If you’re a fan of Clint Eastwood’s movies, then you have seen the work of Geoff Miclat. Clint’s exclusive casting director since 2014’s Jersey Boys, Miclat has worked with the Hollywood legend on every movie he’s made since, including the upcoming Juror #2, which is about to head into production and may or may not be Eastwood’s final film as a director.
The son of Filipino immigrants who grew up in Westchester, outside of New York City, Miclat has been working in casting for more than 20 years and has built himself a pretty impressive resume, working for several hall-of-fame casting directors such as Ellen Lewis, Ellen Chenoweth, Juliet Taylor and Clint’s previous long time casting director, Phyllis Huffman, who brought Miclat into the game in the first place. Miclat, amid a move from Los Angeles to southern Florida, took some time out to chat with us.
Let’s jump right in. How did you first get started in casting?
Interesting story. My best friend, when we were 18, wanted to be in a local play for teens. She was like, “Can you drive me [to] the audition?” I was like, “God, really? Okay, fine.” We go to the audition, she reads, [and] the director of the play asked me to read. I said I didn’t want to, I’m not an actor. She pushed it, and I was raised to be polite to people. So it’s like, “Okay, I’ll do it.” Next thing I know, I’m the lead in a play I didn’t even want to be in. It was a fun experience.
Then she asked if I wanted to intern for her. I didn’t know what she did, and she says, “I’m a casting director.” I didn’t know what that was, so she said, “You put people in movies,” and I was like, “That’s a job?” She says, “Yeah.” So I say, “Have you worked on anything I might know?” And she says, “I’m Clint Eastwood’s casting director.”
That was Phyllis Huffman. I knew her as Phyllis DelVecchio. She actually went to my church on Sunday. So I tried it, because it was a summer job, and I found I liked it. We did Mystic River, and she told me to call her when I finished college, and when I got out, that’s when we did Million Dollar Baby. She passed away during Letters from Iwo Jima, and I thought, “I’m 24, maybe I’ll take a break,” but then Ellen Lewis called me.
Also a legend.
If I’m honest, she was my casting hero and idol. She’s my all-time favorite. Legend. Absolute legend. So I did some work as her casting associate, then from Ellen Lewis, she was really tight with Ellen Chenoweth and Juliet Taylor, who cast Woody Allen’s movies. They’re all in New York. Whenever someone would have a project, I just jumped to them. They just tossed me around for a few years, which was great, like the best training you could imagine.
Eventually, Clint’s producer, Rob Lorenz, wanted to direct his own movie, Trouble With the Curve. That was the first time I jumped up to casting director. After that, Clint asked him, “How’d you like your guy?” And Rob was like, “Oh, he’s great.” So Clint said, “Alright, let’s use him then.” That’s kind of how that happened. I gave my friend a ride and changed the course of my life.
I want to talk about Clint, obviously, but I’m also curious about the things that you learned from Ellen, Ellen, and Juliet.
They all taught me different things. With Phyllis, she taught me how to run an office. She was an amazing leader. She was never frazzled. Usually in casting, there’s a lot of chaos. I don’t know how she managed to be so calm. But I was like, “I love this.” She always wanted the warmest of rooms for actors to come in, because obviously, if they’re scared or nervous, they’re not going to give you the performance you want, and the better the actor does, the better I look.
When it came to Ellen Lewis and Ellen Chenoweth, the way they saw characters was amazing to me. Their taste, though different, is impeccable. I wanted to see how they constructed that world because I loved their casts. When I was working with Juliet, what I noticed and was so fascinated with was how she pushed directors to a decision. You have to be a little subtle. I studied psychology at university, so for me, it was always fascinating.
It sounds like it was working for these women that made you really fall in love with casting.
Yeah. I think I also loved casting because I love human behavior. I love human interaction. I love seeing how an actor will take a character because I’ll read it one way, and then I’ll watch 15 people do it similar but different, or some people might even [be] completely different. I love how you can take the same exact thing and get different responses. That to me was one of the most fascinating things about human behavior, is that we all see things slightly different. And I love that so.
What can you tell me about working with Clint?
It’s the easiest place to work. You’re not micromanaged ever. I never feel like someone’s looking over my shoulder. He gives you all this creative freedom. I’ll even say to him, “Hey, is there anyone you had in mind for any of the leads?” And he’ll always say, “Why don’t you come up with a list and, you know, if you’re off, then we’ll readjust.” He won’t even give me an inkling because he just wants us to go. That’s pretty cool. It is a wonderful sandbox to play in.
Clint’s career is winding down, so I’m curious, how are you looking forward for your own career?
This is gonna get pretty honest right now. I have met with so many people over the years. I’ve gone on interviews [at] major studios and no one calls. I want to work. I’ve seen this writing on the wall since American Sniper. That was [in] 2014, almost 10 years [ago]. I’ve been trying to meet other people and branch out and do other things. People thought that might be his last movie, but it was a hit, then we’ve been on a great run and he’s still going. I thought hopefully I’ll get recognized for that, but no.
So when you say what am I going to do moving forward? I might even hang this up. I love what I do. I don’t want to stop. But if this is it, it’s been the best experience of my life. So even if I do walk away, the past, what, 20 years have been really good. So I could walk away super happy. Honestly, I am so far ahead of where I thought I was ever going to be, and that’s just the honest truth.