How Casting Director Allison Jones Discovers Undiscovered Actors
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Allison Jones cast several of Hollywood’s most famous people. Celebrities she snatched from obscurity, genuine teenagers who suddenly became real actors, and complete ensembles repurposed by apparent alchemy came to life. Those starry-eyed stories are something else entirely with Jones: they’re all true.
The casting director has an impressive stable of credits to her name, including Oscar-winners like Jon Voight in “Midnight Cowboy” (1969), Robert De Niro in “Taxi Driver” (1976), and Christopher Walken in “The Deer Hunter” (1978). But Jones didn’t just find them first; she changed their lives.
When it comes to casting, Jones has an eye for talent-spotting the potential in people and bringing it to the surface. It’s a skill that has served her well throughout her career, from working on small independent films to big-budget studio productions.
Jones may not be able to claim a household name or accolades, but she has built an impressive career by mining the inner circle of Hollywood’s elite. You know her work even if you don’t know her name, having molded the Judd Apatow crew from scratch (she discovered Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, James Franco, and Seth Rogen), or cast the likes of Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, and Ryan Gosling in their earliest roles.
In a town built on illusion, Allison Jones is one of the few people who can make things happen for real.
“Allison was my co-pilot, we sat together and crafted the tone [of ‘Booksmart’] through casting,” Wilde told IndieWire. “She understood that this movie would rest on a framework based on the specificity of character. She has a skill for finding people who have a natural essence that is unique, and I think that seeks out authenticity above all else. What she’s willing to do is work harder, search harder, and listen more, and that allows you to see such an incredible range of actors.”
In many ways, this is a tale of two halves, as it tracks the progress of both Sam and Jack. The way they met is similar to the tales you’ve read before that describe how their new acquaintance changed someone’s life. Allison Jones isn’t just a star-maker; she’s also a star-finder, looking for potential new talent.
“She knows how to work from a place of simple emotional truth,” fellow casting director and Academy President David Rubin told IndieWire of Jones’ work. “No pushing for laughs, no behavior that seems outsized for the moment at hand. Just honesty. That’s the great talent of casting director Allison Jones at work. She knows exactly who can be funny in the ‘real world’ and wring laughs from the most awkward and tragic circumstances. These choices are not accidents.”
Jones was tasked with finding a possible love interest for Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang’s “Master of None” series, but she recruited Lena Waithe, who was then mostly known for her writing career. Waithe’s presence in the series represented a turning point for her character and the show as a whole. The choice to continue or end Goodbye, Mary Jane was not only significant for the series’ future, but it also established the course for Waithe, who would win an Emmy for writing an episode about her character coming out at Thanksgiving and go on to create Showtime’s “The Chi.”
Jones is more than just a casting director; she’s an agent of change, someone who not only helps others find their place in the industry but who also creates opportunities for them to shine. She’s helped to launch the careers of some of the biggest names in Hollywood, and there’s no one better to bring new blood to the table.
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