Casting for Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s new TV series under way in Queensland
Casting agents are putting Queenslanders first for roles in Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s new TV series in the Sunshine State with local agents saying the global pandemic is creating incredible opportunities for Queenslanders. Find out how to apply.
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Queenslanders are first in line to act alongside Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in his new TV series bound for the Sunshine State.
Casting agents for the autobiographical NBC sitcom Young Rock, which will be filmed in southeast Queensland from October to February, are casting extras and small roles in the series with a preference given to those based in the state.
Casting calls shared online ask for Queensland-based NFL players – men aged 18 to 28 – who don’t need acting experience but have the “height and build of a professional NFL player”.
Australian casting agent Amanda Mitchell of Mitchell Casting is also looking for a male actor aged 13 to 18 to play a 15-year-old in the series, adding they must have “good comedic skill” and preferably a US accent.
The casting link has the project title “Young Rock Ep 101” and applications are open until September 19.
Similar advertisements ask for rugby players, also aged 18 to 28, and professional wrestlers aged 20 to 55 who weigh at least 110kg.
Hopefuls are asked to send in their athletic experience, height and current location, and are told there will be a “preference to those based in Queensland”.
It is likely a result of strict COVID-19 border restrictions and quarantine rules for those travelling into Queensland from interstate or overseas.
Sources on the production suggested scouts picked Queensland for the production, in which Brisbane will be transformed into Honolulu, over NSW and Victoria due to its relatively low COVID-19 infection rate.
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Brisbane acting agent Craig Griffin of Max Talent Management, who is putting actors forward for roles in the series, said there had been a shift towards productions casting locally as a result of the pandemic and he expected more productions would move to Queensland.
“It’s incredible that it’s creating so much work for people on screen and behind the scenes,” he said.
A number of teens from Paddington’s The Australian Acting Academy will also be applying for the teen role, with founder Brendan Glanville telling The Courier-Mail they recently had American dialect coaching “so they would be prepared if things moved to Queensland in particular because of COVID”.
Young Rock was announced earlier this year and will retell the actor and former NFL player and WWE wrestler’s formative years, with Johnson, who will serve as an executive producer on the 11-episode series, set to star in every episode.
He is expected to arrive in Brisbane in October.
Johnson previously filmed action flick San Andreas on the Gold Coast and across southeast Queensland in 2014.
Earlier this year Johnson posted about the new series to Instagram, writing “For the first time ever I’m bringing you along with me to experience my insanely unbelievable childhood, teenage years and adolescence … the good, the bad, the ugly but always funny”.
For details visit Mitchell Casting’s Facebook page or Starnow.
