Hollywood Gets A Facefix 

Thanks to Paul Sinacore, the “Beautiful People” Hollywood paradigm is shifting.

A British filmmaker friend once observed, “Hollywood casts beautiful people. In England, we cast talented, mediocre looking actors, and it makes us feel better about ourselves.”

He isn’t wrong. For over 100 years, Hollywood has painted the world in colors of perfection. Beautiful people living tragic lives on screen and off, while the rest of the world wants to be them.

As Hollywood finally shines a light on its own shortcomings, the lens on realism and inclusion is finally coming into focus, And that lens is the sweet spot for actor turned casting director, Paul Sinacore. “When I was drafted as a first round pick into commercial casting, I struggled with the indifference, lack of integrity, transparency and honesty within the business. I realized that there was a void in the industry that I could fill by checking my moral compass, doing casting fairly, and live with myself.”

The term “actor turned casting director” is a bit of misnomer. Yes, Sinacore is a SAG actor with over 25 years in the industry, and yes, he is now a working casting director, but he is more than the sum of these two parts.

Rooted in academia, Sinacore’s background in visual anthropology and ethnography molded his unique brand. As the industry continues to hire and foster more inclusivity, whether on set, or in writer’s rooms, Sinacore is connecting directors to talent.

The proof that Hollywood is making an effort is evident in the impressive list of clients on Sinacore Casting’s resume: commercials for Apple, Nike, Facebook, Macy’s, McDonald’s, and Budweiser; music videos with Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Madonna, and Lil’ Nas X; television shows In Ice Cold Blood with Ice-T for Oxygen, Unsolved Mysteries for Netflix; and documentary film shorts with Academy Award winning directors, Errol Morris and Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki.

Not only an ethno-diversity ally and a disability advocate in the “real” and “casting” worlds, Sinacore is also an environmental activist. His work with Seeds of Change converted the Pasadena City College campus to sustainable practices, and because he’s always inclusive there was education, demonstrations and volunteer programs too.

He has been mentor, advisor and tutor to a diverse population of multicultural undergraduate students in the fields of psychology, anthropology, math, statistics, world history, English, and ESL. It would have been easier to list what he hasn’t done.

Networks and streamers are already chipping away at old Hollywood. Pose was a wonderfully diverse show with characters of every color and  flavor. Netflix gave us Special with writer/actor Ryan O’Connell and a myriad of terrific actors with disabilities. There are other shows that have explored ethno-diversity and have created characters with disabilities, but they are often portrayed by non-disabled and non-LGBTQ actors.

Whitewashing in big budget films is still problematic. In the past six years, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swindon, Emma Stone and Matt Damon have all played Asian characters and Hollywood was called out loudly by the real world. Hopefully, they are listening. They could use a lot more Sinacore in their diets.

Kay Kudukis