Question: How I Live Now Casting

EDIT: This is an old post (please check date) so the information surrounding this casting has been updated. Please check comments!

One of my frequently asked questions this week has been:

How do I find out who is casting ‘How I Live Now’?

‘How I Live Now‘ is a book by Meg Rosoff that is being adapted for a feature film, expected to shoot this Summer 2011. For full details check out ScreenTerrier’s original post on the production.

“How I Live Now” is the first-person story of Daisy, a smart, stroppy, self-absorbed 15-year-old who arrives from New York’s Upper West Side to stay with her English cousins. The four cousins are romantic, bohemian and enjoy an eccentric, faintly feral pastoral idyll of an existence in a rambling English country house, mystically in touch with nature and, indeed, with Daisy. Source

So as you can imagine, UK based young performers are naturally interested in the English characters! Even author Meg Rosoff has been bombarded with questions regarding casting and even said over at her blog that she would not reveal who was casting to avoid the casting team being swamped by ‘people they do not know’.

And that is it exactly – the casting team working with the director (Kevin MacDonald, who is famous for ‘Last King of Scotland’) may well consider unknowns, but for the American lead at least, established American actresses are likely to be the main interest here. Casting teams work through agencies to guarantee their project has the most talented up and coming actors (actors who already have experience). Since the project was announced in January 2011, casting may well be completed already in the three months since. They may even shoot in America and cast all American actors for the British roles – just my speculation (I doubt it) but what I’m saying is don’t expect to be considered just because you’re British!

Casting Link did however post a small casting breakdown over at the Facebook back in February:

How I live now (film)
Male (15) , Named Edmund. Caucasian. Must speak RP. Laid-back, very intelligent and intuitive.
Female (10) Named Piper. Caucasian. Must speak RP. Quirky, spontaneous and imaginative.

So a hint there that they are looking at English actors!

Lead roles very rarely go to unknowns and I do not point this out to put aspiring actors down – this is just how it is. Just as with the huge Hunger Games casting rumours, it is highly unlikely such anticipated projects will be interested in auditioning unrepresented actors. ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Golden Compass’ are rarities, but open castings to pop up from time to time. It’s just a case of keeping your eyes peeled.

Feel free to openly speculate on the casting of this in the comments below, but please avoid spilling all your information out in the hope someone casting it will see it and contact you. They won’t.

These questions have been found from Formspring, YouTube and also direct email messages. See the last Questions!

11 comments

Becky says:

Mar 27, 2011

Do you know the casting director for this project? Can you guess who it might be? Sounds similar to narnia maybe the same casting director for that maybe??

Nelli says:

Mar 29, 2011

Hi! is there a scam related to this casting? My daughter’s school were approached and asked to put forward a group of young girls to audition. The person involved did not turn up at the appointed time. The children had prepared some of the script and the school were put to some trouble. I say this only to alert others as children are vulnerable and scams are becoming ever more sophisticated. The school had done their research but nothing is totally bombproof.

Olivia says:

Hi Nelli,

That’s a shame! To me that sounds like a member of the casting team simply couldn’t show up, rather than a scam. Scams usually involve asking for lots of money for the ‘chance’ to audition for something!

Have you been back in touch with the school/the drama member who was in contact with the casting people? It may be they decided to cancel their visit to the school or want to arrange another appointment.

Good luck!

Olivia

Jessica says:

Aug 25, 2011

Actually, just to keep you updated, they are searching for an unknown Daisy in New York and have had auditions, looking for people without representations. So you may want to update your information.