Finding Scott Kossman.

Looking for a Scott Kossman, I wrote a short list of about a dozen actors I thought could play this complex character.   The leading man had to find happiness in being alone yet not be so introverted that he would come off as creepy to the social butterfly Crystal Green.

I called a dozen or so agents and pitched them the idea.  We’d be shooting the movie with SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) so I could approach every level of talent, but we’d also be shooting very low budget, so I was asking the stars to take a huge pay cut .  Most every approach was met with negativity, but there was one agent who never said no.  I’d call him every couple of days to see if he’d give me an answer, and he always responded that he’d be getting to my script in time.

Eventually I moved on and started calling other agents and managers.  No agent wanted to give up their client’s time for the small amount of money that we were offering.  Another strike against the production is that it was being orchestrated by an unknown writer/director.  With it looking bad, Unknown Productions decided to have an open casting call.

A few days before the audition, I received a phone call from one of the top agencies.  The agent that I had been harassing said that he had read the script and that he would be giving it to his client.  I told him that we were already holding auditions, but would suspend them if he gave me an answer in two days.  Two days later, he called me to say that his client, Ben Savage, was interested in the leading role.

The agent said Ben wanted to meet us before signing on to do the movie. I informed his agent that we’d suspend casting for Scott and that Ben was welcome to stop by and meet our crew at the casting session that weekend. 

We didn’t know Ben’s ETA, or if he would show up at all.  We started casting for the part of Crystal Green at 10AM and planned to be done by 6PM.  We went through about ten actors before I left the room to take a break.  As I stepped outside the room I found Ben walking the hallway, looking for us.

I ushered him into the room and we were greeted by the other producers of Peace & Riot.  After a few “hellos,” we called in the next girl to read with Robert Ryan (who was reading the part Scott).  Ben, interested in the whole casting process, was asked if he wanted to read with a few of the actors.  Like a seasoned professional, Ben took the script and read the part with charm and heart.

Ben stayed a few hours with us, even staying through our lunch.  He was polite, interesting, and charismatic –all the qualities you hope someone has before you meet them. 

Monday morning I called his agent and told him that we liked Ben and hoped he’s sign on to do the movie.  We were told that Ben also had a great time with our crew and that he would be available to do the project. 

 

I won’t bore you with the contract negotiation details; just know that it’s a lengthy process that involves lawyers and lots of time.  The important thing was that we had found our Scott.