Arkansas talent agency issues casting call for HBO’s "True Detective"

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (January 19, 2018) The Agency Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas, has issued a casting call for up to 1,500 actors, stand-ins and photo-doubles for the third installment of the HBO crime anthology “True Detective,” a fictional story set in the Ozarks that will begin filming in Northwest Arkansas in the coming weeks.

“This is the largest production we’ve ever cast,” said The Agency CEO and Owner Sarah Tackett, “and we are looking forward to discovering new talent as well as working with actors and stand-ins we’ve helped cast previously.”

Notable productions The Agency has been part of include “Mud,” “Sling Blade,” “Biloxi Blues” and “God’s Not Dead 2 and 3.”

“Atmosphere and background actors are critical to a film’s authenticity,” said Yancey Prosser, director of The Agency. “We know there are talented Arkansans of all ages who can look and play parts that will bring to life a story that is rich and believable.”

Casting will be ongoing, as the series is set to film over five months, and cover a wide range of roles. Most will be adults for crime scene investigations, school rooms and construction, requiring by-standers, emergency personnel, machinists and heavy-equipment operators – but also some children.

When the production announced it would come to Arkansas in late December, Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) Director Mike Preston said, “This is the largest and most expensive production we’ve ever had in the state. With an estimated year from start to finish, we know that local businesses and vendors will enjoy a boon from the production.”

The award-winning “True Detective” series was created by Nic Pizzolatto, a graduate of the University of Arkansas Master of Fine Arts Program, who will also direct this season. The cast includes Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, who will play the lead role of Wayne Hayes, an Arkansas State Police (ASP) detective. Carmen Ejogo will play Amelia Reardon, a school teacher with a connection to two missing children in 1980, and Stephen Dorff was recently announced as an addition in the role of another ASP detective. 

“We expect to have more information to share about available jobs for cast and crew in coming weeks,” said AEDC Film Commissioner Christopher Crane. “We’re thrilled local people and vendors will be a part of and benefit from the production this year.”

Aside from being in the cast or crew, AEDC officials said, there are opportunities to bring new money to businesses and vendors by housing the actors and crew who do come from out of state, providing meals and various services. Past productions have temporarily brought in anywhere from a dozen to a hundred people from out of state.

Applications are being accepted online, and require a current photo as well as other personal information. For more information about the Arkansas Film Commission, visit our Film page, follow @ArkansasEDC on Twitter or at Facebook.com/ArkansasEDC, and connect with Arkansas Economic Development Commission through LinkedIn.

ABOUT AEDC

Created in 1955 to make Arkansas more competitive in the post-World War II era, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) seeks to create economic opportunity by attracting higher-paying jobs, expanding and diversifying local economies in the state, increasing incomes and investment, and generating positive growth throughout The Natural State. It includes the Arkansas Film Commission. Arkansas is a pro-business environment operating leaner, faster and more focused through a streamlined state government designed to act on corporate interests quickly and decisively.