Why do so many wonderful actors never get the chance to use their talent? Why do well-trained actors fail to convince casting directors to book them for jobs and agents to take them on as clients? Why do so many actors find they're chasing after any career opportunity as opposed to creating a career they love? The simple answer is most actors have no understanding of their Castable Types® and without that crucial knowledge and insight, a majority of actors will fail at their creative career goals.
Understanding your Castable Types is more than saying I'm this or that type. It's having a thorough, in-your-bones knowledge of what is unique about your talent, how that can set you apart from the competition, giving you a recognizable identity as an actor. It builds demand for your talent. It becomes your area of acting expertise in the market. Strengthening and then using the unique and essential qualities that make up your Castable Types allows actors to take their work to Performance Level by bringing specificity, energy, relatability and nuance to every role. That is what casting directors look for in actors. That is what gets you to the final callback. That is what persuades a director to take a risk on a fresh face or an actor who differs from the breakdown and give him or her a chance. That is what tells an agent your talent is worth the investment.
Right now, you may be thinking, what are Castable Types?
If you think of your career as a small business - which is what it really is, your Castable Types are your unique selling proposition. Don’t let the word selling freak you out. You are selling your talent, your artistry and showing the industry what roles you can successfully bring to life at every audition and callback. The job of talent agents and managers is to pitch and sell your talent. You can’t pitch or sell actors/talent that is undefined, amorphous and general. Your Castable Types set you apart from the competition, giving you a recognizable identity as an actor. They build demand for your talent. They are your area of expertise, your place in the talent market.
Lets define it: Your Castable Types are the roles or characters you not only play well but embody, then relate fully and authentically to the audience or camera. They are the roles which, from the point of view of casting directors, agents and theatrical directors, fit you as an actor because you live the role and energize the material. Your Castable Types are the role’s you portray more effectively than other actors in the commercial and theatrical arena, both emotionally and physically.
By understanding your Castable Types, using the right techniques to achieve Performance Level work and having a clearer, current grasp of the industry, actors can finally make a successful and sustaining acting career a reality. You can learn how to define and use your Castable Types with my book, Your Castable Types.
