Importance of Reading Actor Breakdowns
Seriously, this is going to be good.
As an actor, you are essentially going to be given a breakdown of a character either online, in different online places if you are a free agent, or typically given to you by your agent.
These breakdowns are created by the casting team that has gone through and read every single line, and every single character note and nuance of a script. And I really do mean every line.
From there, casting does two things:
Create a few sentence synopsis on the entire script - so you get a feel for the project
Create character breakdowns - for all characters, from the main guys to the little guys
Now, why is it actually important to read those breakdowns? Can’t you just apply to every character that you see?
Well… You can, but you are not always going to BE a father type if you ARE a quirky girl. Do you see what I mean?
Reading the character breakdowns clearly can give you all the info you need to submit yourself for the right role. This includes:
Age ranges
Gender
Looks & skin colours (Used in descriptive words like Asian, Latino & Caucasian as examples)
Personality bits
If you are neither of those, and you aren’t going “Oh! That’s totally me!” then it is likely that the particular breakdown you just read is not for you. But if you are, then WOOP! go for it homeslice!
On the other side of that, seeing only particular character breakdowns available at one time can give you an idea of what casting & the producers are currently looking for. If you are in the smaller actor category like I am currently, you won’t typically see the larger roles up for grabs unless they couldn’t find the right person or the person they originally wanted dropped out.
In addition to that, some breakdowns can be confusing and unclear on which character is currently being cast. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself the following question:
Is there info on multiple characters on this breakdown? (age, gender, personality, etc.)
If yes, then choose a character that is available that you think is more like you.
If no, make sure that you read that specific character breakdown to make sure it is like you, before submitting yourself.
This type of thing happened recently, and while those confusions do happen, it is important to read everything fully & clearly before making your submission. If you are still unsure about what character the breakdown is for, ask someone. Ask casting, ask your agent, or ask a fellow actor to give it a once over, and that will help out both casting and your agent to show them that you know what you are doing. And will help to create a better experience for everyone. <3
