First it was Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito (or “Gus Fring”) who came forward with his story of being stop-and-frisked by the New York Police Department. Over the weekend, while the controversial police tactic was being protested, another actor—this time, from David Simon’s inner-city crime epic The Wire—noted his own experience with the policy. Read More
It was with mixed feelings that The New York Observer went to a casting call for extras on Christopher Nolan’s grand finale of the Batman films, The Dark Knight Rises. On the one hand: it was Saturday afternoon, and Occupy Wall Street protesters were preparing to gather near the Brooklyn Bridge in preparation for their doomed march. On the other…we really wanted to be in a Batman movie. Even if we weren’t exactly what the Warner Bros. people had in mind when they put out this casting call last week:
Grant Wilfley Casting, Inc. is casting extras for the new Warner Bros. film Magnus Rex. Producers state: “Take part in the urban action adventure coming to the streets of New York City.” Shoots Oct. 29-Nov. 11, 2011 in NYC.
Seeking—Extras: male and female, 18+, all ethnicities, no experience necessary, to play law enforcement within a city besieged by crime and corruption, specific roles include Guards, Soldiers, and Police Officers, seeking physically fit athletes, people with military and/or law enforcement training/experience, weapons training, and/or martial arts training.
Open call will be held Oct. 1, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. & 2-4 p.m. at Metropolitan Pavilion, 110 W. 19th St. (btwn. Sixth & Seventh aves.), NYC. Bring photo ID (i.e. driver’s license, state ID, student ID, etc.); talent must be able to provide valid unexpired ID to fill out I-9 at time of hiring. Seeking nonunion talent at this call; SAG members who are not already registered with GWCI should also attend the open call. For more info (including time/location details for SAG registration), visit http://www.gwcnyc.com or call (212) 685-3168. There are no sign-up fees. Professional pay provided. SAG Background Actors Contract.
Full disclosure: We do not look like guards, soldiers, or anyone with military experience. However, logic would follow that the reason Gotham is so messed up and Arkham Asylum patients can walk out into the streets any time they damn choose is because there are a couple weaklings hiding amongst the city’s finest. It’s with this mental attitude that we showed up, ID in hand, to the Metropolitan Pavillion at 2 p.m.
We didn’t know what to expect. A lot of brawny guys who were looking for work now that Law & Order officially doesn’t need more patrolmen? A bunch of comic book geeks? Or, option number three: Read More
Amber Heard
The Rum Diary and The Playboy Club
It can’t be easy to be Amber Heard. The 25-year-old actress is in possession of the sort of smashing beauty that gets one featured on Maxim lists and offered parts in the likes of The Playboy Club, and charisma that goes unnoticed. The upcoming NBC drama, in which Ms. Heard is to play the most valuable Bunny at one of Hugh Hefner’s sex-and-Scotch nightspots, will create the sort of sensation Ms. Heard (previously best known for a string of near-mute girlfriend parts in films like Pineapple Express and The Stepfather) has thus far not experienced, but the part still demands more from her appearance than her thespianic skills. Thankfully, Ms. Heard’s talents are to be tested in the Hunter S. Thompson adaptation The Rum Diary, in which she plays the object of obsession for Johnny Depp’s alcoholic journalist character. Sure, it’s another girlfriend part, of sorts, but based on the epically terrible shoot and the evident artistic ambitions of Mr. Depp and director Bruce Robinson, Ms. Heard might soon be able to add line items to her resume that don’t include Maxim or Playboy.
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New York has always been home to failed actors and actresses. The story is an age-old cliche: a fresh face comes from the midwest, auditions endlessly, but can’t quite make it. So what do all the sad young thespians do to pay the rent these days? Well, it looks like they hunt bed bugs.
The Read More
It may seem like world-famous musicians intent on making it in Hollywood have a leg up on everyone else, but in many cases it’s the opposite. A preconceived notion about a certain rock or hip-hop star can spell doom for their chances on the big screen, simply because audiences will refuse to believe in their Read More
