WE'VE DECIDED TO GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION

The life and times of a casting director in pre- and post-pandemic Hollywood.

Reading this book will involve recognizing a great many names from the entertainment industry, but the key one is this: Max Greenfield. The debut author’s husband, Greenfield was the star of New Girl, a popular 2010s sitcom that became an obsession for many during lockdown. As he writes in his introduction to his wife’s book, “Tess has found humor, irony, and emotional resonance in the messiness of her life, while simultaneously being able to expose her vulnerability, because that’s who she is.” He’s got that right: The essays touch on her rise to success as an obsessively box-checking beginning casting director (this section is very detailed and would be useful for those with similar aspirations); the blip in the early days of her relationship with Greenfield when he had to confront addiction; the much later period, after their marriage, when she literally pooped her pants at a children’s sporting event; the emotional complexities she faced in her relationship with her aging parents. Another essay describes her indignation when, after the pandemic, the workers at a resort instantly recognized and fawned over Greenfield but assumed she, perhaps because she is of Mexican descent, must be the nanny. This essay has a “do you know who I am” vibe that is almost endearing—considering that she was a casting director. (It’s not fully clear what happened to her work life during the pandemic, but it wasn’t good.) Perhaps the biggest drawback of the book is the shtick of introducing every character by naming an actor they resemble, and then calling them that name. It works well enough with Reese Witherspoon or John Mulaney, but the suggestion that you “think” Vanessa Bayer, Jared Hess, Topher Grace, Meagan Good, Merritt Wever, etc.—in order to imagine the people she’s writing about—ends up being a limiting shortcut.

Very TV-literate readers who also love memoir—this book is for you.