Joan Philo Casting Again in Chicago Atop Mount Johnny Depp
I've worked on a couple of TV and film sets in Chicago Darlene, owner of Extraordinary Casting handled ER and Family Practice. Joan Philo handled Fred Claus, then later dropped from Batman for undisclosed reason. In my personal experience I can tell you that her PA's were rude. One guy used a blow horn to announce "you will not ask questions and will only speak if spoken to."
Now to be fair I can tell you that some of the poeple who show up to be extras are difficult to handle. Some of them even homeless hoping to get a free meal, shelter, and family for a day. While they are for the most part harmless, I won't say they're not scary. But even so, no one deserves the blow horn treatment inside a fairly average size room at 5am pre breakfast-(which consisted of oatmeal mush and shit coffee on Philo's set).
Hardly comparable to Darlene's usual feast that is well deserved before a 14 hour day.
Joan Philo wisks around the room like a high on *cuteness* patchouli stick spreading her (pseudo) hippie love to put those around her in a cult like trance. Yes, there are those who want to become SAG so they kiss Darlene and Joan's asses naturally. But Darlene isn't smug about it. She genuinely wants to help actors get work and possbily go further.
It was the middle of January, and while I knew what being an extra in the winter would entail, I had been outside for hours on end for ER, I had no idea that we would stand for hours chilling wind without being told that lunch was available. There was not enough food, which is bad business altogether.
With Darlene, this would never happen.
The problem with leaving a set early is your not going to get paid. Bottom line. So those of us who were in it for the cash stayed and endured the treatment by escaping into a nearby Starbucks every hour to keep warm. All the while Joan pretends to keep a loving eye on her "babes" as she walks through set in her $300 fur uggs. Crazy crazy b*@!. She's got a website and you can find it HERE.
My friend Alison sent me the about pic of a fax she sent over to our theatre asking to "spread the word" that she's looking for peeps for her next project.
Be wary my friends, be wary-no matter how much adventure there is to the movie business, do not go expect class from Joan Philo's crew. P.S. on her website you'll see she stands atop a mountain. My point exactly.
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