Little Rock talent agency issues casting call for HBO’s ‘True Detective’

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 880 views 

The Agency in Little Rock has issued a casting call for up to 1,500 actors, stand-ins and photo-doubles to be part of the third season of the HBO crime anthology “True Detective,” which will begin filming in Northwest Arkansas in February.

The series tells a fictional story set in the Ozarks in the late 20th century. Casting will be ongoing, as the series is set to film over five months, and cover a wide range of roles, according to a press release from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Most will be adults for crime scene investigations, school rooms and construction, requiring by-standers, emergency personnel, machinists and heavy-equipment operators, but also some children.

“We expect to have more information to share about available jobs for cast and crew in coming weeks,” AEDC Film Commissioner Christopher Crane said in the release. “We’re thrilled local people and vendors will be a part of and benefit from the production this year.”

The award-winning “True Detective” series was created by Nic Pizzolatto, a graduate of the University of Arkansas Master of Fine Arts program, who will also direct this season.

The cast includes Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, who will play the lead role of Wayne Hayes, an Arkansas State Police detective. Stephen Dorff will play another detective, and Carmen Ejogo will play Amelia Reardon, a school teacher with a connection to two missing children in 1980.

“This is the largest production we’ve ever cast,” The Agency CEO and owner Sarah Tackett said in the press release, “and we are looking forward to discovering new talent as well as working with actors and stand-ins we’ve helped cast previously.”

Notable productions The Agency has been part of include “Mud,” “Sling Blade,” “Biloxi Blues” and “God’s Not Dead” parts 2 and 3.

“Atmosphere and background actors are critical to a film’s authenticity,” Yancey Prosser, director of The Agency, said in the release. “We know there are talented Arkansans of all ages who can look and play parts that will bring to life a story that is rich and believable.”

Applications are being accepted online.