Scene Unseen:Head Shot

TV Last night, BBC Four broadcast an excellent documentary about the casting process in Hollywood, Behind the Couch: Casting in Hollywood which largely followed the work of Zora DeHorter who was looking for an actor to essay the role of Jonah Robertson for indie filmmaker Jennifer Phang's new film Half-Life. One of the best sections of the film considered the effects of headshots and the process that DeHorter went through in selecting the man for the job.

An over the shoulder shot presented the casting director flicking through a pile of these photographs, sent to her by agents, eyes looking hopefully out from the glossy finish, selecting which could immediately go to the next stage and those she would want to screen first. As face after unfamiliar face flashed pass, sifted from pile to pile, DeHorter paused briefly on this headshot ...

... it's Dule Hill, who played Presidential aid, Charlie in The West Wing. The character was conspicuous by his absence from most of that last series; evidently Hill's agent was getting his actor's face out there. It's just odd that someone who is apparently so familar still has to go through the headshotting process. Notice that the moustache he was sporting in the final few episodes is already in evidence. Luckily, Zora sent him straight to the next stage. Sadly we didn't get to see him going through the casting process, presumably because he didn't get the job. But don't feel too bad -- Dule has a new show running in which he plays the partner of a cop who is pretending to be psychic...