Casting severely underweight actors

mikemac

After reading a thread here, just starting watching Black Hawk Down.
And got me thinking..
Thinking of Band of Brothers also and the concentration camp episode.

If you're a producer and looking to make such a production, you can advertise for severely underweight actors, so underweight it looks downright dangerous?
And you may need a few dozen or more to hire.

Now I know Christian Bale and Michael Fassbender are examples and dedicated to their work.

Sorry, just can't get my head around how you go about advertising for actors and you specify I need you to look so thin it's shocking. Like a concentration camp scene
Health & Safety legislation might not apply, I don't know

Maybe I've missed something, just thinking out loud here.

Spunge

I was thinking the same thing watching Band of Brothers.

liah

Do they actually advertise specifically for underweight people, or thin people?

Tbh I think a large amount of what you see in, say, Band of Brothers, is down to very good makeup on skinny, but not necessarily unhealthily so (some are naturally very thin), people, and a few CGI touch ups here and there. I would imagine most modern productions are done this way.

I would find it incredibly hard to believe there are advertisements asking exclusively for people who are underweight or even specify weight much at all; surely they would filter out what they don't need via photos sent in prior to casting? I don't really know how that works though, when they're looking for extras.

I also think cases like Bale (where a lead actor devotes himself to a role and therefore adapts to the required body image) are a bit different to, say, a bunch of extras (e.g. concentration camp actors); I'm not sure they (lead actors) are even necessarily required to lose/gain weight for their parts (there's always makeup and/or fat suits) but do so because they view it as a part of their craft, if that makes sense.

If they do actually advertise using terms such as 'underweight' then that's quite disturbing, to me, as people are impressionable, particularly about weight. But then again, why should those who are underweight be excluded, really?

I don't know. It's an odd one.

ztoical

The same way they look for really tall/short/young/old/fat actors or when they need extras with skills like dancing etc etc

Depending on the production the casting director not the producer seek out those with specific "looks" that will contribute to the film - there are several casting agencies that specialize only in background work. It's not like they just put an ad in the paper [though for large generic crowd scenes that require little costume and make-up they might], a casting director has contacts and agents they will get in touch with. A non-union production might have to be more creative in finding extras/actors but a union production would just go via the agents. Extras on a union production are covered by SAG [in the usa Equity in the uk] and have the same working rights as speaking actors.

Also don't underestimate the use of make-up effects to give the impression of extreme weight loss on an average weight person. For something with a lead actor it's not so easy but background people it can be done with beauty make-up and lightening.