The term non-actors can come across demeaning. Really, it is the name given to non-professional actors who without any training, give the artform a try. However, it takes a talented filmmaker to make this work.
Non-actors are often used to make a particular scene or segment more authentic. Think police officers playing themselves, celebrities playing fictionalized versions of themselves, and first-time actors who have been plucked from the streets because of their unique look or aura. Here are 5 filmmakers who love to think outside the box and cast non-professional actors in their movies.
5. Shane Meadows
Renowned British filmmaker Shane Meadows may not be a global star, but in the UK he is a well-respected talent known for his raw and unflinching storytelling. He broke out in 2006 with his BAFTA-winning film, This Is England, a gritty yet touching look at working class Britain in 1983, an era known as “Thatcher’s Britain”. Set amongst the backdrop of summer, the film follows Shaun, a bullied young boy who strikes up a bond with a gang of skinheads.
Although established actors like Stephen Graham and Joseph Gilgun boarded the film, Meadows wanted an unknown for the part of Shaun from the outset. Alongside his casting director Des Hamilton, he searched the country for kids who’d never acted before and had no interest in acting, wanting raw, authentic young performers. When Thomas Turgoose was approached to audition, he demanded a payment of £5. This resonated with Meadows, who described: “That’s exactly what I would do when I was a kid”. Since then, Meadows also kickstarted the acting career of Helen Behan, a real-life nurse who starred as a mental health specialist in This Is England ’88.
4. Paul Greengrass
In 2002, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Greengrass used non-professional actors for Bloody Sunday, a gritty dramatization of the Irish civil rights protest march and subsequent massacre by British troops on January 30, 1972. Several military characters were played by ex-members of the British Army, and Greengrass also employed actual participants and soldiers from the events to recapture the chaotic immediacy of the day. In 2013, he experimented with the use of non-actors at a larger scale with Captain Phillips.
Despite being led by Tom Hanks, this docudrama saw first-time actor Barkhad Abdi garner the most accolades. Prior to Captain Phillips, the Somalian-born Abdi had zero acting experience, yet exuded pure menace as the leader of the brutal gang of pirates. Greengrass saw his capabilities as soon as he auditioned him, shining above over 700 participants. Abdi received nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since gone on to star in acclaimed movies like Eye in the Sky, Good Time, and Blade Runner 2049.
3. Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood has cast non-professional actors in two major films. For Gran Torino (2008), the four-time Oscar winner took a gamble and cast ten Hmong lead actors and supporting actors, of whom only one was not a first-time actor. Although it was majorly snubbed at awards season, this tense yet touching coming-of-age movie quickly developed a cult following. Eastwood elicited powerful performances from a plethora of non-actors, to the point that you would believe they were professionally trained.
In 2018, Eastwood decided to repeat history when he cast real-life heroes Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler to play themselves in re-enacting the 2015 train attack they thwarted. The 15:17 to Paris wasn’t as widely-adored as Gran Torino, but once again, Eastwood pulled out raw and emotional performances from actors with zero training. His willingness to trust non-actors in leading roles demonstrates his belief that lived experience and authentic emotion can sometimes surpass technical training, a philosophy that has become a defining characteristic of his later directorial work.
2. The Safdie Brothers
The Safdie Brothers have built their entire aesthetic around blending professional and non-professional actors. Ever since their 2014 film Heaven Knows What, the New York filmmakers have worked with casting director Jennifer Venditti, whose process largely centres around street casting. Since then, they have refined their casting process to a tee, never afraid to put non-professional actors alongside seasoned heavyweights like Robert Pattinson, Adam Sandler, and Timothée Chalamet.
The brothers not only used street casting for movies like Good Time and Uncut Gems, they also convinced musicians and sports stars to appear in their movies as themselves, proving they can draw a powerful performance from pretty much anyone. The most shining example of this was their decision to cast a recovering heroin addict to play her past experiences on screen. They are also credited as the driving force behind Julia Fox‘s rapid rise to fame after dedicating years to developing a character specifically for her in Uncut Gems. She has since gone on to star in multiple movies and TV shows and has released her own memoir titled Down the Drain.
1. Martin Scorsese
While Martin Scorsese primarily works with professional actors, he knows the right time to bring in non-actors. He has cast real-life mobsters and gangsters as extras in his films to maintain authenticity, paying attention to every little detail to ensure it was totally realistic. In Casino, he cast real police officers in one of the film’s most chaotic moments, allowing the cops to react how they would during a real-life incident.
With Goodfellas, Scorsese enlisted real-life FBI agent Edward McDonald to re-enact the exact moment he cornered mobster Henry Hill and got him to testify. Alongside hiring non-actors, Scorsese has been known to flip audience expectations with his smart casting choices. For Casino, Scorsese hired legendary comic Don Rickles to play a morally ambiguous casino manager, a role that showcased him as a commendable dramatic actor.
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