In Hot Pursuit – Casting Director Twinkie Byrd

In Hot Pursuit – Casting Director Twinkie Byrd
Posted by Wilson Morales

May 9, 2012

For those who have or haven’t seen the hit romantic comedy ‘Think Like A Man,’ there was a lot of talent in the film, besides the leading actors, that were able to make their mark in their scene or scenes. From secondary roles to cameos, if placed in the right position, the spotlight can do wonders for a career.

With the exception of Tyler Perry’s films and ‘Think Like A Man,’ when you look at the few black films that have been in theaters lately, there’s been one person who’s been at the center of it, and that’s casting director Tracy ‘Twinkie’ Byrd.

While the New York native has worked over 10 years in the business, in recently times, she’s been in hot demand, and has introduced some of today’s rising talent from films such as ‘Stomp The Yard,’ (Columbus Short, Chris Brown, Laz Alonso, Ne-Yo), ‘Notorious‘ (Naturi Naughton, Antonique Smith, Young and the Restless’ Julia Pace Mitchell), and ‘Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming‘ (Tika Sumpter, Terrence J).

From 2011’s ‘Jumping the Broom,’ to this year’s ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed: On The Seventh Day,’ ‘A Beautiful Soul,’ the upcoming remake of ‘Sparkle,’ and the independent film ‘Filly Brown,’ Byrd is bringing spotlight to several talent, including from newcomers, veterans, and singers making the transition to the film industry. Not only is she making it happen for some on the big screen, but also on the small screen as well. Byrd is in the middle of casting the upcoming BET drama from the Akils (Salim and Mara Brock), ‘Being Mary Jane,’ which stars Gabrielle Union.

Blackfilm.com recently caught up with Byrd as she spoke about the casting process.

What do you look for when casting a film?

Twinkie Byrd: Everything. From your presentation to how you walk into a room, your work ethic, your preparedness. Who did you study with and how did you study. Your theater background, if you have any, and some don’t and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some people have ‘it’ and that can be built upon. I look for them to be open and ready for adjustments and know that an adjustment is a positive thing. I’m excited by that. You can have a level of self confidence but not cockiness.

Do you get interference from the director or producer when putting a cast together?

TB: That’s a very good question. You go through the process and you allow the process to speak. We all come together and creatively we have a lot of our own thoughts in mind, but then all of thoughts are similar. So even if we thought this particular actor or actress was going to be great, when they get to the room or when they are on tape, we look and we’re like, “maybe not for this one.” They are still great but maybe not for this and we’re thinking collectively. Then we bring someone into the room and say we were all so right. A lot of times, we get what the film needs. I want the film to speak to my passion and not be whether I’m right or wrong. That’s not what it’s supposed to be about. It’s not about power, it’s about the work. I want the best person for the job, so even if, on my list, I didn’t have the best person for the job, but someone else came up with the idea, I want that. I want the collective.

How much fun is it when you bring in newcomers and those individuals make something out of themselves in the business? From ‘Stomp the Yard’ to ‘Notorious’ to ‘Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming’ and now ‘Sparkle,’ there’s a lot of talent being discovered here.

TB: The challenge to make sure I have the best commercial of that actor or actress. Most directors can tell when I really like an actor or actress because I do a slow push with the camera and get right into their inner work and their eyes and the work that they are doing in terms of the back-story of the character and what’s going on in the scene. I say that to say that sometimes it’s challenging because of the business that we’re in. For ‘Notorious,’ the great part about that is we still have those (real life) people and they are living and existing. We wanted someone as authentic to Faith Evans and Lil’ Kim and it’s so interesting that we ended up with two young ladies (Antonique Smith, Naturi Naughton) that resemble the real people so much. When I saw Naturi and met her, I knew that she was the young lady from 3LW when I saw the picture but that had been so long ago, when she came in, she was prepared. Not in that aloof sort of way. She had her script. She had her side. She had notes on the page, which is very important. I glance at your sides and if there are notes, I’m like “Sookie sookie! This one’s ready!”

Are secondary roles easy to fill?

TB: With all the films I cast, we fill them all in, but we still want great performances. So even if it’s a small role, there’s no such thing. It’s not small. One small role can take you completely out of the film and you’ll remember that one thing instead of all the good. Every single role, as small as it may seem in detail, is an intricate piece. It may be cut or expanded, but you never know until once you get on set and collaborate. In ‘Lady Sings the Blues,’ Piano Man (played by Richard Pryor) was supposed to be in that one scene, but ended all the way throughout the film.

Has anyone’s role been cut or left out from a film that you cast due to story details?

TB: Yes. One role was cut down because of the subplot and they didn’t go all the way with the subplot. I remember watching ‘Stomp the Yard 2’ and I knew the story, and I said to myself, “What happened to that scene where she’s supposed to get caught with the guy?” and was told that it was too much, in terms of editing.

Byrd also cast the Screen Gems, ‘Battle of the Year: The Dream Team,’ starring Josh Holloway, Laz Alonso, Terrence J, Josh Peck, Caity Lotz, and Chris Brown. It will be released in 2013. So, whether it’s a film or TV program, Ms. Byrd is certainly making the most this year to introduce a number of folks to the world of acting.