You may not have seen many movies that Amey René has cast, but many people who work in Hollywood have, and she commands an enormous amount of respect because of it.
One of the current queens of indie film casting, René focuses almost exclusively on smaller films. That’s usually to the detriment of her bank account, but financial reward is not nearly as important to her as discovering new talent, both in front of the camera and behind it.
Many actors got their start with her (at least one of whom is now a superstar; see below), and she likes to say she’s been to “a million film festivals.” René is also a regular collaborator with the Duplass Brothers, who might as well be the patron saints of 21st-century indie film. Penelope, the indie TV show she did with the Duplasses, is on Netflix. She also cast Kevin Smith’s latest film, The 4:30 Movie, and the holiday TV movie, A Carpenter Christmas Romance. She spoke to us from her home in LA.
Insights: Lessons From Amey René
- Submit your self-tapes promptly when requested to stand out in the indie film casting process; it’s your first win in a competitive field.
- Make strong, confident choices in your auditions and always deliver on time to impress casting directors.
- Attend film festivals if your work is featured; it’s crucial for networking and being an active part of the indie film community.
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How did you get into casting in the first place?
My brain catalogs actors and directors. I’ve always been that person. When I watch something, I remember who was in what with what other actor. I’m not a book reader. I’m a visual reader, so my education came from movies.
I knew I loved movies; I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. I always knew that I wanted to work in entertainment, but I grew up in Ohio, I don’t have a famous last name and I don’t know anyone in the biz. I went to college and got a degree in art education because I was an artist, then I went to grad school because I didn’t know what else you do after you get done with college.
My master’s is in film theory, so I spent all that time studying the art of film and filmmakers and style, but I didn’t go for editing, cinematography or directing. When I first landed in LA as a 20-something I was a makeup artist because I could paint, so I said, “Okay, I’ll paint on faces.”
That lasted how long?
Seven or eight years, and I hate being on set. I hate it. I’m an introvert, naturally. I can’t be there for 18 hours making you feel pretty. It just does not work in my DNA day after day.
How did you last seven or eight years?
I was also doing weddings, headshots, the Emmys and I had private clients.
I had an actor friend who said her acting studio was looking for somebody to work in the office, and I just literally walked in and got a job as an assistant. I met a lot of actors and I was putting them in class with different teachers and keeping track of their progress. I was learning how to talk to actors, how they talk to each other, what it means to have a thought about the scene you’re in, all that stuff. I absorbed all of that, but I didn’t want to stay at an acting studio forever. Another friend hooked me up with casting director Jeff Greenberg.
I’ve talked to Jeff a couple of times. He’s the greatest.
I adore him. Jeff was so kind to me because I didn’t know up from down. I didn’t know how to pull sides, I didn’t know spreadsheets, I didn’t know anything. He has a forever associate named Allen Hooper. He and Justine Hempe, another great casting director, said, “We’ll teach you.” I feel like I went to the Harvard of casting.
Working with Jeff, the first pilot we did that got picked up was Modern Family, so I got the honor of working on the first two and a half seasons of Modern Family, which was awesome. I cut my teeth on how to talk to agents and managers, what the proper protocol is for casting, doing sessions and how to run the camera and not screw up or sneeze during somebody’s intense audition. (Laughs) I just fell in hardcore.
How did you make the shift to indie film?
That’s when my story takes a massive left turn because Microsoft came calling when they were going to do a studio like Amazon and they recruited my husband. Suddenly, we’re moving to Seattle. I thought, “But I just found the job that makes sense to me and I’m doing good and I love it!” I was so devastated because what was I gonna do up in Seattle?
I took the leap of faith and immediately Googled, “Who’s making movies in Seattle?” The first person that came up was Lynn Shelton, who had just done Hump Day. There was a thriving indie scene there, with all these great female filmmakers from the Pacific Northwest. I instantly fell in with this Sundance crowd, and the rest is history.
I do a lot of film festival movies. I work with a lot of writer-directors. I don’t have a lot of money ever on anything, but I believe in the work. That’s the niche I’ve fallen into and I love it.
As admirable as it is, because we need those stories to be told, it’s got to be exhausting, just constantly clawing along and working on such small fare.
You’re right, I quit. I’m not doing this anymore.
Noooooo!
(Laughs) You know what, honestly, yes to all of that. I’ve just been grinding and I can’t imagine doing another job. I always say to actors when they’re looking for advice, “If there’s anything else in the world that will make you happy and creatively fulfilled, do that.” I’ve told myself that multiple times, and this is where I love to be. I have that reputation now, that, “Hey, if Amey René is doing it, there’s a reason why.”
On the other side of that, working in this field, I would think it’s enormously rewarding when you find diamonds in the rough who go on to become stars.
Sydney Sweeney is probably my biggest. We did Everything Sucks, which was the only one season on Netflix, then I did this movie with Pete Davidson and Machine Gun Kelly called Big Time Adolescence, and I told the director, Jason Orley, “Just hire Syd. I’m telling you, she’s gonna be huge.”
It is fun when you’re like, “I knew there was something there,” and then they pop. The other side of it is going to a film festival. I’m sitting in the audience, and the first question at the Q and A is, “How’d you get such a wonderful cast?” And the directors always just take credit for it. I would love for casting directors to have a little more visibility.
Working on so many independent films, you work with a lot of younger, fresh talent. Do you find there are common mistakes that the actors make in auditions?
You know what? The first one is just, if I send you a request for a self tape, actually do it. I say this all the time and people are like, “Oh my God, who would not do a self tape?” People just don’t do it.
I work in indie films. I don’t have Jeff Greenberg’s office on the lot where I can do sessions every day for three hours. I usually get my director maybe once or twice for an in-person session. Self tapes have always been super important to me, so when I’m going through 3,000 submissions for a role, if you got an audition, you already won. You know what I mean?
With that in mind, what piece of wisdom or advice would you give to an actor coming in to audition for you?
Do a good job every time, make strong choices and get it in on time. Just do the work. Don’t get caught up in all the other stuff. Also, if you’re in a film that goes to a film festival, go. Even if you have to pay your way and you put yourself up or whatever. You go. You be a part of the scene. (Laughs)
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