First and most important, A Star Is Found isn't a tell-all book. You won't find gossipy stories about actors with poor attitudes. The authors mention a couple of negative incidences, without naming names, but only for the purpose of sharing what can and has happened, and what shouldn't be done.
Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins magnify the effort that goes into the process of casting a role with as little as one line. A Beautiful Mind viewers, recall when Nash went into a bar and bluntly asked a woman to have intercourse with him. This role proved challenging to cast for the casting directors nee authors because of the complexity of the woman's reaction to his proposal, in addition to the need for her to have the right look.
The authors tell engaging stories: of searching for an actor with complicated character traits and casting a baby who can't start walking before the filming ends, as well as of finding alternate actors when their dream actor isn't available, and convincing actors who initially want nothing to do with the movie.
No one should be surprised that casting children has an extra challenge, but the authors explain why beyond the obvious. John Cusack almost didn't get cast in The Sure Thing because he was 17 at the start of filming. Had Reiner decided he'd rather not deal with the pains that come with hiring a minor, it would've been Anthony Edwards in Cusack's role.
We can't imagine anyone else but the selected actor in plenty of famous roles, but they weren't always the first choice. The authors share some of these first choices that we may not know about. The Maltese Falcon? George Raft had first dibs, not Bogart. Imagine Ernest Borgnine saying, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." It was Borgnine, not Marlon Brando who was first choice for Don Corleone role in The Godfather.
Few people are qualified to write a book detailing the casting process from before the script exists to the completion of a movie. Hirshenson and Jenkins exceed the requirement having worked with over 100 movies and directors like Rob Reiner, Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, Nancy Meyer and more.
The book will attract actors, employees in the biz, and non-entertainment folks who like to know the stories behind the scenes of a movie or television show. I'm not an actor or involved in the entertainment business. For me, the process behind making movies is fascinating, plus I've got the odd ability to remember character actors and their names.
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