‘Disclaimer’ Casting Director Victor Jenkins on Shaping Cuarón’s New AppleTV+ Show

December 13, 2024 | Zorianna Kit

Victor Jenkins was one of three casting directors alongside Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, who helped shape the world of Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ limited series Disclaimer. The show stars Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, a journalist forced to confront her past. Kevin Kline co-stars as Steven Brigstocke, the father of a boy she let drown during a vacation in Italy 20 years earlier. The cast also features Sascha Baron Cohen as Catherine’s husband and Lesley Manville as Steven’s late wife.

Based in the UK, Jenkins spoke with Casting Networks about his role in the project and shared valuable insights into his approach to casting, as well as working with actors in the room.

This show had multiple casting directors, including yourself. How did you get involved in the project?

The project was such a long shoot with four or five storylines happening simultaneously so there ended up being three casting directors. I was brought on board about three-quarters of the way through. Casting was also taking place during covid, which added a whole other layer (testing, masking, distancing, etc.) so things were taking longer to come together. I was brought on board because I’d worked with (Disclaimer executive producer) Don Saboran on Judd Apatow’s The Bubble. He thought I would be a good match with Alfonso. 

What was it like jumping in so late in the process?

It was an amazing gig. It was a baptism by fire, I’m not gonna lie. I was brought on board and literally within seconds it was like, ‘We need to find someone on set tomorrow morning!’

What was your first piece of casting for the series? 

It was a phone voice that was speaking to Cate Blanchett’s character. They wanted an actor on set to feed her the lines – a decision made the evening before. There’s a lovely actor called Elisabeth Hopper who has done a few things for me in the past. She was coming back to acting from maternity leave and she’s a team player. She was willing to go to set the next day with not much prep. She wasn’t on camera but it’s actually quite a big speech in the show. She plays the HR lady who calls Cate’s character when things starts to unravel for her.

You were also instrumental in casting the younger version of Cate Blanchett’s character, played by Leila George. Tell us about that.

There were actor searches in France and Australia for actors who matched Cate physically. Thankfully I met Leila George for a general a few years ago and always liked her and got on with her. She’s great in Animal Kingdom. Playing young Catherine, I was like, well, let’s go to the Aussies! (Blanchett is Australian).

I said to Alfonso, ‘Leila’s fantastic, you should meet her.’ He met her. They had a chat and the rest is history! She is the nicest person and an absolute delight to be around. I like it when nice things happen for nice people. I think she did a beautiful job in this show.

There was also the young Robert Ravenscroft, whose older version is played by Sascha Baron Cohen. Even though most of that part was cut in the end, how did you go about finding someone to play a young version of such a distinctive-looking person?

I mean, who out there looks like Sascha Baron Cohen? Well, I’ll tell you who does: Adam El Hagar. He’s a spitting image and apparently Adam has been told this his entire life.

How did you even pull that name out of your brain? Or was it a discovery through look-alike submissions?

I had seen Adam on stage. His agent took me to see him in a two-man play called Hunter & Johnny, based on Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. When that kind of a challenge comes, you’re like, ‘How the hell am I going to find someone who look as unique looking as Sacha Baron Cohen?’

Then my brain went, ‘Ding!’  It’s a knowledge we have as casting directors. We have this rolodex of faces in our heads, which are buried in our brains until something triggers it. Then it all comes flooding in into the frontal lobe. 

Actors may not realize that casting directors literally have mental databases they draw upon. How does that play into your process?

I often tell this to younger actors coming in: casting is such a long game. It can happen for you at 10 or 90 years of age, but it’s always a long game for us. We do keep all that information. Nothing gives me more joy than finally being able to give someone a job whom I’ve seen over 10, 15 years for auditions, and it’s not quite landed their way at that time. Or actors I’ve seen in plays but never had the right role for them. When you do finally get to give them a job, it’s really exciting for us.

Is there an example of that?

I’ve been doing for 20 years and I’m really super proud of people like Jonathan Bailey, who is one of the biggest stars in the world because of Wicked. We cast him in Broadchurch (2013 – 2015) and he’d come in to the office and was this lovely puppy dog. He’s still the utterly delightful kid that he used to be. 

James North is another example. He did a lot of work for us early in his career and then blew up. One of the very first shows I cast was a (British) show called Dream Team, when I was 24. I was very lucky to be a casting director at such a young age. It was a low-budget soccer-based show. It had Ricky Whittle, who’s gone on to star in American Gods, Rob Kazinski, who’s in the upcoming Michelle Yeoh Star Trek film (Section 31). It’s really rewarding seeing people grow and develop. 

Actors often feel frustrated when they get close to landing a role but don’t. Especially when it’s down to them and just a few others. How can they deal with that letdown?

When it’s down to the last 2 or 3, there’s nothing discernible or tangible as to why you didn’t get the job. That’s the most frustrating part. There’s an alchemy to it, something mystic and no one can really explain it. It could be who fits better opposite an actor that’s already cast, or how they fit in with the ensemble. I sometimes write to actors and say, ‘I’m so sorry didn’t work out this time, but honestly, you were brilliant.’

The rise of self-taping during Covid has, in many cases, replaced in-person auditions. While it has its advantages, it doesn’t always benefit actors. Can you explain why?

Self-tapes are great because it means I can see talent from all over the world and everyone gets the same shot. I’m also very aware that actors have to spend more time judging themselves and their performances, which they never had to do before.

How does self-taping lead to more self-criticism?

You’re watching yourself (on playback) over and over, and criticizing every little thing, especially if you already feel things aren’t going well for you.  You might pick up on little things that, to us, mean nothing, but to you will mean a lot. That can lead to you thinking (the rejection) was something about you…. 

With in-person auditions, where you come in, read once or twice and leave, you can’t judge yourself so harshly because there is no playback.

Yeah, that’s the impact. I tell actors if you’re doing self-tapes, treat it like an in-person audition. If it’s taking you more than 20 min, put it down and come back to it later. It shouldn’t take you any longer than any other audition would.

How can an actor prevent their perception of an audition from affecting the rest of their day?

If you’re doing an audition, make sure you organize something else for after. Even if you’re doing a self-tape. Meet a friend, see a film, go for a coffee, visit a gallery. Don’t let the audition color how you see your day, because then it starts getting into your head, and mental health is so important in all of this. You’ve got to make sure that its working for you and not against you.

Any other advice for actors in the audition room?

Don’t over-rehearse so you’re not directable. That’s why we have the “director” in our title – because we end up directing actors in the room. I love directing. I think it’s exciting when you see someone ‘get’ something or unlock something new. 

Also listen. I can’t tell you how many people we give notes to and they go ‘Yeah, yeah, absolutely,’ and then do exactly the same performance. I understand that it can be nerves, which is why it’s good to get there early if you’re doing in person. Give yourself time to relax. 

Anything actors should avoid or be mindful of in the audition room?

If you’re a smoker, don’t smoke before you go into the room because you bring it in with you and it’s disgusting.  Ultimately, make sure you enjoy (the auditioning experience). As I said, it’s got to be something that works for you.

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