Casting directors may have power over actors' careers, but independent CD Paul Russell implores actors to treat him like a regular human being. "Don't put us on a pedestal," he says. "We're really just glorified human resources." One would think that a CD in the business for 30 years with projects for 20th Century Fox and HBO and many Broadway shows to his credit would not boast humility as a strong suit. But Russell, who began as an actor and director out of high school, remembers his roots. Growing up in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Russell became interested in acting in high school. At 17 he formed Stage Right Productions, New Jersey's first all-adolescent theatre company. After graduation, he bypassed college for open casting calls and directing gigs in summer stock and at regional theatres such as the Walnut Street in Philadelphia. "I didn't have the money or grades to go to college,...
- 11/7/2008
- by Halley Bondy
- backstage.com
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