Mike Rinder's Blog

Something Can Be Done About It

Casting Problems

By 78 Comments

They put out these notices fairly regularly.

A few weeks ago they were trying to cast Allen Ginsberg and L. Ron Hubbard for $200-$300/day. Seems they are having some problems getting takers as they have raised the price now to $935/day.

I can imagine that in this day and age being identified as a “face” of WTH or Narconon is not a good career choice.  And apparently the only applicants they had are english as a second language speakers. They even have to offer “gas reimbursement” which means this is being shot at Gold, not at SuMP. Apparently SuMP does absolutely nothing.

Prediction: They will come to the conclusion that the only possible answer is to use voiceovers like they do for their commercials. No “face” that can then become persona non grata for any other jobs as nobody wants a “scientology spokesperson” to be cast in THEIR commercials in case they get tainted by association.

 

Comments

  2. The saddest part of this is that some actor, who is trying to make it, will take this job. The overwhelming majority of people you see on screen don’t make very much money and they are often unemployed. They only get paid if they get called which often is not on a consistent basis. Someone without a SAG card would love $935 a day no matter who they are playing. And while more and more people each day learn about the abuse in Scn, many if not most of the average folks you meet will only know two things about the Church. 1) that it’s a cult, and 2) Tom Cruise is in it. Not much else. The applicants trying out for this gig, might not know who LRH was at all.

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  3. Mike thanks for doing this. It’s not easy I’m sure. Hope you have & will save many due to your hard work & dedication. I’m going to go tell Tony Ortega the same thing. Hug Leah for me when you can. Xxoo Blessings to you all.

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    • I have learned that I no longer react when people criticize Scientology. I was never this way when I believed the church was helping me in some way. There is so much evidence of the Church of Scientology’s crimes that it undoes any good and progress they might make in the world. “You can’t be a drug addict and a healthy person at the same time”. The same is true of this church. A criminal organization cannot at the same time have real employment opportunities to offer people. 🙂

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  6. Off topic (I no longer feel comfortable shorthanding it to OT) but caught the new Scientology enemies list over at the underground bunker. Congrats to all so labeled- could there be a better measure of the difference you’re making, one and all? Particular compliments to Mike Rinder for having the least ‘police lineup’ photo.

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    • Well, I wouldn’t get too excited about that photo… Doesn’t look any different than anyone else’s to me.

      I did note though that they had a VERY hard time trying to make Leah look unattractive….

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      • Yeah, pretty obvious attempt at presenting ‘the enemies’ as inherently angry, especially considering most anyone interested has seen their pictures and videos in other venues. Maybe because my husband has a killer deadpan look but you come across (to me) as laughing inside. Also maybe because I like that idea.

        It’s difficult to understand how Scientology cannot understand that this kind of stuff actually works against them for anyone with a healthy mind.

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        • Scientologists have been trained to evaluate people in very simple, kindergarten-style, hero/villain, black/white, good/bad, safe/dangerous terms.

          There are no nuances. Its identity-think all the way, and the photographs of people the cult publishes bears this out.

          To know whether Scientology approves of a person, just look at the photo and that will tell you all you need to know, if its been issued by Scientology management.

          Good person =attractive, happy, smiling, clean, well groomed, prosperous looking person.

          Bad person = unattractive, unhappy, scowling/ fearful looking, dirty, disheveled, disreputable-looking, criminal-looking person.

          Its simplicity itself.

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    • RK, that is the Union’s fault for making it too difficult to join… I am SURE that all those applying to work for the devil (scamology) would LIKE to belong to the Union.

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  8. Mike, Does the LRH impersonator has to be left handed? Because most LRHs photos are with him using his left hand for supporting his chin or handling (before Clearing) the globe!

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  10. Mike, are they still advertising the Ginsberg and Hubbard roles, but now at increased pay, or are they just advertising the two “interstitial host” presenter roles shown at the higher rate?

    It wouldn’t be surprising that they are looking for better talent for key speaking roles, and willing to pay more. You might say that they are looking for someone to do what was done by then-Scientologist Larry Anderson on the old Orientation film, who nonetheless did a rather stilted job of it in spite of having a good number of acting credits to his name, and then exemplified CofS’ typical problem with in-house film talent by eventually blowing:

    http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/larry-anderson-star-of-scientologys-orientation-film-wants-his-money-back/1067720

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  13. I got an idea. Why don’t they strut their stuff as a cartoon? They have the script down pat and I’m sure RB wouldn’t mind helping ’em out.
    But then again they’ll probably still have a hard time… you know, Goofy does has standards and Elmer Fudd will probably turn down the LRH part, because, “that’s all folks.”

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  14. Gosh. You might guess that no one wants to be imaged as:

    A mad scientist torturing a tomato with an electro psycho meter, or
    A robe-clad decrepit old man at a manual typewriter, or
    A stained toothed wanta-be commode chief. or
    A source of what-has-become in 65 years a reviled cult ?

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  16. Why not use Bodhi and Jenna Elfman. Those soulless minions are in it for the long haul. Or maybe even Travolta and Cruise. Two more soulless minions.

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    • It does make me wonder if the decision to not go celebrity is on Scientology’s part due to worry about very public fallout if they later leave (see Jason Beghe) or if their celebrity members are just not willing to put that much on the line.

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      • I am noticing that the celebrities are less in evidence these days, and I suspect that’s no accident, probably spurred on by a combination of their increasing discomfort with Scientology’s public profile, and advice from their publicists. Even Cruise and Travolta have given Scientology only very lukewarm endorsements lately.

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        • What $cientologists were at the Oscars last night? I tuned in late, but I definietely did not see Tom Cruise. Was he there?

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        • Thanks Mary! My cousin came out from Albuquerque and we all had dinner with Mom. She decided to cook and made us a mexican casserole and baked a chocolate cherry cake for the b-day event. (She will be 96 this June)

          We woke up to a dusting of snow this AM and thanked our lucky stars about how happy life is these days!

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  17. Yeah, they’ll use voice overs and back of the head shots. Three feet back, of course. The NDA for anyone taking on this job will 50 pages long, much longer than any dialog.

    Maybe they can hire Mel Gibson to do his ‘hacksaw ridge’ treatment of Lron’s Navy life. They can call it “Sinking Subs with Blimps’. Or something equally accurate. Except for the subs, they will have to be CGI in. Just like they were in Lron’s mind.

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    • To avoid giving the impression that Scientology is increasingly dependent for third world and other desperate peoples for new members? Generally marketers try to identify their product with the socioeconomic/ethnic/gender they are trying to attract. So I assume that’s what’s going on.

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  23. These are speaking parts, seemingly destined for an IAS flavored video and not the biographical March 13th event. Probably for the Maiden Voyage IAS Night or maybe even the Saint Hill IAS event.

    It is truly appalling that they cannot simply film some real Volunteer Minister organizer or Drug Rehab presenter. Such critters do actually exist. They don’t actually do any good, and they are very few. Maybe the real ones are so hokey there is no way to make them look good on TV.

    Or the word has gotten out about how the Gold film crews fake it. So, might as well fake it 100% with pro actors and not pay all those travel fees for sending out the Gold film crew.

    Or maybe some Gold film crew has escaped! And they don’t dare send any more! Recently missing Gold staff, please speak up if you are reading this!

    Or they need pro actors so they can use the footage a year from now when all the currently active IAS sponsored agents are all featured on “Aftermath”.

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  24. So..they are willing to pay someone 19 weeks of full Sea Org pay (as if anyone in Sea Org truly got full pay every week) and gas to drive to the location rather than risk using one of their own who will then escape. Is it the foreign accent problem–no one speaks English? The malnutrition, they are all so underfed? The knowledge that they won’t be there and will be speaking out against them by the tine the film is released? Or are there really no bodies on staff?

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    • 19 weeks of Sea Org pay… your comment really sends home a message. I hope one day the slaves rebel, like a Spartacus uprising or something.

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  25. I know! Let’s get our Crack Eval Team on this.

    Existing scene: we have to keep re-shooting all of our films, commercials, promo

    Situation : (Most Major departure from the ideal scene): in-house scientology staff actors keep blowing and turning out to be SP enemies of scientology/mankind.

    why: … …..the OT levels don’t make magical beings, abuse tolerance has its limits, Hubbard was a liar from the get-go.

    “huh? really? …oh wow……”

    Int Bulletin ORDER: No more Evals allowed. Eval tech wasn’t LRH but the work of SPs. All of our crack evaluators turn SP and blow.

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  26. They almost ready to cash out a union pay. Can they just pick someone up from CC for free? Or real actors don’t go there anymore?

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    • They have to go outside the Cult Victor because all still-ins are fake actors. Real ones are posted on the Cults new hate site which can be seen on TOs blog today.

      I doubt the cherch realizes it but pretty soon those at the kool aide stand might get the idea that the A-Listers are growing faster than they are.

      Yo Dave,
      The bleeding continues good buddy. Each day more of Your sheeple grow disenchanted. I will be meeting with some over the next few weeks leading up to Your March 13 debacle. Do you really have any idea how many Cult members of Yours work very hard on having an acceptable excuse to NOT ATTEND?

      I’ve got an idea …………. why not threaten them with ethics interrogations if they don’t show! Oh ….. I just found out you already do that! I’m sure you will come up with some other plan…………Hey, why not pay them to attend ……………. You could do a casting call for extras to boost seating. Oh ……You do that too! Well, only You can solve this good buddy so get on it.

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      • The pressure is surely on that little twerp. I am absolutely enjoying watching this slow motion train wreck. Let’s increase the pressure everyone!

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  27. It would probably be easier to cast someone to represent the KKK. The American public are wise to Scientology, it’s abuses, and anti social qualities. Soon the message will reach even the most primitive tribes in the far reaches of the Amazon. Scientology was correctly labeled by Time magazine as “The Cult Of Greed”.

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    • The Holy Trinity of Scientology is all contained in one The Title, the definition and the ultimate truth all in “The Cult of Greed” that is why I very rarely call it anything else. Religion? Faith? New Religious Movement? No Sir! none of that, but I forgot, perhaps I am not worth of credit because I am a “anti-religious bigot” Hallelujah I must have awakened the wrath of the Lord of Hemet.

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  28. Screen Actor’s Guild daily pay rate is currently $933/day. If you’re expected to drive way out of town for a shoot the performers also expect tone provided with a ride, or to be compensated for mileage. Scientology isn’t stupid, they wanted non-union members so that they could pay much less than base rate. But actors aren’t going to chance ruining their careers for 1/3 base salary. At least now Scientology is offering the bare minimum.
    Its pathetic that Scientology has billions of $$$ but won’t even pay minimum wages to have someone portray their magnificent leader. You’d think they’d pay whatever it costs to find the best man to portray LRH – but once again Scientology (well, DM actually…) shows his true colours here.

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    • And that is why the RTC chooses BLACK for its uniform color of choice. When dealing with the RTC/Dave (the dildo) Miscavige it is ALL BLACK.

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    • The Cult of Greed is ready to pay millions but only in PIs and fancy attorneys, look at the Rathbun case in Texas or the MacPherson case, the following of Pat Broeker for twenty years!!!!

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    • I don’t know why they even need to cast an actor as LRH. Philip Seymour Hoffman already nailed the part.

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    • That shithole in Hemet is definitely out of the TMZ, so just adding mileage is pretty weak – and it’s not even mileage, just “gas reimbursement.” And $900 bucks is for background performers, not principals. This is still crappy pay.

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  29. That they are having THAT hard of a time in CA is REALLY damning as the Sec State there recently revealed that only 49% of the work force is employed there.

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  31. I’m surprised they don’t just grab one of their minions and force them to do it! Or are they all too busy trying to repair the flooding damage that they brought on again?

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    • @barbara They can’t do that because anyone who is in has a great chance of leaving and once they are out they may become vocal critics and then the whole sequence would have to be redone.

      Better to choose someone they haven’t abused with no knowledge of scientology so they have someone who looks reasonably well fed and rested who hasn’t forgotten how to pretend to be enjoying themselves.

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      • Is there any reasonably intelligent person in the US who has NOT heard the negativity of scio? Perhaps the only person left to do this is…..Slappyi Misk himself!!! Nah! Too much of a coward to ever show up in public again. And by public, I hardly mean the meaningless 3 hour appearances at new building dedications.

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        • Especially with Dave’s SuMP. Cameras and all ready to roll but nothing …………..absolutely nothing they can cob together to create a production.

          Before this is over I would not be surprised to find out that See Oh Bee has sublet the sordid mess to Marty Rathbun so he could do political commentary and argue the merits of global warming and climate change to anyone left who might listen.

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