Kingstown, Mich., may not be a real place, but Pittsburghers will soon be able to visit it. The best part: They won’t have to go far.
We’ve known since April that season two of the Paramount+ drama “Mayor of Kingstown” will be filming in Western Pennsylvania this summer. Production on the Jeremy Renner-led show is clearly ramping up, as evidenced by the casting call that went out earlier this week for paid background extras.
Chelsea Lynn Peterson, a local casting director who runs the Facebook page “Movie Casting PGH,” will be handling extras casting for this production.
“We are thrilled that ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ chose to film its second season in Pittsburgh,” she told the Post-Gazette. “We love connecting with the community and giving the wonderful people of Pittsburgh a chance to work on TV and movies!”
The series was created by Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone”) and is executive produced by Pittsburgh native Antoine Fuqua. It follows the McLusky family, local power brokers trying to keep a town whose only thriving industry is incarceration from erupting into chaos.
“Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither,” reads the casting call’s plot synopsis.
Renner stars as Mike McLusky alongside a cast that also includes Tobi Bamfeta, Diane Wiest, Taylor Handley, Aidan Gillen and Emma Laird.
Season two of “Mayor of Kingstown” is set to film in Western Pennsylvania from late June through October, according to the casting call. It is currently seeking “kids, teens, adults of all ethnicities” to play “town locals, SWAT/FBI/cop types, prisoners, diner patrons, nightclub goers and more fictional characters.” The casting call said the production is looking for a diverse group of extras “to create a town similar to Detroit.”
Background actors will be paid $175 for 12 hours of work with opportunities to earn more if their time on set exceeds 12 hours. “Mayor of Kingstown” is looking for folks with full-day availability who can commit to one or two days of 10-14 hours. Though the production isn’t currently requiring its extras to be vaccinated against COVID-19, following its guidelines and testing protocols (which are still being determined) will be mandatory.
Anyone interested can apply online via movieextraspittsburgh.com.
In addition to “Mayor of Kingstown,” Netflix’s “Untitled Lee Daniels Horror Film” — previously known as “Demon House” — is also seeking paid extras for its Pittsburgh-area production. Lawrenceville-based Nancy Mosser Casting also recently put out casting calls for full-time photo doubles who can work multiple days between June 20 and late August and “African American church-goers” available for a June 20 shoot in Sheraden.
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.
First Published: May 27, 2022, 2:55 p.m.
