Movie casting call to take place at Union

By Estelle Tran / Assistant News Editor

published: Tue, 22 Sep, 2009

The casting company for “Love and Other Drugs,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, will hold an open casting call at Pitt tomorrow.

Nancy Mosser Casting, located at Blackbird Studios in Lawrenceville, organized a table reservation on the Fifth Avenue side of the William Pitt Union from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The company seeks extras of adult age who can play pharmaceutical trainees, custodians, secretaries and other professionals, casting director Katie Shenot said. Most of the extras found at this casting call will work on a scene shot at the Mellon Arena.

Participants will earn $60 for eight hours of work plus overtime compensation of $11.25 per hour, but they should expect to dedicate 12 hours on a work day.
People should be prepared to give their contact information and measurements and have a photo taken at the casting call.

Shenot said that people should style their makeup normally but dress in business casual attire. The movie takes place in 1997, so Shenot recommends girls wear ’90s hairstyles with a lot of body — like Jennifer Aniston from the sitcom “Friends.”

People who don’t receive a call back within the next week might still be called for another scene. “Love and Other Drugs” will use 3,000 extras.
Everyone who attends the casting call will be entered into the casting agency’s database for future projects, including the upcoming Russell Crowe movie, “The Next Three Days.”

The script for “Love and Other Drugs” was based on the Jamie Reidy nonfiction book, “Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.” Ed Zwick, who directed “Defiance” and “Blood Diamond,” will be filming until about Dec. 1, Shenot said.

Anyone who can’t make the casting call can make a profile on the Nancy Mosser Casting website at www.mossercasting.com.