You may not be too familiar with her name, but for the past four decades, Los Angeles-born Valorie Massalas has been one of the city’s most prominent and prolific casting directors. She launched the career of Kiefer Sutherland after his arrival in Hollywood in the early 1980s, and she cast Sharon Stone in Paul Verhoeven’s “Total Recall” (1990), which ultimately led to “Basic Instinct” two years later. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as we’ve all seen the work of Ms. Massalas over the years. She worked with film directors such as Steven Spielberg, Richard Attenborough, Randal Kleiser, Paul Verhoeven, Robert Zemeckis, Rob Marshall, Richard Donner, Garry Marshall and Bill Condon, and she has cast numerous wonderful actors in award-winning performances.

Ms. Massalas also cast and co-produced “Gods and Monsters” (1998), nominated for three Academy Awards, including Ian McKellan for best actor, Lynn Redgrave for best supporting actress and Bill Condon, who won for his screenplay.

The trailer of Bill Condon’s “Gods and Monsters” starring Ian McKellen as film director James Whale, with Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave in other leading roles.

For “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story” (1995, produced by Glenn Close and Barbra Streisand), Ms. Massalas was awarded the Artios Award, the highest honor of the Casting Society of America for excellence in casting. The CSA also nominated her for Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week for “Cinderella” (1997), starring Whitney Houston, and for Rob Marshall’s “Annie” (1999). During last year’s Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, which was dominated by female filmmakers and female-driven stories, she received the Honorary Orpheus Award at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Her latest films include “About Last Night” (2014), starring Kevin Hart and Regina Hall, which grossed nearly 50 million dollars in the U.S. alone.

After being introduced to her by film director Randal Kleiser, I had the honor and the opportunity to talk to Ms. Massalas about her work as a casting director.

Ms. Massalas, can you tell me how you got started in this business?

My first job was being a secretary at an agency, and I had an opportunity to see that side of the business—selling actors, submitting actors—and then I got to work in a casting office. Back then, there were very few high-end casting directors, one of them was a company called Fenton & Feinberg, with Mike Fenton and Jane Feinberg. I was lucky enough to get hired by them. Their first movies were “American Graffiti” [1972], “The Godfather, Part II” [1974], “Chinatown” [1974], “Shampoo” [1975], “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” [1975], “Marathon Man” [1976]. When I met them, they were doing “Norma Rae” [1979], and they had a map of Alabama on the wall. I started working for them, and “Breaking Away” [1979] was my first movie. That took me to New York to cast the movie for Peter Yates, and then I became Jane Feinberg’s assistant, and eventually I became a casting director. I stayed with that company for fifteen years, that was a fantastic experience. The best casting people in town have mentored me. I was extremely lucky and very grateful for the fifteen years I got to spend with them because I worked on “Back to the Future” films, two “Indiana Jones” films, and I did “Amazing Stories” for Spielberg… I had an office on the Amblin lot for quite a while. After I left in 1992, I produced a movie, “Gods and Monsters” [1998], that got three nominations at the Oscars, and it was director’s Bill Condon break-through hit. He got nominated, and he won an Oscar for writing the script. Ian McKellen and Lynn Redgrave also got nominated. When I went to the Oscars, I was there as a part of that movie. It’s a whole different experience. You’re in the game, and you spend the rest of your career trying to get back on that red carpet with a movie that you are also nominated for, which is not an easy thing to do. Then I had a very tragic illness—I was in the hospital for six months, three months in a coma, and three months in rehab. It just blew me off the map. Shortly after I came out of the hospital, 9/11 happened, so the whole world went into shock and in sort of shutdown. While everything was kind of healing, the business was also changing. My brass ring sort of passed me by, and it took a while to build up my momentum. But I was very fortunate. I had great relationships with people that supported me and gave me work. I was out on my own and got a partner in 2005 [Ron Digman], and we were together for ten years. In 2015 we decided to go our separate ways, and so here I am. I’m still in the business, and I still have projects, but it’s harder now because independent features are not as they used to be. It’s getting more difficult now to get money and have a project financed.

You spent quite a bit of time working for Steven Spielberg. Did that help you career-wise?

Yes, you get your foot in the door, and people recognize you. So I’m very grateful for the years that I spent with Mike and Jane, and the years they worked for Steven because I was able to participate in that as well. I will always be grateful for that.

What makes him so unique?

When I worked for him, he was the guy; he was it. He’s got a standard and a reputation. If you picked up the phone and asked an agency to send a picture of a client, they would say, ‘Well, you know…’ But if you told them you worked for Spielberg, it would be hand-delivered to you in an hour. That’s how it worked. When Spielberg wanted something, he got it. And everybody wanted to work for him, so it was such a great privilege if you could say, ‘I’m working on a Spielberg movie.’ And he’s such a great guy, he’s a lot of fun, he’s a big boy—you give him a toy and he’s happy [laughs.] He wanted every new gadget and every new thing he could get his hands on. He was great to work for. There is only one Spielberg; you can’t duplicate him.

Is there anything in particular that you learned from him?

Because he had such a creative vision of everything he did—he was involved on every level—it was never no, but how. So when I had an assistant who said, ‘Oh, I can’t find this number,’ and he stopped looking—no, you keep looking till you find it. The number is there; you just haven’t found it. Your job isn’t done until you find that number. I learned that watching how Spielberg navigated on the set: how can we make this work? He would consult with the best of the best until somebody came to him with a solution because he wasn’t going to compromise. That’s what he did, and that’s what makes him so unique. A great mentor and a great example of that principle alone. People tend to box themselves in, like ‘this is my job, this is what I have to do,’ but with Spielberg, you don’t have a job title. Whatever your work is, whatever you can contribute, whatever you can participate, he’s open to it. That’s also part of his approach, not limiting people.

How many years did you work for him?

From the early eighties until about 1985 or 1986. Those were very crucial years when we also did “Poltergeist” [1982] and all the films he produced and that came out of his production company. When you work on that level, the whole town is asking you, ‘Oh please, you should meet so and so.’ They can’t present you their people enough. When you’re not on that level, you try to get people in the door because you try to talk them into great opportunities. But working for Spielberg, you don’t have to talk anybody into anything: you get to do what you do very well because people are very supportive.

How do you work as a casting director? Do you start with the screenplay, or meeting the director?

I think casting never stops. I’m always casting; it just never stops. Wherever I am, I’m looking at someone I’ve never seen before, I’m watching the interaction, I’m observing the behavior, I’m accutely aware that it’s possible to find talent pretty much anywhere. And now—I can’t say that I’m crazy about this concept—when you walk in the door, the first thing they’ll ask you is, ‘How many followers do you have?’ Sadly, they will respond to people who are not even actors because they have many followers. If they put someone in an acting role, those followers will buy the tickets. While people who have been working on their craft for five, six, or ten years and hope to get a part don’t get it because they don’t have those followers. That’s a part of the business that I don’t enjoy because to me, it is an organic experience: I don’t have to read an actor to decide if there is something interesting about him. It’s not about the reading that interests me; it’s about whatever energy, personality, and exchange. So now you hear people saying, ‘We have a session where we have all the actors put themselves on tape and send in the tapes, and then we’ll pick the ones we like to bring them in.’ Okay, but you’re missing the whole point: you’re not sitting down with an actor and taking five minutes to shake his hand, look him into the eye, see who you’re talking to, and feel what’s going on. Because if you do that, you experience what you’re doing, and the actor gets to experience it too. So when I was sitting at my desk at Mike Fenton and Jane Feinberg, my number one goal was to meet every single person I could get in the room because I understood early on that I was the president of my own company and that every hand I shook and every person I met, would somewhere down the line read for me or get a call from me. I wanted this professional relationship with as many people as possible. I’m so grateful I did that because I met so many wonderful people. When we went to those big casting director luncheons where they would get awards, I would say to my employees, ‘Don’t sit at the table with everybody you work with every day. Get up and talk to the people you talk to on the phone and that you don’t know. Introduce yourself, make sure they know who you are, see them, recognize them, go back every year and build that network. Don’t just cling to the people you know. You have to mingle.’ And that’s what this business is all about. Back then, we did it in person; now everybody does it on social media. People now often work together, and they don’t even know what they look like. I want to see, I want to know, I want to have lunch and communicate with somebody that I know. That’s invaluable.

When an actor reads for you, is there anything in particular that you pay attention to?

You use your instincts, of course. But what I’m most particularly aware of, is, did they do their homework? Did they come to me prepared? Do they recognize that this is a big opportunity, and did they take advantage of whatever time they had before they walked in the door? Did they use excuses like, ‘My printer wasn’t working,’ excuses that are just sabotaging themselves. I have a theory: you can’t hide behind your finger. So when someone uses an excuse like, ‘Oh, my printer broke down,’ I don’t need to know that. Just make me feel that you worked really hard to make it work. They don’t realize they reveal their insecurity by what they say. So I would ask them, ‘How prepared are you? Did you do your homework?’ They have to read the material, become the material, do it in many different ways… A friend of mine is an actor, and when he has an audition the next day, he won’t go out, he won’t use his phone, he won’t drink, he won’t do anything that interrupts the flow of being clear, of walking through that door and having clarity. That is dedication, and you can bring that to the table. That makes you stand out; you bring it with you when you walk in the door. We can feel that, we’re hypersensitive people, that’s why we’re here.

You are a crucial link between the actor and the film director, aren’t you?

Yes.

How do you work with your directors? Do you have a specific working method?

It’s always different because every director has a different way of handling it. Some directors don’t relate to actors; they’re not about the actors. They’re about, ‘this is my scene.’ You can have directors who know exactly what they want, and they always make the right choices. That only happens now and then—like Bill Condon. When we did “Gods and Monsters,” every choice he made was perfect. When I look at that movie, I can’t see one mistake. And it’s very difficult to make a movie when you cast people you don’t actually see. We knew Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester; we knew the characters in the movie, but Bill had a very precise vision of what he wanted. It doesn’t surprise me that he became such an excellent writer and director. He made the right choices, and a director who can’t do that, his movies are usually not that great because casting is very crucial, and bad choices can hurt you. It’s that simple.

Willaim Friedkin once said to me that casting is ninety percent of the movie. Would you agree with that?

Yes, I have to agree. If you do a great casting job, half of the work is done because the actors are going to do all the hard work. They will bring it to you. From a director’s point of view, I don’t envy them because they see so many people, and everybody brings in a different perspective. And then of course, nowadays, honestly, I don’t know if too many people think about chemistry. I don’t think they realize that chemistry is very important. Because if people find that magic, again, half your job is done. The kind of chemistry that Katharine Hepburn had with Spencer Tracy or Vivien Leigh with Clark Gable.

You’re already aware of that chemistry when you’re at work in the casting office?

Oh yes. We would have chemistry readings, we would choose the people—three or four girls for the part, and three or four guys for the part, and then we would mix a match, have them read with each other, and see who had the magic.

Do you make the final decisions on your own?

No, the director does. Tthere are always many people in the room. You’d have the director, the producer, the casting people—a very opinionated group, but the director makes the final decision.

Did it ever happen to you that an actor came in and you immediately knew he was right for the part, so he even didn’t have to read?

That can happen if you already know the person, so you’d ask questions—it would be set up as a meet and greet. It would be prearranged, there’s no reading; we just want to make sure that you like me, I like you, and we have the same mindset. But in that case, the director has already decided that he wants that particular actor for the part.

Were you ever disappointed that things didn’t work out the way you hoped they would?

Yes. Sometimes you remember the people you didn’t get to cast more than the ones you did. When we did “Triumph of the Spirit” [1989], I fought for Julia Roberts, and she really wanted that part. The only reason she didn’t get it, is because she didn’t want to shave her head. So the producers took an unknown actress instead that nobody has ever heard of since—a lovely girl, but she didn’t become Julia Roberts.

Once you have done your casting, do you stay with the project and stay in touch with the director, actors, cinematographer,…?

That would be nice, but in those days, when I was doing three or four projects at a time, I didn’t have the luxury of going to the set, becoming friends, or hanging out. Sometimes I’d be on the set, but that happened very rarely. But as a casting director, your work is not on the set, it’s before they go into production: your work is done when they go into production.

When Stephen Frears was casting “Dirty Pretty Things” [2002], he only wanted to ‘cast faces, not acting abilities to speak the language.’ So he looked at Audrey Tautou’s photograph, and he knew that her face was perfect for that character, even though she didn’t speak any English. All her lines were written down phonetically and she learned them phonetically.

That was a great film, and she was great in it. And she definitely has that face, especially if you look at “Amelia” [2001, a.k.a. “Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain,” nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Foreign-Language Film]. That film really launched her face; she had like an Audrey Hepburn face. You couldn’t take your eyes off her, and she was in every frame of the movie. I think the director must have had a crush on her [laughs].

Santa Monica, California
March 29, 2019

FILMS [AS CASTING DIRECTOR]

PARTNERS (1985) DIR James Burrows PROD Aaron Russo SCR Francis Veber CAM Victor J. Kemper ED Stephen Lovejoy, Danford B. Greene MUS Georges Delerue CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Ryan O’Neal, John Hurt, Kenneth McMillan, Robyn Douglass, Jay Robinson, Denise Galik

TWO OF A KIND (1983) DIR – SCR John Herzfeld PROD Joe Wizan, Roger M. Rothstein CAM Fred J. Koenekamp ED Jack Hofstra MUS Patrick Williams CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Charles Durning, Oliver Reed, Beatrice Straight, Scatman Crothers, Gene Hackman (voice only [uncredited])

GOTCHA! (1985) DIR Jeff Kanew PROD Paul G. Hensler SCR Dan Gordon (story by Dan Gordon, Paul G. Hensler) CAM King Baggott ED Michael A. Stevenson MUS Bill Conti CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Anthony Edwards, Linda Fiorentino, Jsu Garcia, Alex Rocco, Marla Adams, Christopher Rydell

FLESH + BLOOD (1985) DIR Paul Verhoeven PROD Gijs Versluys SCR Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman (story by Gerard Soeteman) CAM Jan de Bont ED Ine Schenkkan MUS Basil Poledouris CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Burlinson, Jack Thompson, Fernando Hilbeck, Susan Tyrrell, Ronald Lacey

THE BOY IN BLUE (1986) DIR Charles Jarrott PROD John Kemeny SCR Douglas Bowie CAM Pierre Mignot ED Rit Wallis MUS Roger Webb CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Nicolas Cage, Cynthia Dale, Christopher Plummer, David Naughton, Sean Sullivan, Melody Anderson, James B. Douglas

3:15 (1986) DIR Larry Gross PROD Robert Kenner, Dennis Brody SCR Michael Jacobs, Sam Bernard CAM Misha Suslow ED Steven Kemper, Richard Casey MUS Gary Chang CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Adam Baldwin, Deborah Freeman, Rene Auberjonois, Bradford Bancroft, Wendy Barry, Ed Lauter, Mario Van Peebles

FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR (1986) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Dimitri Villard, Robert Wald SCR Michael Burton, Matt MacManus (story by Mark H. Baker) CAM James Glennon ED Jeff Gourson MUS Alan Silvestri CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Joey Cramer, Paul Reubens, Cliff De Young, Veronica Cartwright, Sarah Jessica Parker, Howard Hesseman

ARTHUR 2: ON THE ROCKS (1988) DIR Bud Yorkin PROD Robert Shapiro SCR Andy Breckman (characters created by Steve Gordon) CAM Stephen H. Burum ED Michael Kahn MUS Burt Bacharach CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Paul Benedict, Kathy Bates, Jack Gilford

FORBIDDEN SUN (1988) DIR Zelda Barron PROD Peter Watson-Wood SCR Robin Hardy, Jesse Lasky Jr., Pat Silver (story by Robin Hardy) CAM Richard Greatrex ED Dennis McTaggart, George Akers MUS Hard Rain CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Lauren Hutton, Cliff De Young, Robert Beltran, Viveka Davis, Renée Estevez, Christine Harnos, Samantha Mathis

1969 (1988) DIR – SCR Ernest Thompson PROD Daniel Grodnik, Bill Badalato CAM Jules Brenner ED William M. Anderson MUS Michael Small CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg, Pamela Guest CAST Robert Downey Jr., Kiefer Sutherland, Bruce Dern, Mariette Hartley, Winona Ryder, Joanna Cassidy

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) DIR Steven Spielberg PROD Robert Watts SCR Jeffrey Boam (story by George Lucas, Menno Meyjes; characters created by George Lucas, Philip Kaufman) CAM Douglas Slocombe ED Michael Kahn MUS John Williams CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Maggie Cartier, Judy Taylor CAST Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, River Phoenix

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (1989) DIR Robert Zemeckis PROD Bob Gale, Neil Canton SCR Bob Gale (story by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale; characters created by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale) CAM Dean Cundey ED Harry Keramidas, Arthur Schmidt MUS Alan Silvestri CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson, Elisabeth Shue, James Tolkan, Elijah Wood, Flea

TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT (1989) DIR Robert M. Young PROD Shimon Arama, Arnold Kopelson SCR Andrzej Krakowski, Laurence Heath (story by Shimon Arama, Zion Haen) CAM Curtis Clark ED Arthur Coburn, Norman Buckley MUS Cliff Eidelman CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Willem Dafoe, Edward James Olmos, Robert Loggia, Wendy Gazelle, Costas Mandylor, Kario Salem

LOOSE CANNONS (1989) DIR Bob Clark PROD Aaron Spelling, Alan Greisman SCR Bob Clark, Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson CAM Reginald H. Morris ED Stan Cole MUS Paul Zaza CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Gene Hackman, Dan Aykroyd, Dom DeLuise, Ronny Cox, Nancy Travis, Robert Prosky, Paul Koslo

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990) DIR Robert Zemeckis PROD Bob Gale, Neil Canton SCR Bob Gale (story by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale; characters created by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale) CAM Dean Cundy ED Harry Keramidas, Arthur Schmidt MUS Alan Silvestri CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Elisabeth Shue, Matt Clark, Richard Dysart, Harry Carey Jr.

FIRE BIRDS (1990) DIR David Green PROD Bill Badalato SCR Nick Thiel, Paul F. Edwards (story by John K. Swensson, Dale Dyle, Step Tyner) CAM Tony Imi ED Norman Buckley, Dennis M. O’Connor MUS David Newman CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Nicolas Cage, Tommy Lee Jones, Sean Young, Bryan Kestner, Illana Diamant, Dale Dyle, Mary Ellen Trainor

TOTAL RECALL (1990) DIR Paul Verhoeven PROD Ronald Shusett, Buzz Feitshans SCR Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon, Gary Goldman (screen story by Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon, Jon Povill; inspired by short story ‘We Can Remember It For You Wholesale’ by Philip K. Dick) CAM Jost Vacano ED Carlos Puente, Frank J. Urioste MUS Jerry Goldsmith CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox, Marshall Bell, Mel Johnson Jr., Michael Champion

ARACHNOPHOBIA (1990) DIR Frank Marshall PROD Kathleen Kennedy, Richard Vane SCR Don Jakoby, Wesley Strick (story by Don Jakoby, Al Williams) CAM Mikael Salomon ED Michael Kahn MUS Trevor Jones CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Jeff Daniels, Julian Sands, John Goodman, Harley Jane Kozak, Stuart Pankin, Brian McNamara, Mark L. Taylor, Henry Jones

WHITE FANG (1991) DIR Randal Kleiser PROD Marykay Powell SCR Jeanne Rosenberg, Nick Thiel, David Fallon (novel by Jack London) CAM Tony Pierce-Roberts ED Lisa Day MUS Basil Poledouris CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Ethan Hawke, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Seymour Cassel, Susan Hogan, James Remar, Bill Moseley, Clint Youngreen

HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN (1991) DIR Simon Wincer PROD Jere Henshaw SCR Don Michael Paul CAM David Eggby ED Corky Ehlers MUS Basil Poledouris CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Mickey Rourke, Don Johnson, Chelsea Field, Daniel Baldwin, Giancarlo Esposito, Vanessa Williams, Robert Ginty, Tia Carrere

RADIO FLYER (1992) DIR Richard Donner, David M. Evans [uncredited] PROD Lauren Shuler Donner SCR Robert M. Evans CAM László Kovács MUS Hans Zimmer ED Stuart Baird, Dallas Puett CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Lorraine Bracco, John Heard, Elijah Wood, Joseph Mazzello, Adam Baldwin, Ben Johnson, Sean Baca, Tom Hanks

LADYBUGS (1992) DIR Sidney J. Furie PROD Andre Morgan SCR Curtis Burch CAM Dan Burstall ED Tim Board, John W. Wheeler MUS D. A. Young, Michael Jay, Richard Gibbs CASTING Mike Fenton, Valorie Massalas [uncredited] CAST Rodney Dangerfield, Jackée Harry, Jonathan Brandis, Ilene Graff, Vinessa Shaw, Tom Parks, Jeannetta Arnette

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS (1992) DIR – SCR Andrew Bergman PROD Mike Lobell CAM William A. Fraker ED Barry Malkin MUS David Newman CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton CAST James Caan, Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pat Morita, Johnny Williams, John Capodice, Robert Constanzo, Peter Boyle, Anne Bancroft, Seymour Cassel

CHAPLIN (1992) DIR Richard Attenborough PROD Richard Attenborough, Mario Kassar SCR Bryan Forbes, William Goldman, William Boyd (story by Diana Hawkins; books by Charles Chaplin, David Robinson) CAM Sven Nykvist ED Anne V. Coates MUS John Barry CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Susie Figgis CAST Robert Downey Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Geraldine Chaplin, Kevin Dunn, Anthony Hopkins, Milla Jovovich, Moira Kelly, Kevin Kline, Diane Lane, Penelope Ann Miller, Paul Rhys, Marisa Tomei, Nancy Travis, James Woods, Karen Lewis-Attenborough

ALIVE (1993) DIR Frank Marshall PROD Kathleen Kennedy, Robert Watts SCR John Patrick Shanley (book by Piers Paul Read) CAM Peter James ED Michael Kahn, William Goldenberg MUS James Newton Howard CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton CAST Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton, Bruce Ramsay, John Newton, David Kriegel, Kevin Breznahan, Illeana Douglas

MAN’S BEST FRIEND (1993) DIR – SCR John Lafia PROD Robert Engelman CAM Mark Irwin ED Nancy Frazen, Michael N. Knue MUS Joel Goldsmith, Alex Wilkinson CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Ally Sheedy, Lance Henricksen, Robert Costanzo, Fredric Lehne, John Cassini, J. D. Daniels, William Sanderson

EXIT TO EDEN (1994) DIR Garry Marshall PROD Garry Marshall, Alexandra Rose SCR Deborah Amelon, Bob Brunner (novel by Anne Rice) CAM Theo van de Sande ED David Finfer MUS Patrick Doyle CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Dana Delany, Paul Mercurio, Rosie O’Donnell, Dan Aykroyd, Hector Elizondo, Stuart Wilson, Iman, Sean O’Bryan

THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS (1996) DIR Ross Kagan Marks PROD Mark R. Harris, John Davimos, Paul Colichman CO-PROD Valorie Massalas, Seth Bass, Charles H. Duggan, Stephen P. Jarchow, Jonathan Tollins SCR Jonathan Tolins, Seth Bass (play by Jonathan Tolins) CAM Tom Richmond ED Dana Congdon MUS Lee Holdridge CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Jennifer Beals, Faye Dunaway, Brendan Fraser, Garry Marshall, Jon Tenney, Rosie D’Donnell, John Schlesinger, Kathleen Marshall, Jack Klugman

GODS AND MONSTERS (1998) DIR Bill Condon PROD Paul Colichman, Gregg Fienberg EXEC PROD Valorie Massalas, Clive Barker, David Forrest, Stephen P. Jarchow, Spencer Proffer, Beau Rogers SCR Bill Condon (novel by Christopher Bram) CAM Stephen M. Katz ED Virginia Katz MUS Carter Burwell CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Ian McKellen, Brednan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, David Dukes, Kevin J. O’Connor, Mark Kiely

HAIRSHIRT (1998) DIR Dean Paraskevopoulos [Dean Paras] PROD Dean Paraskevopoulos [Dean Paras], Katie Wright, Christian Campbell SCR Dean Paraskevopoulos [Dean Paras] (story by Dean Paraskevopoulos [Dean Paras], Nate Tuck, Katie Wright) CAM Igor Jadue-Lillo ED Dean Paraskevopoulos [Dean Paras], John Axelrad, Samuel Craven MUS Nathan Barr CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Dean Paraskevopoulos [Dean Paras], Chris Hogan, Evan Glenn, Louise Devar, Leelee Groome, Stephanie Sotomayer, Nate Tuck

WINDING ROADS (1999) DIR Theodore Melfi PROD Theodore Melfi, Bryan Godwin CO-PROD Valorie Massalas, Kimberly Quinn, Jason Askinosie, Gloria Calhoun, Tim O’Reilly SCR Theodore Melfi, Kimberly Quinn CAM Bryan Godwin ED Vaughn Juares MUS Brahm Wenger CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Rachel Hunter, Kimberly Quinn, Katrina Holden Bronson, James Masters, Adam Scott, Michael Weatherly, Carlos Gómez

THE MAGIC OF MARCIANO (2000) DIR – SCR Tony Barbieri PROD Lila Cavès CAM Matthew Irving ED Jeffrey Stephens MUS Harry Gregson-Williams CASTING Valorie Massalas, John Dunsworth, Susan Shopmaker CAST Nastassja Kinski, Robert Forster, Cody Morgan, Jason Cairns, Will Cochran, Eugene Clark, Jennifer Overton

NOW & FOREVER (2002) DIR Bob Clark PROD Leanne Arnott SCR Bill Boyle CAM Jan Kiesser ED Lenka Svab MUS Paul Zaza CASTING Valorie Massalas, Stephanie Gorin CAST Adam Beach, Mira Kirshner, Gordon Tootoosis, Theresa Russell, Gabriel Olds, Callum Keith Rennie, Simon Baker

WOLVES OF WALL STREET (2002) DIR David LeCoteau PROD Paul Colichman, Andreas Hess, Stephen P. Jarchow SCR Barry L. Levy CAM Horacio Marquínez ED Bruce Little MUS Harry Manfredi CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Jeff Branson, Louise Lasser, William Gregory Lee, Angela Pietropinto, John Michaelson, Mary Elaine Monti

PIT FIGHTER (2005) DIR – SCR Jesse V. Johnson PROD James Henney, Ari Palitz, Gareth West CAM Robert Hayes ED Cari Coughlin MUS Marcello De Francisci CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Dominique Vandenberg, Steven Bauer, Fernando Carrillo, Stephen Graham, Stana Katic, Timothy V. Murphy, Ric Sarabia

WITCHES OF THE CARIBBEAN (2005) DIR David DeCoteau PROD Jeffrey Schenck SCR Jana K. Arnold CAM Robert Hayes ED Danny Draven MUS Jojo Draven CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Joanna Cassidy, Nicole Cavazos, Nicole Marie Monica, Kelli Giddish, Michael King, Nina Tapanin, Kyle Jordan

IN HER LINE OF FIRE (2006) DIR – PROD Brian Trenchard-Smith SCR Paula Goldberg, Anna Lorenzo CAM Neil Cervin ED Asim Nuraney MUS David Reynolds CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Mariel Hemingway, David Keith, David Millbern, Jill Bennett, Paul Dzenkiw, Sydney Jackson, Robbie Magasiva

UNDEAD OR ALIVE: A ZOMBEDY (2007) DIR Glasgow Phillips PROD David S. Greathouse, Deborah Del Prete, Gigi Pritzker SCR Glasgow Phillips (story by Glasgow Phillips, Scott Pourroy) CAM Thomas L. Callaway ED Larry Maradas MUS Ivan Koutikov CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Lew Alexander, Todd Anderson, Richard Barela, Matt Basser, Chris Coppola, Richard Denton, Chris Kattan

MURDER.COM (2008) DIR Rex Piano PROD Sylvia Hess SCR Tom Nelson, Jake Gerhardt CAM Mark Melville ED John Blizek MUS Chris Anderson CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Alexandra Paul, David Chokachi, Robyn Lively, David Shae, Bart Johnson, John Colton

OBSESSED (2009) DIR Steve Shill PROD Will Packer SCR David Loughery CAM Ken Seng ED Paul Seydor MUS Jim Dooley CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles, Ali Larter, Jerry O’Connell, Bonnie Perlman, Christine Lahti, Nathan Meyers, Matthew Humphreys, Bruce McGill

INTO TEMPTATION (2009) DIR – SCR Patrick Coyle PROD Ann Luster CAM David Doyle ED Scott Ferrill, Lee Percy, Lindy Wilson MUS Russell Holsapple CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman, Barbara Shelton CAST Jeremy Sisto, Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Baumgartner, Patrick Coyle, Bruce A. Young, Amy Matthews, Tony Papenfuss

DURESS (2009) DIR Jordan Barker PROD Julio Caro, Jason Price, Paul Papile SCR Dipo Oseni, Tope Oseni, Jim Kehoe CAM Adam Marsden ED Michal Shemesh MUS Dimitris Kontopoulos CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Martin Donovan, Gina Gallego, Sakis Rouvas, Ariel Winter, Catherine Dent, Billy Wirth, Kathleen McNearney

A VERY MARY CHRISTMAS (2010) DIR – SCR Dan Gordon PROD Kim Waltrip CAM Michael Goi ED Marc Leif MUS Kevin Saunders Hayes CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Elliott Gould, Linda Gray, Lainie Kazan, Cloris Leachman, Della Reese, Olesya Rulin, Cybill Shepherd, Gene Simmons, Fred Willard, Duncan Bravo, Kim Wiltrip

WALKING MADISON (2010) DIR – SCR Katherine Brooks PROD Megan Ellison, Jonah M. Hirsch, Ted Schipper CAM Rob Sweeney ED Richard Byard, Stuart H. Pappé MUS Klaus Badelt CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Roemer, Imogen Poots, Frances Conroy, Taryn Manning, Will Patton, Wendy Glenn, Erin Kelly

CODE NAME ORACLE (2012) DIR Max Bartoli PROD Max Bartoli, Blerime Topalli SCR Max Bartoli, Blerime Topalli (story by Max Bartoli, Jeffrey Stackhouse) ED Arzu Volkan MUS William David Brohn, Rino Amato CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman

FAMILY WEEKEND (2013) DIR Benjamin Epps PROD Chris Aronoff, Adam Saunders CO-PROD Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman, Benjamin Epps, Peter Gail SCR Matt K. Turner CAM Christopher Norr ED Benjanim Epps, Colleen Halsey MUS Mateo Messina, Russ Howard III CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Kristin Chenoweth, Matthew Modine, Olesya Rulin, Joey King, Eddie Hassell, Shirley Jones, Chloe Bridges

ABOUT LAST NIGHT (2014) DIR Steve Pink PROD Will Gluck SCR Leslye Headland (screenplay ABOUT LAST NIGHT… [1986] by Tim Kazurinsky, Denise DeClue; play ‘Sexual Perversity in Chicago’ by David Mamet) CAM Michael Barrett ED Tracy Wadmore-Smith, Shelly Westerman MUS Marcus Miller CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Christopher McDonald, Adam Rodriguez, Joe Lo Truglio, Paula Patton

THE WEDDING RINGER (2015) DIR Jeremy Garelick PROD Adam Fields SCR Jeremy Garelick, Lay Lavender CAM Bradford Lipson ED Shelly Westerman, Jeff Groth, Byron Wong MUS Christopher Lennertz CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Kevin Hart, Josh Cad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Jorge Garcia, Dan Gill, Colin Kane, Cloris Leachman, Ken Howard

LOST & FOUND (2016) DIR Joseph Itaya PROD Joseph Itaya, Jordan Barker, Scott Bridges, Kim Selby, Borga Dorter SCR Joseph Itaya, Erik Cardona CAM Matt Egan ED Brian Felber MUS Tom Howe CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Bigman, Lisa Parasyn CAST Justin Kelly, Benjamin Stockham, Cary Elwes, Jason Patric, Celeste Desjardins, Greg Bryk, Kim Selby

AMERICAN ROMANCE (2016) DIR Zackary Adler PROD Gary Sugarman, Roger M. Mayer, Crawford Anderson-Dillon SCR Wes Laurie, Mei Melançon (story by Gary Sugerman) CAM Ian S. Takahashi ED Phil Norden MUS Mark Leggett CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Nolan Gerard Funk, John Savage, Daveigh Chase, James Duval, Diane Farr, Mark Boone Junior, Mei Melançon

JACK WOODY (2020) DIR Matt Flynn PROD Matt Flynn, Gregory Fawcett SCR Matt Flynn, Gregory Fawcett (story by Gregory Fawcett) CASTING Valorie Massalas

TV MOVIES

IN LOVE WITH AN OLDER WOMAN (1982) DIR Jack Bender PROD Sharon Kovacs TELEPLAY Michael Norell (novel by David Kaufelt) CAM Thomas Del Ruth ED Lori Jane Coleman MUS Lee Holdridge CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST John Ritter, Karen Carlson, Jamie Rose, Robert Mandan, Jeff Altman, Blaine Novak

THROUGH NAKED EYES (1983) DIR John Llewellyn Moxey PROD Paul Pompian TELEPLAY Jeffrey Bloom CAM Jack L. Richards ED Dennis C. Duckwall MUS Gil Mellé CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST David Soul, Pam Dawber, Fionnula Flanagan, William Schallert, Dick Anthony Williams, Gerald Castillo

LOUISIANA (1984) DIR Philippe de Broca PROD Denis Héroux, John Kemeny TELEPLAY Dominique Fabre, Charles E. Israel, Etienne Périer (novels by Maurice Denuzière) CAM Michel Brault ED Henri Lanoë MUS Claude Bolling CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Margot Kidder, Victor Lanoux, Ian Charleson, Andréa Ferréol, Lloyd Bochner, Len Cariou, Hilly Hicks, Raymond Pellegrin

VANISHING ACT (1986) DIR David Greene PROD Robert M. Cooper TELEPLAY Richard Levinson, William Link (play ‘Trap for a Single Man’ by Robert Thomas) CAM Laszlo George MUS Kenneth Wannberg CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Mike Farrell, Margot Kidder, Fred Gwynne, Graham Jarvis, Elliott Gould, Heather Ward Siegel, Wally MacSween, John Bluethner, Howard Glassman

BRIDESMAIDS (1989) DIR Lila Garrett PROD Jay Benson TELEPLAY Bett Eyre CAM Steve Yaconelli ED Richard Bracken MUS Paul Chihara CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Judy Taylor CAST Shelley Hack, Sela Ward, Stephanie Faracy, Brooke Adams, Jack Coleman, Audra Lindley, Hamilton Camp

SHERLOCK HOLMES RETURNS (1993) DIR Kenneth Johnson TELEPLAY Kenneth Johnson (characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) CAM Ken Orieux ED David Strohmaier MUS James Di Pasquale CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Anthony Higgins, Debrah Farentino, Mark Adair-Rios, Joy Coghill, Julian Christopher, Ken Pogue

SERVING IN SILENCE: THE MARGARETHE CAMMERMEYER STORY (1995) DIR Jeff Bleckner PROD Richard Heus TELEPLAY Alison Cross CAM Glen MacPherson ED Geoffrey Roland MUS David Shire CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Glenn Close, Judy Davis, Jan Rubes, Wendy Makkena, Susan Barnes, William Converse-Roberts

PANIC IN THE SKIES! (1996) DIR Paul Ziller PROD James Shavick, Rosanne Milliken, Dan Paulson TELEPLAY Robert Hamilton (story by Robert Hamilton, Rick Rosner) CAM Rod Parkhurst ED David B. Thompson, Jeffrey Reiner MUS Todd Hayen CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Kate Jackson, Ed Marinaro, Erik Estrada, Maureen McCormick, Billy Warlock, Howard Dell, Robert Maloney

CINDERELLA (1997) DIR Robert Iscove PROD Chris Montan, Mike Moder TELEPLAY Robert L. Freedman (book by Oscar Hammerstein II) CAM Ralf D. Bode ED Casey O. Rohrs, Tanya M. Swerling CASTING Valorie Massalas, Stuart Howard, Howard Meltzer, Amy Schecter CAST Brandy Norwood, Witney Houston, Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg, Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle Reid, Paolo Montalban

JITTERS (1997) DIR Bob Saget PROD Barbara Kelly, Michael Manheim TELEPLAY Elisa Bell (book by L. A. Rentschler) CAM Ron Orieux ED Michael S. Murphy MUSIC Peter Rodgers Melnick CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Joely Fisher, Brian Wimmer, Anne Meara, James Acheson, Bud Cort, Beverley Elliott, Nancy Banks

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (1998) DIR Jeffrey Reiner PROD Paul Colichman, James Shavick, Shawn Williamson TELEPLAY David Hoselton, Lorne Cameron CAM Jonathan Freeman ED Carter DeHaven MUS Christopher Brady CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Tim Matheson, Carol Alt, Ryan DeBoer, William Katt, Catherine Oxenberg, Doug Abrahams, Eddie Mekka

ANNIE (1999) DIR Rob Marshall PROD John Whitman TELEPLAY Irene Mecchi (book by Thomas Meehan; lyrics by Martin Charnin) CAM Ralf D. Bode ED Scott Vickrey CASTING Valorie Massalas MUS Charles Strouse CAST Kathy Bates, Victor Garber, Andra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Erin Adams, Sarah Hyland

A WOMAN’S A HELLUVA THING (2001) DIR – TELEPLAY Karen Leigh Hopkins PROD Paul Colichman, Mark R. Harris CAM Barry Parrell ED Tom Costain MUS Louis Febre, Thomas Kilzer CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Angus Macfadyen, Penelope Ann Miller, Ann-Margret, Kathryn Harrold, Nicole Neith, Barry Del Sherman, Mary Kay Place, Millie Perkins, Karen Leigh Hopkins

HOPE RANCH (2002) DIR Rex Piano PROD C. Thomas Howell, Ben Moses, Grant Bradley TELEPLAY C. Thomas Howell, Jim Snider (story by Chris Howell) CAM Howard Wexler ED John Blizek MUS Bruce Lynch CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Bruce Boxleitner, Lorenzo Lamas, Barry Corbin, Gail O’Grady, Laura Johnson, Brian Gross, JD Pardo

KILLER BEES (2002) DIR Penelope Buitenhuis PROD Kirk Shaw, James Shavick TELEPLAY Dana Stone CAM Mahlon Todd Williams ED Earl Fudger MUS Mike Thomas, John Sereda CASTING Valorie Massalas, Corinne Clark CAST C. Thomas Howell, Tracy Nelson, Fiona Loewi, Noel Fisher, Emily Tennant, Doug Abrahams, Tom Heaton

THE PARADISE VIRUS (2003) DIR Brian Trenchard-Smith PROD Brian Trenchard-Smith, Sylvia Hess TELEPLAY Peter Layton CAM Albert J. Dunk ED Stephen R. Myers, Michael Stahlberg MUS David Reynolds CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Lorenzo Lamas, Melody Thomas Scott, Ralf Moeller, David Millbern, Gregory Wooddell, Kristen Honey, Jessica Steen

TERROR PEAK (2003) DIR Dale G. Bradley PROD Grant Bradley, Jozsef Fityus TELEPLAY Dale G. Bradley, Rebecca Goldsmith, Kyle Southam CAM Renaud Maire ED Nicola Smith MUS Bruce Lynch CASTING Valorie Massalas, Terri De’ath CAST Lynda Carter, Parker Stevenson, Antony Starr, Emily Barclay, William Davis, Peter Elliott, Emma Storry, Joanne Baker

MARTHA, INC.: THE STORY OF MARTHA STEWART (2003) DIR Jason Ensler PROD Michael Mahoney TELEPLAY Suzette Couture (book by Christopher M. Byron) CAM Paul Sarossy ED Sandra Montiel MUS Adam Cohen CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Cybill Shepherd, Tim Matheson, Joanna Cassidy, Jude Ciccolella, Dorie Barton, Seann Gallagher, Michelle Nolden

FAULTLINE (2004) DIR Rex Piano PROD Sylvia Hess TELEPLAY Peter Sullivan CAM Robert Knouse, Tom Hejda ED Tony Miller MUS Chris Anderson CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Doug Savant, Brandy Ledford, John Novak, Joe Miller, Catherine Munden, Justin Melvey, Marty Hrejsa, Christopher Ashe

RING OF DARKNESS (2004) DIR David DeCoteau PROD Sylvia Hess TELEPLAY Michael Gingold, Matthew Jason Walsh CAM Mateo Londono ED Danny Draven MUS Jojo Draven CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Adrienne Barbeau, Ryan Starr, Stephen Martines, Jeremy Jackson, Greg Cipes, Colin Bain, Matt T. Baker

TIDES OF WAR (2005) DIR – PROD Brian Trenchard-Smith TELEPLAY Mark Sanderson (story by Stephen P. Jarchow) CAM Paul Atkins ED Michael Stahlberg MUS David Reynolds CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Adrian Paul, Catherine Dent, Kent McCord, Mike Doyle, Matt Battaglia, Mark Deklin, Eitan Kramer

FOUND (2005) DIR Rex Piano PROD Sylvia Hess TELEPLAY Thomas C. Chapman, Jeff Blyth CAM Mark Melville ED John Blizek MUS Chris Anderson CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Joanna Cassidy, Victor Browne, John Colton, Greg Evigan, Tania Saulnier, Glenn Herrera, Klaus Olz, Lynn Johnson

TRAPPED! (2006) DIR Roy Spinetti [Rex Piano] PROD Sylvia Hess TELEPLAY Peter Sullivan, Jason Burke [Jason Preston] CAM Mark Melville ED John Blizek MUS Chris Anderson CASTING Valorie Massalas CAST Alexandra Paul, Nicholas Turturro, Tatiana Maslany, Michelle Wolf, Barbara Bain, Dennis Christopher

THE CLIENT LIST (2010) DIR Eric Laneuville PROD Ted Bauman, Lynne Bespflug TELEPLAY Suzanne Martin CAM Tony Westman ED Lisa Robison MUS Richard Marvin CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Jennifer Love Hewitt, Cybill Shepherd, Teddy Sears, Sonja Bennett, Lynda Boyd, Chelah Horsdal, Heather Doerksen

SLUTS a.k.a. UNTITLED LIZ MERIWETHER PROJECT (2008) DIR Jason Winer TELEPLAY Elizabeth Meriwether CAM Geary McLeod ED Sean Thompson MUS Ryan Raddatz CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Molly Shannon, Dorian Brown, Lacey Chabert, Brandon Quinn, Nicholas Gonzalez, Tia Carrere, Nicholas Gonzales

OUTLAW PROPHET: WARREN JEFFS (2014) DIR Gabriel Range PROD Lorenzo O’Brien TELEPLAY Steve Kornacki, Alyson Evans, Bryce Kass (book by Stephen Singular) CAM Graham Smith ED John Ganem MUS Tony Mirales CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Tony Goldwyn, Molly Parker, Joey King, Martin Landau, David keith, Sabina Gadecki, Barbie Robertson

SHAQ INQ (2015) DIR John Fortenberry PROD Dan Kaplow CASTING Valorie Massalas, Ron Digman CAST Shaquille O’Neal, Matt Burke, Matty Cardarople, Meryl Hathaway, Jef Holbrook, Lizzie Mears, Abhi Trivedi

TV MINI-SERIES

OUT ON A LIMB (1987) DIR Robert Butler PROD Stan Margulies TELEPLAY Shirley MacLaine, Colin Higgins CAM Bradford May ED Neil Travis, Peter Parasheles, Michael McCroskey MUS Lalo Schifrin CASTING Valorie Massalas, Mike Fenton, Jane Feinberg CAST Shirley MacLaine, Charles Dance, John Heard, Anne Jackson, Jerry Orbach

TV SERIES

THE PAPER CHASE (1983), all 7 episodes
AMAZING STORIES (1985-1987), 10 episodes
THE CREW (1995), 1 episode
DANTE’S COVE (2004-2005), 3 episodes
THE CLIENT LIST (2012-2013), all 25 episodes