Why not create the greatest part you've ever wanted to play?
Are you sitting around, waiting and hoping that maybe, someday, you'll be able to audition for the perfect role? Even if that oppurtunity comes along, you're not the one deciding if you get cast.
So take control!
Two of HBO's current hit shows, "Insecure" and "High Maintenance" are starring actors who created the show for themselves. Both started as homemade shows on Youtube and Vimeo. They hardly went a traditional route of pitching their idea for a show to an executive. Instead, they wrote the perfect role, created a show around it, shot it on video, and put it up on the internet. By no means was it an easy thing to do, but that's what separates somebody who truly wants to succeed at this art of ours, and those who sit around daydreaming.
Issa Rae was an African American actress with no agent, no connections, and no career. She wondered why she never saw nerdy black girls on TV or in films. She felt that is exactly the role she could play best, because it was the life she was living. Like many actors, she said she would write it all down one day, and maybe shoot it on video, but like most actors, she was procrastinating for years. Fortunately, one day, she woke up sick and tired of not doing everything she could. The results are that she is living her dreams. She wrote down all the uncomfortable moments in her daily life and created a show for YouTube, titled "Mis-Adventures Of An Awkward Black Girl".
By portraying a role she was perfect for, the indie YouTube series became a cult hit online. She was authentic, and it spoke a language all of us could understand, feeling unsure about ourselves. Within 3 years, it was picked up by HBO, re-titled as "Insecure". Now she's both a TV star and a movie star with creative freedom, all because she made the extra effort that most actors won't. She created her own destiny.
It all starts with the written word.
I remember being frustrated watching romantic comedies where the girl was shuffling her feet waiting for a man to call her back, or worse yet, the lovably-dorky-goofball guy trying to hook up with a hot girl. Why is it, I wondered, did I never see a take-charge, muscle-bound man who was actually the insecure and needy one in a relationship? I knew dozens of guys like that. Women would often say to me "guys in relationships are nothing like they are on TV". So I wrote a movie called 'Strictly Sexual', wherein a woman kept a man in her pool house to get laid because she didn't want a relationship, while the man desperately wanted to be in love. Of course, the role of the guy, I wrote for myself. After shooting the indie film on a tiny budget, it became Hulu's #1 most-watched movie for nearly 10 years. Before that, all I had ever acted in was a Toyota commercial.
I remember reading a review about my movie that stated "The screenwriter gave himself most of the best lines", which was a backhanded compliment, and not something I did on purpose. My role was well fleshed out because I had lived it. I used to be an angry loudmouth out of touch with his feelings, so writing it and performing it was simply drawing upon memory. Of course, audiences don't just want to see an angry guy be jealous or try and control his significant other, they want to see him grow and learn. It forced me to dive deeper and show the character trying to conquer his fears. It's cathartic to write, and of course, a journey the audience wants to be taken along on. Don't write a show based on what a drunk you were in college; maybe that's funny for a little while, but you have to see what that character goes through we all can relate to, and root for our hero to succeed.
You have to ask yourself, what is the role you could you see yourself playing? Equally important, what is it about that role that people want to watch? Like the common business practice of supply and demand, you need to find a role that isn't being properly filled.
Great actors or comedians touch upon something that audiences identify with. You need to put a voice to something other people are thinking.
Nobody can tell you what that is. Only you know what it is you want to say. Don't make the mistake of thinking how unique you are. Artists become beloved because they're relatable, not because they're special.
When Sylvester Stallone wrote the starring role for himself in "Rocky", he knew that everyone in the world could relate to just wanting to do your best. Very few people actually box, yet a character who says he just wants to prove to himself that he can do his best, win or lose, is something we can all relate to. There's a reason the iconic scenes are not him actually fighting, but training. When we think of Rocky, we think of him jogging up stairs and making it to the top, because his battle was improving when he had lost faith in himself.
Creating the perfect role for yourself isn't a wacky accent or an eccentric trait they have. Sure, those things can be present, but what is the universal desire they have? What is the obstacle they deal with in their life that we can all relate to?
Storytelling is conflict. A character is trying to achieve a goal, and there are things preventing the hero from attaining that goal. You must create the world around them that is acting as a barrier. Most often, artists drawn upon real life. You don't need to create a role where you are a superhero saving the world. Create a role where the hero is saving their own world; maybe that's falling in love, but they're afraid to do so, and have to face that fear. Perhaps your perfect role is someone learning to believe in themselves. These are all heroic qualities.
If you've never written a word before, that's okay. Neither did Shakespeare, until he did.
And it doesn't have to be Shakespearean. It just has to be authentic. No matter who you are, you have had an authentic experience or struggle in your life. Write it down.
What is the character trying to achieve? You can answer that. You've done these exercises in acting class. Writing isn't something you should be intimidated by. Anyone can do it. Sure, there are varying degrees of talent--- But if you're an actor, your job is to be a storyteller.
How do you expect to build on a character in a leading role if you can't create one yourself?
I won't go into detail here about how to actually shoot the pilot or movie, that's a whole other article, but let me talk about the other benefits about writing the script. This is an insight nobody learns until after they've actually done it:
Your confidence will go through the roof. The way you view yourself, and your art, will grow in every direction. Even before you show anyone the screenplay, you will lift your chin a bit higher by FINALLY doing what you said you would do. Also, when you walk into rooms and audition and have the initial ice-breaker conversation with casting directors or producers, you will have a new achievement to mention that will echo in your voice. Believe me, I've written, produced and directed movies and shows, and when an actor walks in the room and mentions they wrote a script of their own, I immediately view them through a different lens. It tells me right away you have a newfound respect for the script they're auditioning for. It tells the director and producer you are serious about your career and proactive, which is exactly the type of person they want to cast in their movie. So even if that script you write doesn't get made this year or next year, just having achieved that goal will improve the way you approach characters for your other roles.
Now, if you're truly ready to pursue your dreams, give yourself 30 minutes a day of writing. No internet, no phone, just you, a pen, and a notebook, sitting somewhere quietly. Don't tell yourself you're 'too busy'. Wake up 30 minutes sooner, and start your day by completing the most important part of your life!
