Understanding Your Casting Type: A Guide for Actors
In this article, I’m going to help you understand all things casting type and by the end of it, you will know everything about how to hone yours. Casting type refers to your ‘niche‘ that you most naturally fit into based on your physical appearance, personality, and acting style. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you understand and identify your casting type.
How Do I Understand My Casting type?
Start by self reflection, be honest with yourself. Your voice, demeanour, facial structure, Age, Personality. Do you have strong sharp features? A soft rounded warm friendly look? Are you nerdy? Dominant? Authoritative? Shy? The things that come naturally to you, are your strongest points to casting. They separate you from other actors because you’re not required to transform, they come naturally to you.
What do people say about you?
Ask your trusted friends and relatives, how you come across. Do you usually get told you have a resting bi*ch face or that you have a friendly inviting face? Even though these things aren’t true to who you are, in casting they are your greatest asset. Without opening your mouth or doing anything, they speak for you. Its important in your Actors Headshots to consult with the photographer about what your strengths are and who you are, to get them to capture this look from you in the shoot, it will inform them on how to correctly light and direct you.
Archetypes In Theatre And Film
The world of storytelling thrives on archetypes – characters that embody fundamental human truths. Are you the hero, the wise mentor to your friends, villainous, the caregiver, the outlaw, the lover, these recurring figures resonate with audiences across cultures and time. Thats why we see them still today! Understanding archetypes can be a powerful tool for actors seeking to identify their casting type
Carl Jung
Carl Jung, a renowned psychologist, proposed the theory of archetypes – universal themes and characters that reside within the collective unconscious, a shared pool of human experience. By studying these archetypes, actors gain a powerful tool for understanding themselves and the characters they portray. Studying him i believe can help you identify and understand what characters are wrote today and throughout history and which ones you most strongly resonate with.
Snap Judgments- Your Casting Advantage
We’ve all done it, walking down the street and unconsciously forming impressions of people based on a glance. It’s an ingrained human behaviour – studies show we make snap judgments within a tenth of a second! Wheres the time to act? We judge profession, personality, sexuality even trustworthiness based on a glance. Knowing how people judge you is actually your marketing super power.
Building a Brand
As you book roles that suit your type, a consistent image emerges. Casting directors and audiences begin to recognise you for a particular genre or character, making you a go-to choice for those roles. Giving you leverage in a competitive industry.
Actionable Steps To Hone Your Casting Type
1. Deep Dive: After self-reflection, research, and feedback from your circle, you’re ready to create marketing materials – Acting headshots, Showreel material and online presence – that represent your casting type.
2. Embrace Your True Self: Authenticity is key. Self-reflection should include self-love and acceptance. Shine a light on your lights and darks, and use them in your work. This journey of embracing your light and shadow, creates dimension and a captivating on-screen presence.
Once you have done some self reflection and introspection and research from your friends and peers. You’re ready to have marketing content and media to represent that. Actors Headshots, Portraiture and Showreels. Make sure to book with someone who understands how to brand you and specialises in this.
Be Confident About Who You Are
Putting on a mask can be liberating but being honest with who you are leaves a sense of vulnerability. Part of your journey of self reflection should include self love and acceptance. Shine a light on the things you love and don’t love about yourself, find a way to love yourself exactly as you are in your human lights and shadows and use it in your work. Its a Journey but one we all must embark. The contrast of light and dark gives you dimension and makes you human.
Breaking the Mould: The “Irony” of Casting Types
As an actor, you can transform! You can create a whole new backstory and embody new demeanours physically and vocally. However, your natural essence is your strongest selling point. For quick auditions, sometimes you get a day or two, resulting overly compensating who you naturally are “acting” a character can be a weakness it takes time to fully embody a different three dimensional character. Someone embodying the type naturally will likely book the job because they already “are” it. However, as your career progresses and you gain experience, you can certainly tackle more diverse roles. But for now, hone your natural strengths and use them to your advantage to gain leverage in whats strongest to who you are.
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
