Hobbit forming

"Producers auditioned short actors to appear in the [Hobbit] movies" says the BBC website.

We know that the BBC are dedicated to equal opportunities in all things, going so far as to ensure that even the utterly stupid and offensive are entitled to huge pay packets.

But I reckon at least two people in this queue are in for a big disappointment.

And surely "short" should be "vertically challenged"? Or possibly "differently horizoned"?