Magic Mike has been a successful franchise for almost 10 years. The 2012 film, which was surprisingly sad and reminiscent of Channing Tatum's life, was directed by Steven Soderbergh. Tatum was a Tampa stripper when he was 18 years old. Soderbergh was able to rely on Tatum as the keeper for the Magic Mike flame in the 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL. Tatum also co-produced the 2015 sequel. Tatum created Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas, which is still running, as an ersatz sequel for XXL. There were also plans to create a Broadway show that focused on a pre-Xquisite Mike, a young man.AdvertisementTatum has attempted to make the experience more accessible with each new offering. At one point, Tatum asked the audience for their input and invited them to assume the role of Magic Mike. HBO Max launched The Real Magic Mike in April. It is a series of makeover contests for men who have lost their magic. They will learn choreography and, if successful, perform on the Vegas show. With its emphasis on brotherhood, getting out of a rut and embracing the spirit of XXL (which even Big Dick Richie could fall into), The Real Magic Mike will be a true representation of XXL.What makes one potential Magic Mike more realistic than the other? Are men really able to apply for the casting? The A.V. The A.V. Club interviewed Goloka Bolte from Creative Content Group, who is responsible for assembling this group of dancers. Bolte's work on RuPauls Drag Racing won her the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program. She says that her job is more like investigative journalism as she looks into the lives and audition videos of the people who sent it. Bolte shared the criteria her team is looking for in potential candidates, as well as what most people don't know about her work. She also explained how her friends helped her screen the Magic Mikes.The A.V. The A.V. Club: Many people are wondering how to hold auditions during a pandemic.AdvertisementGoloka Bolte - Unscripted TV casting was already moving in the direction to being done virtually. I have been in this industry for 18 years. I was the first to cast. We had to hold large open casting calls and then recruiters would go out and find people in the streets, malls, or county fairs. With the advent of social media and the internet, it became easier to find people and cast more castings across the country. These casting tours were where we would go to each city, set up an interview area, hold auditions, and send the tapes back. It was a common practice. It was more cost-effective and easier for us to just stay in one place and conduct all auditions via Skype or FaceTime.In the past five years, the majority of my auditions were virtual. Except for local castings in Southern California, or local castings where people would come in to audition. It was like the pandemic had just turned everything upside down. We realized that Zooms can be cast virtually and were also recording Zooms like mad. It's so much simpler. It's easier to interview more people. We can reach so many communities and my team is all over the country so we can interview people in various time zones. This is great! The process is simple: everyone applies or they find us. Next, we do a Zoom interview. That's phase one and it works great.AVC: What is the most misunderstood aspect of your job?AdvertisementGB: Two things are important. The first is that many people lump all casting directors together. People mistakenly believe that a scripted casting manager and an unscripted director's jobs are the same. They are very similar in the sense that they are looking for people to do TV and movie roles. But that's not what we do. We are searching for people who don't have a breakdown service or are not calling their agent. We are looking for real people out there. It feels more like investigative journalism to me. You will get a list from the client with a lot of obscure requests. One example is: Can you help a family where the mother-in-law is having problems and it's causing tension? They are a family with five children. This is tricky because you can look everywhere. It's not easy to find it in one location. Sometimes it can be difficult to find these stories. We are looking for real people and personalities that don't live on just one site. A scripted casting director looks for professionals in the industry. It's a different process because there are many breakdown services. They were casting all over the industry.Unscripted TV is another thing. Many people assume everything is fake. These are the real people I have been putting on TV for over 18 years. You can dramatize a situation with editing. That's part of what makes it exciting and enjoyable to watch. These shows are based on real people sharing real experiences. They have real reactions, real fights and real laughter. It's about finding people who can have those reactions on television. This is what we do all day.AVC: It was mentioned that you will get a list of producers who are interested in your projects. Did you receive that type of guidance for The Real Magic Mike?GB: It's funny because the show is so much fun to cast, but it's not what everyone believes when they hear The Real Magic Mike. It is a dance competition. Everyone thinks I am just looking at half-naked guys all day. I'm not lying. [Laughs.] I've received many offers to help. Never have so many people offered to screen me.AdvertisementThe show is more like a makeover. We are looking for people who have lost their magic. They will go through a process to become Magic Mike. We are not limited to any particular area. We were looking all around. We are asking people to nominate someone they love in their lives, whether they are a friend or coworker. Someone with amazing potential but doesn't see it in them, or who isn't feeling happy or confident in their lives. They really want to find their inner beauty and sex appeal.We are looking for people from all walks and backgrounds. We want the cast to be diverse in all aspects, so we are open to considering people from all walks of life. You could find the perfect man for the show anywhere. You could find a guy who plays f antasy football or someone who just started dancing and was admired for it. He could have had a secret desire to perform and never realized it. It's about looking all around and really casting a broad net. It's not easy. It's a fun process and we meet lots of interesting people. We also get to hear their stories and hopefully make it all the way to the end.Never have so many people offered to screen me.AVC: Is it like a competition series in which someone is crowned Magic Mike at its end?AdvertisementGB: This is definitely a series of competitions. One person will be the Real Magic Mike. However, it is being done with the belief that everyone is a winner. We hope everyone who participates in it finds a way of connecting back to that part. They will find their self-confidence and their magic and leave the show feeling better than they did when they arrived.AVC: The casting call flyer states that experience is not necessary, but the contestants will be taught to dance during the show.Graphic courtesy of Creative Content GroupGB: This is not necessary. They will learn. They will be working with an amazing team to learn choreography and take better care of their bodies. They will learn how to have inner confidence and shed emotional baggage. They will have a team of people to guide them and help them succeed.AdvertisementAVC: Does that mean you want the cast diverse? How does this fit in with the fact that this show is about makeovers, where people's bodies can change over time?GB: First of all, I'd like to say, Send me all your dad bods. We are willing to work with you. We are open to all types of people. Some people will find this a more internal journey. Others find it more of an exterior journey and everything in between. The show will certainly see physical transformations. It will be a rigorous training program, where they will learn to dance with our incredible choreography team. It will be challenging and they will transform their bodies. We aren't denying that someone who is fit and has great abs will be able to apply. However, we want each person to have a story, a transformation, and a journey to continue, no matter how physical or emotional.AVC: Channing Tatum stated that he wanted Magic Mike's next chapter to be a conversation between two people. Although this was heteronormative, it seems like the show offers an opportunity to consider other genders and sexual orientations. That is the purpose of casting.GB: From a casting perspective, I would say that I want diversity in all aspects. I am open to all body types and sizes. We are open to all types of men and not just straight men. The program will feature a variety of stories. This will be different from the movie or live show because it is the TV version. With that medium, television allows us to tell many different stories. It will be exciting to see the many different masculinities displayed on television.AdvertisementAVC: How do you know these guys are Magic Mike-ready?GB: We worked closely together with a large team. There will be opportunities for them to move on to the next phases, to learn choreography, to be tested more and to see how it goes. Right now, we are focusing on finding great characters and relatable stories. These men just need a little help to see themselves in the mirror and get out of their funk. These stories are what we're currently focusing on.AVC: Did you get in touch with Steven Soderbergh and Channing Tatum about casting requirements?AdvertisementGB: I would like to say that I am chilling with them on Zoom, but we have a showrunner and executive producer from the production company as well as network executives at HBO Max who have kind of passed down their directives. I'm fine with it. I'm available if they wish to hop on Zoom with me. I'm available to help.AVC: While we know you don't want to reveal too much about casting, what is the most heartwarming or wildest thing someone has done in one of these audition videos.GB: Sorry, I cannot talk about it right now due to contractual reasons. Come and see me after the show airs so we can discuss it. I am a secret keeper. I have auditioned for many shows, and these tapes are like a glimpse into the lives of people from all over the globe. Casting tapes are a great way to get people talking. I will keep all that information close to my chest until they give us permission to release it. However, I can tell you that it is important to be vulnerable and talk about the things that make your insecure or things you fear. This is one way to make your interview stand out and make the executive producer, casting director, or network executives feel connected with your story.Those who had those vulnerable moments were often the best auditions. This is true for any show. This is true for Drag Race, Haute Dog, and Million Dollar Listing. It is true for everything. It is about getting to know the person at their core. Everything is wonderful. I'm not afraid of anything. It's getting to know each person that makes an audition stand out.AdvertisementAVC: Do you keep track of who you cast in what project? Do you keep track of their career or story?GB: We always look at people's Instagrams and Facebooks when casting reality TV shows so it is not a problem. However, I do believe that I would love to see any show I cast. I want to see what they did. It's part of being a casting director. You have to learn a bit about human psychology. Unscripted TV allows you to think about lots of this stuff.I enjoy keeping track of people's success stories, their businesses succeeding, and exciting opportunities that arise. They are generally really nice people, and you become invested in their story and the casting process. This is especially true when someone has worked hard to get to this point. Yes, I like to keep track of people and encourage them keep in touch if they have any questions.AVC: Reality competition series viewers want more heartfelt shows such as Great British Bake-Off and The Great Pottery Throw Down. These shows allow you to see the bonds that develop between contestants. Are you hoping for a show that is more like this?AdvertisementGB: Yes. It's very interesting that you mentioned that, as I was just talking to someone about it the other day. People have changed their tastes in shows. This is what I believe we all went through in 2020 with the lockdown, and with COVID. I love to see things that make me smile. I'd like to see great things happen to people, or people helping each other. Castings like this are what I also want. After all of us going through such a difficult period together, I believe we all craved something that would make us smile and feel good.The Real Magic Mike is still accepting applications.
