Concerned about what the Walt Disney Company will do with Star Wars: Episode VII? Worried it will feature Ben Affleck or Katherine Heigl in lead roles? Prepare to squeal with glee, Star Wars geeks: In a surprising announcement on Twitter and Facebook, the studio issued an open casting call. They’re looking for unknowns.
Auditions (or “meet-and-greets”) are being held in the U.K. and the U.S. throughout November—and actors living in New York or Los Angeles will have to fly into a smaller city if they want what could be the break of a lifetime. There are two parts to fight for: the given names are “Rachel” and “Thomas,” no doubt just placeholders for more outlandish monikers, possibly with the prefix “Darth.” The latter is a handsome, athletic, fatherless young man who nonetheless appreciates the lighter side of life, while the woman is a bit younger (at least 16, however) and strong enough to survive the harsh life of an orphan.
For people asking about Dates/Times/Venues – Here is the official press release from Disney with all the info pic.twitter.com/VABlezEQ8x
— Claire Curry (@UKopencall) November 6, 2013
The casting teams will be in Bristol, Manchester, London, Dublin, and Glasgow, home to the various accents that Hollywood tends to call upon for space operas and medieval fantasy, as well as Chicago, Austin, Nashville, and a few other middle-American towns. Disney is assuring applicants that headshots can be amateur, another hint its looking for new talent. But a dip into the amateur pool always comes at a cost. Not long after the original memo went out (and the world deduced that it was Star Wars-related) an employee had to repeatedly tell people to stop calling the venues, which have no additional info. (Personally, we’re a little disappointed you can’t audition via Skype.)
All questions can be answered by reading the poster and FAQs.Please have a read as we can’t answer each person sorry! pic.twitter.com/i1dwpPpgro
— Claire Curry (@UKopencall) November 6, 2013
To everyone interested in auditioning. Please stop ringing the venues, they have no information, contact here or facebook @apiarystudios
— Claire Curry (@UKopencall) November 6, 2013
Judging by the public’s interest, the competition is bound to be fierce. You might want to bring along your lightsaber.
Photo by Chris/Flickr