Pilot's dominated by Aussies, Irish and Brits! Oh, My!

They couldn’t do it during the American Revolution but they are doing it now. The British are definitely coming… and Australians and Irish.

A whopping 60 non-Americans have been cast in pilots this year. Far surpassing any other year.

Why?

“They’re talented actors,” 20th TV’s head of casting Sharon Klein said.

Oh, ok. That explains everything.

From Reuters:

Foreign players have been gaining ground gradually during the past few years, since the runaway success of Brit Hugh Laurie on Fox’s “House.” The trend exploded this year with almost 60 non-Americans cast in broadcast pilots and another dozen in cable pilots, the vast majority of them on the drama side. They could join the U.K.’s Tim Roth and James Purefoy, who topline the new drama series “Lie to Me” on Fox and “The Philanthropist” on NBC, respectively.

Most television executives can’t pinpoint one major reason for the influx of non-U.S. actors into U.S. primetime — or at least into pilots.

Also factoring in are the rigors of pilot season, where 70-plus pilots were chasing actors at the same time, often depleting the existing talent pool. The dearth is strongest for leads — fresh faces in their late 20s to early 30s who can carry a show.

The chances of discovering untapped but experienced talent in that age range are far greater abroad then they are in the U.S.

Playing a role this year is the studios’ decision to film more pilots than ever before outside the country, mostly in Canada. That makes the process of hiring non-American actors much easier because they won’t need work visas, which has been a hurdle for U.S.-based pilots.