Didn’t I see her in...

As an active production company we audition fairly regularly. And as a result we see hundreds of professional actors, directors, editors, sound engineers, runners, writers and so on... We always pick the person who is exactly right for the job at hand and that can come down to a million factors for any given position. However, occasionally we find someone who just fits the bill more than once. Lily Joseph is an example of that kind of person and we felt it’d be a good idea to see how she (and we) manage that kind of situation.

The role

Lily has worked with Disclosure Group no less than four times. She played ‘Bunny’ in our drama pilot Ladies + Gentlemen, took part in a MonoBlog and ‘Leona’ in PORN. It’s very important to get the characterisation as close to pitch perfect as we can, and Lily is someone who understands that. We found that she had the ability to vary her performance in a very subtle way whilst retaining a wonderful streak of humility. It’s something we’d recommend always looking for in an actor for any show. It isn’t just about the look, although that’s important of course, but we look for performers who ‘get’ our characters, stories and productions generally.; someone who understands the ethos of the company.

The look

Lily has a very distinctive look which we were worried about when it came to casting her in more than one role as it has always been important to diversify our footage as much as possible. To ensure we didn’t muddy the waters Lily was a fantastic sport and changed her look massively for each production. Although we can still recognise her as Lily, she embodied her character absolutely. It’s very important to ensure a look of a character outweighs the vanity or demands of an actor as eventually it’s that look that can make or break a show.

The relationship

By far, this can be the highest priority in casting the same actor in more than one project. If there’s a rocky relationship between the artist and the company then no matter how high the level of talent involved, it can lead to so many problems in the future. We have always prided ourselves in relationships with our casts and crews, however occasionally there is friction (it’s almost impossible to avoid). With someone like Lily it was never a worry as she is someone who effortlessly manages relationships, even on set with the other cast members. She also knows us too well to take our endless jibes seriously!

Of course we have worked with other performers and crew more than once, and we’ll showcase some of the talent we’ve worked with soon, but for the moment we think it’s wise to let people know how we manage this kind of situation in case it can help others manage their own at some point.