While the line of people for previous open casting calls at the Bel Air Armory for the Netflix series "House of Cards" has snaked down and around the block, there was only a short wait for Saturday's casting call, and those seeking a part as a background extra praised the efficient process.
"Today just went quicker," said Elizabeth Yao, a resident of Catonsville who attended the previous open call in May of 2015, when the line went from the Armory, down Main Street and curved around Pennsylvania Avenue, a good two blocks long.
"I was greeted by the casting director, who remembered me from last year, which was nice," Yao said.
The series was not named as the casting call was being advertised this week – it was billed as a "popular political drama," although several hopefuls said outside the Armory that they were looking for a part on the upcoming fifth season of "House of Cards."
"I didn't make season 4, so I'm hoping to make season 5," Mary Roby, of Parkville, said.
The Armory has been used in the past for casting calls for extras in "House of Cards," which is primarily shot in Harford County. The production studio is in Joppa, scenes have been shot in Aberdeen, Bel Air, Edgewood and Havre de Grace, and locations in Baltimore and Annapolis – including the Maryland State House – have doubled for Washington, D.C. locations.
Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright star in the drama, which was renewed for its fifth season earlier this year. Spacey plays scheming politician Frank Underwood, who has his eyes on the U.S. presidency.
Marinella Hume Casting, which has run previous "House of Cards" casting calls, ran Saturday's event, too. The event drew people from the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas.
Bill Marinella, who ran Saturday's call in Bel Air, said he couldn't talk about what was happening, or say for what show the prospective small part and extra players were trying out.
Roby, who is a retired Baltimore County Public Schools drama and theater teacher, said she had a part in the third season of "House of Cards" as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution taking part in a luncheon during the presidential primary campaign that was a running theme of the Season 3 story line.
"It was set in New Hampshire, but filmed in downtown Baltimore in Mount Vernon Place," Roby said.
Prospective actors had been told to dress in "your 'best' outfit," according to a notice posted on the Marinella Hume Facebook page, and a number of sharply-dressed men and women could be seen walking through downtown Bel Air throughout the morning and early afternoon.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild union were directed to the right side of the Armory entrance, and non-union actors were directed to the left. Each person got his or her picture taken and had a brief interview with casting staffers.
Yao was in last year's long line, "which always happens at a casting call when you have an open call like that."
Not this time, however. Yao and other people trying out could walk in, go through the process and leave a short time later, free to take in downtown Bel Air on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
James T. Currie, a retired Army colonel who lives in Alexandria, Va., wore a dark suit and tie. He worked as a Senate staffer for eight years, and he is currently the executive director of the Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health.
He played a background senator during the HOC fourth season and said he could be seen in the background of shots that featured well-known Hollywood actors.
"I got to fill in as a U.S. senator, and I had been a senate staffer for eight years, so I knew how they talk and act," Currie said. He did not have a speaking part, though.
Charles Lee, 32, of Woodbridge, Va., also wore a dark suit. He said he has been attending "House of Cards" casting calls since the first season, which aired in 2013.
"It's always a good time," he said.
Lee recalled playing an extra at a barbecue party in the first season, for which he and others wore tuxedos.
"It's mainly background," he said of the roles he has had as an actor. "If you're lucky, they'll call you for bit parts."
Crystal Murray, 21, of Hyattsville, regularly attends casting calls for extras, but Saturday was her first time trying out for "House of Cards."
She had been in Pittsburgh two days before as a background extra in a parade scene for the movie "Fences," starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. She also has a lead role in the upcoming web series, "The Art of D."
The letter F, along with information about her such as her name, had been written on a piece of paper she held as she left the casting. The F stands for "fresh face."
"This stuff is fun, as far as different casting calls," Murray said. "You get to actually meet people who are involved [in the production]."
Anyone interested in future casting sessions in the area with Marinella Hume can visit the company website, http://marinellahumecasting.com or the Marinella Hume Casting Baltimore/DC page on Facebook.