Where Do Famous Actors Find Auditions?

There are many different avenues that can be sought by famous actors in terms of finding auditions. Many people incorrectly assume that famous actors just get handed roles.

This is not entirely true. Whilst it is true that famous actors do sometimes get called up and asked to audition for a role, or even get handed a role if the director or writer has someone particular in mind, this is not always the case. Many famous actors, even award winning ones, still need to go through the same audition process as many lesser known actors.

Truth is, it just totally depends on the role in question, the producer, the director, the casting agent, and the availability of the actor. For example, some movie roles will be written with a certain type of actor in mind. 

Others may be written for a specific actor. If a director or writer or even producers know what sort of actor they want to cast they can often think of several already known actors in the industry who would be a good fit. They may even have one particular person in mind. This has happened with many famous roles. One example is the Marvel character of Nick Fury. Fury was originally based on David Hasselhoff in the comics. However, later comics depicted him as someone who looked like actor Samuel L. Jackson.

Reportedly, Jackson got to hear of this and reached out to say he was interested in being involved if said comics ever came to the screens. Of course, he has now played Nick Fury in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Of course, sometimes roles are created with certain actors in mind but then that actor turns down the role. Audrey Hepburn’s role as Holly Golightly in the film adaption of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s was intended for Marilyn Monroe. Capote was good friends with Monroe and she was the vision he had to bring his role to life.

However, the casting team and director of the movie had a different vision, and Hepburn was cast (although she originally turned it down due to not wanting to play a role of a sex worker). As well as these situations, many actors will still audition through the traditional means, sending off audition tapes. This is particularly common if they want to audition for something different from their usual typecast.

They may find these roles through their agent, on online bulletin boards, from casting calls made known to them by others in the industry, and through word of mouth.

Do famous actors have to audition?

It depends! As we know from the first question in this article, some actors are approached by writers, directors, and casting agents for particular roles, and so they may not have to audition in the traditional sense.

Other roles may have a particular ‘look’ and ‘character’ in mind that may apply to a number of famous actors, and so there may be auditions from a few famous actors for one role. Alternatively, famous actors may choose to audition traditionally, through casting calls and audition tapes. With all of this in mind, it is clear that when it comes to famous actors auditioning for roles, there are certainly no solid rules that must be followed.

Sometimes they will audition just like everyone else, other times they will be approached by writers, directors, and other creatives, and sometimes they may even have roles written for them. Casting agents will be adept at knowing exactly who to reach out to, and certainly, there are some casting agents out there who have a background and reputation for landing very famous stars. As well as this, the agents of famous people will constantly be on the lookout for any new opportunities for their clients.In fact, it is common to find many famous actors sharing the same agent. Kevin Huvane, for example, represents the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Meryl Streep, Chris Evans, Viola Davies, Steven Spielberg, and many more. The role of an agent is to find auditions and jobs for their client, and so they are vital in the process. Indeed, there have even been cases where an actor has heard about a film and become interested in it, choosing to reach out to the director, writer, or producer and gaining a part that way.Of course, we also know about situations where a number of famous actors have vied for the same role. Brie Larson, for example, reported on her Youtube channel that she originally auditioned for the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. As well as this example, there are also reports of Jennifer Lawrence being turned down for the role of Bella Swann in Twilight, in favor of Kristen Stewart.