The Dublin-based 27-year-old had a promising acting career and once starred in a film with Saoirse Ronan
Shauna Griffith landed her first big role at the age of five playing one of the leads in the short film Pluck directed by Nessa Hardiman. She also played ‘Jenny’ in the RTE Drama Amber directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, Chloe in Dreamhouse – a project directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Saoirse Ronan, as well as being cast in the feature film Life’s a Breeze, directed by Lance Daly, and various TV commercials.
Here, she chats about why she made the move from acting to casting and how it has informed the decisions she makes on a daily basis.
As a former actor, what’s the first thing you think about when casting a show or film?
I was acting from a young age and grew up in a theatrical family with my mum running a stage school and drama school. Bringing characters to life was part of my psyche and this follows me when I think about casting a TV show or film. I want to see the character arc and how an actor can lift that character off the page. Characters, like people, are complex beings, and actors love sinking their teeth into them and uncovering their depths. As a casting director, I love character and dialogue-focused projects as I think it allows actors to flex their acting muscles, creating beautiful shows and films.
It is also very important to talk with the director and writer about their creative vision(s) for the script. My job is to find the right actor to bring their script to life, while honouring their vision and understanding the confinements of budget and schedules from production.
What does a regular working day as a casting director look like for you?
My day is very diverse, with not much of a typical schedule. Generally speaking, there are two different types of days – recall days and admin days.
Recall days are when we bring a shortlisted group of actors into the room for a project to meet the director, producer and myself. We will work with them on the script and give them direction. These days can be very intense, as we could see up to 100 people in a day for a variety of roles in a project. I love recall days as I get to meet actors in person and build a personal relationship with them. It’s amazing to see them work and bring the characters to life right in front of us.
The other, more common, type of day is an admin day. That day will consist of a variety of reviewing tapes for projects we are working on, reading scripts for potential new projects, selecting actors to self-tape for projects, and wrangling offers for projects we are working on. Most of my day consists of answering a tonne of emails, not as glamorous as one may think!
What made you make the change from actor to casting director?
I started acting at four years old and acted up until I was about 19. I loved it and I was fortunate enough to work with a lot of really cool people. However, as I finished secondary school, I had a bit of a revelation that I had fallen out of love with acting and mostly, auditioning. I have so much admiration and respect for working actors as auditioning multiple times per week or month is incredibly tough, and not getting the role in the majority of cases can be heartbreaking. I wasn’t cut out for it.
Another big reason is that I wanted to explore other avenues, as I essentially knew no different. I studied Social Science in UCD and then moved to Vancouver for two years and worked in recruitment. I realised there that I love the business side of things, negotiating contracts, rates etc., however I missed the creativity of the film industry.
When I moved home, I wanted to find a way to incorporate business and acting, and that’s how casting came to be.
Is it easier to cast a TV show, a commercial, or a movie?
All three pose their own challenges so I don’t think any are easier than the other. For TV and film, your challenge is bringing a world to life in a truthful and authentic manner that honours the script. Often times, production can have an idea in their heads of what this world looks like, so trying to find the actors to fill in those roles can be challenging.
With commercials, time is the main challenge. We will generally only have 7-10 working days to find actors, run recalls and confirm actors for the roles, as they operate on very tight timelines.
What’s the most surreal experience you have had as a casting director?
The most surreal experience I have had as a Casting Director was getting to attend the Irish Film & TV Academy Awards last year – it was incredible being in the room with people you have looked up to for so many years.
What production that you worked on as a casting director are you most proud of?
I recently cast a wonderful TV series for RTE Jnr called Showkids. It is the most beautiful script, both heartwarming and poignant at the same time. The script deals with topics that affect children in a very accessible manner so getting to find the actors to bring the world to life was a joy. The team at Deadpan and the director, Hugh O’Connor were so lovely to work with, which made the whole process so fun and rewarding. I got to visit the set a few weeks ago and truthfully teared up watching the kids work as they were brilliant and I felt so proud of them!
Did you enjoy acting or did you feel that, because you started so young, you wanted to try something different?
I loved acting when I did it, and I still do enjoy it on an amateur level. I keep meaning to re-join an amateur dramatic society because there really is nothing like the feeling of being on stage or in front of the camera, and knowing that you did the character justice. There is a feeling of euphoria that I haven’t found in anything else since. However, I fell out of love of the process of auditioning for professional projects. The amount of rejection an actor receives on the regular is not normal and can be very mentally taxing. I think that is why I love being a casting director and being able to control, to a degree, how actors experience the audition process. I strive to create a very warm, welcoming and open environment with the aim that, even if an actor doesn’t get the role, they still enjoy the process.
Can you see yourself ever returning to the acting side of the camera again?
I don’t think so, no. Like I mentioned, I’d love to re-join an amateur dramatic society to enjoy acting without any pressure, but on a professional basis in front of the camera, not any time soon – but never say never, I guess!
What are you casting for next?
We are working on some very exciting short film scripts at the moment, some of which you will see on your TV screens shortly! We are also constantly casting commercials, most recently for Sky, Zurich, An Post and the Credit Union. We also have a number of films in the pipeline, but there is a very long pre-production period for these projects, sometimes lasting for years, but we are hoping to finally get going properly in the next couple of months. It’s a very exciting time and I’m so grateful to be busy.
If someone wanted to become a casting director, what advice would you give them?
Consume content! Watch film, go to theatre and film festivals and read scripts. It is also a great idea to do an internship or work experience as a Casting Assistant with an established Casting Director. This helps you understand the industry and best practices. There is now also a course called, ‘Casting’ in The National Film & Television School in the UK which would be a great way to understand how to operate within the industry. Experience is everything in the TV and film industry though so go out and network with filmmakers and perhaps offer to cast their projects for free as building up your credits will help a lot.
You can follow Shauna on Instagram here or visit her website here.
