We are all familiar with the “Hollywood look” achieved by plastic surgery, personal trainers, Botox, and fillers.
But what if we told you that you don’t need to be stunningly beautiful or artificially altered to be on TV?
Earlier this week, Keep Alberta Rolling put out a notice for a casting call for The Abandons, a television series set to hit Netflix sometime this year.
Keep Alberta Rolling is a non-profit organization committed to highlighting our province’s amazing screen industry. According to the organization’s social media post, the casting call is open to men, women, and children of all ethnicities aged eight to 80.
Looking For Regular Albertans
Sounds easy enough. But The Abandons isn’t looking for someone with painted nails or a perm.
“We are looking for authentic looks, unique character faces, hard-working types, blue-collar looks, blacksmiths, rancher types, labourer types, butchers, upscale affluent looks, and amputees,” the social media post said.
Albertans check all these boxes.
From rugged ranchers to capable construction workers, our province is home to some of the hardest-working people on the planet.
If you grew up watching old westerns, now is your chance to be in one.
Be In A Western
The Abandons tells the story of a group of renegade families “living on the fringes of society in 1850s Oregon.”
These families work together to fight corruption and save their land, toeing the line between survival and the law.
Violence, power, and secrets are themes viewers can expect from The Abandons.
If that sounds like your cup of moonshine, the in-person casting call is in Calgary on April 6 from 10 AM to 6 PM.
The auditions will occur at the DoubleTree by Hilton Calgary North at 2120 16 Ave. NE.
If you can’t make it in person, The Abandons also reviews applicants who submit a current photo and their contact information to abandons.extras@gmail.com.
Your Claim To Fame
The Abandon’s casting call is a chance to work alongside a star-studded cast of actors, including Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson.
Headey is famous for her role as Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, while Anderson has shown off her acting chops in Sex Education, The Crown, and The X-Files.
Headey will play Fiona Nolan, a strong-willed matriarch who adopts four orphans and will do anything to protect her family.
Anderson will also play a matriarch named Constance Van Ness.
Unlike Nolan, Van Ness will stop at nothing to protect and grow the mining fortune she inherited from her husband.
At the start of this month, The Abandons announced six new cast members, including Canadian-born Lamar Johnson, featured in HBO’s The Last of Us, filmed here in Alberta.
If old western shows aren’t your speed, The Abandons isn’t the only show looking for fresh faces.
Fargo, an American crime drama, is looking for actors for the series’ fifth season, which will be filmed in Calgary and the surrounding areas.
The casting call for Fargo is open to men, women, and children of all ethnicities between six and 90 years old.
Whether you are an aspiring actor or have several years of experience, casting calls are a great way to put yourself out there.
Who knows?
You could be the next Michael J. Fox or Evangeline Lily, two of our most famous Alberta-born actors!
