Looking for an Actress with a Little Bit Extra

Nationwide casting has begun for POPPY, a feature film to be shot in Kapiti. Up for grabs is the central role of Poppy (21), a young woman with Down syndrome who is determined to live like other women her age.

The film is written by writer/director Linda Niccol (Second-Hand Wedding, The Handkerchief) and will be produced by Susan Parker (Loving in Limbo) with executive producer Alex Cole-Baker (The Most Fun You Can Have Dying) and is set to shoot later on in 2019.

“The role will be demanding in that we need our Poppy to drive the film. She’ll need to have the ability to learn lines and she’ll also need to be fit, feisty and fun,” says Linda.

The film is supported by the New Zealand Film Commission’s 125 Fund introduced to commemorate 125 years of women voting in New Zealand.

Acting coach Miranda Harcourt will be coaching the actor who plays Poppy.

“In a world where diversity and respect for difference are important elements of story-telling, Linda Niccol has written a paen to joy in POPPY. As she did in the enormously successful feature Second-Hand Wedding, Linda brings her eye for detail and specificity to this story about a Down syndrome girl making a claim for the life she deserves. Now is the time to be celebrating actors of disability and stories about difference,” says Miranda Harcourt.

Those interested in auditioning for Poppy should email our Casting Director Linda McFetridge at linda@catchcasting.

© Scoop Media