Lucy Allen & Tom Payne (Allen & Payne Casting)

(She/Her, They/Them)

Lucy and Tom’s breakthrough project is the film Sunny Dancer.

Ensuring there is authentic representation on screen is Lucy and Tom’s shared passion, and a driving factor in their work as casting directors. This is evident in their breakthrough project Sunny Dancer – a coming-of-age comedy drama film about a Teenage Cancer Camp directed by George Jaques. Pairing established names like Bella Ramsey, James Norton and Neil Patrick Harris with rising talent and newcomers like Daniel Quinn-Toye and Jasmine Elcock, Sunny Dancer avoids cliched illness narratives to instead spotlight the experience of being a teenager, exploring yourself and finding community.

Lucy and Tom clicked after meeting at Daniel Edwards Casting, as part of the casting team for the Emmy-award winning LGBTQIA+ series, Heartstopper and decided to found their own casting office, Allen & Payne Casting, in 2021. It is here that they use their own experiences of how difficult it is to get that ‘first foot in the door’ – as both began their careers as actors with no connections to the industry – to help others. They say they treat every opportunity with rigour, frequently doing open calls to meet new talent who don’t have traditional access to the industry, and even creating GAP – free acting workshops for trans talent.

In their own words…

“TV and film played a huge part in our lives growing up. Sometimes it was escapism, other times it felt like an event, something we shared with our families or spoke about with friends. We consumed so much telly and film in our upbringings, and that’s where our interest grew. Shows like The Royle Family and Skins had a huge impact on us both, because they showed the kinds of places we come from. For both of us, Queer As Folk was one of the first times we saw queerness on screen that felt impactful…

“We’re inspired by telling stories and representing marginalised communities authentically. Seeing the world around us reflected accurately on screen keeps us motivated. We both come from working class backgrounds and understand how rare that is in this industry. We’re passionate about discovering new talent and unknown names, giving actors their first credits alongside fantastic established names.”