| Marty Keener Cherrix |
Marty Keener Cherrix became interested in the film industry in 1990 with the premiere of the feature film, The Last of the Mohicans, which shot in Western North Carolina. At the time she was well into the eighth year of her advertising sales position and like many others, wanted more out of her work. Marty's job dissatisfaction proved to be the catalyst that would compel her to abandon traditional job security, and begin her career anew. She decided to make the move from the real world to the reel world.
There was just one problem: she did not have any industry insider contacts and Western North Carolina was not a filmmaking center like LA or NY. Forced to find creative ways to build relationships, Marty contacted the local film commission and attended regular monthly meetings. She introduced herself to other like-minded locals who were working in film and commercials. “This is a business of contacts,” says Marty. “The person with the best contacts wins.”
Persistence paid off with an opportunity to work on a low-budget, independent film. “Because I didn't know all of the departments associated with behind-the-scenes filmmaking, I decided to leverage my secretarial skills in the production office," Marty says. "I answered phones and multitasked in other departments. Eventually, I was asked to make casting calls to people working as paid extras."
That brief foray into movie making eventually led to a decision to move from the Production Office into Casting full-time. “I paid close attention and learned all I could about every department. I looked around and asked myself which one would give me a direct, creative challenge. Casting is unique because you get to see the immediate results of your work in the faces and performances of actors and extras,” adds Cherrix.
In 1994, a lucky break came in the form of Casting Director, Judith Bouley, who hired Marty to work as her Casting Assistant on the feature film, Something To Talk About, starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid. “I was lucky to start my casting work with someone who was already a seasoned, casting veteran,” says Marty. “I put myself in the position to be mentored by industry giants. I asked questions, took notes and gleaned every ounce of wisdom they were willing to share.” With someone of Judy's stature guiding me, I had a unique opportunity to develop the keen eye of a Casting Director.”
Marty was inspired by the experience gained on that first film and it prompted her to continue her efforts in Casting. She worked as a Casting Assistant on two more films, and steadily rose among the ranks as a Casting Associate. She eventually landed work as an Extras Casting Director and ultimately made the jump to Location Casting Director on such films as: The Cider House Rules, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Domestic Disturbance, Chocolat, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and more recently, All The King's Men, and soon to be released films, The Reaping and Into The Wild.
But Marty's career was about to take on an exciting new dimension. Gaining recognition for her ability to spot talent and potential in children, she started getting calls to do talent searches for kids to act in films like: Peter Pan, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat and The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. “I had to develop strategies for not only finding them, but also helping them deliver an unaffected performance…children are natural pretenders and when you relate to them in a way that they understand, the results are extraordinary.”
As her work continued, she was astounded by the amount of untapped talent that exists outside of Los Angeles and New York. “Consider this," Marty says. " If the talent base for kids exists solely in those bigger markets, then how is it a girl from Western North Carolina routinely gets hired to help feature film companies find the next bright star?”
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| Something To Talk About, 1994 |
When I started work on this Warner Bros. feature our offices were in Beaufort, SC.
We needed someone to play the daughter of Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid, approx. age, 10. Not only did she need to be cast as a supporting role, she also needed to be able to ride a horse well enough to jump fences.
We placed advertisements in major horse magazines across the country. People mailed in photos of their children with their horses from all 50 states. We contacted local and regional agents soliciting headshot submissions of actors they represented. Kids came in from all over the southeast to audition with the Casting Director, Judith Bouley and the film's Director, Lasse Hallstrom.
Our regional efforts were well underway. Simultaneously, the studio's Principal Casting Director, Marion Dougherty, auditioned kids in Los Angeles & New York. Two weeks before we were slated to film, the role remained un-cast! We were under the gun. We knew we had to find the perfect young actress and time was of the essence.
Here’s what we didn’t know: one of the regional agents we contacted had a young girl who was signed with his agency, and although she was the right age, he did not believe she had enough horseback riding experience to be “right” for the role. So the agent did not submit Haley for consideration.
However, the girl’s mother read an article in the local paper about the movie and our search. She mailed a school photo of her daughter to our office and mentioned that she rode horses, but not professionally.
The young, soon to be actress, came into our office, read for the role, and nailed the part. The next day she started training with a riding coach to hone her jumping skills.
The movie was cast with an unknown---Haley Aull
(L) Haley Aull (R) Muse Watson |
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| In the beginning... |
"I started getting calls to do talent searches - specificially for children's roles. I had to develop strategies for not only finding them, but getting a natural performance out of them. Children are natural pretenders and when you relate to them in a way that they understand, the results are extraordinary."
-Marty Keener Cherrix |
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