VIP Member Tyson Francois dives deeper into Denzel Washington and James Gandolfini's new movie.

We all know Monday mornings aren't the easiest, so when my phone rang first thing this morning and I heard Tyson Francois on the other line, I knew my Monday was already off to a good start! Anytime I receive a phone call from VIP Member Tyson, I know he is calling with good news. But today, he blew me away.

Tyson is always energetic, but today his tone was so extreme I knew something extraordinary had happened. Why all the excitement? Tyson spent his weekend on the set of the upcoming feature film The Taking of Pelham 123, starring Denzel Washington and James Gandolfini. This was his second time on set this film. A few weeks ago he was an extra in a car chase scene, but didn't get to meet the stars. This time, things were different.

Last week Tyson got a callback from a Billy Dowd Casting rep who was impressed by him during his first on-set experience. Of course, Tyson agreed to come back and play a featured background role. Tyson knows that this is the way actors move up in their careers. He understands the importance of networking and appearing on set with a positive and enthusiastic attitude.

Tyson was featured in two scenes as a businessman. The first scene was shot with Denzel Washington. As Denzel walked out of New York City's NCA Transit Building with a bag full of (stolen? confidential?) goods, Tyson strode down the sidewalk next to him. In the second scene, Tyson stood across the street from the building in barricades shouting "Mr. Mayor!" as James Gandolfini (who plays the mayor) walked out of the building.

During this eleven and a half hour, paid shoot, Tyson rose to stardom. James Gandolfini picked him out of the crowd, shook his hand, and complimented Tyson's faux-Italian accent. As the shoot wore on, Tyson said tourists from all over were coming up to him and asking to take pictures with him! "There was no way to describe how great I felt at this moment," Tyson says.

Next time, Tyson hopes to land a speaking role. He thanked me and InstantCast for giving him this unique opportunity. Tonight he is going on an audition for a T-Mobile commercial that heard about through a colleague he networked with while on-set this weekend. Later this week he is going on the casting for the Notorious B.I.G. film! Tyson, you are making huge strides in your career: InstantCast is so happy to help you along the way!

Isabelle Dungan is the Casting Consultant & Casting Content Manager at InstantCast. Isabelle, an aspiring actress herself, works with the team at InstantCast to help provide support and content for aspiring actors and models, and hosts monthly InstantCast LIVE! events with casting directors and other industry professionals. She can be reached at castingconsultant@instantcast.com.

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