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Ron Leach Interview
Ron Leach On the industry?: “Create an environment that will lead to the production of culturally profound films…because when a film speaks to you it will make money.” Advice to actors: “Just give us the truth. That’s all we’re ever looking for” by Jules Ross, March 2007 CLICK HERE to Pledge for Ron's ride to Toronto to Montreal What’s your favourite website to visit? There are so many. Broadway.com, IMDB, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and cats that look like Hitler, which is exactly what it sounds like! How did you get started in the business? Actually, I fell into it. I was hired at 18 as an agent’s assistant and when you get an opportunity to work at a top agency you take it. Becoming a casting agent was a natural progression. It was more creative and I was able to influence the arts more than I was as an agent. How did you move throw the ranks? I functioned differently than other agents. I was a promoter and a “go-getter”. I get frustrated with talent who are overlooked because agent doesn’t call and push them forward. Do you have any advice for talent who are looking to break through? It’s important to manage your talent agents. You manage them, not the other way around. You are in a partnership with your agent. You have to help them as much as you want them to help you. Help them to participate in the marketing and promotion of you! Which do you prefer, pre-screening or first auditions with the producer and/or director present? I prefer pre-screenings. That way I get to direct the talent, “wipe the poo” (meaning from their auditions, not wiping the actors) and revisit the scene as many times as necessary to create the best possible audition. In a pre-screening, I can create a safe and inviting place and offer feedback. As a casting agent, you are involved in the industry trends. Where do you see the industry going? There’s a big shakedown right now, by virtue of economics. The government has abandoned the industry and McGunity appears to have no solid policy. As a result, there is a wholesale exporting of our assets, meaning our people. Forty-two US States (such as California, Texas, Ohio, Nevada, New York and New Mexico) have created very competitive work environments, by copying our incentive programs, taking work away from us. Inside Canada, Ontario now has the least competitive incentive programs and it shows in our bottom line as we lose more and more money and personnel each year. We are seeing the wholesale destruction of our industry. Along Eastern Avenue, most of the studios are torn down. The last one was just purchased by Walmart. The large studio on Lakeshore is closed. The huge Docklands studio hasn’t been built yet. So our next step is to learn how to be independent. We need to revisit our cultural institution. The government, who is supposed to be enfranchising the environment is clearly unaware of their departments activities or don’t recognize the financial impact of allowing a billion dollar industry founder. For Example: Telefilm appears to maintaining the status quo and not acting as an agent of change, which all of us in the industry thought would happen under new guidance and have been waiting for. The solution begins with a change of government in Ontario. In addition, the whole infrastructure is changing. People can download anything so how can copyright and revenue streams be protected. Essentially, there are 2 steps: The point is to create an environment that will lead to the production of culturally profound films. These types of films are profitable because when a film speaks to you it makes money. But, we’ve created these large scale problems that work against the film maker. We think like colonials. For example, large centrist companies who consume smaller entities, to exist. These power players limit competitiveness in our domestic environment and you have a hard time selling your product. What we need is to create something like ground-breaking Sundance Institute in the U.S. (which has generated interest in independent film and furthered that interest by generating international exposure for smaller budget product. Do you have any interest in spearheading something like that? I would love to do something like that. How many hours are there in a day?! I see the future in education. The more you learn, the more you know. The more you know, the more you can do. You also surround yourself by people who become your partners and your inspiration. Matthew Toffolo says that you understand the craft of storytelling. After reading your bio and seeing that you’ve produced a Shurtleff documentary, I can’t say I’m surprised. Why do you think storytelling is so vital to the craft? Every scene is a little story. It’s as though a scene is a little movie of its own. Most actors are focused on being seen as opposed to communicating an event to you. That is the fabric of story telling. The purpose of a scene is to move the story forward in an arc. It’s about knowing how to tell a punch line. If you don’t know how to set up the story and to get the calories out of the punch line, you will fail. It’s almost always about timing and about an emotional arc. A punch line is always unexpected, something you don’t see coming. An opposite… there’s your Shurtleff for you. There are some schools of thought to produce one-note acting. It creates eventless acting. Shurtleff said that ‘consistency was the death of all good acting’ Yes. Something like that. You need to keep a scene moving. The arc, the variety and the panoplies of choice… that’s what we want to see in front of the camera. I coached an actor for a theatre audition on a difficult scene with a lot of exposition. We didn’t find what he was fighting for until the end of the first of the hour. Then working backwards, we found 3 events that gave him 4 stanzas. By the end of the process, I was excited by the scene. I realized, it was the best challenge, because it forces the actor to dig for the events. What projects have stood out for you? Different things for different reasons. On Hiroshima, the big challenge was to find look-a-likes who could act. Working with Joel Wyner on Pale Saints was great, because he came from an actors position. He wanted every actor to succeed and no one walked out of the audition room without feeling that they had received special notice. I’ve never been surrounded by such a warm exciting, living people, as I was on Da Kink in My hair. That holds true right down to the A.D.s and the joe jobs. They all felt a kindred spirit about the show. We had a ball. It was a difficult production, putting a show in the can every 3 days. That meant that at times were paper casting shows for the next day. What project would you love to get your hands on? The Hulk! What’s next for you? After working with Claire for 15 years, we’ve joined forced to form Walker Leach Casting. Right now, I’m wearing 9 different hats. My teaching is huge. It’s rewarding in that I can see new talent and that every time I stand in front of actors, I come away with a greater understanding of humanity. What do you need to make a living in this industry? Chance is the best way to describe the convergence of luck with your presence. I think that’s part of it. But there is more. Actors need to learn not just how to act, but also about the business they are in. Understand how projects get the green light to get financed. Look on IMDB to see what is being developed. Track Telefilm to see what is getting funded. If you follow the money, you know where the work is coming from and you will know where to go for work. Be proactive. If you run into a director make sure your agent sends them a package. This opens the door for you and for other talent in your agent’s roster. I’ll tell you a funny story. When I was first starting out, I was invited to go and read a bible. This was before fax machines or casting workbook. At the end of each page, if you grabbed a tab, you’d see production notes on the looks for each role. I added in my clients’ names from my roster in my own handwriting. Lo and behold the assistant called with times for each person I had suggested. It’s all about being proactive. Also, once I was walking out of a hospitality suite at The Sutton Place, and there was Edward R. Pressman standing by himself. At the time, I was packaging a film and I saw a golden opportunity. I ran over to him and asked him for 5 minutes of his time. He replied that he’d gladly give it to me if I could tell him where the washrooms were. I told him and he gave me a 20 minute meeting right then and there. A week later I was signing a development deal in his New York Office for my writer/director. It’s all about taking risks. Not any risks, intelligent risks that stay true to the moment. Just give us the truth. That is all we’re ever looking for. You can learn more about Jules Ross at her website www.julessite.com
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