This is an IHeart podcast.

You never know when you come on to something whether or not it's going to be super

successful. But what you do know when you look at something, you think, you know what,

that would be really fun to cast. And that clearly was how I felt about Bridgeton.

Welcome back to Bridgeton, the official podcast.

I'm Gabby Collins, and I'm your guide behind the scenes at Shandaland.

So, okay, the last two episodes, we heard from four phenomenal actresses.

We heard about how they developed their characters, their friendships, and their thoughts about some of the really big themes throughout Bridgeton.

These women and the entire Bridgeton ensemble brought all of this to their craft and gave us characters that we love, recognized, and salute.

Magical, right? There's a special component to how this magic happens, and it happens long before anyone steps into a dress or emerges with a beat face and powdered wig.

I'm talking about casting.

Kelly Valentine Hendry is Bridgeton's casting director.

In this episode, Kelly is going to take us back to the genesis of the show and how she

decided who to entrust with the witty quips and cutting glances that Chris Van Dusen

and the Bridgeton Writers' Room built into the script.

Let's jump right into our conversation.

Kelly Valentine-Hendry, welcome.

Why don't you tell listeners who you are and I don't know, tell us about something really interesting about yourself, a fun fact. I'm Kelly Valentine-H Hendry and I'm the casting director of Bridgeton

Season 1. In life, I am Kelly, wife to Julia, mother to Boot and Skipper, who are a dog and a cat,

and I'm Scottish and I actually share the birthday with Shonda Rhymes. So how does the woman who shares a birthday with

Shonda Rhymes and is also Boot and Skipper's mom get to be involved with casting Bridgeton?

Maybe my attachment to Bridgeton is a story about you never know who you're speaking to, because

...