I completed a screenplay and I wrote with specific actors
and actresses in mind. I now would like to have them read my work, but I don’t
know how to handle
this. Can I write their agent and trust him to have them read my work? Is there
another solution?
–Laurent
If you wrote your script to star Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts, then sorry,
you’re out of luck. Their agents will return your script unopened. On the other
hand, if the specific actors you have in mind are much smaller profile, or
have unique situations that make it hard for them to work as much as they’d
like, you might be able to get their agents to read it. Actors I would put
in this category include Marlee Matlin, Ossie Davis, and Camryn Manheim. They’re
all very talented, but not that many people are writing material specifically
for them.
Of course, the chances of any agent reading your screenplay are greatly increased
if you can present yourself as (a) competent and (b) sane. This is the time
to write the most professional, most concise and best proof-read letter of
your life, explaining exactly who you are, what your movie is about, and why
their client is right for the role.