CASTING GIANT Dan Hubbard, whose credits include The Hurt Locker, Bourne Supremacy, and King Kong, and who can list Kate Winslet among his discoveries, is set for a special two day workshop in Galway on June 19 and 20.
The workshop, in Hubbard’s own words, “will focus on the actor’s philosophy, mindset, preparation, expectations, psychological attitude, emotions, research, hands-on readings, and direction feedback, the harsh truths of the industry, and what you should and shouldn’t do.
“We will discuss the different mediums of TV, film, and theatre and we will also focus on the all-important commercial castings, which can fund most struggling actors to work on maybe better quality but poorly paid work. There will be the opportunity to show your work and the possibility of being cast in future productions.”
Hubbard is the son of noted casting directors Ros and John Hubbard so did he always envisage joining ‘the family firm’?
“I have been surrounded by the arts all my life particularly theatre and film,” he explains. “I would come home from school to find actors and actresses sitting in my living room waiting for auditions or meetings with my parents.
“We worked from home at the time and when my parents were casting The Commitments, our house became the production office so we had the heart of the production operating from our house! This all really rubbed off on me and when I finished school I began running on film sets in the hope of getting a job in the camera department which didn’t come to fruition.
“Finding myself unemployed I came to Hubbards to work for a week or two but found out, despite my reservations about working for my mum and dad, I was really enjoying my experience and decided to stay. By the time I was 21 I was casting my first feature film and the rest is history.”
Moving to his Galway workshop what sort of “harsh truths of the industry” will it expose?
“That would be telling!” he replies teasingly. “I hope to cover a lot of ground on this point with the attendees to my workshop in June but I would say fundamentally, the main harsh truth of the film industry is that everything is so name-driven it is very hard for aspiring actors to get a look in. It isn’t a fair or organic process, the business is purely controlled by money.”
The course also promises to explore what actors “should and shouldn’t do”, so what are the ‘biggies’ in those two categories?
“Things actors should do: work hard; make your own work; keep busy - never stop learning and practising, taking courses and working on accents; watch your ego; be proud of who you are and what you are capable of but don’t be arrogant; be positive,” he says.
“Things actors shouldn’t do; turn up unprepared for any meeting; let nerves always get the better of you; slander fellow professionals; think the world owes you a living; rest on your laurels once you have gained some experience and success.”
Finally, is it possible to break into an acting career without having done specialised training? “I don’t think there is a rule as to who can and cannot act,” Hubbard replies. “If you have the ability and can hold your nerve and are willing to put the graft in then you have a chance.
“Obviously there are some advantages and industry people tend to respect actors who have put three long years into training, however, it is not a necessity and there is nothing that beats rolling your sleeves up and simply working on the floor, with directors, and other actors.”
Application forms for Dan Hubbard’s workshop can be got by emailing [email protected]
