Casting only the "beautiful" people

[cinematography]

I'll admit. I'm guilty of doing this. For my last movie, I cast an Asian model to play the lead. I feel so shallow, and so ashamed. She was a pretty good actress though. But do you see a problem with this? Are you guilty of casting only beautiful people for your movies? I personally think it would be better if independent filmmakers, and Hollywood filmmakers, started casting more 'not so pretty / heavier' people in films. It would be better if there was more racial diversity in films to. Variety rocks!

What do you think?

 

[Mr.Blonde]

Umm.. I don't quite know how to put this...because it's going to seem so obvious...but you should cast according to the character, if the character is supposed to be pretty, it wouldn't make sense to cast someone that was unattractive. Don't feel bad about it.

I usually have a very good idea of what my characters look like.. so I cast whoever's closest to that image.. or if I could see potential for them to bring something else to the character that I might not have thought of..which can change the image of them in my head entirely.. y'know?

 

[clive]

I think the issue for me is not about whether the person is good looking, it's about whether they are photogenic.

Sid James was far from good looking, but he looked great on film and in fact many of the British actors from the 40's and 50's were character actors, as opposed to eye candy.

I think Mr Blond is right, that you have to cast according to the needs of the character, but I think that the idea of what kind of person can play a particular role ought to be more flexible.

I have many friends who are actors and the one thing they all hate about auditioning for TV and Film work is that they are almost exclusively cast on their appearance and almost always in a stereotypical way. Their ability to act is always an after thought. In fact, I know of one UK TV series whose audition consists of twenty hopefuls walking around the room in a circle, whilst a panel from the show compare the shape of their butts.

I think the problem is that many directors only see the actor as another prop, that either fits in with their vision or doesn't. I think it's really important to go to auditions with an open mind, trying to put to one side the picture of the character you have in your head.

 

[bird]

There is no guilt in wanting to look at beautiful things, the gratification is immediate and its own reward. But you're a filmmaker telling a story, and as said above, cast for character. What if directors/casting people looked at a Gene Hackman or a James Wood or a Linda Hunt and refused to cast them solely based on appearrance, we would have lost their performances. IMO intelligence and personality in a performance far outweighs a pretty face.

 

[bird]

Yahhh...Mr(Miss)Blonde is back

 

[cinematography]

you should cast according to the character

I do. That wasn’t my argument though. My point was simple. There is a lot of prejudice in both the independent film and Hollywood film worlds. In many cases, not all, it has become more about vanity and making things look cool than content.

I usually have a very good idea of what my characters look like.. so I cast whoever's closest to that image.. or if I could see potential for them to bring something else to the character that I might not have thought of..which can change the image of them in my head entirely.. y'know?

Yes.

Sid James was far from good looking, but he looked great on film and in fact many of the British actors from the 40's and 50's were character actors, as opposed to eye candy.

The kind of discrimination I describe is more popular with women and non-whites.

In fact, I know of one UK TV series whose audition consists of twenty hopefuls walking around the room in a circle, whilst a panel from the show compare the shape of their butts.

LOL. Wow. That’s funny and sad.

 

[clive]

The kind of discrimination I describe is more popular with women and non-whites.

You should look at "Redemption" a feature by one of our members. He's got a couple of great sequences in that film about his experiences in LA casting sessions as a black actor.

 

[WideShot]

People want to see beautiful people on the screen. Guys like pretty girls, girls like handsome guys. Psychologically it goes much deeper than you might think. that being said, although 95% of roles are for traditional hollywood pretty actress/waitress types, more intellectual films often show less than gorgeous people as main characters. The point being that if the script and character call for it, then it calls for it. But most big budget productions are put together differently - they attach stars to a project, find funding, make a film that will make a profit just because people want to watch Joe or Jane hot stuff on the screen for 95 minutes.

Indie film is different. Make a film called "Ugly people rule the world", the indie market will eat it up. Things are changing. Make a more sophisticated film than the formulaic crap coming out of hollywood mills.

 

[cinematography]

You should look at "Redemption" a feature by one of our members. He's got a couple of great sequences in that film about his experiences in LA casting sessions as a black actor.

Sounds like an interesting subject. Thank you for the recommendation.

People want to see beautiful people on the screen. Guys like pretty girls, girls like handsome guys. Psychologically it goes much deeper than you might think. that being said, although 95% of roles are for traditional hollywood pretty actress/waitress types, more intellectual films often show less than gorgeous people as main characters.

This is a perfectly valid point. It's unfortunate though that the mainstream isn't more interested in people who are more like themselves. Maybe they see films more as a way to escape the conventions and gloom of reality, and not so much as an artistic way to reflect reality. This may be why they (some) expect everything in their films to be beautiful and glamorous, and why so many filmmakers cater to this want – leaving many of the lesser looking better actors in the dust.

 

[Mr.Blonde]

Sounds like an interesting subject. Thank you for the recommendation.


This is a perfectly valid point. It's unfortunate though that the mainstream isn't more interested in people who are more like themselves. Maybe they see films more as a way to escape the conventions and gloom of reality, and not so much as an artistic way to reflect reality. This may be why they (some) expect everything in their films to be beautiful and glamorous, and why so many filmmakers cater to this want – leaving many of the lesser looking better actors in the dust.

Well really now.. when you think about it.. we see people who look like themselves everyday, as you said..seeing a film is an escape from reality.. some people go to the cinema to simply witness somebody's life more exciting then there own unfold for 2 hours.. to just be voyeurs into the reality that exists for that time.. but movies have never just been about just watching regular people.. it's always some quest, some mission, some personal journey.. so we expect to see stylised versions of ourselves.. coz for that time.. we relate completely to that person...& for that time.. we are that person.

 

[Mr.Blonde]

Yahhh...Mr(Miss)Blonde is back

Squee!! haha.. thanks, it's good to be back.

 

[cinematography]

Well really now.. when you think about it.. we see people who look like themselves everyday, as you said..seeing a film is an escape from reality.. some people go to the cinema to simply witness somebody's life more exciting then there own unfold for 2 hours.. to just be voyeurs into the reality that exists for that time.. but movies have never just been about just watching regular people.. it's always some quest, some mission, some personal journey.. so we expect to see stylised versions of ourselves.. coz for that time.. we relate completely to that person...& for that time.. we are that person.

You make an absolutely flawless point, Mr. Blonde. However, I still think it kind of sucks that a lot of extremely talented performers are turned down simply because they aren't thin or hot enough.

 

[Mr.Blonde]

Well this is a tough business.. & not everyone is right for it. That's life I'm afraid.

 

[cinematography]

Well this is a tough business.. & not everyone is right for it. That's life I'm afraid.

Well, I'm going to do my part and start rebelling against the superficiality of the system by getting more talent and less beauty for my movies. Does this mean I’m going to start hiring people that don’t match the look of the characters I have in mind, or get butt ugly people just to help create the balance I want? Of course not. But if I ever have to choose between a supermodel that can’t act, and an average looking person that can act extremely well, I’m going to go with the normal looking person.

 

[Mr.Blonde]

Good for you!! As I said.. cast for the character.. not the audience.

 

[Mr.Blonde]

You'll just betray your script & yourself as an artist if you try to be all things to all people. Go with what feels right.. casting because of talent will reflect better on you then casting for beauty.

 

[Dimp Paddy]

i agree pretty much 100% with Blondey, if you know as much about your characters as you should, then you should go from that and not who is 'it' right now, or who would look best on screen.

hahaha i know that the two main characters in the short i've just written aren't handsome, hell, one is based on me!

 

[directorik]

The extreme is easy - a beauty that can't act vs. the normal looker who is brilliant.

What if you have two, equally talented actors? Both would fit the part perfectly and each would bring something unique - and very different - to the character.

Two scenarios:

1) Actor #1 is very pretty to look at. Enthusiastic, sexy, but not supermodel perfect. Actor #2 is average. Enthusiastic, overweight, but not obese. Who do you pick?

2) Actor #1 is stunning. They type you see in movies and TV all the time. Actor #2 is frumpy. The type you see on line at the supermarket in Kansas. Who do you pick?

 

[clive]

What if you have two, equally talented actors? Both would fit the part perfectly and each would bring something unique - and very different - to the character.

Two scenarios:

1) Actor #1 is very pretty to look at. Enthusiastic, sexy, but not supermodel perfect. Actor #2 is average. Enthusiastic, overweight, but not obese. Who do you pick?

2) Actor #1 is stunning. They type you see in movies and TV all the time. Actor #2 is frumpy. The type you see on line at the supermarket in Kansas. Who do you pick?

Actually, it's not usually that hard a decision. The trick is to cast the principle cast together, so that the interaction between the key cast member is the deciding factor. By doing it this way you are not making a judgement about the person in isolation, which in turn makes it less likely that the casting will come down to decision about outward appearance.

In my experience once you get the right people together in a room the casting becomes obvious. Looking for the chemistry between people is by far the best audition tool I've found so far.

 

[shirleyb]

Originally Posted by Mr.Blonde
Well really now.. when you think about it.. we see people who look like themselves everyday, as you said..seeing a film is an escape from reality.. some people go to the cinema to simply witness somebody's life more exciting then there own unfold for 2 hours.. to just be voyeurs into the reality that exists for that time.. but movies have never just been about just watching regular people.. it's always some quest, some mission, some personal journey.. so we expect to see stylised versions of ourselves.. coz for that time.. we relate completely to that person...& for that time.. we are that person.

I agree with Mr. Miss Blonde's other comments entirely. We do watch films to escape but that's not the only reason. Movies have been about watching "regular" people. Just harken back to early days of filmmaking- Edison was filmming vaudeville performers and odd acts but the Lumiere Brothers' first film was a single shot made outside a factory just observing workers coming and going on your average day which may have been the very birth of documentary filmmaking right here. I think watching films is just as much the act of observing as it is what we're observing or whom. And if done just right, the camera can make just about anything seductive or photogenic or full of character and I think that's what makes film so magical.