Write With Actors in Mind

One of the stupidest things you can do when writing the screenplay is get your heart set on having certain actors cast in the parts that you're writing.

Writers who do this often write characters straight out of someone else's movies, because they think they're writing a part that's perfect for an actor they saw in someone else's movie. While some actors have a large enough body work that you can develop sense of who they are from the characters they play, most actors are playing parts on screen.

It is a mistake to confuse and actor's roles with their off-stage personality. Often, actors get typecast into parts because they have played similar roles so well in the past. This doesn't mean that actors are typecast into their own personality type.


Most actors enjoy a challenge. Often times, an actor gives his or her best performance when they are cast in a part that is markedly different than anything they have ever played before. Sometimes an actor can take a role that is very different than any other role they have ever performed and they do it so well that it becomes their new typecasting.

Other actors only take roles that speak to them on an artistic level, or roles that will challenge them artistically.

One thing almost all actors want is a powerfully written role that is unlike anything that anyone has ever played before.

When you are writing, instead of focusing on creating a part for a particular actor, focus instead on creating a character that is so rich, multidimensional, and exciting that actors literally will be begging to play the part.

If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interact with actors, whether those actors are at a local level in some obscure community theater, or internationally known celebrities, take a moment and ask the actors what they look for in a role. The better you understand actors, the more equipped you are to write characters that actors will want to play.

In Hollywood, it is extremely difficult to get a screenplay made into a movie. However, it becomes a lot easier if actors want to play these parts on-screen. In fact, an actor can get a screenplay made into a movie if they have enough clout with the studio and if they want to play the character badly enough to use that clout.

- The Illiterate Writer