A casting director behind the hit Amazon TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel spoke to about 30 Westfield State students, faculty, and staff April 16 about her career and the entertainment industry.
The Zoom event featuring Emmy Award-winning Cindy Tolan (who did mention actress Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Midge Maisel) was sponsored by Westfield State’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Science. She has worked in film, television, and theatre. Most recently, she worked on Steven Spielberg’s upcoming adaptation of West Side Story. Her credits include If Beale Street Could Talk and Straight Outta Compton. Tolan’s casting of Mrs. Maisel recently won her an Emmy.
Many students and faculty asked Tolan about her feelings when working with the renowned director Steven Spielberg.
“He was so gracious, brilliant, and kind; he surrounds himself with people that are likeminded,” Tolan said. “Another amazing thing that came out of working with him was that he had the funding and the money to do what he wanted in a film, which was an amazing experience.”
Her experience working in theatre, television, and film enabled Tolan to provide different perspectives and share them among the many students – mostly studying theatre – in the session. Tolan shared how she got into the industry 25 years ago, starting as a casting director.
“I wanted another challenge and wanted to learn more about the other parts of the industry,” said Tolan. “The natural progression after being a casting director for me was producing; I found that producing gave me more confidence when I was casting.”
Tolan’s advice to students looking to be cast in films is to focus on theatre. She explains that theatre is the most challenging medium to conquer.
Tolan urges Westfield State students to be inquisitive and to keep learning. “Auditions and getting backstage is beneficial to learn how the process is presented and to grow more comfortable with it,” she said.