Screenwriting : Script suggestions. Good or bad idea? by Niksa Maric

I personally believe actors should fill the role of the character, not the opposite..besides some may want too much for the role..and where does that lead you? Give your own characters life and a good actor/actress will wanna jump into the pages after reading their dialog... be original, and trust me you will find actors to fill any role you put forth.

Thank you Juan, but here's something else I left out in previous post. There are 3 characters in several scripts whose actions or the way of doing things I based on my personal experience, things I've seen, done or would have done myself. I've read it in article once, personal experience in things they write about, sometimes does help. What IF one day I DO MANAGE to sell the script and someone asks me, Who do I see playing this role, then what? How do I teach someone to become me, spend time with him, correct him all the time, coach him... How do you turn someone's personality into something different than his own. But, I myself don't think this should be a problem, IF IT HAPPENS, in the future. The Actor by definition is a person who has to pretend to be somebody else, because Acting Is nothing more than Pretending, although only sometimes, some actors or actresses take it too far.

You answered your own question Niksa, acting is pretending... so your job is to translate a mirror of your experience on paper, enough so that the actor can jump into the role without you being there to coach him... YOU ARE THE SCULPTURER bro... do you on paper and the rest is history.

I think the question is, do you write the character in the script for a particular actor. The answer is no. However, producers do ask if you have a particular actor in mind, and if you can come up with one or more for each major role, it will definitely help your cause. But as you point out, don't write it in the script. Every year you will need to update who will play these parts as new actors arrive on the scene. All of this has nothing to do with who will end up playing the part, it's just a selling tool. Producers want to see if you've done your homework (so they don't have to).

Interesting question, Niksa. When I'm writing, I do sometimes think of a particular Actor/Actress I think would be "right" for a character, and would not hesitate to mention them and possibly others as well if questioned. But I don't lock the character I'm creating to anyone in particular because I think flexibility and interpretation gives the producers and directors more choices (for better or worse.) We're the writers, not the people doing the casting, regardless of our personal preferences. SJJ

I agree, producers and directors or casting directors should have the last word here but IF and only IF I ever get approached by anyone and they tell me " We like the story, the concept, the idea...." Let just imagine it happened. What does it cast them to hear the suggestions out, they don't have to go with any of the suggestions and as far as I'm concerned, they can take all the credit if they go with something I've suggested. What about this this MAGIC GRAPH or MAGIC QUESTION FORMULA or whatever is called, where the character's mind of state is described, the way he or she progresses through entire movie. Who writes these, it can't be the producer or the director, it can't be the agent and I'm pretty sure it's not a script consultant or proofreader. I hope it's not going to turn up like a pilot TV show, it was aired about six months ago where The General wears ribbons or a medal from Vietnam on his chest, but he's not old enough to be a General, he was about 2 years old when the war ended. The last comment doesn't have to do with anything above but it did happen and it happens all the time. Thank you for your comment.

Seems like a loaded question to me. It could be a harmless question, or maybe not. Producers are just like anyone else; you never really know what they're thinking when their lips are moving. If the producer has no idea about the proper actor, and you suggest some well-known name, that might scuttle the whole project with this person.... who considers the actor too pricey for the accustomed budget range, too unreliable, too temperamental, too little-known in the business, or who already has bad blood with this producer or someone he knows for some reason.... the possible list of negatives could be extensive if you named someone, potentially anyone. On the other hand, what writer wants to act like s/he has no clue who could fill the lead role? I'd probably dodge around a little, saying something like, "Well, you know, I envisioned a blonde-haired guy, kinda square-jawed, maybe around fifty but still youthful and muscular..." and I'd see if the producer came up with some names that included Brad Pitt, or not, and see where it went from there.

Ron, ol' buddy, you're way over-thinking this. It doesn't mater what the producer is thinking. They want to get an idea of what you're thinking. It means that you, as the writer, know the current state of affairs in Hollywood (or elsewhere). If you think your movie can't support an actor like Brad Pitt, then you come up with another rising star it can support. You have to be close to the game to play it. No suggestion is going to harm your chances at selling or optioning you script. Producers, on the most part, are not creatives, so need a helping hand in visualization. The more you can give them, the better. The closer you are to knowing which actors are contenders in the current field, way better. Never, ever, do your suggestion at the end of your comment. Do not throw the ball back into the producer's court. That could be a death knell for your pitch.

It wouldn't be the first time I over-thought something, Stuart. You're certainly right that a writer should have a (homework-induced) sense of who's doing what in the contemporary field. I will take your last sentence and read it as, "That, TOO, could be a death knell for your pitch." But, if you're meeting someone to pitch, "know whom that person has already worked with successfully;" that's probably the best advice, eh?

Every single screen play i have written I have copied and pasted a pic of the Character i want to play the part in folder for writing reference and because in a pitch session you are literally going to say I see a William Shatner type guy as a rough and tumble Patrolman.

Yes, Ron, knowing who the produce has worked with in the past is most helpful, though knowing which actors are on the rise that can replace the expensive well-known actor is even more important. Christian, your method is very good, but I don't have a patrolman in my scripts. haha! Kidding aside, I find the best policy is not volunteering information until the producer asks for it. He could be thinking of a completely different person. Tell your story and let the producer lead the conversation. We, as writers, are not casting directors. In my experience, producers usually ask when the character is outside the normal realm.