A Remarkable Place to Die is a New Zealand-Australian crime drama series set in picturesque Queenstown, New Zealand. The show, which premiered in 2024, was created by Philly de Lacey (The Gulf) and internationally produced for Acorn, Nine Network, TVNZ, and ZDF.
Each episode presents a new murder case, while an underlying narrative thread revolves around detective Anais Mallory investigating the suspicious deaths of her sister and father. The spectacular South Island scenery is integral to the series, often contrasted with the town’s darker underbelly.
With the series renewed for a second season, here’s a look at how the casting process works.
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The series kicks off with homicide detective Anais Mallory (Chelsie Preston Crayford) returning to her hometown after a successful stint in Sydney. While taking up the role of the local lead detective, Anais secretly attempts to unravel the truth behind the suspicious deaths of her sister, Lynne (Tara Canton), and her father, Martyn (Roy Billing).
Adding to the emotional turmoil is Anais confronting strained relationships with her mother, Veronica (Rebecca Gibney), and her ex-fiancé, Luke (Charles Jazz Terrier), who has since married her former best friend.
Casting for A Remarkable Place to Die was led by Liz Mullane (part of the team responsible for the Lord of the Rings trilogy) in New Zealand and Ben Parkinson (Jungle) in Australia.
Mullane, who worked as an actor before transitioning into casting, is known for striving to make the audition process “less daunting and more enjoyable” and for having a firsthand understanding of the pressure actors can feel in these moments.
Mullane, however, isn’t averse to drawing a hard line when needed. She and her Lord of the Rings colleague, Miranda Rivers, famously weeded out tantrum-prone performers while casting the films, recognising that demanding shoots require team players.
Mullane was also involved in drafting the NZ Casting Director Guidelines, which state that casting teams are more interested in “an accessible performance that shows how the actor can inhabit the role” than “technical perfection” in self-tapes and auditions, which is worth bearing in mind if you’re auditioning for her.
Indiana Evans (Thor: Love and Thunder), who plays Anais’ former best friend, Maja, in the series, has shared that she was cast after submitting a self-tape and participating in a subsequent Zoom chat with the show’s producers. Evans emphasised the quality of the writing as key, noting that reading the first episode made her “immediately want to know what happened next,” which she considered “a good sign.” Billing has similarly noted the strength of the material, citing the “good story [and] good characters” as the main draw for him signing on.
With Season 2 seeking local extras, it could be wise to catch up on Season 1 to get a feel for the writing and aesthetic. You may also want to review our guides to headshots, showreels, and self-tapes to further improve your chances of standing out to the casting team.