The Emmy-nominated casting director behind Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia joined How We Role to talk comedy, trust, and why the best auditions are often the least performed ones.
Wendy O’Brien sat down with host Robert Peterpaul to unpack how she builds ensembles that feel real, why listening beats pushing a joke, and what actually makes her call an actor back.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How reading a show’s tone before you audition changes your read
- Why overplaying a joke is the most common mistake she sees
- What makes her call in a wild card who isn’t right on paper
- Her honest take on self-tapes, backdrops and creative choices
- How casting for kids on Abbott Elementary differs from casting adults
- What separates a one-off booking from an actor she keeps calling back
- Quick-fire advice on headshots, nerves, training and onset etiquette
From Highlander to Abbott: Building a Career on Range
O’Brien traced her path from an early break on Highlander in Canada, to Tell Me You Love Me for HBO, to jumping onto It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia after its pilot. She credits working simultaneously in drama and comedy with sharpening her eye for both.
“I think the yin and yang of it makes me better at my job because I can bring in some really funny actors into some poignant dramatic pieces and vice versa.”
Reading a Room, and a Script’s Tone
For actors trying to nail a comedy’s specific tone, O’Brien’s advice starts with homework. Watch an episode before the audition, and figure out whether the show winks at the camera or plays everything painfully straight, the way American Vandal did.
“I think it’s just showing a little bit of both, that you can do both of those skills is important.”
The Case for Underplaying the Joke
O’Brien said the most common misstep she sees in comedy auditions is actors pushing a joke that’s already funny on the page. Trusting the writing, she said, almost always lands better than performing around it.
“Sometimes people are kind of getting ready with a little jazz hands, and you really don’t need it. It’s all set up.”
Why She Calls In the Wild Card
O’Brien is known for bringing in actors who don’t match a role on paper, and for asking for multiple contrasting takes on every self-tape. Both habits, she said, come down to the same instinct: leaving room to be surprised.
“Somebody comes in and they just say it in a different way, and you’re like, I wouldn’t have seen it that way, but that is fantastic.”
Self-Tapes: Skip the Ring Light, Trust the Choice
Asked about breaking the standard self-tape mold, O’Brien said she welcomes creative swings, from filming a scene inside a car to weaving in short vignettes, as long as the choice serves the material rather than showing off.
“As long as it feels really genuine, then it’s lovely.”
Casting the Kids of Abbott Elementary
O’Brien said casting Abbott Elementary’s young ensemble means looking past polish for something rawer. The goal is finding kids who feel unmistakably real on camera, then letting the show’s onset support system take it from there.
“We’re just trying to find kids that can be natural and be really real. And those are sometimes the funniest kids.”
What Turns a One-Off Booking Into a Standing Invitation
After 21 years in the same office, O’Brien has built long relationships with actors she brings back again and again. What earns a repeat call, she said, is less about any single audition and more about the trust built over time.
“When people do a really great job, you have full faith that even if it’s not gonna be right for the project, it’s gonna be brilliant.”
Oars Up: A Casting Keywords Speed Round
The conversation wrapped with a rapid-fire round covering headshots, audition nerves, training and onset protocol. A few highlights, without giving away the full round:
- Headshots: an iPhone photo is fine, as long as it looks like you now
- Audition nerves: a sign you care, so breathe and trust the process
- Onset protocol: be a gracious guest and let the ensemble’s rhythm lead
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