An advert that sought to cast “proper working class people” for an upcoming project banned scousers.
Casting Networks inc originally posted a casting call for “proper working class people” but excluded those with a Liverpool accent.
The briefing read “They should be proper working class people but not at all like the people from ‘Benefits Street’. They should NOT sound or look posh and we should skew towards northern accents. And nobody from Liverpool please.”
The CEO of Casting Networks International has apologised but maintains that his company only provides software.
He said: “On behalf of everyone at Casting Networks, I apologise unreservedly for the unverified posting that appeared recently on our public billboard for a Morrisons commercial.
“Casting Networks is a software service utilised by Casting Directors for posting jobs for actors. We are not the authors of these postings, nor are we an agency. The unfortunate views expressed in this instance are not what CNI stands for. We are a responsible organisation and we take a very dim view of this matter.”
Mr Ward added: “Upon being made aware of the content of this particular job posting, we immediately withdrew it from our site and alerted the Casting Director responsible so that they can inform their clients accordingly.
“Again, we apologise for the upset that this post has undoubtedly caused, and as someone who lived for many happy years among the magnificent people of Liverpool, I am personally disappointed in the most unfortunate sentiments that were expressed by the third parties. My colleagues in the UK and throughout our international organisation share these feelings of disappointment.”
Morrison’s have distanced themselves from the incident, claiming that the request did not come from them. insisted Casting Networks Inc was not its advertising agency and that the ban on scousers was not something it had requested to its own advertising agency.