Would it be acceptable to include casting ideas in my screenplay?

Question

Upon a characters first appearance in the screenplay, maybe putting parenthetical casting ideas, or a type of an actor I consider to portray the character.

I'm pretty certain that this is completely unnecessary, and may come off as an amateur move, and unattractive to agents, and studios, but I thought I'd get some other opinions. Thanks.

Answer 1

No no no no.



For one thing, casting will not be your job. Second, that's one of the most amateurish things you can do.



When you introduce your characters for the first time, capitalize, give away their age, and then a short description that is pertinent to the story. Meaning, no hair/eye colors, no height or weight, no ethnicity, wardrobe etc. unless it's related to the story. Give a description that will give the reader a clue about the character's personality, and connect it to the scene. Find that happy middle ground in your description where you’re describing your character with enough detail that a reader can picture the person clearly in their head. This is YOUR job to convey the image to the reader.



Other than that, you can write a treatment/bible for yourself. Someone at some point *might* ask to see it, but it's generally just for your eye.



I recommend reading about character description. If you're not lazy, then the reader - whoever - will be able to picture your characters and even a certain actor.

Answer 2

I have written a couple of screenplays. What I do is prepare a 'Dramatis Personnae' (list of characters), in the order in which they appear, and alongside the name I include their age, size etc and a couple of actor suggestions. I'm in the UK, so it might be different where you are. Good luck.

Answer 3

Absolutely not - even in the UK.



You can describe the character, but not too detailed.

The more actors who could portray your characters, the easier it will be for a company to produce it, and the better it will sell.