A Conversation with Casting: Victoria Burrows
The casting director talks about the importance of self-tapes.
A fan of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy? Thank Victoria Burrows. As the project’s casting director, Burrows was responsible for giving actors such as Elijah Wood the chance to bring the beloved characters to life. Burrows also cast The Hobbit trilogy, and other box office hits, such as Cast Away starring Tom Hanks, and The Polar Express. Below, Burrows talks about her career in casting, and why self-tapes matter (and the actors who have booked major roles off of them!).
Why did you choose a career in casting?
I was always drawn to film/TV. My first job was working in a movie theatre.
My mother was an astrologer, and in a few guidance readings she suggested middle management in the arts was best suited for my future career. I was a receptionist in December 1977 at a production company when I observed the casting of a TV movie called A Woman called Moses (The Harriet Tubman story)…that’s when I had my “ah ha” moment, and pursued finding a job in casting. I was hired to be Ramsay King’s assistant in October 1978…and still love it to this day.
When you worked on films that already had huge fan bases — such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit — did…
