Instinct is essential: Debbie Mcwilliams speaks about the work of a casting director at KVIFF Talk

Casting director Debbie McWilliams, whose career spans more than 40 years and is now drawing to a close, has worked on everything from the James Bond films to Shakespearean dramas. During a KVIFF Talk moderated by Leo Barraclough, she spoke about her work and the instincts behind it.

She described her early career, which began with secretarial work at a theatre, before she became a casting director at the age of 29. According to McWilliams, the profession has changed rapidly over the past few years. “Covid changed everything. Casting looks completely different now; actors only send in self-tapes these days. I hate it. I’d do anything to be in the room with them and the director. That’s almost unheard of now, which is mad. You sit at your computer all day. And even though actors are getting better at self-tapes, nothing can replace a proper audition. During these sessions, you can guide the actors and help them,” she said.

In casting, it is important to build up a network of contacts all over the world. McWilliams herself travelled a great deal. The first thing she did when she arrived in a foreign country was to go and meet local casting directors. She believes that getting started in the profession is very challenging, so having someone who can help you is invaluable. She said it is very easy for casting directors to fall victim to typecasting, just as actors do. This applies particularly to television work, which she has also tried her hand at on several occasions.

“It’s hard for us to describe exactly what we do. If you know what it is, then you just know. You should only work as a casting director if you really want to. The job is all about instinct. You’ve got to have that. Otherwise, you won’t enjoy your work,” she explained. McWilliams herself enjoyed going to film sets in her spare time, simply to watch. She liked observing the lighting, the set-up and the action itself. And in the case of the Bond films, which were often shot over as many as 22 weeks, it was well worth it.

A number of questions concerned the 007 series. At first, McWilliams was unsure about both Daniel Craig and Mads Mikkelsen, whose villainous character was originally meant to be played by a French actor. She cast Judi Dench as M the moment she learnt that MI5 had in fact been headed by a woman. The first lady of British acting was then the obvious choice. At the same time, she wanted the actors to be able to play poker, which was one of the main activities during the creative process.

When asked what qualities the ideal Bond actor should have, she replied: “Bond has a licence to kill. There should be an element of danger about him. Pierce Brosnan, for example, embodied a different side of the agent, while Daniel Craig was much tougher. There are no rules. Every director and producer will have different preferences.” She also said that she had never read any of the books on which the famous series is based. She basis her work on the script alone. 

McWilliams also spoke about Daniel Day-Lewis, whom she cast in a key role in the drama My Beautiful Laundrette. Although she had seen the actor several times at the theatre, she was not sure about him at first. She wanted to cast someone with a tougher look, such as Gary Oldman. Day-Lewis seemed far too aristocratic. Director Stephen Frears, however, was convinced by Day-Lewis, who at the time was primarily known as a stage actor. Gary Oldman was later cast in the lead role in Frears’s next film, Prick Up Your Ears, which made him famous.

She also talked about the importance of guilds and professional organisations in ensuring that casting is as safe as possible and free from the power games that were, unfortunately, once commonplace. The conversation also turned to artificial intelligence. According to McWilliams, we are in the midst of an industrial revolution, but she would not venture to make any predictions.