With Steve Carell and Greg Daniels, the Netflix comedy series Space Force is something of a reunion of some of the primary talent behind The Office. They aren’t the only connection to the popular workplace comedy series — casting directors Allison Jones and Ben Harris have also worked on both series. The two spoke to Variety about casting the Netflix series, which also included series star Ben Schwartz adding his perception of how they have impacted his career.
Talking about how his career has progressed since his breakthrough role on Parks & Recreation, Schwartz points out the significant influence that casting director Allison Jones has had on his career. He explains, “They find the funniest people and they bring them in and keep bringing them in. She [Jones] had to bring me in a lot of times ‘til anybody cared. She pushes for them — pushes for people like me who they think are funny … and then finds a way to put them in a show where they fit the best.”
Casting Director Ben Harris agrees with Schwartz’s assessment of how much they help talent, remarking, “We pride ourselves on bringing in new, fresh faces, but I think it’s also there are plenty of journeyman actors that have been at it for a long time. We know that they’re some of the funniest people out there, and they’re just waiting for the right role.”
