Unique and interesting Casting choices

Originally I had ideas of making Spirit of Love a SAG film.Which means a union film.The reason initially was so I could hire name talent for one or two key roles in the film.Specifically that of the main character,the catalyst in this case,which happened to be the role of Mike Glenn.
I researched and put in calls and sent letters,and I couldn't find exactly what I needed.What I needed was a 50 something African American male who could play basketball,knew teens,and was fluent in ASL sign language.

Then it dawned on me,why not cast Mike Glenn as himself? I mean after all it was his story. Inspired by his life and his camp of 33 yrs for the deaf and hard of hearing.So I made a call to Mike.
I said "Mike I have an idea.Would you consider playing yourself in the film".First there was an awkward moment of silence, and then he said "Well I do know the story", and that he did.

I mean it wasn't too far off since he had played in the NBA for 10 seasons and he has been a color commentator,and sports analyst live on TV for years.He's warm,personable,and knows the game.
As a director/producer I felt like it made sense.Not sure if anyone has done this before.You know cast the person who the film is about as themselves in a narrative feature film.Oh well nothing ventured nothing gained.

I will say this.Mike showed up on set and was amazing to work with.He was natural and the teens fell in love with him.Which is all great.But it wasn't until my composer was in the room watching the rough cut discussing music cues when he asked the interesting question."Is that lead actor from LA?Where did you find someone who can act,play basketball,and sign?"Well I definitely felt good about my decision.

The other choice I made just seemed practical.Since I would be working with deaf and hard of hearing teens and various interpreters who would be rotating based on their other work load schedule
I thought it made sense to name all of the teen characters in the script with the first name of the teen who would be playing the role.This actually made it very simple since I had to learn their sign names.

The last casting choice was not really my first choice.The role of coach Robyn I really had in mind for a name actress however the person I wanted wasn't available.But after basketball auditions

and watching a few actresses who couldn't dribble or play basketball,members of my teen executive team felt I should play the role and so I did.I always like to make a small cameo in my films,but this role is much bigger than I usually commit to while directing and producing. I certainly enjoyed the experience but soon realized I had NO down time on set at all.I think I knew this but had to be reminded.Maybe if you have a longer shoot schedule it's OK to tackle a larger role,but not in 105 degree heat in 14 days.All in all I am very happy and thrilled with our casting decisions.