Sorry, Miuccia Prada Does Not Clothe Extras!

Miuccia Prada, the Italian fashion designer who turned Prada and Miu Miu into fashion powerhouses, is assigned to work on costumes for the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming spring production of "Attila" by Giuseppe Verdi.

But when she met the extras cast for the non-singing parts, she groaned at them and said, "I cannot clothe them! I need models!"


Poor extras. They will never be good enough for Miuccia Prada so they are being replaced. According to the opera company, the casting "is at the discretion of the creative team. Due to a change in concept, the Met is in the process of recasting" some of the extras.

The way it shows, the production is giving more importance to Prada's clothes and not to the actors who are supposed to give life to the story.

The non-singing extras (or supernumeraries, in theatrical terms) are women who have been cast months ago and have been probably preparing for their roles for quiet some time already.

One bad day, Miuccia Prada comes to visit Manhattan and when she takes a glance on the women extras, she realizes she hates their curvy figures. The extras are instantly deemed inappropriate - for the clothes, not for the roles.

Met is now reported to be hunting for models in an effort to recast some of the extras.

For all the drama, an observing source could only said, "Employing models is ridiculous. Being a supernumerary is about how you move, not how you look."

Casting Choice Dismays Blind And Deaf Actors

Casting choice for the role of Helen Keller in the Broadway revival of the play "The Miracle Worker" dismays blind and deaf actors.


The newest revival of the play will still focus on Helen Keller's relationship with her teacher Anne Sullivan. The producers seem to have the perfect cast in Abigail Breslin, a 13 year-old Oscar nominee. However, the casting decision has prompted blind and deaf actors to complain that the early life of blind-and-deaf hero Helen Keller should also be played by a member of their community — a real blind-and-deaf child actor, that is.

"We do not think it's OK for reputable producers to cast this lead role without seriously considering an actress from our community. I understand how difficult it is to capitalize a new production on Broadway, but that to me is not the issue. There are other, larger human and artistic issues at stake here," says Sharon Jensen, executive director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts in an interview with the New York Times.

But the show's producer, David Richenthal, explains that the production was unable to find a blind or deaf child actor with the "star power" to bring in enough of an audience to justify the show's large budget:

"It's simply naïve to think that in this day and age, you'll be able to sell tickets to a play revival solely on the potential of the production to be a great show or on the potential for an unknown actress to give a breakthrough performance. I would consider it financially irresponsible to approach a major revival without making a serious effort to get a star."

To give support for the blind and deaf community, the producers hope to find a blind or deaf actress to play Abigail Breslin's understudy, stressing however that they will not make any promises.

The original Broadway production of "The Miracle Worker" was in 1959, which starred Patty Duke as Helen Keller. Later TV and movie versions of the play had Patty Duke, Melissa Gilbert, and Mare Winningham for the role of Helen Keller. None of these former child actors were real-life blind and deaf.

"Sex And The City 2" Is Casting New Yorkers!

Ever dream of acting alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon in the world-renowned film Sex and the City?

Then here's good news for you!


"Sex and the City 2" is making an appointment for 2010 and New York casting company Grant Wilfley is holding an open casting call for SAG and Non-SAG hopefuls who want to play non-speaking roles in its big screen sequel.

Grant Wilfley is looking for "models, celebrity types, socialites, clubgoers, gays and lesbians, international types (Middle Eastern, Arabic, Asian, European, British) and professional soccer players," - that's basically everyone who wants to land a role as background performers for Sex and the City 2!

The open casting call will be on Tuesday, August 4 in the Meatpacking District of New York City.

So if you think you've got the look and sense of style just like Carrie Bradshaw and her gang, walk that six-inch heels to Manhattan and show up looking "Sex and the City fabulous."

FYI, Victoria Beckham and Katie Price aka Jordan are also making cameo appearances for the sequel. These big stars are just fashion fanatic like you, hoping to score a part alongside the Sex and the City lead stars!


Interested much? Read here for information on how to apply to "Sex and The City 2 Open Casting For Extras!"

Lesson From Oscar-winning Movies: Making Smart Casting Decision

"The essence of a good casting decision is that you simply take it for granted."


"Hanna Schmitz" in the Oscar-awarded film The Reader should have been played by Nicole Kidman. "Ennis del Mar" in the critically-acclaimed movie Brokeback Mountain should have been played by Mark Wahlberg.

How come these A-list Hollywood stars did not end up with the Oscar-winning roles?

According to Janet Hirshenson, a casting agent who has already worked with big Hollywood films like A Beautiful Mind and A Few Good Men, big roles are taken for granted by the actors who are the casting agents’ early choices.

Hirshenhon and her casting partner, Jane Jenkins, say that there are two typical reasons why actors pass their starring roles to others: money and time. There are actors who demand a rate higher than what the budget allocates. Others, on the other hand, have to attend to other important business or obligation. Aside from these two usual reasons, there are also stars who take a project for granted simply because they are not interested or uncomfortable with the roles that they are going to play. This “picking” of roles is typical for Hollywood’s A-list actors whose star images are greatly affected by the roles they play on film.

This is the reason why making the right casting is very important to a film’s success. Needless to say, an actor (and her/his public image) is crucial to a movie’s success or failure. Typically, the first choices of casting agents are those popular actors who are box office figures.

It is the responsibility of the casting director to make sure s/he got the right casting for the project because it is her/him who works with the directors, producers and studio executives. Jane Jenkins who is also the co-author of the book A Star Is Found: Our Adventures of Casting Some of Hollywood's Biggest Movies believes that when one have the right casting for the project, it is impossible to think any other stars doing the film. “It only sticks out like a sore thumb when it doesn't work, but usually those movies don't do well enough for anybody to even notice.”

As for the question why Nicole Kidman did not end up doing Kate Winslet role in The Reader, the reason is that she did not have much time anymore – she got pregnant with Sunday Rose. In the same not-so-lucky fate, Mark Wahlberg refused the starring role in the film that earned Heath Ledger an Oscar award and earned an estimated $180 million at the worldwide box office because he was "a little creeped out by the gay cowboy storyline and sex scene."