AVY KAUFMAN
HOLLYWOOD CASTING DIRECTOR
Avy Kaufman is a casting director for Hollywood movies. She is proud to have worked with an array of talented directors such as Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg, Lars Von Trier, Wong Kar Wai, Robert Redford, and Ridley Scott (to name just a few) – and on acclaimed movies including The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Capote (2005), Garden State (2004), Dogville (2003) and The Sixth Sense (1999).
Avy was honored in 2005 as the Casting Director of the year at the Hollywood Film Festival. She was nominated for an Emmy award for the HBO mini-series Empire Falls and has also been awarded several Artios from her colleagues.
She is featured in Helena Lumme’s book, “Great Women Of Film”. Avy is a proud mother of two special boys, Harrison, 17 years of age, and John Theodore who is 15 years of age. She is married to photographer Charles Nesbit.
An INTERVIEW with AVY KAUFMAN
Interviewer: You’ve been casting director on some very successful movies, how did you get to where you are today?
Avy: Well, initially I wanted to study dance, but I soon realized that I would never make a living being a ballet dancer! A friend of mine pushed me for an interview at an advertising agency, which was looking for a casting director. I got the Job, and ended up staying for 6 years, eventually being head of the casting department. I love casting and eventually felt I wanted to cast actors for roles longer than 60 seconds... ! So i worked very hard to get into casting for film. It can be tough all around, breaking into the “business”! I started casting extras and continued climbing the ladder.
Interviewer: What was the first movie you worked on?
Avy: I started out in the film business in the mid 1980’s, working with John Sayles on Matewan doing day players. The first “big” movie I cast for was Little Man Tate. I’ve got to where I am today simply by lots of hard work, and am lucky enough that directors and producers call me!!
Interviewer: Which of your movies are you most proud of?
Avy: I would find it impossible to choose just one, there are so many that I am proud of: The Ice Storm, American Gangster, Brokeback mountain, Capote, A.I, many more, and of course my latest movie The Exposure of Tom King.
Interviewer: What makes you a good Casting Director?
Avy: I thank you for saying this last comment.. I feel being a good
Casting director comes with fine tuned intuition. Not only feeling when an actor is right for a role – but being able to “read “ a director and know what he/ she is looking for.
Interviewer: You were awarded the Hollywood Casting Director of the Year – how did that feel?
Avy: Simply fabulous!
Interviewer: Have you ever ‘discovered’ any now-famous actors?
Avy: Haley Joel Osmet became famous from me casting him in Sixth Sense. I have also cast many actors who were not yet famous, but who had previously worked as an actor.
Interviewer: When you audition actors, what is it that you are looking for?
Avy: Someone that is honestly in a character. Someone who you really believe is that person. The best auditions happen when actors don’t push the performance.
Interviewer: What is it that you found interesting about your latest project, The Exposure of Tom King?
Avy: I loved the fact that anyone, from anywhere in the world, could audition and put ‘their take’ on the character. I had never worked like that before, and I found it to be a very interesting process and way of casting for a movie.
Interviewer: Lastly, have you got any advice for the people who are trying to break into movies?
Avy: It’s hard, but follow your inspiration and your dream!