OBITUARY – TV SERIES - Character Briefs for MINORs & YOUNG ADULTS
Aine O'Sullivan
Good afternoon everyone,
I hope you are very well.
We are delighted to be working on OBITUARY, a brilliant new 6-part Television Series.
OBITUARY is a Show for Irish Broadcaster RTÉ which has been acquired by HULU in the US.
Please see the below character briefs below for roles for teenagers and young adults
We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to disability, race, age, colour, national origin, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other bias prohibited by law.
Please do let us know of any date-restrictions, offers, options, or exclusivities your clients have, which may affect them within the shooting period.
Please make suggestions in the form of labelled CV’s and headshots only.
We look forward to your thoughts and ideas.
Creator & Writer: Ray Lawlor
Director Block1 : John Hayes
Director Block 2: Oonagh Kearney
Producers: Paddy Hayes Laurent Boissel & Nell Green
Magamedia & About Premium Content
Broadcasters: HULU & RTÉ
Format: 6 x 45 minute Episodes.
Shoot Dates: Shoot date: 09th January 23
Mid-point 10th
Feb (15th Feb)
Wrap date: 25th March 23
Stop date: 08th April.
Dates are subject to slight change.
Block Dates: Block 1 09/01/23 – 15/02/23
Block 2 16/02/23 – 24/03/23
Block dates are subject to slight change.
Location: Bundoran & Ballyshannon Co Donegal
Accent: Soft rural Mayo/ Sligo/ South Donegal accent and not a Northern accent please.
The role of ELVIRA has been cast.
Episode/s within which they feature is subject to change.
Obituary tells the story of Elvira Clancy, an underpaid obituarist working at a small town newspaper. When deaths trickle to a halt and work dries up, this wallflower with an untapped blood-lust turns serial killer, pre-selecting people, writing their obituaries, then offing them in diabolica ways.
Set in the Irish coastal town of Kilraven, 24-year-old Elvira Clancy lives for her job. Sharing a tiny flat with her sweet but alcoholic father, and with the prospect of romance a distant one, writing is the only thing that makes her happy. But as with any creative, this woman has her critics: Her editor incessantly grumbles that she’s not achieving her full potential while her readers find her columns monotonous and prosaic.
So when deaths trickle to a halt and her boss decides she’ll be paid per individual article, a desperate Elvira hits upon an idea. She will write Advances. Just as television networks pre-prepare video packages to be aired the instant a celebrity dies, Elvira begins composing pre-written obituaries for the old and ill residents of her town. These well-researched obits, given care, time and love, will be ready to go to print the second her aged or sick targets pop their clogs. If all goes to plan: The bereaved will adore them. The people of the town will lap them up. And the paper will have no choice but to restore her to full salary!
However, when frustration strikes and Elvira “accidently” kills one of these ‘Advances’, unpleasant facts seep to the surface. Kilraven is smitten with her new energy-infused writing, full of pace, pathos and warmth. Killing provides her with an unbridled joy she’s never experienced before. And she’s really good at it -- Using ever-more diabolical methods to snuff-out her neighbours while making their deaths seem like accidents. Unfortunately, into the works lands a spanner. The paper hires the dashing Emerson, a dogged new crime correspondent on the prowl for a juicy scoop.
BILL - MINOR
Character identifies as Male and has Down Syndrome.
Age: 14 (12-18)
Ethnicity: Any
Accent: West of Ireland
Episode number within which they feature: 2, subject to change.
Please only make suggestions of actors with Down Syndrome for this role.
BILL does PEGGY’s weekly shopping. It is his punishment from PEGGY for breaking her window with a sliotar. He does it whilst listening to loud rap music. PEGGY walks all over BILL. ELVIRA dreams of BILL finding her forged letter from PEGGY asking him to scare PEGGY to death. BILL hates PEGGY.
DENIS
Character identifies as Male
Age: 18 – 22, to play 17. Please only suggest actors who are/or will be at least 18 at time of shoot. because of themes/subject matter.
Ethnicity: Any
Accent: West of Ireland
Episode/s within which they feature: 2, 3 and poss 6, subject to change.
This character is seen swimming therefore actor will need to be a strong swimmer.
Please let us know your clients' ages at time of submission.
DENIS is a skinny string-bean of a kid, he’s every bullies target, but his intelligence and survivor’s instinct keeps him one step ahead. He appears beside ELVIRA at the outskirts of town and attempts a lame chat up line, but only so that he can mention that he walks the cliffs every day and saw one of ELVIRA’s victims as he died. DENIS knows what ELVIRA has been doing. He winks at ELVIRA as he walks away.
OISÍN MARKUM
Character identifies as Male
Age: 18 – 22, to play 18.
Please only suggest actors who are/or will be at least 18 at time of shoot. because of themes/subject matter.
Ethnicity: Any
Accent: West of Ireland
Episode number within which they feature: 3 and 6, subject to change.
This character is seen in water therefore actor will need to be a strong swimmer.
Please let us know your clients' ages at time of submission.
OISÍN MARKUM, mullet, muscles, all the anger in the world, with a drinking problem. OISÍN has catfished DENIS and is now blackmailing him, threatening to post questionable videos of DENIS online. He is also MALLORY’s cousin. He becomes a target for ELVIRA but it doesn’t go to plan. Instead, OISÍN cleans up his act and he becomes an aid to HUGHIE in finding the weapon from Maria Reidle’s murder case. He knows how to extort money from the editor.
THE SON
Character identifies as MALE
Age: 14 (12- 18)
Ethnicity: Any
Accent: West of Ireland
Episode/s within which they feature: Ep 4, 1 Scene, 1 Episode
The character is not hearing impaired. He communicates with his father using ISL and translates for him when communicating with people outside the family unit.
The 14 year old SON lives with his father who is a farmer. His father is d/Deaf, hard of hearing or hearing-impaired so they communicate with Irish Sign Language. The FARMER uses the SON as a translator when communicating with people outside of the family unit.
The son lives in fear of his father and is even more terrified when a man appears in their kitchen with a gun, threatening to kill them. The SON translates for his FATHER when dealing with the MAN. The dispute is over the FATHER refusing to pay the MAN his full day’s work. The FATHER will risk his SON’s life to prove his point. As this plays out, the SON begins to detest his father and grows in confidence.
Áine O'Sullivan
Casting Assistant
Louise Kiely Casting
LKC Studio @ Bow Street
12/13 Bow Street
Smithfield
Dublin 7
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