A webseries about the cruel world of casting calls.
The webseries “Hollywood” is dedicated to young aspiring actors. In each episode, the actors attend casting calls and become their roles: The Terrorist, The Lover, The Student, The Bull, The Make-up Artist, The Suit. Clemy Clarke presents her webseries.
“Born in Paris (France not Texas), I studied in America and I don’t feel partly American, I feel completely American and worst of it, I love Hollywood. After studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), I worked on film sets in Los Angeles as assistant and editor. In between sets, I wanted to tell my experience and my passion for actors who survive in an extremely hostile but magical place: Hollywood. When I started developing the project, it was clear to me that I wanted to focus on the most terrifying stage for actors: the casting call.”
Hollywood Episode 1 The Terrorist
Password: Hollywood
“When I moved to Los Angeles, my roommate was American with Moroccan origins. I looked up to him because he was acting in some of the biggest Hollywood action movies. But soon, I realized he was being typecasted as a terrorist in films. It pushed me to write and direct the series’ first episode. With my friend Salim El Arja who acts in this episode, I wanted to tell this story with dark humor and some optimism to show that no matter what, these actors have such strong energy and determination to succeed.”
Hollywood Episode 2 The Lover
Password: Hollywood
“My most memorable moment in Los Angeles was the first time I worked on a film set. It was a night shoot but it was very bright. I was dazzled by the tungsten lights, the actors, the crew, being in Hollywood... It was actually a small set, with a low budget, but still… It was magical. I was hustling and loving it. And all this orchestra was being conducted by this man, the director, and I was mesmerized by him and everything; I think I was struck with admiration for him. When I went home, I didn’t know how to handle all these emotions so I wrote some kind of a love story for the series’ second episode. I met the talented actress of this episode, Alexis Salinas, through a casting call flyer I distributed in acting classes which are more numerous than supermarkets in LA.”
Hollywood Episode 3 The Student
Password: Hollywood
“Izzy Pollak is an incredible actor. When I met him for the third episode’s casting call, I asked him what he likes to act as the most. He replied: animals. So I asked him to act as a fierce animal, the Student. I wanted to explore the role of students who are part of fraternities and love going to extremes. While I auditioned Izzy, I was struck by how believable his performance was, that it almost made me uncomfortable. I forgot he was acting, just like the characters of the casting directors in the third episode.”
Hollywood Episode 4 The Bull (Ovid's Metamorphoses)
Password: Hollywood
“This episode, as crazy as it looks, is actually, for me, the episode that is most faithful to what filmmaking is. It shows what the director’s role is, and that he can be as powerful as God. I met the actors of this episode, Gerardo Muniz and Aditya Basu at a UCLA screenwriting class I attended in the evening. They saw me as a young and nice girl and they did not suspect how bestial this episode would turn out to be.”
Hollywood Episode 5 The Makeup Artist
Password: Hollywood
“We finally leave the casting room for the film set! And not any kind of film set… Malibu… Oh Malibu, you are so beautiful with your beaches, your surfers and your celebrities’ houses. But Malibu, you are too good to be true, you are a film set. I wanted to shoot in this legendary place and bring back actors from previous episodes, Salim and Izzy, and show their vulnerable side. I also wanted to show what a film set is, with the series’ dark humor. If you look closely, the behind the scenes long haired cameraman is the series’ co-producer Carlo Fiorio.”
Hollywood Episode 6 The Suit
Password: Hollywood
“In this last episode, determined actresses Farrell Huntley and Alex Rubin fight to be casted in a sci-fi movie. I got to work with talented VFX artist Zain Awais, and with my favorite musicians Alex Previty and Adam Intrator. This episode is what Hollywood is to me: another planet that can give supernatural powers and where pterodactyls flight in the sky.”
