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Working: Inside the Casting Process for FX’s Reservation Dogs

Slate Culture Feed

Slate Podcasts

Tv & Film, Arts, Music

4.22K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2022

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, host June Thomas talks to casting director Angelique Midthunder, who recently worked on the FX series Reservation Dogs. In the interview, Angelique describes the casting and audition processes for the show and shares what it was like to organize an open casting call in Oklahoma. She also talks about the decision to cast Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack, which was originally supposed to be a male role.   After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss identity and authenticity in casting.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Angelique explains why the letters C.S.A follow the names of some casting directors in the credits of movies and TV shows.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. __ Thanks to Atlassian Work Check Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:42.0

I am always an advocate for the actor. I try to give them as much time as possible with the material.

0:58.0

I mean sometimes, and especially in television, it's like you move so fast. It's like, okay, we got to audition these roles and have those tapes by tomorrow.

1:06.0

You know, and it's like, that's a lot for the actors.

1:12.0

Welcome back to Working, I'm your host, Isaac Butler.

1:15.0

And I'm your other host, June Thomas.

1:18.0

June, who is that we heard at the top of the show?

1:21.0

That was Angelique Midthunder. She is a casting director who works mostly in casting indigenous roles.

1:29.0

And what made you seek out Angelique for an interview?

1:32.0

Well, there has been what you might call a blossoming of shows that focus on American Indians.

1:39.0

And that's great. And in contrast to even a decade ago, those roles are now played by indigenous actors.

1:47.0

And I've watched and enjoyed a lot of those shows. And I wondered how that boom has affected the process of casting.

1:56.0

And Angelique seemed like a really great person to talk about it with.

2:00.0

Yeah, we've really gone from famine to feast when it comes to Native American representation and particularly television.

2:07.0

And since it comes up quite a bit in this episode, for our listeners who haven't seen it, what is reservation dogs?

2:15.0

Isaac, reservation dogs is a show that you told me to watch when it first started airing. And I didn't.

2:21.0

And no, I'm so mad that I waited a year because it's absolutely fantastic.

2:26.0

It's a comedy. A very funny absurdist comedy is set on a reservation in Oklahoma.

...

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