Jenji Kohan Quotes

I'm not in a rush to do anything. And I wouldn't say I pick and choose. When it comes to producers picking people for roles I don't think it's between me and Tom Cruise, do you know what I mean?

You get callbacks, and they either give it to what they call a 'name' performer, or they decide to go in an entirely different direction.

We chose the actors thru a series of auditions when we started the show.

A director should cast a person who fits into their script.

We've always had a simple philosophy in casting. We don't care if somebody's a big star or a little star. We just want the best possible actor for the part.

When I was in casting, we would bring somebody in, have them read their lines, maybe give them a few pointers, and hire them, and then once they go to the set and you have a director who's directing them, that performance may not be anywhere near what you had in the audition, either good or bad.

I've always believed that it's the film that chooses the actor and not the other way round.

I got 'Aurangzeb' because I gave an audition and passed it.

Roles should choose an actor and not vice versa.

Before I was cast for 'Brothers,' we all knew that Karan Johar was looking for an actress for to play a mother's role. I never thought that he would think of casting me.

I usually prefer casting actors from our own industry.

When we were trying to find the woman to play Maura Isles, it was a no-brainer when Sasha came in. We just knew it was her, and she did such a fantastic job. She got the job, right then and there, in the room, and it was great. We actually played a little joke on her. She's a great lady and we've had a really, really fantastic time.

I hope I never get in the situation where I refuse to audition, because I think people have a right to see you interpreting the character, and if you don't do it the way they want you to, they have a right to say, "No."

I've had a lot of experience auditioning people, and I can do it rather quickly even though sometimes I let them linger and give them time, but I kind of know after I see them do a couple of steps. I know.

I was so lucky that I didn't have to audition. It's just such a grueling process, in itself.

I started taping my dad's auditions when I was 11, when he was auditioning actors for one of his movies. I would see, over and over again, that there wasn't just one actor for the role. It was really clear that there were a lot of people who could play a character really well, and it would always come down to something kind of weird and non-obvious as to why a person was cast. If you're not right, you're not right, but that's okay.

You can't just pick people for their hair color or the shape of their face. You have to go with the best actors.

I had the good fortune early on to cast some really great people that were not just characters, they had character.

I'm a Brit and I just put myself on tape, back in London, for a very distant American project that I thought I didn't stand a chance of getting. And then, I got a call about a week after I had submitted my tape, just saying, "They really like you and want to screen test you." So, I flew to L.A. and did the screen test. And then, I met Elijah [Wood] and did a screen test with him. And then, I had a very nerve-wracking few days back home, waiting and waiting and thinking, "This cannot possibly go my way because that would just be too good to be true." And then, it did.

If they're going to cast one person and not another, it's not rejection of your talent, it's just that they want one person and not someone else. As an actor, unfortunately, it's not your job to cast the movie.

I think it's worse for actors, though, because people have to choose you. As a director, I get to choose the actors, but most of the time, actors have to be chosen in order to work.

I, for one, can't wait for this election to be over, because the curse of Donald Trump in a satirical comedy way is that, one, he's such a large character; it's hard to satirize at times. Two, he's sucking all the air out of every room he walks into so every attempt leads to covering only him. You can't turn a corner in New York City without people talking about Donald Trump, without talking about the same things about Donald Trump.

My Dad always told me that casting agencies are like artists picturing their paintings in their mind. They know what they want for a role and not to take it too seriously [if I dont get the part].

I used to be a chemical-engineering student, but I started studying acting, and I went for a cattle call, up against hundreds of people. They tore me down because I was too tall. They said "How tall are you?" "6'5"." "Next."

Doing a film, or being sent scripts to look at a certain character, it's very odd for me. I tend to take it very personally.