ANDRE BEGIN

In the screenwriting world, I have seen articles debating the topic from time to time about whether we should write screenplays with specific actors in mind.

In my experience, I have, and I haven’t. It really depends on the screenplay.

My first screenwriting project was an ambitious one: writing an entire series (approximately eight episodes) for an ensemble drama with 15 characters.

You would think that I could have chosen something more entry-level friendly, like the script for a short film or even a feature-length one. But no, I was determined to prove to myself that after years of writing for the public sector while dreaming about crafting creative writing projects in my retirement years, I wanted to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could do it, stick with it and remain interested in it, before building my retirement plans around screenwriting.

Plus, in having watched hours of soapy daytime and prime time dramas over the course of my lifetime, writing my own series was a dream come true in itself, whether the project ever sees the light of day or not.

For this project, given the number of unique characters involved, to write the dialogue with the faces, voices and mannerisms of favourite television personalities in mind, it was incredibly helpful to maintain consistency in those characters throughout the series. I would never suggest that casting these actors is a deal-breaker, but having a “stand-in” articulating these lines as I committed them to paper was an incredible help.

However, more recently, in writing screenplays for rom-com style movies, I didn’t have specific actors in mind. While I usually start a project by developing a profile of my romantic leads’ personality traits, motivation, as well as a hint of their physical traits, I tend not to try to cast the role myself. For a 100-page script and only a limited number of characters, there is less opportunity for confusion that could jeopardize continuity.

There are just so many great actors out there who could do justice to any of my screenplays, and whom I trust could elevate the work to heights I never imagined. Should one of my screenplays get the green light, I fully trust the casting experts to find the right people with the right chemistry.

In my back and forth over the question of whether to write with an actor in mind, I can only imagine the disappointment if I absolutely wanted a certain actor to play a part, but they weren’t interested, and the project never got developed. On the other hand, it could be a euphoric dream come true for the screenwriter if an actor were interested in playing a role specifically designed with them in mind. I imagine that they could be flattered too.

For these reasons, I think arguments could be made on both sides on whether to have an actor in mind to fill a certain role. In some cases, I think it works, and in some cases, I believe it could be limiting. But at the end of the day, I think having an actor in mind is a tool available to screenwriters. And anything that can help us bring screenplays across the finish line can only be helpful in our creative process.

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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André