Today’s update comes from Kieran Thompson, the director of Broken Leg:

Casting may seem like a systematic process after reading part 1 of this casting update. In reality, when “the one” walks in that door and performs, you just know. Sometimes it’s the first person you see. Other times you have to add weeks of extra auditions.
 
After our final day of casting, producer Case Barden and I reviewed our notes to create the list of actresses we’d bring in for callbacks. I still couldn’t get one performance out of my mind. I remember her audition in vivid detail. It was hysterical, thoughtful, and it had an edge. Case and I watched the tape of her performance. We laughed and laughed. Case asked me, “Is she Karla?” but we both knew the answer was yes.
 
To be safe, we created a short list of actresses for callbacks. I wanted to have a long discussion with each of these actresses about the film, our ambitions, and the commitment the role would require. It was also important to see if their personality would fit within our team.
 
My first meeting was with that standout actress. Afterwards, my feelings were solidified; no one else could play Karla. She felt right for the role, which is an intangible quality. The final step was to pair her up with Luke Johnson, the actor playing Theo. I had them improv a scene as Karla and Theo. Their chemistry was evident. They cracked me up and surprised me from start to finish. This was going to work.
 
Right then and there, I offered the role of Karla to Sarah Sawyer. She gleefully accepted.

 
Sarah Sawyer was born and raised in Phoenix. She currently attends Arizona State University. Sarah’s always loved acting, but really caught the bug when she changed her major to musical theater during her first year of college. Previous credits include: Winthrop (The Music Man), Fritzie (Cabaret), Kim (Bye Bye Birdie), Leading Player (Pippin), Lily (The Secret Garden), and Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls). She loves creating relatable characters, and is quite excited to join the Broken Leg team.

 
 

It’s wonderful that Sarah lives in Arizona. There’s a ton of talent in this state, and I’m glad we can showcase a small portion of it. It also means that I’ll have more time to work with Sarah and Luke before we head into production. We’re already having a lot of fun and I hope that translates to the screen.



I want to sincerely thank all of the actresses who took the time to audition for Broken Leg. I was blown away by the pool of talent that visited us in both Phoenix and Los Angeles. I plan to keep a close eye on many of you, because I’m sure you’re going places. Thank you for putting yourselves out there and for allowing us to meet you. I hope I’m lucky enough to work with some of you on future projects.



As a final note, I hope all of our supporters will welcome Sarah to the Broken Leg family. Please leave a comment on our Facebook or give her a shout out on Twitter!