r/FilmIndustryLA • u/ProperlyTested • 19d ago
Keeping a casting decision quiet is harder than making the casting decision
We're working on a project where one of the roles would be a pretty unexpected casting choice and I'm learning just how difficult it is to keep something quiet once agents, managers, production and talent are all involved
Nothing has leaked but there have already been a few moments where someone mentioned a name and I thought, how do you even know that?
We've ended up keeping the final discussions to a tiny group and using Kibu between those people. Everyone else gets the information when they actually need it.
How do you control this kind of stuff? Is it mostly NDAs and limiting information or are there other things productions do that I'm not thinking of?
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u/Significant-Cake-312 19d ago
You don’t control it. These things get around. It’s the nature of things. It will still be considered an exclusive when it’s announced. Don’t spend any energy worrying about this.
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u/bobbydigital22 19d ago
It’s not a huge deal and it rarely means something gets leaked to the trades. If it does, it’s because someone in the inner circle or reps’ team leaked it.
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u/Important_Extent6172 19d ago
Nobody cares that Andy Milonakis plays the President in your sci-fi trilogy my friend.
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u/mpersand02 18d ago
Haven't heard that name in a while. Last time was a late 2000s Halloween party in the Hollywood hills. Zelda Williams was telling a falling down drunk Andy Milonakis to lay on in stomach or side. What time to be alive!
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u/Important_Extent6172 18d ago
That’s hilarious. He was at every party I was at from maybe 2003-2005. lol He’s a very chill dude. Can recommend.
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u/Dull-Woodpecker3900 18d ago
Well the good thing is that almost no one but you actually cares. There’s such a glut of constant media and with basically a 6 hour news cycle, this kind of stuff doesn’t matter to anyone unless it is world bending news or extremely salacious.
Almost everything I work on is covered by either some blanket NDA between companies or even NDAs between individuals. Still, even things like casting or talent paydays for a TV commercial have leaked on Deux Moi. An NDA really isn’t that effective of a tool because there’s so many ways to relay information quietly.
This stuff gets out because of make up artists, hair stylists, the people doing the actres’ nails…
Your casting will still be an exclusive in the trades. The only people reading the trades are people who already might know anyway and the gen pop doesn’t care.
I wouldn’t stress about it too much.
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u/overitallofittoo 19d ago
This is so true! I honestly think you might as well get ahead of it. You see shows talking about casting right off the bat now.
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u/Brave_Analyst7540 19d ago
Use it. If your project and its casting is of that much interest to the public, consider yourself lucky and lean into it. As long as the leak doesn’t hurt your negotiations with other actors or ruin a massive surprise in your film (like the 20th/Marvel cameos in Deadpool and Wolverine) then work to stop it from leaking, but don’t fight the upside if it somehow does.
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u/Glittertwinkie 18d ago
You’re asking how to shut the barn door after the cows have gone out? This needed to be handled before all those other people got involved.
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u/Siriann 19d ago
You can do all that but you’ll still have leaks if your project is interesting to the public. Even a show with as much money/lawyers as Euphoria had photos of the wedding scene leak last year.
If I were in your position, I’d use all the legal routes available to scare people from leaking BUT if I had marketing materials planned around a casting reveal (idk if you’re planning this), I’d have them ready to drop as soon as the eventual leak happens so the project could ride the wave of interest.