Meet China Green

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful China Green a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

China, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I am the oldest daughter of a ginormous family from Kentucky. Most of my resilience stems from my upbringing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a multifaceted creative; currently honing and cultivating my gifts through casting. I am a Casting Director.

I cast film and television but as of recently, I am currently casting for a musical in New York City!

I believe the journey and gift of life is essential to be witnessed and testified about. To be able to be apart of that process is such a blessing. I deeply care for people. It’s been a ministry that has challenged me but inspired me all the same! When choosing a story to help tell, I am either captured by relevance or curiosity. I value stories where the truth of humanity is on full display to be experienced without judgement.

What you get with me casting is truth, excellence, a devotion for humanity and a burden that the story must be told! Thankfully, working independently, I am afforded this position!

Overall, all glory goes to God in my line of work. Casting is a call. And for the last few years, I’ve been answering that call surrendered to however that leads me.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think my background as a former actress and former SAG film/tv agent, being the oldest daughter of a huge family and my administrative jobs all have shown fruit in casting.

If you are new to casting, I would say sign up to join CSA Casting Assistant Training Program, get a casting mentor, watch films/tv/shows, read scripts, get to know actors, if you can intern in a casting office do it, reach out to CD’s, don’t be scared, know YOUR voice and also LIVE life! Be curious about people in your everyday life. There’s truly so so so much I could tell you, but this is where I would start!

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I am from Kentucky. It’s an huge sports state. All my brothers and sister were doing sports and I just hated it. I was decent but, I move from the heart, if my hearts not in it, my parents learned early on I just won’t do it. Buuuut, my parents always said we have to do something.

Kentucky is also, a huge artistic/creative state. So one day my dad took a newspaper and saw an ad to be an extra for a movie and he took my entire family to the casting call one weekend. Out of alllllll my siblings, I was one of the children to be chosen, along with my parents! Well, we got on set, and there was a classroom scene with Dakota Fanning, who was around the same age as me, where all the other children were asked to stay in holding but I had to stay in the shot with her. It was the cameras, the lights and literally just witnessing a girl my age deliver a few lines that did it for me!

After the few takes, I got to talk to her, she played in my hair and gave her autograph and I was marked. It was a marking moment for my life.

I went back and negotiated with my mom and dad, I am not going to do sports anymore BUT I know what I want to do now. I want to act. And they said okay!
I joined the children’s theatre roster of plays and musicals, eventually went to a performing arts school until I graduated high school and then film school in NYC after high school.

If my dad never took that newspaper and dragged all six of his kids and wife down to that casting call for extras, I genuinely and wholeheartedly believe I would not care for filmmaking and storytelling in the way I do. That was the most impactful thing they have ever done in my life and I am forever and ever grateful for them always being so supportive of my creative desires!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: chinagreencasting
• Facebook: China Green Casting