Auditions by iPhone: Top casting directors discuss how they discover the best Irish talent

From Nidge to Peaky Blinders, Ireland’s top casting directors discuss the secrets of their trade with Richard Fitzpatrick

Films are notoriously difficult to get made. A producer might have a good script, established director and crew, and have painstakingly cobbled the finances together, but all of those will count for nought if the actors are miscast.

Enter the casting director. “Casting is 95% of directing,” says John Butler, the director of The Stag. “If you get it wrong, the film can’t work. If you get it right, you have a really good chance. So much rests with the casting.