Casting My Mystery Novel
Someone just messaged me and asked about the casting for “The Single Twin” I promised last week.
Good call.
"The Single Twin" started life as a screenplay. I wanted to make a vehicle that showcased character actors who don't get enough credit.
The first one I thought of was the Scrubs and Cougar Town stalwart, Bob Clendenin. If you ever watch Cougar Town and see how he moves and speaks as the character Neighbor Tom, you'll see Abe Allard. I completely copied Bob's mannerisms and delivery for Abe. Bob is a great character actor with a crazy resume of background roles. He deserves a chance to anchor something, and that's exactly the type of character Abe Allard is.
Duff is a little harder. Believe it or not, Duff is actually based on me. He's basically me if I could get away with saying whatever I wanted to say. I do like to perform, but I also know I don't look good on camera. As Sandler said in "Little Nicky"--I'm no George Clooney. So, if you need a quality chubby guy who can act to play this role, my first nod would go to Sean Astin. I've been a fan of Astin's since "The Goonies," and I honestly believe Sean not getting an Oscar nod for his performance in "Return of the King" was a travesty.
The part of Katherine, Abe's ex-wife, was originally written with a Jane Lynch-type in mind, but after rewriting it the first time, I softened that role in my head to the point where I wasn't sure who I would cast to play her. Lately, I've been listening to the Office Ladies Podcast, and it's struck me that Angela Kinsey could play the role extremely well. Kinsey was wonderful in "The Office" and she's a great character actor. Plus, she's a ball of sunshine on her podcast and Instagram feed. I highly recommend listening to the podcast if you enjoyed "The Office" at all.
The part of Detective Betts was written with Michael Rosenbaum in mind. I even say that as a joke in the final chapter. I've loved Rosey since "Smallville," and I love his podcast, "Inside of You." He seems like a genuinely good guy, and people gravitate toward him. Plus, he's a great actor. (Watch "Impastor" on Amazon Prime.) If I couldn't get Rosey for it, my second choice would be Matthew Lillard. Lillard is great in everything he does and doesn't get nearly enough credit for it.
The part of Detective Gates was written with a nod toward Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn-99. It'd be easy to cast Stephanie Beatriz in that role, but she might be a tad bit too old now. Gates is written as 26 or 27, and Beatriz is almost 40. So, I'd like to angle more toward Isabella Gomez. If you watch the new "One Day at a Time," you'll know her as the daughter. She could do it.
And finally, the part of Tilda, Abe and Katherine's daughter, was written with my own daughter, Annika, in mind. Ani is funny and weird, but she vacillates between wanting to be a stand-up comic and being terribly shy. So, if Annika doesn't want to act anymore, I'd look toward Carly Adams. She's a tad bit younger than Tilda is written in the book, but she totally looks the part.
Thoughts? Alternate choices?
If you haven't read #TheSingleTwin yet, please do. I'm very proud of that book and hope for more from it.
Fingers crossed.
--Sean