To audition for a movie, you (or your agent) submit for a role in the film's breakdown, send a self tape if casting asks, then go to callbacks and chemistry reads with the director before an offer. Leads, often names, are cast first; the rest follow. We asked 19 casting directors how many actors they see per role, and 16 how much say they have in who gets hired.
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The producer and director decide; on bigger films a casting director runs the search. Kym Jackson explains the chain: a producer finds a script and hires a director, and if the budget allows, a casting director who knows the pool of actors. Very small films may skip casting and post roles on self-submission sites.
Casting director Faith Martin described her starting point: read the script, meet the producer and director, learn the budget and their expectations, then agree to lock in one or two leads first so the other roles can be balanced around them.
Money. Kym says films usually need a budget-appropriate name in one or more lead roles so they can sell the film and recoup the investment; Faith Martin adds that distributors and financiers have a lot to say about who works in the marketplace.
That's why you can audition for a lead that then goes to a star: casting was seeing backups while offers were out to names. Once enough names are attached, Kym says, casting looks for whoever is perfect for each remaining role, and casting directors love giving a newcomer that chance.
Through a breakdown: a notice listing each character, usually with a short description. Agents and managers submit clients who fit; on lower-budget self-submission sites, actors submit themselves. Submissions arrive as thumbnails, which is why Kym calls your headshot your most important marketing tool.
On bigger films an associate or assistant may shortlist around 100 for the casting director to cut to 50, so know the whole casting team. See what Breakdown Services is and how to get more auditions.
Do the craft work (see our audition tips), then research the people. Kym looks up the director and watches at least clips of their past work: do their actors talk fast and pick up cues, or leave long silences? A producer's earlier projects hint at tone, and the colour palette and hair and makeup style tell you how to present yourself.
Usually, yes. Casting director Greg Apps told us he cast a Netflix film without meeting a single actor face to face, and that actors should assume they'll be self-taping. Ricki Maslar said her first calls on a recent movie ran through Eco Cast, and Risa Bramon Garcia has cast off self tapes for years.
That makes you the producer of your first round: see self tape tips.
We asked 19 casting directors how many actors they see per role, and every answer started with "it depends": on the size of the role, the time and the budget. For features, the numbers are big. Lisa Beach said she typically sees 150 to 200 people per role out of about 1,000 submissions, then posts around 50 for the director. Rachel Sutton brings in 20 to 30 for a feature role and passes nearly all of them on.
Kerry Barden described a film casting taking about eight weeks, from first auditions through director callbacks and sometimes chemistry reads. At the other extreme, Ronnie Yeskel recalled the first boy who walked in booking a lead.
If the filmmakers like your tape, you may be called back for the director. Carmen Aiello said a director's callback room usually holds the producer, the director and the casting team. When the filmmakers are torn between a few options per role, Kym says they often bring them in for a chemistry read, mixing and matching actors to see who works together.
If you read with an actor already cast, Kym's rule is to ask only about physical things (can I take your arm here?), never to give them performance notes. Our guide to acting callbacks goes deeper.
We asked 16 casting directors how much say they have, and none claimed the final yes. Most said it depends on the producers and director. Scot Boland called it the power of no: casting decides who gets seen and who goes on the list, then argues their case. Risa Bramon Garcia said the idea that casting directors have a big say is often a myth, since even strong directors answer to the money.
Ronnie Yeskel has more influence on independent films than big movies, and Ricki Maslar said her input on studio productions fades by the third round.
Your agent may first get an avail or hold request, which checks your dates and isn't a booking (see the acting glossary). Then the offer: the casting director negotiates for the filmmakers, your agent for you. Kym notes there is usually a second choice in mind, so if the first actor isn't available or won't accept the deal, the role can move on.
Some roles skip auditions entirely. Names are often made straight offers, and Karen Workman told us her daughter was offered a few lines on a feature with no audition, recommended by someone from the crew of a commercial she'd shot.
Shaked Berenson told us actors are paid on a feature in up to four ways: salary, credit and billing, back end, and residuals for union members. Rates are in how much actors make.
Small films may be cast by the producer and director straight from a self-submission site, which is your best shot without an agent. If you book something yourself, Kym says to still put it through your agent or manager so someone checks the deal.
Film schools need actors constantly. Kym suggests finding out where your local schools cast: AFI, for example, casts some student projects through SAG-AFTRA's iActor and its thesis films through Breakdown Services. See AFI student film auditions.
Most actors are submitted by an agent or manager in response to a breakdown, or self-submit on casting sites for smaller films. The first round is usually a self tape, followed by callbacks with the director.
Yes, especially for independent and student films, which often cast through self-submission sites. Bigger films mostly go through agents and managers.
It varies. Lisa Beach told us she often sees 150 to 200 actors per feature role out of about 1,000 submissions, while some roles are cast from the first actor who walks in.
The producers and director. None of the 16 casting directors we asked claimed the final say; they control who is seen and argue their case.
Casting director Kerry Barden described about eight weeks for a film, from first auditions through director callbacks and sometimes chemistry reads.
No, auditions are unpaid. If you book the role, you may be paid in salary, credit, back end and, on union films, residuals.
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