Meet Sunday Boling Kennedy | Casting Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sunday Boling Kennedy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sunday, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Initially I started my own business because I wanted to be my own boss, to be in charge of my time and my schedule and to work on projects by choice. My first job in casting was at 20th Century Fox in the Feature Casting office, followed by assistant and associate positions on big-budget studio films with top casting directors, which were all confident-boosting experiences. I admired the work that my bosses were doing, and I heard the stories of how they got started. I knew that I would have to launch my own company if I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I also knew that if my first attempt at my own casting company was not successful, I had enough contacts to work for someone else until I was ready to try again. I moved to Los Angeles with the intent of being my own artist, not being someone’s employee. Also, when working as an assistant or associate, you are hired on a project. You do not pick the project or the filmmakers. As a casting director and co-partner of my company, I can pass on a project just as easily as I can pursue a project. I have more control over my artistic endeavors.

The work hours in an entertainment day are not often 9-5 and even when the work day is technically over, the work is not actually done until the project is cast. In starting my own business, I thought I could set the rules and parameters of my work and potentially have a personal life or better work/life balance.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I an an award-winning Casting Director. I primarily cast films but I have also cast television, streaming, narrative podcasts, music videos, commercials and theatre. My art is finding the people who will bring a story to life. I collaborate with the director, producers and sometimes writers and together we choose the faces through which our audience will experience the project.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time reading books and writing my own stories. I loved writing and chose to major in writing while attending The Johns Hopkins University. Studying other’s stories and crafting my own gave me a strong background in not just storytelling but also in analyses. When casting, I analyze the script – the story, the characters, the location, the tone – which informs the character descriptions (aka Character Breakdowns) and the material we use for auditions. Understanding the message of the project and the director’s vision also shapes the actors we choose to consider for the project.

I have had my casting company with business partner, Meg Morman, for 19 years. The journey has not always been easy. We survived the 2007/2008 WGA strike, the pandemic, the 2023 WGA and SAG strikes, as well as projects that lost funding or never owned up to their financial obligations. We have had actors not show up to set, quit, or be fired, which required long hours of recasting and sometimes involved very uncomfortable conversations and tears. But with each challenge, I learned and added new skills to my arsenal. When faced with months of no work due to strikes or the pandemic, we hustled, expanded our network and found casting opportunities outside of our typical work. Each challenge does come with it a moment, maybe a day or so, of panic; but once I regain focus, the brainstorming begins – how can I keep casting…For instance, during the pandemic, work stopped very quickly for a long time. But then new opportunities began to present in the narrative podcast space and soon we were back in business. The work was different and required a lot more listening but the art itself was the same – just a new medium.

The best part of casting for me is working with people, meeting the filmmakers and actors, reading with actors, directing actors, the human connection. I love the play we get to have during auditions – the art of pretending – using the imagination to transcend our current space, time, wardrobe, etc. When auditioning actors, my goal is to create a safe, welcoming, creative space for them to share themselves and their art. Sometimes this is challenging because I am a human who also has bad days. Choosing a positive attitude is a must; learning to speak up and express my own needs is something I am still working on.

One of the challenges of being a casting director is finding the work or having the work find you. There is no central place to apply for the jobs. Much of the time, the work comes to me via a phone call or an email. Finding new opportunities comes through networking and word of mouth. When one of my films is successful either at the box office or at film festivals, the jobs come in more quickly. The freedom of working for myself and having my own company is that I can read a script and pass if I do not like the story or the message or if the budget and other parameters are not to my liking. I try to choose projects that I want to see made and stories I think should be told. I also prefer scripts with strong, interesting characters where my casting can shine. I love stories of hope, change, rebirth, and overcoming the odds. I love stories that make us laugh and cry and whisk us away to an unexpected place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in West Hollywood and work in entertainment so if I had a project filming – we would visit set. If not, some things I enjoy doing…We would grab a cup of coffee at Groundwork and grab a breakfast burrito at Tu Madre. We would go for a hike, see the Hollywood sign (you have to at least once) and visit the Malibu beaches. We would grab sandwiches at Potato Chip Deli or my friend Lisa’s restaurant Rosemary and Thyme. We would see a movie or two at the Grove; I am an AMC Stubs member. We would see some standup at The Hollywood Improv or Laugh Factory and maybe see a play at the Geffen or the Ahmanson. We would visit the Harry Potter world at Universal. We would grab cocktails at Bar Next Door on Sunset. We would have a nice steak dinner at Carlitos Gardel Argentine Steakhouse and eat a Butter Cake from Mastro’s. If we had time, we would see the latest at LACMA and The Broad.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be a Casting Director if Christian Kaplan had not offered me my first job as a Casting Assistant. And before him, my high school acting teacher, Bryan McCampell, inspired me to pursue an artistic path – acting kept me in school and gave me a much needed outlet.

Website: www.mormanbolingcasting.com

Instagram: @mormanboling

Image Credits
Sunday Boling Kennedy, Nico Greetham, Jonathan Wysocki, Danielle Kay, Zak Henri, Meg Morman Meg Morman, Finn Wittrock, Sunday Boling Kennedy Meg Morman, Sunday Boling Kennedy Sunday Boling Kennedy, Meg morman