More than 3,000 Philly kids signed up for ‘Abbott Elementary’ casting call in less than a day

PHILADELPHIA — A casting call for Philly kids to appear as extras in the hit comedy “Abbott Elementary” received a whopping response on Tuesday when more than 3,000 aspiring actors submitted headshots in just nine hours.

Organized by Olde Richmond-based agency Heery Loftus Casting, the call circulated on social media inviting child actors ages 6 to 14 to audition and join the cast as extras. While the call did not mention details about the episode’s subject or set location, it mentioned that the child actors would need to appear on set in Philadelphia for three days, from Feb. 27 to March 1. The agency, which has led local casting for “Mare of Easttown,” M. Night Shyamalan projects and other productions, deleted the posts after receiving a deluge of submissions that far exceeded the number of “Abbott” roles available.

Now in its fourth season, and just renewed for Season 5, “Abbott Elementary” is set in a public school in the city and its cast is full of Philly talent, including numerous celebrity cameos from native sons like Jalen Hurts and Bradley Cooper. The mockumentary series primarily shoots in Los Angeles, where production designers have recreated local landmarks like the giant slide at Smith Memorial Playground in East Fairmount Park.

This effort marks only the second time that the Emmy-winning show will shoot in Philadelphia. In 2023, creator/star Quinta Brunson, a West Philly native, brought the team to the Franklin Institute to film the Season 2 finale when the students visited the Franklin Institute for a sleepover field trip. Brunson cast several of her own nieces and nephews as extras in that episode, as well as some of her friends’ kids. It also featured a few local students who answered Heery Loftus Casting’s call.

“I felt good, but a little bit nervous,” said Myers Elementary first grader Eva Morrow to The Inquirer after the episode aired in April 2023. “I had fun and, like, we got to look at the Franklin Institute on our breaks, too. We got to play wherever.”

Bringing the cast and crew across the country once again, Brunson likely has something big planned for this new episode at one of Philly’s (many) inimitable landmarks — and local families were quick to jump at the opportunity this time around.