Olivia Brittain, Casting Director

If you haven’t heard about her already, no doubt you will soon be seeing her name in the credits of your favourite films. Yes, I’m talking about Olivia Brittain, the 19 year old Bournemouth Film School student who is already running her own casting business (Olivia Brittain Casting) as well as running Straight From School. http://www.straightfromschool.org/ is a brilliant website that Olivia strarted up with her twin sister Alice (who is studying acting) and it is stuffed with brilliant advice for performers, film and tv casting gossip and details of open auditions –  it’s quite addictive so I recommend you finish up here first before getting sucked into SFS.

There is also the Straight From School Youtube Channel to get hooked on, where she not only gives more advice for aspiring actors but does short and funny film reviews. Check it out:

She has worked on the casting of St Trinian’s 2 and Dagenham Girls, amongst various other projects and is currently working on her first feature film (in between shooting pieces on 16mm film for her degree) but she still kindly took the time to have a chat and tell us about everything from her serious brownie making skills, to her invaluable advice for aspiring casting directors and actors alike...

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your casting experience.
I'm Olivia, I'm 19 currently balancing life between Film School and getting work in the world of casting in the film industry. After my GCSEs I knew I had to get into the film industry so I got work placements in local TV studios to build up my knowledge of it all. I was 17 when I worked at Pinewood and Shepperton Studios and got some great experience but it was really when I was 18 and got a summer internship with Lucy Bevan Casting that I knew where I wanted to go!


What made you want to be a casting director?
My family are all actors so I was also going to end up in that side of things! It was really when I came across an interview with casting director Jina Jay (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419605/) a few years ago that I settled my decision. In the article she spoke about the challenges of the job and how she could fight for actors sometimes, if they were newcomers or someone unproven. Something about getting to meet different people every day is a bonus too. I cut the article out and still have it stuck on my wall, and it's been my inspiration ever since.


Are there any other people who inspired you?
Casting directors like Lucy Bevan, Pippa Hall, Nina Gold and particularly Mary Selway who was legendary within the film industry.


What are your favourite films (particularly in terms of the cast)?
Atonement (cast by Jina Jay) in terms of casting was brilliant and is definitely one of my favourites for that! I love Withnail and I, Emperor's New Groove, The Truman Show, Empire of the Sun, Some Like It Hot - I have so many favourites it's hard to pick just one. I will say my favourite directors include Christopher Nolan, Edgar Wright, John Hughes, Shane Meadows and Wes Anderson and would love to work with all of them (bringing Hughes back from the dead of course!).


What is the most difficult thing about the job?
The stress and high pressure to get a project done with a tricky deadline. If you get sick, everything grounds to a halt. Hours are long and when you leave the office the work doesn't stop! But there are perks that overshadow the difficult aspects!


While we're at it, what is the thing you love most about casting?
Meeting so many new great actors! Discovering new talent and taking risks with unknown faces. Trips to the theatre, seeing as many new independent films as possible as well as establishing great relationships with agents, producers and directors. My dream job basically!


Are there any up and coming actors that you are really excited about?
Many. I'm always on the look-out of course! Most aren't 'names' but if I have to say the most well-known actress I'm looking forward to seeing in more projects is Lucy Boynton and Charity Wakefield.


Any advice for people who are considering getting into casting?
The first thing I would say is to get experience as an assistant and to get to grips that it's hard work and no glamour. Checking out the Casting Director's Guild website is a must!


What is the best advice you've received?
To follow everything up. For example, when I had a work placement in a casting office I managed to lose £10 worth of stamps. It sounds small right? But I made sure I sent a thank you card including some replacement stamps. I definitely think that had I just left it I doubt I would have been asked back for an internship. Follow everything up - agents and producers will remember you and it's important to maintain good relationships.


What makes you personally really sit up and take note of an actor (apart from, of course, brilliant acting)?
Tough question, because it's hard to put your finger on it. An actor that has the right attitude, charm, initiative to take risks as well as a strong belief in their interpretation of a character is one to keep an eye on! Their performance must be captivating. If they believe it, I'll believe it.


What are the top 5 things you hate to see when you meet an actor (or even when you are approached by one, like through email or letters etc)?
I don't want to say I 'hate' certain things that actors do - so I'll safely go with little annoyances because there can be a few! My number one annoyance is when actors appear desperate. I get dozens of messages and emails from teen actors along the lines of 'plz im beggin u, can u help me get a agent?'. That depicts to me laziness if they can't be bothered to research the work themselves. Bad spelling is a natural turn off anyway, as is the desperation! Any CV and headshot submissions that type text speak get deleted straight away.

When actors don't read the breakdown properly it can cause problems too. For example if I clearly state 'Caucasian 16 year old, one headshot submission only', I can receive emails that start with 'I know I'm not Caucasian or 16... but I thought I'd submit anyway!' along with a dozen huge files attached that freezes my inbox! If you can't read the breakdown properly, how can you read the script properly or turn up to an audition on time?

In an audition too much make up is a turn off. I want to scrub it off so I can see what they look like underneath!

Triple chocolate cookies or brownies?

BROWNIES! I make some mean brownies. They have to be crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle. I add chocolate chunks to melt in the middle. Yum!

Top 5 BELONGings:

As boring as it is, I couldn't leave the house without my phone and my work would DIE if I lost my laptop! My diary as well as I honestly wouldn't know what I'd be doing for a day without it. Chocolate. My book of actors. Every actor I see in a show I will jot down for future reference. It's a bit of a bible...

How do you (if you do) want to change the world?

Change the world huh? I'll just say a little bit of kindness goes a long way - how about forcing everyone to believe in karma?

Sounds like a plan...