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.