07/21/2022
CASTING CALL for an actor on the autistic spectrum aged 8-12. š£šš§āš¦±š§©
Dear friends,
Barden / Schnee Casting (credits and info at www.bardenschnee.com) is searching for a young male actor, ages 8 - 12, who is on the autism spectrum, with no acting experience necessary! Itās a funny and touching script by Tony Spiridakis, who is himself the father of two boys in their mid-20s with ASD. Tony Goldwyn is directing, and the cast includes Robert DeNiro as the grandfather, Bobby Cannavale as the father, and Rose Byrne as the mother. We are on a national search to cast a neuro-diverse young boy to play the lead role of āEzra.ā Filming will take place in Northern New Jersey from after Labor Day to mid-October. We are reaching out to the autism community to find families who are interested in having their child audition for the role and are committed to a safe and sensitive work environment and best practices for the support needed to make the experience positive. We have engaged an experienced consultant who is himself on the spectrum and has worked with films and tv shows who employ neuro-diverse actors to advise on representation and process. We need to find a charismatic and more mildly impacted child. We do not expect them to perform all scripted dialogue and want them to be themselves, and we will adapt the role to their truth. Iām reaching out to see if we might be able to get our message out to age-appropriate families and also if you know of other organizations or individuals you think that we should be in touch with. If there is any part of this message that you think we should modify, please let us know since, of course, we want to present ourselves in a manner that is informationally complete and not in any way off-putting to the community.
Cast: Angourie Rice, Gaten Matarazzo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Armani Jackson, Amy Keum, Ben Jackson Walker, and Kerry Butler