For Kane and Sonny, there was a standout candidate for the role. However, to be honest, for Ellis, this wasn't the case. We received loads of self-tapes back for Sonny, however to be honest, I really wasn't too sure about our replies. Lots of great actors, I'm sure, but none of them felt right to me for Ellis.
Plenty of older actors applied, which are usually hard to find for student films. However, these actors tended to be too old and yet didn't portray the weariness I'm looking for.
Again, here are just a few examples.
Ian Moffat was decent, but he didn't look 'right' for the part. I liked him and he seemed to look rough enough. He also fell into the trap of just stopping acting as soon as he delivered the line.
Paul Wilson applied for the role. I like Paul. I think he's an interesting actor. I had actually cast him as Tom in Radio Underground before it was unfortunately shelved when COVID 19 hit. However, he is quite inconsistent. It's strange, but I've never seen it before. One day he's great and the next he's not. He would potentially be very interesting in the role, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk.
Alex Donald also auditioned. This was an actor Paul had recommended we checked out, and his showreel got us excited, but he really didn't seem to get the character and he didn't take directions well. He played the character as constantly very one-note and threatening and no matter how much I tried to work with him, he always played it the same way. It's a shame. I'm sure he's very talented, because Paul vouched for him and his showreel impressed us, but perhaps he just wasn't right for Ellis.
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