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Tuesday, May 14, 2002
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Peter Pan Casting Call
“Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin is one kid among a legion of stars who were discovered at a casting call and by one man. Billy Hopkins says, “Macaulay Culkin, I always said was going to be a big star."
Hopkins is a top casting director whose office helps moviemakers find the right star for a role. One of his recent choices turned out to be an Oscar winner. He says, “We fought for Halle Berry to get cast in ‘Monster's Ball.’ She's not what the director and producer originally had in mind."
Billy says he also had to fight to get Hilary Swank her Oscar winning part in "Boys Don't Cry" and he gambled on casting Madonna, who had no acting experience, in her first movie, "Desperately Seeking Susan." He says, “She had this great natural presence."
But Billy, and his partners Suzanne Smith and Kerry Barden, admit that "Girl, Interrupted" star Angelina Jolie slipped through their fingers when she was still undiscovered. He says, “There was this little low budget film we were doing and she came in and was wonderful, but a different wonderful than the director wanted or envisioned."
Kerry says there was clearly something about Cameron Diaz he loved when she auditioned for him. He says, “She just lit up a room and you just knew she was going to be delightful on the screen and she is."
Now Billy and his partners are in New York auditioning young hopefuls for a new Peter Pan movie, and you never know what future superstar they might discover.
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