I always wondered how certain actors just somehow *poof* appeared on world stage, without really being in anything smaller before (for example John Krasinski with The Office). How do they get a leading role in a big production? Are there auditions for big movies where pretty much anybody could apply or does everything go via agents/managers and then it‘s just luck?
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In general anyone can apply for an audition. You might see postings for auditions where anyone can apply. But more commonly actors hire agents to find auditions that might fit. You might think star actors appear out of nowhere but usually they go to acting schools for years, get experience through stage acting, commercials and smaller roles in tv series. Their breakthrough usually comes after a lot of work when they finally get a role that fits them well.
In the case of Krasinski he started acting in 6th grade and both acted and played all the way thorough high school. Then he studied playwriting at university. He even wrote for Late Night with Conan O’Brian for some time. He spent years working off-Broadway shows and commercials. So he had quite a lot of experience before he auctioned for The Office. This was most likely through an agent and I were to guess that they were looking for a man in the right age with a lot of improvisation skills who loved working comedy. That was a role that fit him perfectly.
It really works just like getting a normal job, except most actors are represented by an agent and, generally, all major actor jobs are locked to union workers.
An open casting call is generally how you get a nobody who explodes out of nowhere. In an open casting call, a production agency announces that they are looking for an actor for a roll.
The casting call includes information like sex, age, race, physical features, and any special skills needed (for example, horseback riding or speaking in a British accent). This is the same thing as a job description in a normal job.
Agents who represent actors will submit their packets, which includes pictures and work history. Think of this like submitting resumes.
The casting team will pick the people they think are most promising and have the actor come in for an audition. Auditions are basically interviews for actors. For big roles, there will probably be many rounds of audition so the actor can be tested in many ways.
In the end, the production team will make an offer to the actor’s agent, who will negotiate for the actor as needed.
>for example John Krasinski with The Office
This is not an example of an unknown actor getting in a big production. It’s also not technically a “film audition.” TV works a little differently from film. In TV, writers pitch a show idea and then they get approved for a pilot, then they put out a casting call to acting agencies. These acting agencies act as a sort of vetting system. John Krasinski would have had to audition for the agency and prove that he can act, then the agency helps connect him with auditions that he would be more likely to get. John Krasinski wouldn’t have been auditioning for a primetime NBC show, he would just be auditioning for a pilot. A pilot is like a proof of concept for a TV show. It’s made to show to the network and then the network will decide if they want to order a full season of episodes or not, but many of these pilots never get broadcasted and it’s possible John Krasinski was in other pilots. Pilots sometimes become the show’s premiere episode which I think was the case for “The Office” (US), but sometimes they shoot a new premiere episode if the network has a lot of notes on things to change or if they need to recast a role. So it wasn’t until the show was officially picked up for a full season that John Krasinski knew that he was a lead on an NBC sitcom which he would have already gone through the auditioning and casting process and have shot 1 episode.
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