Northbrook casting call seeks boy for Steven Spielberg movie

A casting call in Northbrook this weekend is offering young actors the chance of a lifetime: the lead role in a Steven Spielberg film.

Casting directors will be at the Bernard Weinger Jewish Community Center, 300 Revere Dr., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, looking for a boy to play the title role in “The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara,” which Spielberg is scheduled to direct in Europe beginning in April.

The film will star Mark Rylance, the Oscar winner featured in Spielberg’s last two films, “Bridge of Spies” and “The BFG.” The script is by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner, who wrote “Munich” and “Lincoln” for Spielberg.

The “Kidnapping” team is on the hunt for an actor age 6 to 9 to play a Jewish Italian boy who is “truly special, gifted, curious and intelligent with a mischievous streak,” said a press release from production company Amblin Entertainment. No accent is needed.

Sign-in begins at 10 a.m., and auditioners are asked to bring only one family member as well as a recent photo to leave behind.

Based on a 1997 book by David Kertzer, “The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara” recounts the 1858 abduction of a Jewish boy from his Bologna family to be raised as a Christian.

Taped auditions also are welcome but must be submitted by Monoday. For details, see http://www.castittalent.com/TKOEM.