What They Say
WHAT THEY SAY
OR: RUMOUR, HERESAY, BS AND FLATTERY FROM A HANDFUL OF FOLKS WE'VE WORKED WITH
“Kirsty is excellent at reading big print at the cast read through.
She’s probably good at other stuff too but she really excels with big print.”
— Mirrah Foulkes, Director (Judy and Punch)
Kirsty & Gemma scoured the world to find our cast. They went above and beyond for our small film to create an environment where every candidate could shine.
They nurtured myself and everyone throughout the process, placing non-actors and veteran actors together and eventually assembled a cast with chemistry, passion, talent, authenticity and a deep love of the script. Bravo
- Ben Lawrence, Director (Hearts and Bones)
““Kirsty is the consummate casting detective who never gives up to find the right person for the role.””
Honestly, I wish I was taught about the importance of casting directors at film school as much as I was taught other craft forms like cinematography - my short films would have been much better and I could have been successful much earlier. My experiences with McGregor’s have single-handedly shown me how little I need to speak to actors on set as long as the casting is right.
Especially - Gemma Brown’s work on Homecoming Queens help me walk the tightrope horror show that is balancing comedy, tragedy, and casting in Queensland with a budget of $2. I’ve never had the chance to work with Kirsty and Stevie, they must be racist.
- Corrie Chen, Director (Homecoming Queens)
“Kirsty McGregor did for me exactly what great casting directors do. She put the right people in the room and, when I’d seen a thousand people and couldn’t see straight anymore, she reminded me who the little gems were who might otherwise have slipped through the cracks.
This was how we found James Frecheville and Laura Wheelwright for Animal Kingdom and for those two kids alone I will always be indebted to Kirsty.”
- David Michôd, Director (Animal Kingdom, The Rover)
“Kirsty couldn’t cast a fishing rod.”
- Joel Edgerton (…whatever)
“Thankfully I have nothing to do with Kirsty as I find her odd.
Stevie isn’t that great, but I can’t be bothered trying out other casting directors.”
Abe Forsythe, Director (Down Under, Little Monsters), Jerk
Kirsty (the short one) and Stevie (the bearded one) have become the 3rd or 4th best casting team in Australia. If you are after a team who knows actors intimately (and probably inappropriately), who have a respect and knowledge for the craft (by respect and knowledge I mean they treat the actors within the bounds of the law) and Nikki Barrett or Mullinars are busy… there are your people. They’ll have your project cast faster than you can say “Please explain one more time why I can’t have Mia Wasikowska?”.
They’ll also make you look like the knowledgeable, insightful, tasteful Director you wish you were.
- Matthew Moore, Director (Diary of an Uber Driver)
“Kirsty is one of a handful of casting directors in the world who know how to create an environment conducive to eliciting great performances.
In the wrong hands, there can be nothing more frightening than the audition process.
But Kirsty knows how to make actors feel relaxed and part of the process, rather than feel they have to prove they should even be in the room.
She also knows what a particular actor is capable of - sometimes even more than they do. And she knows how to get it out of them.”
- Damon Herriman, Actor
““Stevie Ray has always given us a great outcome when it comes to the casting process. He knows how to crack a brief! His no nonsense approach makes the process very time effective, which is great for us producers…plus his sexy phone voice is just another added perk!””
“Kirsty - and everyone at McGregor casting - have the rare knack of being able to be assertive and intuitive, discreet yet familiar, relaxed and dogged at turns. In casting, more than any other part of film making, a strong sense of the ‘feel’ of the project is essential. They had it in spades. The cast of Beneath Hill 60 is are a blend of close friends and complete unknowns. Tricky for a casting agent, and perfectly handled by Kirsty. It pains me to say I deferred to her judgement on several occasions. And she was right every time.”
— Jeremy Sims, Director (Rams, Last Cab to Darwin, Beneath Hill 60)
“A keen sense of comedy and expertise in diversity make McGregors a perfect match for Jungle.
We fall in love with our cast on every production - A Moody Christmas, The Moodys Here Come the Habibs - and it is no surprise when Kirsty & Stevie are the matchmakers.
Winner of the Equity Ensemble Awards two years running is evidence that the industry agrees that it’s a match made in heaven.”
- Chloe Rickard, Partner & Head of Production at Jungle
“Kirsty McGregor recently cast a performance-based commercial campaign for me. She understands and prioritises performance and was tireless in finding me the most interesting actors, as opposed to the most commercial ones. As a result, the campaign is real, deeply emotional and very successful. I recommend her highly.”
- Niki Caro, Director
“Stevie Ray has always delivered a brilliant line up of actors for our commercials. He understands the brief and casts the perfect performers. I never see the same faces, somehow he finds a fantastic range of different actors for each casting. He’s also amazingly pleasant and helpful - even after the client throws in a multitude of last minute requests and inclusions.”
- Ros Payne, Head of TV at McCann Worldgroup
“Kirsty knows where the good actors, directors and projects reside. She also knows how actors and directors tick. Kirsty listens to directors and responds either with gusto and efficiency if she agrees or with alternatives and good reasoning if she doesn’t. She also works around the clock, so if you don’t want a buzz at 3am cos Kirsty is on other side of the world saving your project’s arse, then don’t hire her.”
— Rowan Woods, Director (The Kettering Incident)
“Kirsty McGregor. What can I say - her talent for picking talent, her eye for script, character and the Director’s vision is second to none. Love ya work!!”
- Liz Watts, Producer
“Kirsty McGregor, Stevie Ray and their team are quite simply the best casting outfit in Australia.”
- Matt Reeder, Producer (Hearts and Bones)
“Sydney is my go to place for amazing actors and McGregor Casting know who they all are.”
- Matt Skrobalak, VP, Talent & Casting CBS Television Studios
Apart from having a tantrum when she discovered she wasn’t reading the Big Print at our read-through, Kirsty has been an inspiration to work with. She genuinely adores actors and she’s got an eye for talent and a bee in her bonnet for who deserves to be cast!
She’s not beyond suggesting script changes in order to guarantee her latest champion a role. Love her. I’d work with her again in a heart beat.”
- Claudia Karvan, Actor and Producer (Doctor Doctor)
“‘Joy’ and ‘hilarity’ are not the usual vocabulary one uses for the process of auditioning! But with Kirsty - it is an absolute hoot! She puts the ‘director’ right back into the ‘casting’… yes, as a ‘casting director’ Kirsty brings out the best we have to offer. Breaking through nervousness and confidence issues, she tactfully steers us through (let’s be honest here) some of our more dubious acting choices and brings out the best performance one can possibly give - given all the givens of an audition scenario.”
- Jacqueline McKenzie, Actor
“Like a couple of pedophiles, Kirsty and I hung out at a skate-park looking for kids to cast in film I Love Sarah Jane. We did not find our cast there, nor did we get arrested, but Kirsty soon after found an amazing cast of unknown actors. And Mia Wasikowska. Kirsty’s the best and she is not a pedophile.”
- Spencer Susser, Director (I Love Sarah Jane)
“The only way to elicit great tests from Actors is to create an environment where they feel they are able to fly. Kirsty provides the perfect platform, understands Actors and their delicate and varied processes. When it comes to sourcing talent and understanding how to connect the right actor to the character, Kirsty is inventive and extremely passionate. This is evident in her award-winning body of film work thus far.”
- Anthony Hayes, Actor and Director (Ten Empty)
““Kirsty McGregor basically did nothing to help me on Animal Kingdom. In fact, she slowed the process down, was small and irritating and my clothes are still covered in her fucking dog’s hair.””
“Ever since I started directing, McGregors have been the sole collaborators that i’ve returned to time after time. With Stevie you’ll get insightful casting suggestions and astute feedback. But most importantly, actors love them = actors act good = director looks good = McGregors’ my first choice.
- Ariel Martin, Director at Airbag
Kirsty cast a child actor that was so good, he allowed me to look like I knew what I was doing. This little whipper snapper got me nominated for a fucking Academy Award! All due to Kirsty’s eye for talent. She can also work a video camera.
- Luke Doolan, Director (Miracle Fish)
“Auditioning for Kirsty is what you’d want every audition to be. She’s great with actors. There’s a lovely sense of play and freedom in the room and the feedback is always helpful, specific and intelligent. I’m always seeing interesting casting choices in the things she works on (even if I didn’t get it!).”
- Ewen Leslie, Actor
“Ever since Kirsty McGregor played a down syndrome girl on ABC’s G.P. that my brother’s character tried to rape – I thought to myself if she ever becomes
a Casting Director I want her to cast everything I make.”
—Nash Edgerton, Director (Mr Inbetween), Editor, Stunt-man, Lover…
“Kirsty and her team at McGregor Casting are fricken life savers. We were days away from a shoot in NZ when our UK based talent fell over for various reasons. We placed one panicked phone call to Kirsty and she sorted it. She has the ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat when you most need it. She’s awesome. Enough said".”
- Mike Oldershaw, Director at Automatic Films, NZ
“Kirsty McGregor brings enthusiasm, creativity, knowledge, respect and good humour to the casting process which makes for a rewarding experience from my perspective as a producer. She has a great talent for discovering new actors on the rise - a wonderful resource for who the next big thing will be - and she’s always happy to go the extra mile on finding the right person for the role. Working with Kirsty and her team is always a treat I hope to continue to work with them on all my film and TVC work.”
- Louise Smith, Producer
““Kirsty McGregor must know something about casting, after all she cast Lucky Gorka in the leading role as Casting Director for The Block and nobody delivers a reality show cast better than Lucky.””