Seth Yanklewitz: The Man Who Cast New Girl Pt. 2
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That's what everybody talks about. Like, how do you assemble a cast? How do you bring it all together? I mean, it feels like also everybody just wanted to be a part of this show. And I remember after like the first year of the show, you know, you go out, you go to a bar and you meet all these actors of different levels of acclaim, some brand new, some who are just like household names. And it was always so funny to me because I

I'd say 80% of people would say to me, you know, I was almost in the cast of New Girl. And I was like, how many people did they see? Because...

Everyone in town must have come in for the show. I saw everyone. I saw everyone. That's what I said. I saw everyone. He must have auditioned everybody in town because everybody had a story of how they almost, you know, because that's how it feels in time, you know, almost made the show. And I was like, the... How...

There was a timeline where you had to move fast, but how thorough you had to be to create a great cast. I think a lot of people don't have an appreciation for it. They just see the show and they go like, it must've been obvious, but you got to hunt. Yeah.

Oh, we hunted and hunted and hunted. And it was right at the start where like we had to see more people. The crazy thing is I was, Jewel, my casting partner, was doing another show. And it was the first time we worked on two things separately. Like we'd watch each other's tapes and everything. But like she was like doing a pilot and I was doing a pilot. And then I got Rock of Ages, the movie.

So I was doing Rock of Ages, the movie. So I was spending the mornings at Warner Brothers watching people sing for like the first round of auditions. Then at lunch, driving across town to spend four or five hours in auditions or producer sessions. And like and then at night I was I was watching like opposite tapes.

like all night. So I was literally in the office sometimes to like one, two in the morning or at home, like just watching tapes over and over and over. And yeah,

Yeah, it was nuts. But we saw like that was the first time I saw like 400 people for a role. Like, you know, like and especially for the coach role, because then we switched it from a white guy to diversity. And and and then when, you know, we didn't get Lamorne and I had to sort of start all over. It was like then we really saw everybody. Yeah. Yeah. And the Damon was on and the Damon got called back. That was crazy.

That was low key. Always felt that that was just like strategy. Like they knew that Fox was going to have a huge show and they were just like, we're going to keep diamond. A hundred percent. Sure. I,

I will. That was always my thought. Oh, yeah. Because because little insider, like supposedly that show was like not coming back. And it was like a lot of sources were like, don't worry, Fox. It's a safe second, what they call it. And and then it got picked up. But, you know, I think it worked and nothing made me happier when we did get picked up and they created Winston because it couldn't be coached.

You know, and they saw we saw more people. But I was like, guys, Lamorne was so amazing. Like, let's please have Lamorne accepted the assistance. Exactly. We were talking about earlier. He just had the offer. And man, it was like first pilot season for him, too. It was a bird in the hand. You're going to go for it. But then that show didn't go and he became available again. Right.

He was testing. He was standing outside the window of that office, like waiting for the rehearsal for the test. And his manager called. I'm looking at him on the other side of the window from my desk. And she's like, he got an offer. Can you get him an offer? And I'm like, nobody knows who he is at this point. I can't get an offer. My test is in an hour. Yeah.

And it like my test fell apart for that character that day. But doesn't it go to show you what's meant for you is meant for you because it came back around. For sure. Damon's fine. Damon rejoins the cast. I know. It was amazing. And we talk about that. We did a whole like interview with Damon about this, about how Damon came back to the show.

Because we had all... We were new. We were getting our feet wet. They were trying to write for our characters. There was a lot of... The learning curve was happening for everybody. And we were winning. It was wonderful. But there was a learning curve. But when Damon showed up, he has this energy where...

He doesn't take any of it really seriously. He shows up. He has a great time. He supports everyone in the room. He feels no pressure, right? No pressure because he's truly grown up on stage. So he knows the thing. He's got no stress, no sweat. And it really was the big first moment of permission for all of us to have fun. Oh, that's awesome. End of sentence. Yeah.

And it was transformative. And LeMorn and like, you know, Damon's relationship and friendship to this day is so close and so tight. Right. And they know that they both had a hand in each other, you know, being on the show and the way it happened looked kind of crazy on the outside, but it was exactly how it was supposed to be.

Yeah. You know, personally and professionally. It was beautiful. And look to Liz and Brett and Dave and Catherine and Jake. You know, the conversation was, guys, like, we're not just going to have a new coach after the pilot. It's that young and the restless where we're just going to swap someone in.

It's not going to happen that way. And it was, it tormented them. How do we create a new character? Like, it was so thoughtful and thought out and processed and discussed and, um,

You know, look, I love Damon Wayans Jr. Like, I did a pilot during the pandemic he was the lead of, which unfortunately in the Warner Brothers debacle when...

It first, you know, sort of when David Zaslav first took over, we got killed on the the at the table read like they picked up the pilot. We were about to shoot the show in Canada and then they canceled us the day of the table read for the first episode. So so I've gotten to cast and work with Damon again. I just I love that guy. I think he's top notch. Yeah, he's magic. Yeah, totally. Yeah.

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Start TV is easy to find. Stream it, watch it on cable, satellite, or free over the air. Head to starttv.com to see how to watch where you live. I have to ask this question on behalf of all the actors that are listening, and we've got a lot of them that listen to the podcast. And I know this might be hard to nail down. I'm sure you've got this question before, but...

How do you know? Like, what can actors do or not do? And then how do you know when they're doing it right? Like, is there anything that they can do? You know, look.

Again, it's like a question I always get. And it is if we knew new it like I'd be a billionaire, right? Because I'd be charging people for the answer. But but the truth is, like, this is what I say. You have to come in prepared. That does not mean memorize. It means prepare. You have to make choices.

you know, and smart choices. And oftentimes, sometimes they're wrong, but like a casting director will fall in love with you or see something, a sparkle, a shine, and it makes us want to fight for you. So like, you know, be smart, be kind to the room, and be open and willing to work. If you come in thinking you've got the job and you know what the job is,

it's just going to read wrong. Right. And, and you have to be open and available to take directions, to have the conversation, to work, work the material. You know, look, there's no silver bullet in this business. There's just not right. Because if there was again, a lot more people would be in the 1% of thing. So I just say like, do everything you can to be prepared. Like,

reading the script or fighting to get the script to read the script if it's out there, right? Like really working on the character, knowing who the character is.

and educate yourself. Like, do research on the showrunner. What is the tone? Watch their previous stuff. Or the director, if the director's going to be in a room, how do they direct? See what you can find out. Who's going to, you know... Yes, you may get a crappy reader opposite you. That happens, so you've got to be prepared for that. And hopefully not, but it happens, you know? So I think it's like...

This sort of age old, like be prepared, you know, and be willing to play. To play. Yeah, it's funny. I feel like it's like that unwritten rule thing where I I think a lot of new actors going in don't understand that if you get a note or a piece of direction.

That means you're doing a good job most of the time and they now want to see next level. Can you take the direction? What can you do with this moment? But I think a lot of actors immediately go like, well, I did it wrong. I screwed up and I must've done it wrong. And they, and they just shrink. They become, now they become super self-conscious, right? Cause they go like, Oh, I already screwed it up. It's over. And that's what I've shared with actors. I'm like, if you get direction or a note, right.

What an awesome opportunity now to like show your skill, to show that you can do it and do something special with it, which is I remember going in for the outsourced audition and he kind of kept us all in one room together for like 10 hours. All of us just kind of hanging out. It was very interesting. And they were doing mixing and matching. And there was a British actress in there. And I remember what she said. And I've never forgotten that either. But she was sort of like, learn the lines.

so well that when you walk in the room, you can forget them.

And so that you can kind of be, you're going to do the lines now, but then if there's a moment where you want to just take a breath or the reader, you know, opposite you does something that you didn't expect they were going to do. And you have an honest reaction. You know what you're going to say. You know what the scene is. You know what the lines are, but you can now authentically be in the moment. Cause you're not trying to go like, wait, that wasn't the right cue. Sure. You know what you're doing. Sure. And there was like, that was like a real moment of like, Oh,

Oh yeah. To be the character, not just sit here and notice show. I can memorize lines, which a lot of people get caught up in too. Yeah. And I always say like, just hold the paper. If you got to hold the paper, hold the paper. Like I don't, I can barely remember anything at my age. So it's like, if like, you know, now we can, I, we have just anything to be prepared that makes you better than

And, you know, I always say people are like, what happens if you flub a line? Then just ask to stop and start over. Or if you, if you, if it's in your mind and, you know, maybe you can attest to this, but I sort of have,

have pride about how I ran my casting rooms. Like I always let people have at least one take that they were proud enough of so that when they left, they could be like, okay, I did it. Right. Even if I knew they weren't getting the part or they knew they weren't getting the part. Right.

Like, let's at least have one take. There were many, many, many times where I was like, you're not happy. You want to do it again? And they're like, do you mind? And I'm like, yeah, no, let's do it. Like, I want you to like do one great one.

So I think that's the other thing. That is so kind, Seth, because everybody gets in their car, they relive it over, we like analyze ourself, we go like, oh God, now I get I want to go back. And to just get the gift, even if we're not getting the job, just for our mental health to know, you know, I put one on the table I'm proud of. Like I can stand by that. And most people don't give that opportunity. Again, we were just like a unicorn of a human being. I mean, look, it is the hardest profession in the world, I say, right? Like,

Yeah, we've got to find some like, peace and love in there. Yeah, just moments of kindness. That's just a kind thing to do. Yeah. So somebody can at least not because you know, actors do that. It's not like there's a lot of jobs, especially ones that are meant for you that will live on and allow you to like build from that.

Those are rare. And so we know you can go to a thousand. I always said, it's like a numbers game. You gotta just keep showing up. And I've also said, you never know what you're auditioning for. I did Nevermind Nirvana with you. I don't know if I felt the most connected to that character, but I was going to go out and take full advantage of this opportunity because I knew what you had done before. And I was like, I get to be in front of Seth. And if he can see something, right?

knows what could happen and it was so weird that that belief is what ended up happening yeah the truth of what happened at the end of it but i and still to this day now why i will always like i will if i can get in a room i'll always get in the room even if i want the role i'll do it because i never know that director might be doing something else that producer might be working on something else like you just don't know where it could land so just show up and do your best work

Yeah. No matter what, because it's a relationship. It's a relationship business. That is exactly correct. I mean, I will literally interview for every job too. Like whether I, I mean, granted, I like the money and I have kids I'm raising, so I'll take the job. But like, sometimes I'm like, I don't really want this job, but like, I'll take it. But like those showrunners could be making something else. That director could do something down the line and

you know, maybe they liked me enough where the next time they want to interview me again. Like, yeah, I'm a big, I have zero ego about, I've done all this, start offering me jobs. I tell everyone, like, I will fight for every job you want to put me up to fight for. Like, let me show you why it's mine. Yeah, that's right. I mean, Jake, I remember talking, I remember asking Jake when someone was like, Hannah, you should own, it's the only offers. And Jake Johnson told me, he was like,

That's some bullshit. He's like, don't you want to go in Hannah and show them what you'll do with it? Because then that's what you're going to get to do with the character. Right. Right. As opposed to like, you get the offer, you go on and they're like, no, we actually need it done like this.

Then that wasn't meant for you. He was like, show them what you can do. If they want an audition, show up and show them what you can do. So at least it's the right fit for you as an artist and for them as a show. Plus who needs to set yourself up for failure in terms of like being wrong for it in the end. And then like, no one wants to get fired off the job. We've all been part of things where you're just sort of like, oh, this wasn't like a good fit.

fit of people. And so, and New Girl never felt like that to me. New Girl, in terms of the chemistry of that ensemble, you never had a question, which is why I think it just like burst through the screen. You never had a question that this was a perfectly cast show.

Everybody has been there. Traffic was a nightmare. You got home late and your dinner plans are out the window when you hear the inevitable tiny voice saying, I'm hungry. Yeah, that's when dinner dread sets in. What are you going to make tonight? How can such a simple question be so hard to answer? Well, it's not.

It doesn't have to be, because a delicious, family-pleasing meal from Stouffer's is only a ding away. So if your dinner plans are derailed, don't worry. Just turn to a delicious solution from Stouffer's, a meal that will always leave everyone happy, especially you. Maybe some chicken enchiladas. Spaghetti with meat sauce is always a winner. Or how about some cheesy chicken and broccoli pasta bake? Yes, please. When the clock strikes dinner, think Stouffer's. Shop now for family favorites.

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Another perk, preferred shoppers. I've ordered groceries before and oftentimes what arrives at the door is not what I put in the cart. But with Shipt, when you find a good shopper, you can save them to your preferred shoppers list so you can get exactly what you ordered from a shopper you trust. Exclusive member-only discounts and sales

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Gilmore Girls has a new home on Start TV, the network celebrating strong, smart women in iconic dramas. You can catch it every weekday at 5 p.m., 4 p.m. Central and 11 p.m., 10 p.m. Central. And now they've added a five hour block every Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Central. Whether you're watching for the first time or coming back to Stars Hollow, it's all on Start TV.

Start TV is easy to find. Stream it, watch it on cable, satellite, or free over the air. Head to starttv.com to see how to watch where you live. Which makes me want to talk about another perfectly cast show that you have done, Deli Boys. Thank you. Full of all of my favorite people on planet Earth. Yeah, it's amazing. Tell me how you put that cast together. So...

I much like New Girl, probably this and maybe How I Met Your Father are my two favorite like ensembles of people that I really feel beyond proud of having assembled and being part of having assembled because.

It works so seamlessly. You know, when I got the opportunity to interview for the job, I started to do research and much to my embarrassment or just lack of world history knowledge, I didn't know that Pakistan and India had a war. And like, it was very, you know, Southern India and Pakistan, like, and so I,

when they said that the show creator, Abdullah Saeed, really wanted Pakistanis because that's how it's written and he's a Pakistani, like, I was like, oh God, like, you know, there was going to be a lot of people who you would just go to for the audition that I couldn't just go to. So we, from the, the,

moment of starting had to dive way deeper and go out to, you know, there's, there was one name. It was like Hassan Minaj was like the one Pakistani guy, like, and he was not available. So it was like, what are we doing?

And again, Asif Ali was in the very first Fox night of comedy that we put on when I was a Fox exec in 2010, 20, like my first year. And so I remembered Asif from that. And obviously his career had taken off. He had done some Marvel stuff. So, um, he came in and, um,

And and I had been watching, obviously, Ms. Marvel just because I love to watch everything. And Sagar had this amazing beard. And I was just like, that guy's beard is amazing. We got to audition him, you know, but like you slowly found out people were Pakistani and not just Indian. And, you know, we had to reject a lot of people. So we went, you know.

I mean, we hunted and dug and went nationwide and, you know, like all over and we went into neighborhoods and put posters in delis, in restaurants, in bookstores that were like Pakistani. I mean, and we were like.

do you want to audition to like the people who own the store? We were like, do you have an auntie who would, you know, I will say this. I have this interject quickly because I do remember when, um, so when I moved to LA and I knew I really wanted to act, that's why I came down here, but I had been hosting cause there were just no opportunities for me. Um, I'll do remember getting a call from Gersh,

And they were like, and that was right after Slumdog. So all of a sudden it was the Nevermind Nirvana and Outsource all of a sudden had a little more attention on it. And I remember my agent calling and being like, wait a minute, are you even like a little bit Indian? Yeah.

Do you have something Indian in you? Because they were those had to be authentically Indian cast. And I was like, yeah, I'm half Indian. They're like, you just booked your first audition. And he was like, it's fine. Because I had a blank resume. And it was that that got me in the room because authentic cast.

casting truly does open doors for people that can't get in. It happened for me with those two pilots. And then a great casting director being able to see me as outside of that was like the story. So that was the same, I guess, with Deli Boys. And you needed Pakistani

Right. Pakistani or northern Indian Muslim. And, you know, Porna's mom has a tie to Pakistan and northern India. That's like my grandmother. My grandmother was from Lahore. Right. But Indian. So pre-1947. Correct. Correct. Exactly right. And so...

And so the story goes like once they changed the aunt, the porna's role was originally a male and they switched it to an auntie. And I immediately was like, we have to get porna. Like I had only seen her in Never Have I Ever. And it really is nothing about that character actually tells you she could do Lucky, but yeah.

She was so fierce and I was so in love with her, like just as an actor. And like, she was so cool that I was like, it's her, it's her. I'm telling you, she can do it. She can do this part. And they had a meeting with her. And immediately we made her an offer. Like she didn't even read for us. She got offered the part after a meeting, but I just,

And again, like Max, I don't know that I fully knew how much she would like and, you know, take on the role so brilliantly. But I knew she had to be part of this cast and was like a badass. And, you know, that cast really came together well.

It took a while. It was, it wasn't like a, like in a week we had in two weeks we had, it was like four week, five weeks hit, like, because we had to hunt and find and dig and read and read. And, um, it was on zoom and there were chemistry reads on zoom. Cause we were still like, how does the chemistry read on zoom go and how can they be, they

Like, how do they work? What's a successful one look like? Well, so that Damon Wayans Jr. show, I Kill the Orange-Faced Bear, was completely done on Zoom. Yeah, that was the name of the show. I was like, which one was it? Yeah, we never... The actors never met until they shot the pilot, ever. Like, not even...

The table read was on Zoom. So, like, this is what you see when you're doing a chemistry, like how you and I are looking at each other. Yeah. And so we're all, like, black on Zoom. Like, we go dark. And the two actors see each other, and we just see the two of them. And...

You can actually tell if people have chemistry, oddly enough, and you can really tell when they don't have chemistry. Sure. Like it's even almost like painfully more obvious. How do you know if it's they don't have chemistry or if it's bad juggling?

Do you know what I mean? Like if they're just feeling panicky and there's like a hundred people around black and they're just, it's like weird and they're in their closet, you know, or how do you tell the difference? You can tell when nerves have crept in versus it's just not working. And I think when, when someone is not juggling that's nerves, potentially,

And so you sort of just like, let's do it again. Like, why don't you take a beat? We'll go to the next scene. We'll come back to that one. Like there's things to just get them loosened up. Right. If they don't have chemistry, you're like, okay, let's see the next scene. Yeah.

You know, because you're like, this is not working. And and and and then maybe like they pull it together. And so then you're wrong. And so you go back and do the first one. But like if there's no chemistry, you know, it's just not working. The scene's not working.

Right. What's the first time you saw, I guess, the three of them together? Was it shooting than the first episode? Because Pornhub didn't. Yeah. Can't read with anybody. So, again, I don't know if you like the story out there is so Sagar and Asif tested for the same role and it was clear it was going to be Asif.

From that, like he just destroyed it. Yeah. And I went to volley who was the show co-showrunner at the time. I know, I know. And Jenny and Nora. And I was like, guys, please do me a favor. Can we please test Sagar for the other brother? And volley was the only one who was hesitant and he's told this story. So I'm not calling it out. You know, I'm not being, uh, uh, uncool. Um,

And I was like, just do me a favor. Like I go, a test is no harm, no foul. The only person it stinks for is BA who has to make a new deal. Like, do you know what I mean? Like I was like, just for, just for me. And so everyone agreed. And the minute he read for the other part and, and, you know, I called and I spoke to his manager and he, I think like, um,

I gave her like a lot of tips of like what the opposite of Asif was so he didn't like bring the energy from that character into this character and

and he nailed it and it was apparent that it was him and we were just like oh shit we did it we got it like and and volley has given me credit like somebody i think i interviewed for a job and they had checked up on me after the interview or before the interview with volley and he told them that story and they were like volley's a big fan of yours and i was like that's very sweet like um

But yeah, I mean, and that's how Sagar. And so like once we got the boys and then Porna, like we knew we had a show. Right. So then it was now like and then Iqbal and Brian George came and we felt like we were giving like true cred to like industry titans. Right. Like the guys who did it.

really broke the mold for Indian and Pakistani actors, right? From the beginning. And it also felt like it carried a true authenticity to the, this community of actors. And, and then like, and, and Abdullah Saeed was like,

bananas over the moon that we got Iqbal and Brian. Like he just thought we were, he just was like, these are the people I grew up watching. No way they're doing my show. And I was like, your show's amazing. Like your writing is brilliant. Like this show is brilliantly written, Abdullah. So it, it, it obviously the writing matters, you know, and Jenny and Nora, our producers are like,

The best of the best of the best. Like, I will do anything they ask me at any point. But yeah, you know, and then Marissa Ross and Crystal are our Chicago casting directors. And they did the same thing we did. We were like, guys, you are going to have to go out on foot.

into your community there and like post signs. Cause we all did like the, through breakdown, you can do like nationwide searches, like now like a virtual open call. So we had done that. But like, I was like, you have to go in to the restaurants and the stores and ask people if they will audition for you. And they did that too. And like, they wound up auditioning. And when people would come in, they'd be like, do you have a,

auntie that wants to audition or a cousin. They were like, did you have a brother? Like any, a mom and dad? And like, you know,

They did it too. It makes me think about just that agent at Gersh running through the halls being like, anybody got anybody who knows anybody that's even a little bit- Indian. Can they tick the box a little bit? We'll take them right now. These pilots have come out of nowhere. Where are these people in the town? Right, right. I have to say, we were supposed to talk for 30 minutes. It's been an hour. Oh my God, you're amazing. I could talk for another hour. I know. I love you so much. Because it is-

A real gift to actors. A real gift to actors who are starting out, who are successful in this business. You know, all of us just want to work and have great jobs. And truly, the gateway into all of those jobs are casting directors. And you are the best of the best. All the awards, all the flowers. You know I speak of you so lovingly. I love you. And so does everybody else. And what you have done for my community, you now see the effects. I so...

So many people have talked about why

watching CeCe and then they knew that it was possible for them. Then they took the acting class. They moved to LA. They kept trying. And then all these other casting directors and all of these showrunners could see us just as an American girl that lives in the apartment, like, you know, in Friends and they could see it differently. And that truly begins with how you remembered me, but then did not stick me in that box.

And you're continuing to do it with authentic casting on Deli Boys. You just, it's so incredible. You've had the most phenomenal career and you've never compromised your integrity or dignity around actors. And we feel it. And I love you. I love you to the max. And I'm so honored to get to talk to you about this. And obviously the show New Girl is amazing.

a career highest for me. And, you know, I'm just proud of the show, the everything. So I love you. I love you too. Thank you. Okay. Bye. Bye.

That was The Mess Around, an iHeartMedia production. Our executive producer is Joelle Monique. Our senior producer is Abu Zafar. Bay Wang provided engineering and editing services. Additional production from Daniel Goodman, Wendy Heisler, and Kyle Chevron. Our theme song was written and composed by Ronald Jukebox Jackson. Catch you next time. Bye.

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Gilmore Girls has a new home on Start TV, the network celebrating strong, smart women in iconic dramas. You can catch it every weekday at 5 p.m., 4 p.m. Central and 11 p.m., 10 p.m. Central. And now they've added a five hour block every Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Central. Whether you're watching for the first time or coming back to Stars Hollow, it's all on Start TV.

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