Everything you ever wanted to know about what an actor looks for in characters and script offers.

Former actress here and I would be happy to answer any questions you guys have about acting by way of script choice.

I.E.

Why can't I get bigger names attached to my work?

-Nothing buisness, just personal.

Female characters...what's that about?

-She's hot and thin..what more do you want?

Male characters...I got this...don't I?

-I'm a guy and I secretly have a brain and a heart. Not just amazing abs.

So my character is (ethnicity other than my own) is it OK if....?

-No...but kinda yes.

Ageism, sexism, racism...we work in the only field that condones isms.

-Stereotyping is only cool when...


Anyway, you guys get the idea.

This is meant just to help. I'm not claiming to be an expert but I have been on the other side and it is scary there. And I now have substantial amount of debt because of it.  

I'm at work, but I'll throw the first questions.

1. For you personally, what attracts you to a role? The character only or the story itself?

2. How can I make a secondary character interesting enough that an actor who can pick and chose would find that minor role worth playing?

Cheers for offering your insights!  

(EVEN I KNOW THIS IS LONG AF)

Ok.

1. For you personally, what attracts you to a role? The character only or the story itself?

This is gonna seem so crazy but for me and really any actor it boils down to a few things:

AGE RANGE- Can I believably play this part?

This one is a bit tricky because there are so many determining factors. An actor can believably play 10 years in both directions. Which is to say I can play a 18 year old or a 30-something...respectively of course.  So as a writer when you are thinking of Michel Cera and Jack Black shows up....don't be surprised. Their the same type just different ages. Jack is just an older Michel. It goes like that.

So as a writer you have to think about how your characters speak. I.E. if a 17 year old sounds like a 30 year old. You are going to be in for a big shock come audition time.

TYPE- Will I actually be considered for this role?

I may love a character in any given script and think to myself 'OH yeah! I can be bitchy cheerleader #2!" BUT what happens is when I go to apply I see they specifically want 'Caucasian' 'Asian' 'Racially ambiguous" actresses the last one is killing all of US. Because it is an easy choice to make for the team. They don't have to resign to anything with this type of actress  because by default she encompasses everyone.

But my point. (Sorry I'm queen tangent) I have to get in the mind of the casting director. Will they seriously see me as 'this' when I actually look more like 'that'. It sucks because actors should be allowed to audition for whatever part they want---yes even white actors. And we work in an industry that can afford to not give up that luxury.

So now we are at the reason why I quit acting. There is no way in hell you can constitue excluding certain races for 'vague' ass characters. Which is why it is so important to break the writing rule of including races in your script. It may seem ridiculous but it can be a full culture shock when you show up to table read and everyone there is one race. By default we think in those terms of our own race and if you don't specify they will go with whatever actors will draw in the most audience.

HINT: It's always white.

STORY- If I really love a story and it's message I will do anything in my power to get in on it.  Know that up front. As I said in my replay to your situation earlier an actor wants nothing more than to grow as an actor. And when I see a script for something  even a little different I start drooling imagining myself in that part.

I'll let you guys in on something....You ever wonder why certain actor's only play certain character's? It's because every actor has their niche character they can play ALWAYS no matter what. And it will haunt them for all eternity if they don't break that pattern. For me I will always be the 'sister' or 'girlfriend' or 'teacher' but always the sexy version of these. It's in my actress DNA to be this and more often than not I can play these characters until the cows come home. But I won't be happy about it. I will however be paid. (HE HE)

Sometimes those parts can be fun...and are actually more fun than the lead. (SHHHH)


Which leads to your second question

2. How can I make a secondary character interesting enough that an actor who can pick and chose would find that minor role worth playing?

This one will be a little more straightforward.

I'll give you an example of an iconic character and the other characters around them. JULIET of ROMEO and JULIET. I know what you're thinking...Is that not the dream role of a lifetime?

No. NO. NOOOOOO! Ok maybe for the right actress it can be their bread and butter. The young ingenue will slurp this character up..it's her type isn't it?

But ask any other actress and they will tell you the part you want is THE NURSE. She without a doubt is the best female part in the entire show. She has the jokes. She has the scoop. And she is fully developed. Not the lead but sooo much better.

When i'm writing I make a rule to not have any of my speaking characters be pointless. Even if they never really do too much I know they are secretly planning to destroy a small bird colony outside their window later.

I think a lot of times secondary characters are looked down upon because everyone wants to be the star right? No. Not at all because we all can't be leads and we all know that.

I say you can still be the scene stealing breath of fresh air without being the lead. See Rebel Wilson in anything!

And as an actor that is part of your job. Even if a part is minor you're portrayal better not be. Again it's an art form to turn a nothing into a something and it's up to the actor to do so.

Rest assured actors make fun of the stuff they get sometimes because we are constantly making choices for our characters when we shouldn't be.

Stop me if you've heard this one?

What's my motivation? You might snicker at that and give the 'isn't it obvious' look. But no it's not obvious

Why is my character doing this or that?

Why in the hell would I ever be friends or even nice to this other character?

Stuff like that.

What makes these characters appealing is when you can tell the writer did their best to flesh them out just as much as the lead character. It makes a full difference.

Trust me I've played these characters before and it's an uphill battle not to walk out during rehearsal because no one...including the writer....has a grasp on the character and they expect you to do the leg work.

I know this may all seem super mechanical but the life of the actor is nothing like people invision.

While it's fresh in my mind and my daughter sleeps the day away.....

I wanna stress the importance of having actor friends.

No one reads more scripts for free than an actor.

No really. You never know when an actor will come across your script, pluck a few lines from it and use it as an audition piece.

For an actor the audition is super critical for them and it all stars with picking the proper audition material that can come from anywhere at any given time. The reason being is that when an actor goes on audition they are are trying to stand out in the crowd. So they hunt and hunt and hunt for that perfect piece that will make the casting people go 'hmmm never heard that one before" which is music to everyone's ears.

So, why is this important to you the writer?

Because that awesome material may very well come from you and your work. At the end of an audition someone could easily go

' Where did that monologue come from?'

Which turns into

'Oh. It was an excerpt from so and so short film"

BAM! Instant promotion for the writer. The actor may very well not be casted but that doesn't mean that whoever was in that room and IT COULD BE ANYONE!! won't decide to have an intern look up said writer and decide to work with them because of that. No REALLLY that happens!

Also, READS are a great way to have your work seen and HEARD. While it's nice to have other writers comment on your work it can become a bit cumbersome because everyone is working on their own thing at any given times. The best part about having actors read your work  is that they will read it top to bottom flaws and all. They also give insight to how a character comes off because as they are reading they are placing themselves in those characters shoes.

Table reads are a blast and essentially painless. You pay everyone in pizza and beer and you as a writer get to hear your work out loud which does wonders for your writing. You'll hear delivery, inconsistencies, and awkward wording.  And actors get pizza, beer, and a chance to be apart of something from the ground level. Sometimes these situations end up being game changers for all involved.

So get yourself some acting friends. I have a ton to pull from including myself. Hell consider taking an acting class. It's fun and you get a first hand look at the other side.

You never know.