Biography

Ann Willems (19 juli 1981) is a Belgium based casting director for film and television drama series. Since 2004, she has worked in casting by order of the production company Skyline Entertainment.

Casting credits include “Groenten uit Balen” and “Salamander”, both directed by Frank Van Mechelen.

In 2014 she worked with director Indra Siera in casting for the drama television series “Professor T”, which won the jurors award at the festival of fiction in La Rochelle (Category “foreign fiction”).

Since 2015 she is working as an independent casting director. Together with directors Pieter Van Hees and Joost Van De Casteele, she is currently preparing a new television series about youngsters in Brussels. With Frank Van Mechelen, she’s preparing “Salamander II”.

So far, 2016 has been a very productive year. Preparations for the third season of “Professor T”, a new feature with directors Kaat Beels and Nathalie Basteyns, and three new television series which are to be broadcasted in 2017.

Vision

“The casting director needs to work closely with the director, this co-operation is really essential. Our input is important, we want to create their vision, trying to find the right actor to tell the story. But even more important is the relationship with the actor. I always try to feel what they think, how they see the character they are auditioning for. And then, for a brief moment, we forget about the script. I love to hear their story, listen to them when they talk about themselves. Because that indicates how they approach a part and quite often adds a major value to the casting.

I always follow my instinct. It’s really special when you see something in someone, before they discover it themselves. That’s when the magic enters the room. With some actors, you just have this feel of an exceptional quality, you can’t explain it.

That’s what makes it so exciting every day. Casting is chemistry”.