hollywood

How often have you seen a movie which was entertaining enough and beautiful to look at but the most important roles were played by actors who didn’t fit? And the opposite; an actor who was so right for the role that it is hard to imagine how anyone else could play that part.

Spartacus has been remade and it may be that the new version appeals to a younger, present-day oriented crowd, but to me Kirk Douglas was so exactly right in the role that anyone else seems tame. There were many excellent actors in that first Spartacus, some who might be considered better actors, but Douglas WAS Spartacus.

How does the casting director make such crucial decisions? There appears to be some genius to it. Lynn Stalmaster is the best know of the long time casting directors. It is said that he never spent more than five minutes with an actor. He had the knack of knowing whether an actor was suitable just by looking at him or her for a few moments, and asking just a question of two.

According to him he works very hard to get the right person. The Hollywood Reported did a great interview with him. You can find it here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/interviews/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2072058

If the link doesn’t work properly, type in his name in Google and you will find it.

The Internet Movie dataBase lists 383 movies that he has cast. Actors, directors, producers and crew would benefit by studying Stalmaster’s approach. Star Search Casting is a casting company that is available as a website where actors and others can get a great deal of information and create a presence.

John Houston, who used Lynn Stalmaster, was once asked by an actor on the set why Houston didn’t give him any direction. Houston reportedly replied that once the casting was done well, the movie would make itself. If he got the right actor, there was no need for direction.

Jack Wilson is an artist and writer in Tempe, AZ

http://www.geocities.com/galimatio/jackwilson.html

Share This

All humans are actors to some extent. This sounds Shakespearean but it is very true. Many times we have done what we do not like and many times we begin to like what we are doing. We represent those very feelings on stage or before the camera in the form of characters. The person’s who enact those characters are actors.

The hero-actor in a play or a film is not always the protagonist though usually he is so. The plot of a story or a play takes the hero through a number of coincides or circumstantial changes to show that he can adjust in any space and time and yet remains a leader or a savoir.

Well! A tragic hero on the other hand distorts his own good circumstance and he also worsens in his temperament in such a way that the spectators sympathizes with wraths than looking down on him. In both the above cases the actors who portray these characters must be very skilled in showing their feelings by their eyes, the face and of course the body. Sometimes they may have to overact.

The comedians have to keep improvising methods to portray the force in the society and the foolishness of the rich who haven’t experienced the world around and take it for granted that all happiness can be commodities. Many times a comedian performs serious roles yet he makes us laugh-he is an actor.

The lady on the other hand whether a heroine or a vamp usually shows excess feminine energy either she is a sacrificing friend, a mother or a seductor. To portray these feelings the lady actors need very good supporting actors.

The dancers or singers are also actors who are usually speaking of the hero, the heroine or the villain who would like to confess, or it could be about love, hate, or jealousy. Many times mindsets are condemned through a singer who also dances.

Basically the actors are also informal teachers.

For more information, visit The Acting Info Center

David Chandler
For your FREE Stock Market Trading Mini Course:
“What The Wall Street Hot Shots Won’t Tell You!” go to: The Stock Market Genie

Share This