CASTING CALL

CASTING CALL – Lead Actress (25–35) for “Emma”
Austin, TX – Narrative Piece Connected to the Documentary Living on Methadone

Project Overview
Living on Methadone is a feature documentary about addiction, recovery, and the realities of methadone treatment in the U.S. Alongside the documentary, we’re creating a narrative portrait of Emma – a composite character based on real stories from women in and around methadone treatment.

This is a small, intimate, performance-driven shoot with a focus on realism, emotional honesty, and respect for people who have lived through addiction and poverty.

Role: EMMA (Lead)

  • Age: 25–35 (playing range)

  • Gender: Woman

  • Ethnicity: Open

  • Location: Austin, TX (or able to work as a local hire)

Character Description
Emma is a worn-down yet fiercely loving mother, shaped by poverty, family addiction, and years on the street, standing at the edge between death and survival, slowly fighting her way toward methadone treatment and the hope of being worthy of her daughter again.

She is:

  • Physically and emotionally exhausted, but still moving forward

  • Street-smart, guarded, and skeptical of systems that have failed her

  • Carrying deep shame and fear of losing her daughter forever

  • Capable of sudden, disarming tenderness and humor

  • Living between two possibilities: disappearing—or rebuilding a life around recovery

We are not looking for a polished or glam performance. We’re looking for someone who can inhabit Emma’s reality with subtlety and truth: quiet moments, long silences, and the small cracks where love and desperation show through.

What We’re Looking For in the Actor

  • Strong dramatic range, comfortable with intense emotional material

  • Ability to play raw, unvarnished, and natural (minimal makeup, real-world locations)

  • Comfortable with a collaborative, documentary-minded process (improvisation, rehearsals, talking through backstory)

  • Deep empathy and respect for people living with addiction, poverty, or homelessness (no judgment, no stereotypes)

Production Details

  • Format: Short narrative / character piece connected to the feature doc Living on Methadone

  • Location: Austin, TX area

  • Shoot Dates: TBD (flexible; aiming for winter/spring 2026)