A Star Is Found

"These veteran insiders have a passion for casting major motion pictures, and they use meetings with famous people to illustrate how Hollywood works." — Publishers Weekly For anyone who's ever walked out of a movie and said, "That guy was all wrong for the part," comes this first-of-its-kind look at how actors are chosen and careers are born. Two of the top casting directors in the business, who recently cast the much-lauded choice of Daniel Craig as the new James Bond, offer an insider's tour of their crucial craft—spotting stars in the making. Janet and Jane share the fascinating, funny stories of discovering and casting then-unknown stars such as Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, John Cusack, Matt Damon, Jennifer Connelly, Virginia Madsen, Joaquin Phoenix, Meg Ryan, Benicio Del Toro, and the Harry Potter kids. Taking us from the first casting call through head shots, auditions, meetings, and desperate searches to fill a part, they give us the kind of behind-the-scenes access to the machinery of star-making that captivates movie fans and aspiring actors alike. "In an exuberant, faultlessly pleasant manner, the authors take us behind the Hollywood curtain and into a world often misunderstood . . . remarkable reading." — PopMatters "Parlour game fun . . . Good-natured and always professional, Hirshenson and Jenkins impart the tenets of their craft." — The New York Times Book Review "Reads as fast and easily as a finely honed script." — The Columbus Dispatch "Hirshenson and Jenkins have done much to demystify the process of matching actors with movie roles in this must-read for anyone interested in acting or casting." — Booklist