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No matter where you are in your career, just starting out or entering a new category…before you have your headshots taken, or retaken…before you meet with an agent, or go into your current agent to discuss why you’re not going out more…before you go to any castings or more importantly, any casting workshops…if you want to work as an actor, to create or further a career, you must present yourself in a marketable and castable image.

Make sure you are selling an Image that people are buying

  • An agent, manager, casting director, director, etc., needs to be able to look at you, or your headshot, or your reel, and know exactly who you are,  and what they can do with you.
  • No one is waiting for your “good” picture to land on their desk so they can take you under their wings and develop you…no one has time for that.
  • A generic headshot, a generic performance, an audition in which you’re just trying to be what you think they want, will not open doors to an acting career.

Know who you are and how you “fit” in the industry

  • No one is going to get you, until you get yourself first.
  • Take an HONEST REALISTIC and SPECIFIC look at who you are and how you present yourself.  This is one of the most difficult tasks for an actor. Seek help from acting teachers, casting directors, consultants, whomever can help you achieve the most specific honest and realistic self-evaluation.
  • Watch movies, television, commercials. Where do you see yourself, your type, your category?  What exact roles are those people playing? What are they wearing? How do they wear their hair?

 begin to see yourself the way the industry sees you

  • Every actor fits within certain parameters set by their castable image.
  • The Castable actor knows, understands, and owns this fact, and presents him/herself in this castable image every time they are donning their acting hat. 
  • You are in essence selling a product (you), make sure it is a product people are buying, and that you know every aspect of your castable image.

The 3 Main Aspects of The Castable Image

#1 TYPE
“Type” can be thought simply as a character breakdown for you, the actor. Write a breakdown for yourself so that anyone who knows you will immediately "get" that this is a description of you and no one else.
  • Sex - male or female
  • Age range - Age ranges are typically 5 yrs. (NO, yours is not more than that.) This does not mean how you feel or how old you want to pretend to be.  Your age range is what you are presenting physically.  Remember:  See yourself the way the industry sees you.
  • Physical description - general, yet truthful
  • Personality - a few main traits or characteristics, i.e. upper class/middle management/blue collar, funny, serious, brooding, jovial, etc.


#2 BRAND
An easy way to begin thinking about your "brand," is to find out what is unique and special about you. For example, when you’re at an audition and there are 25 actors all your type in the room, what do you bring to the party that they don’t? What are you known for or what are people always telling you? Be specific. I have dimples. I’m tall. I’m thin. I’m crazy. I have a rubber face. I am shy. I’m sensitive. I’m an excellent cook. I write poetry, etc. 

Every unique aspect about you, both physically and personality-wise, sets you apart from all the others in the room. These traits help to make up your specific "branding."  


#3 MARKETABILITY
An actor’s “marketability” is the range of roles or jobs that he/she can be cast in today…not roles they want to do or dream of doing, but understanding and accepting the level at which they are currently. 

Watch television, movies, commercials, web series, etc. Look for actors your type, your age range, and most importantly, your level of career. (If you are just starting out, you’re not about to be cast as the lead of a film.) Write these roles down, and make note of what those characters are wearing as well as their hair and makeup. If these are indeed the parts you will be auditioning for, you will want to incorporate those looks into your Castable Image.
Once you begin to understand and accept your Honest, Realistic, and Specific Castable Image, the next step is to put that information to work. Translate that marketable image to every aspect of your acting life…to your headshots, reel, classes, meetings, auditions, red carpets…every time you are wearing your acting hat.  Learn to present and package yourself as a marketable commodity.

All agents, managers, casting directors, and directors want from the moment you walk in the room is an actor who knows who they are (Type), knows what they have to offer (Talent and Marketability),  and who brings something unique and special to each role they play (Brand). They are looking for YOU…just make sure that the Castable you shows up.