Damian Bao Casting has launched a nationwide talent search for leading roles in an upcoming feature film by Oscar-nominated director Bing Liu!
According to Casting Networks, casting Director Damian Bao, known for discovering and casting Slick Woods and Leyna Bloom in their career-defining breakthrough roles, is looking for talent for THE HOUSE ON SOVEREIGN STREET, an upcoming feature film about a 17-year-old Chinese American skateboard videographer as he tries to save his mother and brother from an abusive stepfather while navigating friendship and romance. The film will be directed by Bing Liu, who is best known for the Academy Award- and Emmy- nominated documentary MINDING THE GAP, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win a Peabody Award.
The casting director is seeking Asian talents and skateboarders for the following leading roles:
BAO (Male, Chinese, Age 16-22) / LEAD ROLE – Angsty Chinese American 17-year-old teenager with slight build. He is an unlikely hero and the go-to skateboard videographer in his rustbelt Midwest town. A keen observer who loves capturing the beauty around him with his video camera. He has a goofy side that’s childish and playful and a capacity for rage and violence that is surprising. MUST HAVE SOME SKATEBOARDING EXPERIENCE. BONUS IF YOU ALSO HAVE SOME PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES.
HUA XIAO (Female, Chinese, Age 35-50) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Bao’s mom. She is an impulsive Chinese woman born in China who moved to the US in her late 20s. She is sensitive and playful in a childish way and loves to sing and dance when she’s alone. Fights like hell to make the best of her situation; she’s not a quitter. Must be able to speak accented English and fluent Mandarin.
DJ (Male, Half Chinese, Age 8-10) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Bao’s 9-year-old half-brother. Guarded half Asian, half White boy who looks up to his older brother. DJ believes a family should have two parents despite the cost. He’s developed unconscious tactics to survive his father’s unpredictable violence: invisibility, deference and self-sacrifice.
WILL (Male, Indigenous, Age 17-25) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Restless Indigenous American 18-year-old teenager. A natural ring-leader and instigator who lives for getting his friends together to have fun. A gifted smack talk artist who loves to get physical–wrestling, pushing, putting his body on the line. He often acts as a big brother: giving advice and making people feel a part of the group. Deeply loyal and dependable as a friend. SKATEBOARDING SKILLS REQUIRED.
EMILY (Female, Asian, Age 16-22) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Sociable Southeast Asian teenager who can make friends with anyone and talk about anything–except for the traumatic experiences with her father when she was a child. At age 17, she’s used to getting attention and draws a sense of self-worth from it. But scratch beneath the surface and you learn she’s afraid that if she lets people see her true self she’d be rejected.
AI GUO (Male, Chinese, Age 38-55) – Grounded Chinese man who is currently in a practical second marriage. He shows love by material means when he can afford it and when he can’t, through advice giving. He is a comforting father to Bao albeit only to the extent that it doesn’t compromise his devotion to his new family. Must be able to speak accented English and fluent Mandarin.
AGE 5 BAO (Male, Chinese, Age 4-6) – Innocent Chinese 5-year-old boy who is most happy living in an imagined world he creates. A sneaky voyeur who likes to notice things that feel secretive. Must speak Mandarin.
AGE 9 BAO (Male, Chinese, Age 8-10) – Guarded Chinese 9-year-old boy who’s experienced a lot of change for his age. A curious soul who enjoys noticing how adults behave. An artist in the making. Must speak Mandarin.
NINJA (Female, Age 16-22) – Mixed race female teen skater who wants to be one of the boys. Huge PRANKSTER. SKATEBOARDING SKILLS REQUIRED.
**Talent from anywhere in the U.S and Canada are welcomed to submit. New Non-Union actors and SAG-AFTRA members alike are also welcome to submit. Filming will take place June/July 2022 in the Rockdord, Ill area. To submit please visit https://castittalent.com/The_House_on_Sovereign_Street
SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: April 8, 2022
Source: Casting Networks