More than 3,000 Philly kids signed up for ‘Abbott Elementary’ casting call in less than a day
It's only the second time that the Philly-set blockbuster series has filmed in the city — and local kid actors jumped at the chance to join.
A casting call for Philly kids to appear as extras in the hit comedy Abbott Elementary received a whopping response on Tuesday when more than 3,000 aspiring actors submitted headshots in just nine hours.
Organized by Olde Richmond-based agency Heery Loftus Casting, the call circulated on social media inviting child actors ages 6 to 14 to audition and join the cast as extras.
While the call did not mention details about the episode’s subject or set location, it mentioned that the child actors would need to appear in Philadelphia for three days, from Feb. 27 to March 1.
The agency, which has led local casting for Mare of Easttown, M. Night Shyamalan projects, and other productions, deleted the posts after receiving a deluge of submissions that far exceeded the number of Abbott roles available.
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Now in its fourth season, and just renewed for season five, Abbott Elementary is set in a public school in the city, and its cast is full of Philly talent, including numerous celebrity cameos from native sons like Jalen Hurts and Bradley Cooper. The mockumentary series primarily shoots in Los Angeles, where production designers have recreated local landmarks like the giant slide at Smith Memorial Playground in East Fairmount Park.
This effort marks only the second time that the Emmy-winning show will shoot in Philadelphia. In 2023, creator/star Quinta Brunson, a West Philly native, brought the team to the Franklin Institute to film the season two finale when the students visited the museum for a sleepover field trip.
Brunson cast several of her nieces and nephews as extras in that episode, as well as some of her friends’ kids. It also featured a few local students who answered Heery Loftus Casting’s call.
“I felt good, but a little bit nervous,” said Myers Elementary first grader Eva Morrow to The Inquirer after that episode aired in April 2023. “I had fun, and, like, we got to look at the Franklin Institute on our breaks, too. We got to play wherever.”
Bringing the cast and crew across the country once again, Brunson likely has something big planned for this new episode at one of Philly’s (many) inimitable landmarks — and local families were quick to jump at the opportunity this time around.