On this episode I speak with Casting Director Michelle Lewitt. She has been casting since 1999. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she grew up exposed to the film/TV industry, but originally pursued other avenues in the arena of sports. An avid basketball fan and player, she began her profession as a basketball coach. After a few years of coaching she felt her talents being called in a different direction and left the coaching field to enter the feature film industry. Mentored by casting legends Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson, working along side them for almost 10 years, Michelle smoothly transitioned her love of assessing athletic ability and assembling successful basketball teams into assessing acting talent and assembling successful casts. She was named one of Backstage Magazine's "Tommorrow's Power Casting Directors" in 2012. Her knack for casting potential movie stars before they become "stars" became one of her signature talents and has filmmakers implicitly trusting her casting instincts and taste.

We speak about:

• The role of self-care as part of a creatives ongoing practice.
• Leveraging the trials and tribulations from your life in your art.
• The desire for a balance between great acting technique and your humanity and authenticity.
• The intuition that goes into casting.
• The first time Michelle auditioned Channing Tatum for Friday Night Lights.
• Her first encounters with Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth.
• What the "IT Factor" is.
• Working with and learning from the legendary Jane Jenkins.
• What the self-tape process looks like from Casting's perspective.
• The overlap between Basketball coaching and sports with a career as an actor.

Enjoy the show!