Meet the Member - Chrissy Fiorilli-Ellington, CSA
Chrissy Fiorilli-Ellington, CSA went from playing the lead role of a rat in her 4th grade play to chasing down actor Mark McKenna in LAX for her most difficult but most rewarding project, Wayne. A trained actor, Fiorilli-Ellington has brought her creative vision to projects including Things Will Be Different, Xeno, and Die Hart. Take a peek into her world in the interview below.
Where did you grow up?
Raleigh, NC.
When did you know you wanted a life in the arts?
I think I always knew, but playing the comedic lead role of a rat determined to conquer the world in our 4th grade play really sealed the deal. Watching The It Factor in college gave me insight into the casting process, and I thought, "Oh, I want to do that."
What's currently on your watchlist (that has nothing to do with work)?
If you weren't casting, what career might you pursue instead?
To be honest, I can't imagine doing anything else. But, maybe a Private Investigator? (see next question)
What is one thing people don't know about you or would be surprised to find out?
For the past few years, I've been researching an unsolved crime.
SXSW with the director & cast of THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT (Michael Felker, Riley Dandy, Adam David Thompson)
What's the first project you ever worked on in casting?
I interned on Then She Found Me, directed by Helen Hunt.
What was one of the hardest roles you've had to cast, but also one of the most rewarding?
The titular role in Wayne, a brilliant-but-cancelled series created by Shawn Simmons I cast with Amanda Lenker Doyle that started on YouTube Premium, moved to Amazon, and is now getting a third chance at life on Netflix. We literally (and I mean LITERALLY) chased after Mark McKenna at LAX before he got on a plane back to Ireland after testing for the role, and filmed another take of a scene with different direction in Amanda's garage. Spoiler alert: he got the job.
Which show's casting have you admired lately (excluding one of your own)?
Widow's Bay, Pluribus, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, The Pitt. I also greatly admire anyone who has cast long-running procedurals because tracking who has already been on the show and keeping things fresh each week is a skill we don't celebrate enough.
What's a piece of advice you got early in your career that you still lean on?
Early on, the feedback was consistent--excellent taste (yay), but admin skills that "left much to be desired." Fair. Paperwork and numbers have never been where I shine. But the note landed in a way that made me realize the boring stuff isn't optional, so if you can't be the one who does it well, someone on your team has to be. I'm deliberate about that now when I hire an Associate or Assistant.
If you could tell your first-day-in-the-industry self one thing, what would it be?
You've got this. Keep going.
Chrissy and Jane Flowers, CSA at the Artios Awards.
What is the best thing that's happened to you this year?
Why Casting?
I came to casting the way most people do--sideways--and it turned out to be the only job that made use of the specific, slightly odd set of things I'm really good at. It uses and celebrates all of me at once. I'm a connector, I keep people in my head for years, have great taste, love collaboration, am scrappy and persistent, and I really nerd out on the creative process. I majored in acting and married an actor, so I know what it's like on the other side. I want things to be interesting; I can't help it, and this is a tangible way to achieve that. Every other career may have made me pick one of those and set the rest down. This one wanted all of it.
About Chrissy Fiorilli-Ellington:
Chrissy Fiorilli-Ellington is a casting director working across film, television, commercials, streaming, and scripted podcasts. She is a twelve-time Artios Award nominee and two-time winner, with nominations spanning several categories: theater, commercials, short form series, television, short films, and features. Her work has traveled to Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and Cannes.
Upcoming projects include: Green Bank (starring Tatiana Maslany, Kumail Nanjiani, and Brittany O'Grady), Heart Eyes 2, and Silent Scream for Lifetime. Previous film & TV: Things Will Be Different, two seasons of Kevin Hart's Die Hart, Amazon's Wayne, The G Word with Adam Conover, Grind, Xeno, Under the Lights, We Broke Up, Out of Office, and the Academy Award–nominated short Please Hold. Scripted podcasts: Birds of Empire, Evergreen, Madam Ram, and The Last Degree of Kevin Bacon.
She's married to actor Tate Ellington, and they have two daughters (and a cat).
Meet the Member is a CSA series spotlighting our members' careers in casting and the lives they lead beyond the industry. The CSA community is filled with talented, dynamic individuals, and this series celebrates the members making an impact through their work, experiences, and unique perspectives.