The SAG Feature film ‘Life at These Speeds‘ will be holding an open casting call for speaking roles.
The event will be held TODAY at the Ice House in Jackson Mississippi.
The open casting call is only for talent that is interested in speaking roles in the project. There are many roles available for many age groups. Those who would like to be extras in the film do not need to attend the auditions in Jackson. Extras who live in Mississippi can just email their submissions. Please see submission instructions below for more information.
According to the film’s IMDB page – ‘Life at These Speeds‘ is a moving story about forgiveness and hope, it follows a teenager from the Heartland who loses his best friends in an accident and channels his grief into running, becoming a high school track star. The film is inspired by a novel written by Jeremy Jackson.
Directing the film will be Leif Tilden with the screenplay written by Marc Novak. The film will star AnnaSophia Robb, Billy Crudup, Anne Heche, Douglas Booth and Aimee Teegarden. ‘Life at These Speeds‘ will be produced by Cinema Revival, Ingenious Media, Scatena & Rosner Films.
High school track and field runner KEVIN SCHULER is the only survivor of a bus accident that claims most of his class, including his best friend BOBBY, his coach JARHEAD, and his girlfriend ELLIE. He spends his senior year at another school, where he discovers that only through running–fast–can he trigger a sort of dream memory in which he can see his friends again. Born to be a runner, Kevin becomes a kind of phenom, winning all sorts of awards and accolades, and guaranteed a place at the State university–but still profoundly troubled and emotionally distant because of his loss.
Casting directors hosting the event are Morgan Casting:
MORGAN CASTING is excited to hold auditions for SPEAKING PARTS for the SAG feature film LIFE AT THESE SPEEDS, starring Billy Crudup.
If you feel you are right for one of these speaking roles, please come by and see us. Please read the specs of what we are looking for below.
Open Call for speaking parts only + we would love to see any guys and girls who run track – we’ll need lots for the film!
Casting Sunday, Nov 2nd 10am to 3pm at The Ice House
The Ice House
251 West South Street
Jackson, MS 39203
(behind Barefield)
Email us to let us know for which role you feel most appropriate. Your name for “character name” castingLATS@gmail.com
Auditions are being held for the following roles – Sides/Lines will be available at the casting session.
[JOL BRULE] 18, African American, heavily muscled, confident, wry-humored, likeable, Jol is a football player at Bend City High School, where he meets newcomer Kevin, who soon becomes a good friend. Jol is under extreme pressure from his chronically angry, unemployed father to get a football scholarship, but his father’s inability to do anything other than cruelly criticize his son has tainted the relationship for Jol. Jol quietly struggles with a bad knee, playing through the pain, but what he doesn’t tell anyone is that he has a heart condition that eventually claims his life. Has absorbed his father’s anger and frustration and dishes it out on the football field. Yet he is still eager to please his father, the only adult in his life. His working class father lives through Jol’s football accomplishments and has never acknowledged Jol’s intelligence. An outsider who hangs with his football jock friends but recognizes their limitations. His present life is not his own and he identifies with Kevin; they share an athletic and emotional shorthand…LEAD (18)
[RYE BLEDSOE] 18-19, tall, muscular, cocky, competitive. His father kept him back a year in school so he would win the state championship. His high school athletic glory will be the highlight of his life. Rye’s a record-holding runner who’s an adversary of Kevin and his teammates at Carton High School, and he’s accustomed to beating them. After the accident, when Kevin starts running for Bend City High and becomes a phenomenon, Rye angrily accuses him of cheating, of taking something, but the truth is he’s furious that a nobody like Kevin has ruined his plans at being number one. Rye eventually winds up befriending Kevin after saving his life at a pool party, and even runs with him, not against him, in a race…LEAD (3)
[PRINCIPAL UMBER] Late 50s to 60s, (57) a force of nature, smart, a bit of a wheeler-dealer, a firm believer in hydrating. Open to all ethnic backgrounds. Still lives in the world of his high-school athletic glory and believes he could suit up with the high school kids today – if he wanted to. Bend City High School’s greatest athletic cheerleader and booster who is willing to bend the rules for athletes – and honestly, truly believes (he is never ironic) he is doing it for their sake; he is making them better people in his way. Principal Umber is the principal of Bend City High School, where Kevin transfers after the bus accident. A former sprinter himself who coaches the sprinters at his school, Umber instantly realizes the value of Kevin at his school and offers him a tuition waiver in exchange for being on the track team. Umber’s daughter is Coach Rowan, who coaches at the State University and has her eye on Kevin, and Umber himself grows increasingly excited as he discovers that not only is Kevin Schuler talented–he’s a phenom…LEAD (18)
[MRS. SCHULER] 38 – 40, peppy, open to any hair color. Caucasian. Mrs. Schuler is happily married to Mr. Schuler and is the mother of 18 year old Kevin. She’s a good mom, loving and warm, but she’s out of her depth when Kevin loses all his friends and teammates in a terrible bus crash. Unable to break through to her emotionally distant son but determined to keep trying, Mrs.Schuler is delighted when a nice girl, Henny, shows an interest in Kevin, and of course she’s very proud of his sudden amazing success at track. Never lived more than 20 miles from Carton and took her honeymoon to California. She is a household industry – always sewing, canning, and doing craft projects. Keeping busy is a virtue. Writes birthday and Christmas cards to her son with many exclamation points that express her large love for him. A great, Midwestern soul….LEAD (4)
[MR. SCHULER] 40, reserved, working class, loving, Mr. Schuler is happily married to Mrs. Schuler and is the father of Kevin. A truck-driver, Mr. Schuler is very proud of Kevin and wants more for him than driving a truck. Grew up on his family farm but sold off most of the land when his girlfriend became pregnant – unexpectedly – and they married. Does not understand Kevin’s interests and talents; sometimes amazed Kevin is his son, but he trusts him and knows Kevin will earn a better life on his own. He takes Kevin out driving in his rig and has a heart-to-heart with him, proud of the fact that with his running talent, Kevin will have college coaches eating out of his hand…LEAD (4)
[COACH JARHEAD] 35. Ex Marine. soft heart tucked inside his military buzz cut and attitude. Open to all ethnic backgrounds. Enthusiastic and devoted to “his kids.” Read that “child is father to the man” and believes it. What he teaches his track athletes will stay with them for a lifetime. Single, but his athletes are all his children. The coach of the Carton High School track and field team, his physical energy a clue to his past athletic career, he’s good-natured, confident, wry-humored and likeable. He clearly loves his job and his “surrogate children,” who love him right back. During an away meet, Coach Jarhead realizes that runner Kevin has allowed his best friend Bobby to run in his place in a crucial race, and he seamlessly helps the boys cover up the trade so they won’t forfeit the race. Coach Jarhead is driving the bus back from the meet when the front tire blows out on a bridge and the bus crashes into the water, killing him and the team. Coach Jarhead appears to Kevin in his dream memories as he runs…LEAD (2)
[BOBBY SICKLE] 17-18, skinny, No longer has to have Gap through his teeth. Ideal is Latino, Hispanic / Caucasian Mix. Mediterranean. But open to Caucasian as well. Dad looks to be Hispanic/Cuban. A good-natured troublemaker, Bobby is Kevin’s best friend, and also a runner on the track team. At a meet, Bobby convinces Kevin to let him run in Kevin’s place in a race against their mutual adversary, Rye Bledsoe, and Bobby, under Kevin’s name, actually breaks a record for the race. Bobby is killed with the rest of their teammates and coach when their bus crashes off a bridge on their way home, but he shows up in Kevin’s dream memories when he runs.Skinny, weighed down by a chip on his shoulder that makes him a jerk when he feels threatened. Expects to take over his father’s hardware business upon graduation from high school. His escapes are running, drinking, and vandalism Would love any Latino guys as well ….LEAD (2)
[TAM BUTTERBIT] 15-16, Ellie’s little sister. She thinks Ellie is the best person in the world and goes to her for advice on makeup, boys, and life. She treats Kevin like her favorite big brother. Losing her big sister demolishes her life but she is nothing if not resilient. There are many possibilities in life and she never loses her enthusiasm. She’s seen in church after the accident, breaking down as she tries to talk at the memorial service for the lost kids in the bus accident. She winds up at Bend City High after they close Carton High, and also works at a local department store. She seems to have dealt with her grief more successfully than Kevin, and eventually is able to have a meaningful conversation with him. She stuns him when she tells him she has Ellie’s cell phone, and has gotten the texts that he’s sent her after her death…3 speeches & 16 lines, 4 scenes (11)
[PRINCIPAL BRILL] 50. The principal of Carton County High, he comforts Tam when she begins to cry at Ellie’s memorial service. Open to all ethnic backgrounds. Later, he’s surprised to see Kevin at the front door of the school, which has been closed for the rest of the semester. He talks with Kevin about his options for the immediate future regarding finishing high school. Shattered by the death of most of his senior class in the bus crash. Not academic but a good administrator; a “people person.” Rarely leaves the state or had larger aspirations than a job and a pension….3 speeches & 6 lines, 3 scenes (11)
[TROLLEY] 17-18, Carton High School’s track team’s shot putter, he a good-natured trouble maker who holds Bobby upside down on the team bus on the way to a meet, and considers a bag of chips to be “carb loading.” He’s one of the kids who are killed in the team bus crash, but he’s seen in one of Kevin’s dream memories. Large appetite for food and life. Gregarious but likes to play the “big man” and throw his weight around. Raises cows in 4-H and plays heavy metal while he milks them in the morning; names his pet cows after 80’s bands….2 lines, 3 scenes (2)
[DENNIS] 18, One of Rye Bledsoe’s teammates on the track team, Dennis is a runner who makes a cruel comment to Kevin at a meet, trying to unnerve him. Bryceville runner who is Rye’s groupie. He copies him in all things. He desperately wants to impress Rye….1 line, 2 scenes (4)
[STARTER] This starter at the meet raises his gun and yells “Start” at the beginning of the race. At the end, he questions the new record when he thinks Bobby is actually running for Kevin. Later, he starts another race, making the runners wait while he syncs the clock …6 lines, 2 scenes (6)
[BRYCEVILLE COACH] Male. Open ethnicity. 30s – 50s. This track coach objects to Bobby’s win over Rye, claiming (correctly) that he was spiked. Later, the same coach accuses Kevin of running over one of his runners…2 lines, 2 scenes (8)
[PIM] 18, Seen in one of Kevin’s dream memories, Pim is a rough boy who taunts Ellie during a class science experiment…3 lines, 2 scenes (25)
[MR. SICKLE] 50. The third-generation owner of the family hardware store. Preferably Hispanic/Latino, but do not limit. His only son, Bobby’s death breaks him and he falls into depression. He cannot go on and he dies of a broken heart. A straggly, bearded man, the father of Bobby, Kevin’s best friend who was killed in the bus crash, he’s a sad man, a widower who seems to be trying to keep busy. He’s glad to see Kevin and has a nice talk with him; he doesn’t mind talking about his lost son…2 speeches & 5 lines, 3 scenes (28)
[ANGRY FAN/ MR. BRULE] 38-40, a fleshy African American man, this angry fan watching the Bend City High School football team practice is particularly nasty in his comments towards Jol, who turns out to be his son. Mr. Brule is unemployed and possibly alcoholic, and expects a lot from his son. He lives through his son, Jol’s accomplishments. Lost his high-paying union welding job when he was laid off; lost his wife to mental illness, pushes his son, criticizes his son, (he considers it “helping” him) and deeply loves his son – probably too much….1 speech & 4 lines, 1 scene (31)
[GEORGIA] 17. Carton High’s “fast girl” who blindly throws herself at guys. Boys are most important in her life and she considers herself an expert on their likes and dislikes – but she cannot fathom Kevin. Seen in one of Kevin’s dream memories, the sexy Georgia tries to get Kevin interested in her at Ellie’s birthday party, but he’s only interested in finding Ellie…5 lines, 1 scene (34)
[THE MAYOR] 55. Female, this mayor of Bend City makes a speech and gives the key to the city to Kevin in recognition of his becoming the number one cross country runner in the state, and one of the top runners in the country. n advocate for the city who has aspirations of getting Bend City named as a sister city of Nice, France, and one of America’s “tree cities.”…1 speech, 1 scene (52)
[MR. BLEDSOE] 44, an accountant and bureaucrat. Never an athlete, he is the ultimate joiner and loves being on the track and cross country rules committee. Has read all the training books and started training Rye at age 6 for his OWN ambition. Rye Bledsoe’s father, he’s an official at a meet who recommends disqualifying Kevin and Dennis, another runner, for poor sportsmanship when Kevin runs over Dennis in a close race…4 lines, 1 scene (62)
[GRANT BLADHOLM] 17-18, This lean, good-natured high school runner joins the Bend City track team, greeting Kevin and admitting upfront that “I’ll probably be second best around here.” He’s cooperative, with a good attitude…1 speech & 2 lines, 2 scenes (87)
We’d love to see any guys and girls who truly run high school track ! Any real coaches are welcomed too!
Information for extras in Jackson, Mississippi area:
If you are interested in being an extra, no need to stop by – you can simply email us photos to castingLATS@gmail.com. Please include two current photos (one head and shoulders and one full length taken against a solid background if possible) + name, height, age, phone number and current city. Title email with “your name” for Extra for LATS
Audition information (speaking roles)
Sunday, Nov 2nd 10am to 3pm at The Ice House
The Ice House, 251 West South Street
Jackson, MS 39203, (behind Barefield)
Please note that if you are planning on attending the open casting call for the movie, be sure to bring a photo of yourself that you can leave with the projects CD’s.