a consensus and find out-of-the-box ideas that suit everyone’s needs.

What is your most memorable casting moment, outside of the normal casting process?

Oh, I will just go for the obvious, which was the recent Artios Awards.

It was a really special year. Last summer, and not to bring this conversation down, but my father had a massive heart attack that only 12% of people survive. He survived. He actually just got a heart transplant this past May 7. I brought him and my mom to the Artios Awards [and] did not expect to win at all. There were really great nominees. I’ve been on the Board of CSA for a very long time and always had a hand in helping put on the event, but it was my first nomination. It was a shock and my parents were both there with me. It was really special.

What exactly does a casting director do?

We are basically the researchers, communicators [and] organizers. We are the ones who help source and find the talent. A producer, director, writer, whoever it is, comes to us saying, “Here’s my project, here’s the script.” We go through it [and] say, “Okay, you need all of these people to help bring this to life.” Then we go out and find those people.

How we find those people really depends on the projects. [For example, when] I cast the first 11 seasons of Chopped, I was walking into kitchens and talking to chefs. I work in film and theater and then I’m on the phone with agents; I’m reaching out to actors I know [and] I’m auditioning new actors. It’s doing whatever we can to help find the best options, [and] molding those options into even better options since we are communicating with the production team and know what they’re looking for. Then it’s helping them make decisions on who that is. We don’t ultimately have the final say, but we are there to help inform them, present them and help them make those decisions.

You’ll receive hundreds, if not thousands of submissions for some roles. What is it that you look for, specifically? Is it the headshot that catches your eye first? Is it the credits? What is it that’s really what you’re looking for?

Initially, the headshot is really important because [as] I’m scrolling through, what we see on our side is a headshot, name, contact info, where you’re based and then a little bit of a note. The headshots [are] important. I’m looking for engaged eyes, which is one of those things that’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. Smile, most of the time with your teeth. I know everyone hates smiling with their teeth, but you genuinely look happier. Once I look into the resume, I’m looking at training, I’m looking at credits, I’m looking at special skills. A little bit of everything. Depending on the project and what I’m searching for, that’s when I focus on certain areas.

It’s been a big topic since COVID hit. Self tapes. What would you say are some do’s and don’ts of submitting self tapes?

I think my biggest “don’t” is don’t overthink it. As crazy as that might sound. You guys are actors, your job is to act. Obviously, you want to set yourself up and set your space up so that I can focus on your acting. That means I want to hear you, I want to see you.
But editing, investing in something extravagant, all of that, I would say is a “don’t.”

I do have one pet-peevey thing, which is newer and it’s really not a big deal. I know it’s hard to find readers a lot of the time. Some people have started recording themselves and then pressing “play” and acting off of themselves, but the timing never works out the way you want it to. You’re then jumping on your own voice and now I’m no longer able to focus on your acting because it’s jumbled and the timing’s off. That’s a “don’t.” I would rather you not have a reader and just play off of your imaginary reader. But that’s something that different casting directors will have different opinions on.

Don’t overthink it. Do focus on the acting. That’s ultimately your job. Don’t have light [coming] from right behind you. If a window is behind you, I’m going to just see your silhouette. Do watch your tape back, because most of the things that would be distracting to you are exactly the things that would be distracting to me. As long as I can hear you and see you and focus on what you’re there to do, which is act, I’m happy.

Slating. Should actors slate more naturally, or do you want to hear who they’re repped by, their height, if they’re a Cancer sign—all of that stuff?

I would say it doesn’t have to be in character. If you are acting with an accent, I want to hear what your natural accent is.

It’s an opportunity to show that you are happy to be there [and] you’re excited about the audition, the same as it would be as if you were in the room. And as actors, your job is to say the same line over and over again and make it sound like it’s the first time it came out of your mouth. Think of that as your slate, too. You say your name and your slate over and over and over again, so it’s good practice to make that sound new, too.

In terms of what you’re including, casting should tell you. If they leave something out, don’t include it. Just [do] whatever we tell you to do. And if we leave slate instructions out completely, then just [slate] your name.

For the new talent out there who is just getting into the industry, what would be a suggestion for you that you would give them?

This is what I tell a lot of students I teach when I go to different universities. I think a lot of conservatories, not all of them, but a lot of acting schools, whether it’s university level or just studios, really build up the audition as the scary job interview part with high stakes. It’s hard to do, but what I always suggest for actors just getting into the field is [to] try flipping that perspective. You are actors, you love to act. A casting director chose you to perform this for them. And whether it’s a self tape or you get feedback and direction, you’re doing what you love. Someone asked you to do it. You get to play. That should be the fun part.

Let the getting an agent, resume, headshot [parts] be the things that stress you out and feel like the business side. But try to have fun with the auditions, because every casting director I know really wants you to succeed. The better you guys look, the better we look. For every audition we request, we are hoping you knock it out of the park.

What are the big deal breakers or pluses in an audition, for you?

Deal breakers or pluses? It’s funny, I’m asked a lot, “What are your pet peeves?” But deal breakers and pluses, I’ve never been asked…

Pluses, I think would be going in with that play mentality, like, “All right, I’m here to work. What are we going to do?”

Deal breakers, [it’s] not being flexible. That often comes from being given the script [and] with very limited time to know it. We’re not asking you to memorize it, but you’ve most likely tried to because you’re trying to be prepared. But you’re only memorized to the point where you have it in that certain cadence in your head. And if anything interrupts that .. you are thrown off course. It makes it harder to take direction because you have to keep that cadence in your head and can’t focus on any changes. I would rather see you have the script in your hands and be like, “All right, let’s change things up.”

I’ve also had some people who haven’t taken direction because they didn’t think it was right for the project or their character. But I’ve given direction that purposely isn’t right because the director wants to know how flexible they are and how they take direction. You should trust that the casting director has your best interest in mind. We want you to succeed, so follow our lead.

So, say you’ve got good training and you’re thrust into this world of being an actor, and you’re trying to figure it out. Is an agent essential? And if so, what’s a good way to approach an agent?

An agent’s not essential, but they help, especially when you’re ready for that stage in your career. There are agents that I trust their taste … whether it’s improv, comedians or people [in] a niche world. So if I’m looking for something specific, I have certain people I may call first. And an agent is someone vouching for you. They deal with the things that are complicated to deal with, like first refusals and booking terms, and keep you organized. They also might have access to some breakdowns that aren’t publicly released, but it’s not essential to have an agent, especially as you are building your credits.

I’m curious about the differences between casting for on-camera and animation. When actors submit themselves, would you rather see an on-camera reel so you can hear their natural voice? Would you rather get their animation reel? I’m just curious [about] the differences when specifically casting animation.

It’s a good question. It depends on the project, but I’d say for most of the animation and podcasts and VO stuff I’ve done, I’m also watching their reels or their clips because I do want an idea of what their natural base level and voice is. And then if it’s a project where there are extreme characters, then I’ll start delving into their animation demos.

But I’d say even with kids’ animation, which I’ve done a lot of recently, they’re looking for very grounded, natural reads. When all of us hear voiceover, we think of either crazy animated reads or a deep radio spokesperson. Neither of those are really what people are looking for anymore. I want to hear the natural voice and then see how much flexibility they have. With voiceover, the actor can really help to create the character. So with both on-camera and [with] voiceover, you’re making strong choices, and bringing the character to life with your own unique perspective and background.

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This interview has been edited and condensed.

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