Lora Kennedy's Artios Speech

Everyone enjoyed Lora Kennedy's 2013 Artios speech so much that we asked her for permission to reprint it here:

Thank you so much.

I’d like to thank Pam Dixon and the CSA board for this award.  It is truly wonderful – and a little overwhelming.  Pam, over the past few years you have become a good friend and comrade.  You have done remarkable things with this organization and I for one would like to thank you.  We were very close to closing the doors on this guild a few years ago and your dedication along with those that serve on the board – brought it back and have made it even stronger.  Thank you all for you hard work.

Thanks to Mike Hoffman for being here with me tonight. Actors love working with you and so do I. Our friendship of almost 30 years – means the world to me.  I am glad you are by my side this evening.

I’d like to thank Peg Halligan for letting me open her submissions on “The A- Team” and giving me my first job in casting with Rueben Cannon.  With Reuben I learned the skills I needed to get hired by Wally Nicita and Deborah Lucchessi.  Wally taught me about the legacy of casting directors I was fortunate to be a part of.  She is one of the smartest and toughest people I have even met. And Debbie Lucchesi – she taught me how to have fun and to enjoy what we do.

I thank Marion Dougherty – who’s shoulders many of us here stand upon.

I miss Mali, Barb, Howard, Elizabeth and Phyllis. Years ago, I was working in an office next to Howard Feuer -  I asked him –

“Howard do you ever doubt yourself?”

Yes,” he said.

Daily?” I asked?

“Hourly,” he responded.

I’d like to thank my own personal binder of women – many of you are here tonight.  We have been through birth, death, marriage, divorce, illness and recovery…and through it all  - friendship has sustained us.

I’d like to thank Jeff Robinov, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Basil Iwanyk, Bobby Newmeyer, and Davis Guggenheim for bringing me into the WB family 13 years ago.  Greg Silverman and my  group of executives, who are awesome – the best in town.  I am so very lucky to work there.

Lana and Andy Wachowski,  Zack and Debbie Snyder,  and Ben – thank you for your collaboration and support.  They all love actors – and they understand what the process of casting means to filmmaking. Ben – I love working with you - the end result is one I am always proud of.  You are an amazing director and humanitarian.  Many in this town might have underestimated you – NOT ANY MORE…

Caitlin and Noa – thanks for holding down the fort.

Arlene – who chose to move away to be with her husband and baby instead of staying with us – go figure.  I miss you every day.

Kristy – for 17 years – you have been the wind beneath my wings.  I never want to do this job without you. You grew up – right before my eyes -  I am so proud of you – as a casting director and as a mom.  I am glad you are my friend.

My table of pals - Lucinda, Abi, Bill, Jason, Mike, Melissa, Sara, Marci, Mindy, Sharon, Jimmy and Julie – thanks for being here.

My family is here – my dad John, my mom Judy, David, Sandy, Vicki my sister, Mark, my awesome niece Sophia…thank you for your unwavering belief in me.  I feel so supported and loved – I am very happy to have you all here tonight.

And the love of my life – the man of my dreams – Orlando.  If there is ever an alien invasion or if LA is attacked by a band of roaming zombies – I know you got my back.  I love you buddy.

When asked if casting directors should get an Academy Award – a producer responded – casting is not a skill.  And most recently another producer, when asked about the contribution of casting directors said – soon casting directors shall be obsolete – producers do all the casting anyway.

Well, a time long ago, when there was a studio system – casting was just basically list making – but when the studio system collapsed Marion Dougherty and Lynn Stalmaster, along with a handful of others – turned casting into a craft.  Marion fought for Jon Voigt on “Midnight Cowboy”, she convinced a director to give James Dean another chance because she believed in him.  

Juliet Taylor’s cast of “Network” – her amazing work with Woody Allen and in casting “Julia” she gave  a young actress named Meryl Streep – her first role, Fred Roos cast of “The Godfather”,  Mike Fenton’s cast of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” and with Jane Feinberg, the cast of “Chinatown”, Shirley Rich’s cast of “Serpico”, “Saturday Night Fever” and “Kramer vs. Kramer”, Alan Shayne’s work on “All The President’s Men”, and “Catch 22” and Lynn Stalmaster’s cast of “Judgment At Nuremberg”, “West Side Story” and “The Graduate”   - all absolutely amazing work.  I could name so many more – and many times they went uncredited but these casting directors were the new wave – they created the path that we are all now on. 

And for all you young casting directors out there – you need to know who these people are and were.  Look at their work and be inspired -  and bring that inspiration to your work every day. We need to now recognize that our contributions have gone far beyond just list making.  In the documentary “Casting by”, Buck Henry says, “ A casting director with one really good idea can fundamentally re-adjust an audiences understanding of what the story is….that’s what they do.  If we’re lucky – we get the benefit of those moments of inspiration.”

We don’t cut anything, we don’t build anything, we don’t write anything - but we weave – we weave people together – we weave these moments of inspiration together - that is our job.  It is a skill to look beyond what is in front of us to see all the possibilities.  Traffic, The Departed, The Social Network, A Serious Man, Winter’s Bone, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Modern Family, Mad Men, The West Wing, The Wire, Book of Mormon – just don’t happen – they were cast - by casting directors. 

“Artios” is Greek word for “Perfectly fitted” – that is what we all aspire to.  That, is our skill, that is our craft.

Thank you so much for this award, this evening, and this career.