Paul Davis, Calleri Casting
From Kat: Peter and I are lucky to both know Paul. Peter knows him as a Casting Director who gave him a very fulfilling ‘first’, a world premiere play. But that isn’t the reason Paul was a top choice to begin interviewing CDs. Sure, Paul, James, and Erica run one of the best casting offices in NYC. And, yes, Calleri is one of the accounts I work with through HCKR, so I work with him on a weekly basis. Paul won my heart, however, a day in last July, the week I started my new job at HCKR. He took the time to get on the phone, introduce himself, claimed our mutual connection from casting Peter, and say that he was excited to work together. It was probably not a memorable phone call for him, but for this ‘new girl on the block’- it meant so much. I suddenly felt more ‘in the know’, better connected, and at peace in my new desk. You know, I felt pretty cool getting a call from a casting director I already admired. And that’s just the person you’ll find on this blog. Kind, honest, thoughtful, funny, and just plain cool. Enough from me, we’ll let him take it from here…
Paul! We’re honored to have you launch the Casting Director portion of our blog. Would you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?:
I grew up in San Diego and fell in love with theater as a child. My family had front row season tickets to the Starlight Civic Light Opera, run by Don and Bonnie Ward, which did a season of outdoor musicals in Balboa Park every summer. My father hates driving in traffic, so we’d kill a lot of time after the show, and got to see the crew and actors come out after, and I was transfixed by it all. As a teenager I worked as a dresser there and after college performed in a season of shows. Oh, I almost forgot, the theater is in the flight pattern of the San Diego Airport so, no joke, a member of the crew would alert the conductor about oncoming planes, and, in turn, he would, stop the orchestra (20+ times a night) and the actors on stage with FREEZE mid-song / scene. Then they’d resume when the green light came back on. Stop and go theater! (Which I thought was the most normal thing in the world – to see a Von Trapp child freeze mid side down the banister, or Eva Peron stand motionless for 10-15 seconds on her balcony only to resume telling Argentineans to not cry after the plane passed). I also took classes and did shows at San Diego Junior Theater (whose alumni include NY professionals Brian Stokes Mitchell, Casey Nicholaw, Clarke Throell, Mylinda Hull, Jessica Sheridan and Brad Bradley – to name a few). Shameless plug for SDJT, which taught young people to infuse their passion with a strong work ethic, and the now-defunct, but hopefully reinventing itself Starlight – see savestarlight.org).
You went to UC Irvine...and James Calleri (of Calleri Casting was your first teacher). Can you talk about how that school and meeting James impacted your career?
I had no idea that my friendship with James would impact my career (I did, however know that I wasn’t a very good actor!). I just knew that I liked and admired him and we became pen pals (way before e-mail!) while he was an Agent at Gersh and I was dancing for Princess Cruises. There’s a quote from Taylor Mac that circulated Facebook a couple of years back about hanging out with the people you like and then the business side of things taking care of itself out of having made organic connections. In my case with Calleri, that’s really true.
You studied Musical Theatre and, we think it’s a fun fact, you started your career as a dancer on cruise ships and at dinner theatres. How did you know acting wasn’t what you wanted to pursue?
So, I sorta always knew I wasn’t especially competitive as a performer despite the joy it brought me. Not to diminish the jobs I did land (including my first job dancing and lip synching in a show at Sea World called City Streets). But after moving to NYC and having AEA Eligibility (something that no longer exists) and going to anxiety inducing dance calls and seeing the top drawer talent here, I slipped into a long-term temp gig and settled into the joy of taking class but not auditioning.
What led you to becoming a Casting Director? What were the things you did in the first year to help you make that transition?
I only vaguely knew about casting as a profession. In school at UC Irvine, Jeff Greenberg, who cast CHEERS and had been an Anteater (yes, UCI’s mascot is an Anteater.) came to talk to the students. And by the time I moved to NYC after working on the cruise ship, Calleri had segued from agent-ing to casting. My therapist (a former Broadway dancer) told me about Career Transitions for Dancers, and I went in for career counseling with them, got my first non-performing resume together, and started applying to any and all jobs (many of which came in from the fax machine at Playwrights Horizons where Calleri was casting). I very luckily landed my first assistant job with Betsy Bernstein and Howie Cherpakov who were casting Chicago and the revival of Annie Get Your Gun for The Weislers. And the transition was moving from an office gig at a merchant banking firm to running dance calls so getting into casting felt more like a homecoming/reunion of sorts. It’s a world I love with people I love.
What’s the biggest difference between casting for TV and casting for Theatre? Do you prefer one over the other?
The pace of casting for TV is much faster. Shoot dates can’t change, and wardrobe needs to do fittings, so there isn’t time for an extended process – too many moving parts in the fast moving world of production. So, rarely are there call backs. Sometimes a chemistry read or work session, but most often, it’s super swift (and rarely do actors get feedback, adjustments or 2nd takes).
Depending on the play/role, the casting process for theater can extend over many months with extensive searches and deep exploration of the material.
Honestly, I love that I get to work on everything from a TV show to a movie to a play or a musical. And I love that we can cross-pollinate actor lists from different arenas. That’s the joy of working in New York City.
Can you talk about the commitment staying at one office for many years? What’s the best part about working with the same people for your career?
In the past I had commitment issues working for ‘the man’ whereas being in a small business partnership with James Calleri and Erica Jensen just feels right (and has for many years). They are the best collaborators and consultants for all things professional and personal.
What’s the most important thing you’ve done in your career so far? What’s something you wish you had done or wish you had known earlier? Are you at the top of your mountain?
I followed James Calleri’s advice (“New York’s bark is worse than it’s bite”) and moved here. When I auditioned for (and barely got) a scholarship at Steps, the coordinator there said she admired my “stick-to-it-ness,” So, I showed up in NYC and I’ve stuck to it.
I wish I had started “showing up” earlier in life. I tend to run anxious / default to negative prediction, and it’s been a process to chip away at those obstacles. Long ago I read a book, “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” (the title pretty much says it all) and that helped. And thankfully I’ve got a supportive community, life partner and gym (shameless plug for Mark Fisher Fitness). I’m on the mountain trail and loving the hike!
RAPID FIRE!
Favorite Broadway show of all time: I’m a Libra, I can’t pick just one! I just can’t.
TV show that you love: Just finished and loved PEN15 which is so lovely and funny.
Favorite music on your commute: I’m deaf in one ear and don’t do headphones, but I do like to eavesdrop with my good ear.
Any other obsessions?: Daily news podcasts (Up First, Start Here, The Daily), dogs, cats and wigs (our old office was next to Wigs and Plus, and let’s just say that the staff there knows me. And baking. I like to bake.
Social media is ________: mostly great, but don’t forget to say ‘hi’ or introduced yourself to ‘friends’ when you see them in person!
Religious or nah?: subtly spiritual
Actor-ism that frustrates you: There is no shame in not booking a job, sometime actors think that they did something wrong in the audition or call back when the truth is, we can only cast one person to cast. If you are getting out there you are doing it right, remember that.
Favorite part about teaching: It’s a mutual learning process for teacher and student. I’ve taught for many years for The Tepper Semester and now am on year two at The New School and Brooklyn College. I get to evolve my syllabus and hopefully become a better teacher in the process based on seeing how students learn.
Hardest part about being a Casting Director: Only getting to cast one person in a part when you see so many great / exciting auditions.
I get inspired when _______: Good things happen to good people.
Calleri Casting takes the BEST glamour shots; True or False: Perhaps not glamorous, but having office dogs certainly enhances our office photo shoots!
Anything you’d like to promote?: Dickinson on Apple TV, created by the sublimely talented Alena Smith. (Lin-Manuel Miranda’s been tweeting about it and critics/audiences are loving it so I suppose I don’t really need to be doing any promoting, but I’m proud to work on the show, so give it a watch if you haven’t!)
Interview by Kat Hargrave