Casting the right person for a role is not as easy as picking the hottest lead possible. Movie executives don’t just point at a photo and go, “I want him to play the lead!” But in a perfect world, it’s just that easy.
Casting a lead role begins with the very thing that makes the movie come together—the screenplay! The screenplay describes key characters of a potential movie! Producers and executives will read this screenplay and put together a wish list for the leads. This wish list is also subjected to factors like the budget, which also kind of tells the size of the production, and the genre of the movie. See, actors have a certain reputation for certain genres. Like how Tom Cruise is known for his plethora of action movies. After these factors are considered and a wish list is made, the casting directors will take a look at this list and narrow it down to a more workable list of potentials! Casting directors will look into who is already working on a current project and who might be unavailable because of preferences to movies or chemistry with the other lead. They may also add up-and-coming actors that producers are not familiar with. Sometimes executives will work with marketing agencies or sales agents to see if this list is desirable to audience that the movie is targeting. Then the search begins! Yes, the search, audition, deals, contracts, and all the logistics of casting a lead for a role goes into full swing. And finally, the leads come together during production.
So really, there’s so much that goes into choosing and finding the right male lead. And sadly, it isn’t like the movies where they just come at the right time and have all the right things to say. Though everyone wishes they were like that!
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