One came from Arkansas, and her father was skeptical, because as a college student who had never been to California before, she wanted to dip her toes into the real world — or Hollywood’s version of it — before graduating in May. A couple, high school sweethearts, flew to Los Angeles from Florida; She grew up loving Ocean and Pamela Anderson and agreed to attend their first ever audition because he already had a six-pack and a loving memory of David Hasselhoff’s 2004 appearance. SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: “That lifeguard stuff was pretty funny.”
The Whalen sisters, one blonde and one brunette, arrived at 5 a.m. after weeks of planning the outfits (red one-piece swimsuits paired with denim) and filming the content on the sand (including a slow jog). “We’ve been doing everything together since we were kids,” said the younger, blonde sister. “and Baywatch It has always been a dream of ours. This is our destiny.”
Luther, a 25-year-old from Oklahoma, had no credits, no acting experience or a casting gig, just well-maintained dreadlocks and a desire to challenge himself beyond the everyday racks of a local supermarket. Another man, a working actor who keeps busy with soapy dramas in vertical space, is stripped to nothing but a pair of bulge-revealing red Calvin Klein boxer briefs. “I loved Mark Wahlberg’s Calvin Klein campaign in the ’90s, so I wanted to bring some good Marky Mark vibes to the test with my underwear.”
The oldest of the group, a 77-year-old woman named Margaret Dupree, stepped out of her floating home in the marina to revisit an unforgettable time in her life, for better and worse. She claims to have worked on the original version Baywatch Television series starring Pamela Anderson in a double role after she is discovered by series co-creator, Michael Burke, while attempting to commit suicide by drowning in the Pacific Ocean. Unlike those who expose their bodies in bikinis, shorts or red Calvin Kleins, she wore a Burning Man-esque ensemble with fuzzy boots, tights, shorts and a pink Barbie corset covered in spikes because “it’s disgusting and so am I.”
“I went into the water to dry off and drown myself because my daughter had broken up with me and I was going to have to go to Australia without her. A huge wave came, and I got into the water with my mouth open. Michael Burke saw me and said: ‘Can you do that again?'” Dupri recalls of the shocking suicide attempt. “I ended up getting Pamela Anderson’s job as a stunt person and doing all the stunts she wouldn’t have done. I jumped off the dock, got into the speedboat, and got my hair wet because Pamela didn’t want that. “It was completely by accident.”
In all, more than 2,000 people flocked to Marina del Rey, its local Mario and nearby Mathers Beach last week for the chance to audition for a role in Fox and Fremantle’s reboot of the popular TV series. Baywatch. The open casting call — once a regular phenomenon in Hollywood and now a relic of pre-pandemic times where self-tapes and Zoom replaced in-person auditions — generated a tidal wave of interest as more than 14,000 applicants submitted photos and resumes.
The appeal is clear. The original Baywatchwhich debuted in 1989 and ran until 2001, was an international sensation. At its peak, it was broadcast in more than 200 countries and reached more than 1 billion viewers weekly, according to Fox. The cast members, led by David Hasselhoff, became household names as Baywatch The careers of stars such as Anderson, Jason Momoa, Yasmine Bleethe, David Chukachi, Carmen Electra and others have skyrocketed.
Aside from recent examples such as the popular culture phenomenon Hot competition Now starring Connor Story and Hudson Williams, it’s been a long time since the small screen brought out overnight celebrities. A wide-ranging invitation opened the possibility of an unknown actor walking through the doors of the Marriott Hotel in February, to be on set when… Baywatch Filming begins in March and will be on TV in a few months when the show debuts as part of Fox’s 2026-27 lineup.
In short: A star could be born on the sandy beaches of Southern California. Brittney Roberts, Fox’s senior vice president of talent, was at the center of the swell. Her team edited the initial flow of applicants into a more manageable but still huge wave. “I’ve worked at Disney previously and this has the vibe of the old Disney Channel open castings,” she said. “I’m putting some of that experience to work here. The fever is all around us.” Baywatch Hot, and this is the kind of show that lends itself to an opportunity like this. “The turnout proves that.”
It should be noted that participation represented a diverse group of actors across race, age, and experience level. Although there were exceptions like Dupre, the majority seen making the rounds were in their 20s and 30s, and many admitted to never watching the original series at all. “I consider myself a kid. I mean, I’m only 18, so I couldn’t watch BaywatchBut I recently watched the movie,” said James Rodriguez, who flew to Los Angeles to audition from his home in Phoenix. He is certified in open water rescue, and since Arizona is experiencing a drought, he is spending the summer in SoCal to find work. “I love the cameras, I love all of it.”
This movie, 2017 Baywatch Starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, it is the closest pop culture reference for many to Inside the Marriott Hotel, though it was largely considered a box office disappointment after grossing $58 million in the United States. It did even better overseas with $119 million versus $177. “I only knew about the movie but my mom told me it was also a show, so I asked her if there was a connection to everything,” explained Luther Crenshaw of Oklahoma. “She was like, ‘Yes.’ So, I was ready to come and participate in it. I’m here to give it my all and maybe there will be some laughs there.
To achieve this, Roberts recruited a team of 20 managers. They set up a mix of acting spaces inside the Marriott Hotel’s conference rooms and ballrooms, using curtains as dividers in some cases. Appointments started at 8 a.m. and ended well after sunset. Hundreds of people lined up before dawn on a cold Southern California morning trying to get an appointment while others tried to sneak out. Those with early morning appointments were invited to participate in a group photo shoot and volunteer media interviews at Mathers Beach where the power was electric, even if they were all in competition.
“I plan to stand out by showing my personality, my energy and my big smile,” said Josiah Flores, 33, who arrived from Miami. “And I’m obviously tattooed, so that’s another plus.” Reality TV veteran and former Big brother Flores, the showrunner, was looking to make the often difficult transition from reality to script. “I’m ready to make a big splash. The appeal and scale of a show like this is enormous. It could take you from here to an Emmy or an Oscar. You never know what doors could open.” Baywatch“.
The couple from Florida — Hunter, 29, and Marlon, 26, from Tampa — flew to Los Angeles although she got a time slot and he didn’t. “She convinced me by saying: ‘Honey, you’ve got the body, just go for it’, so I thought why not do it. I’m very determined. I have nothing to lose.” Fame is just to gain.
“You can have a million auditions, but one opportunity can change your life,” explained actress and singer Angel Peaches, 24, while wearing a green bikini set and flip-flops.
But not everyone knew exactly what they were swimming towards. Days before the open call, Fox confirmed this share and Fits Los Angeles Star Stephen Amell landed a lead role in the series by playing Hobie Buchannon, the son of Hasselhoff’s Mitch Buchannon. Original series star David Chokachi has also been confirmed to return as lover Cody Madison in a recurring role. The story of the new season, created by Matt Nix, who will serve as showrunner and executive producer, follows what happens when Hobie’s world is turned upside down when Charlie, the daughter he never knew, shows up on his doorstep eager to carry on the Buchannon family legacy and become… Baywatch The savior is next to her father.
Before the big day, Fox rolled out gender-neutral asides that allowed actors to choose one of two clips featuring either a rookie lifeguard eager to dive into the action or an angry veteran with a few choice lines of dialogue. “We’re looking for leads, and we just got details on guest stars for the first episode. We’re looking for actors for the entire first season that could be live actors, one-line parts, background actors, people who can deliver a line and those who look like they could be SoCal.” Baywatch “He’s kind of the OG team member,” Roberts explained.
During an interview inside the Marriott Hotel, Nicks was quick to clarify that Baywatch The casting call was not a competition. “When I first came up with the idea, the big problem for me was that I didn’t want it to look like a stunt. I felt like we really needed to get involved legitimately if it was going to work. And everyone was completely on board with that,” Nix said. “I didn’t want it to feel like a competition or a competition to win a role Baywatch. The truth is, we need to fill all types of characters on this show. We need people to save. We need people to fill the beach. “We need rescuers.”
They also need actors who are also suited to the moment. Multi-hyphenate veteran McG, who directs the first episode and executive produces the series, has mastered the SoCal vibes thanks to executive producing the beloved series okay “We definitely aim to respect where we come from, but we also realize that it’s a new day with new body types,” McG said. “There is more focus on nature conservation, and seeing people going out to the beach to get some Vitamin D rather than staying glued to their screens.”
There is no information on whether a woman wearing a barely-there swimsuit with a BBL qualifies as “normal.” Not everyone was affected by the surrounding madness Baywatch On that day. In one TikTok clip, an aspiring actress complained that actors were being asked to do media interviews and promote a show before it appeared on their IMDb. But that did not prevent her from documenting the test day and sharing it with half a million followers. (For the record, all media interviews were voluntary, and the majority of those who gathered at Mother’s Beach for a little press vacation captured the attention. Some even called reporters for interviews about their whirlwind day in the sun.)
Speaking of social media follows, casting directors found some sparks early in the day, asking dozens to stick around for auditions and interviews. One of those selected for multiple rounds of auditions was influencer Ian Boggs. The popular content creator — who has 2.5 million followers on Instagram, 14.9 million on TikTok and 18.6 million on YouTube — grew up watching Baywatch. When he moved to California to attend college, he then got a job as a lifeguard, which meant he already had a pair of red shorts in his closet.
However, he was “very nervous,” Boggs said. THR. the reason? “There are a lot of beautiful, curvy, tall people here,” a shirtless Boggs said. “I don’t want to discredit me because I work hard, but there are a lot of beautiful people here; it’s Los Angeles. But I took acting classes, put in the work and tried to personalize my audition. That was all I could do. Getting to the next level of auditions is pretty cool.”
Others were observed outside the testing rooms. Nix said that when he and McG arrived and walked through the Marriott lobby — filled with hundreds of actors lined up waiting to audition or practice lines in small groups — several people caught their attention enough to text Roberts and her team to look for specific actors. “Look at that guy’s body over there,” McG interrupted, pointing to a young man with bulging biceps and a red “Rescue Guard” tank top. “We should interview this guy.”
One person eager to do interviews is Tracy Park, a Los Angeles City Council member who represents District 11, which includes Venice. Baywatch Filming will begin in March in Venice and on the Fox lot in Century City, a coup in Los Angeles amid a production exodus that has paralyzed the city and left thousands out of work. “When creatives first approached me Baywatch “We had this opportunity, and we were in danger of losing it to Australia or South Africa,” Park said. THR While standing next to the red rescue truck and wearing the blue Los Angeles Rescue shirt that the LAFD had given her that morning. “For the past year and a half, we’ve been working on this by collaborating with Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbors, county lifeguards, [Mayor Karen Bass’s] Our team, our parks and our recreation team so that we are all on the same page to say yes when it comes time to apply for tax credits.
With tax credits secured and filming set to begin, the casting call doubled as a celebration of preservation Baywatch “Venice Beach has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. We’ve been labeled the most dangerous beach in America, and the butt of late-night jokes. I’ve been working to restore safety and access to our city’s most popular tourist destination. This is also an investment in our creative economy that has been faltering over the past few years, and it maintains a distinct brand that belongs in Los Angeles here at home.”
Steps away from where Park was sent for interviews, there was Soraya Moss, a Venice ward councilwoman. Although she works as a software engineer by day, Moss has some acting credits on her resume and decided to attend to see if she could add a few more. “The invitation for the day was ‘professional and beachy,’ so I wore jeans and a white button-down but I have a swimsuit underneath here,” Moss said, adding that several high-profile events are scheduled in Los Angeles and her goal is to participate in as many as possible. “If something happens in Venice, the people who live in Venice should be involved.”
Pat “The Jaguar” Oland came from San Francisco and was decked out in a deep bronze tan spray. A trained martial artist who works as a bartender at a yacht club in the Bay Area, he said he bonded with his father by watching shows like Baywatch, Fantasy Island and Magnum P “I had a crush on Pamela Anderson when I was a kid, I can’t lie about that,” said Hollande, 32, who explained that he adopted the nickname “Jaguar” because it is an animal that best represents him. He was ready to pounce. “Having good physical fitness comes from good discipline, and when you have good mental discipline and good physical discipline, you become fit.” Sophisticated. I am ready for this because of my leadership, perseverance, energy and positive presence. It is a perfect role for me.”
Bella Pierce, a senior at the college who came from Arkansas with her father, said the parade itself is a perfect reflection of human values. “I mean, the movie is about lifeguards who are literally saving people’s lives. It portrays them in a good light,” she noted. “And it’s crazy to watch the old show and think about how these actors continue to have huge careers.” Many people have mentioned Jason Momoa as a prime example of how to do this Baywatch One’s career can take off. Momoa, who got a breakout role Baywatch Hawaii During an open call with over 1,000 candidates, she recently talked about lying to casting directors to get the role.
Roberts knows the lengths people will go to get the attention of casting directors. She admitted that she has family members who reach out to her Baywatchincluding those who are not even actors. “I’ve received emails to my personal account, phone calls, text messages, direct messages, you name it,” she said. “Everyone is coming out of the woodwork. I’ve had family members reaching out to me asking if they could audition and I didn’t even know they could act. I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll keep you in mind.’ But again, it’s exciting. I think there’s something deep down in all of us that dreams of being a star one day. I hope we actually succeed and find some stars in the making.”
Calling back has been enough for some. Corey Wharton, 34, is another reality TV veteran thanks to ChallengeHe challenged himself by appearing and giving his first ever acting audition. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone a little bit, get in front of casting directors and try to get more exposure,” said Wharton, a father of three daughters. “I mean, there were a lot of beautiful people auditioning, and it’s going to be very difficult but I think it went well. The biggest thing for me is the energy, and I was able to go in there and smile and interact with them.”
Wharton was walking down the sidewalk leaving the hotel and had already accepted the fact that he might never receive a phone call again but the experience had been enough for him. “I’ll be fine if I don’t get it,” he said. “I just know I felt good, and I left there smiling.” Afterward, he stopped by his cousin’s house in Marina del Rey to say hello and grab a “little salad” from the Cheesecake Factory. “I have to keep the Six going no matter what.”
Nearby is Sweetgreen, another salad hotspot in Marina del Rey THR I found Andreas Alfaro. The 31-year-old was relaxing on a plate of steak and rice after a hectic morning. “It was a crazy, chaotic, high-energy, high-energy casting session—totally Hollywood,” explained Alvaro, who works as a coach and stunt man. “I didn’t realize how drained I was until I left the cast. It was a rush of standing in line, meeting all these people, figuring out where to go and doing all these interviews on the beach. It was a crazy but good experience.”
After lunch, business returned as usual. “I have some editing to do this afternoon, then I’ll teach a training class and then I’ll do martial arts training. It’s a full day,” he said. “You have to keep getting out of your life. You can’t hold on to anything and wait for a phone call. It’s part of the game. One actor here, another there. I find the best results are when you let go and let it come to you. The more you hold on to something, the more you expect and try to pull it but eventually push it away. It’s a push-pull dynamic.” Like waves.
