A Star is Found
by Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins
Published by Harcourt Books
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Reviewed by Christine Edlund
If you ever wanted to learn how movie films are cast, A Star is Found by Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins is one of the first books you should pick up. This recently published non-fiction book is full of name-dropping and inside information into the biggest films and TV shows in Hollywood and their star casts. For those that crave celebrity or even learning about the biz, you can't go wrong with a Star is Found.
The authors have worked with some of the most well-known faces in front of the camera and behind it from Julia Roberts and Leonardo DiCaprio to Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg. The book's chapters are broken up into both Hirshenson's and Jenkins' viewpoints to give the reader the perspective of each author's view on working on a particular film or with a certain actor. A Star is Found not only oozes with celebrity gossip but describes the trials and tribulations of being a casting director and what it takes to cast the right person for a film or show, including the multitudes of extras.
A Star is Found is a great book for those wanting to read about not only the inside story on a particular film but for those wanting to enter the industry for employment on both the acting side and what it takes to be in the casting director's chair. The book describes auditions with first time actors who are now A-list stars, meetings with directors where everything went haywire and
scheduling is cut, and frantic searches to find the right actor where the authors were ready to pull out their hair waiting for responses from agents and managers.
Hirshenson and Jenkins have written a fun and entertaining read for anyone who devours celebrity books and news like candy. This one will surely be eaten up!
Armchair Interviews says: Sounds like "tasty movie candy."