The volume of prospective actors at recent open auditions for Star Wars VII has prompted Lucasfilm to allow online applications.
Disney recently put out an open casting call looking to fill a couple of open, lead role slots in the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. Auditions, in turn, began this past weekend both in St. Louis, Missouri and the city of Bristol in the UK. That being the case, the auditions in Bristol saw such a tremendous turnout (about 2500) that many would-be Jedis were unfortunately turned away.
“The whole process was a complete and utter mess,” said Josh McGrillen. “They had no infrastructure to handle the hundreds of people who turned up.” That being the case, Lucasfilm has announced that it will now also be accepting video auditions that prospective actors can submit to the website Cast It Talent. As with the open auditions, online applicants will be auditioning for the roles of Rachel and Thomas which are “open to all ethnicities” and will require actors 17-18 and 19-23 years old, respectively.
While a part of me feels sincerely sorry for the poor people that get stuck sifting through the countless videos bound to start flowing in, it’s hard to see how adding an option to audition online could be anything but a good thing. In addition to widening the film’s potential talent pool, it also gives a chance for fans and actors without the ability to travel to take a shot at landing what could potentially be the role of a lifetime.
Source: BBC