Calling all agents
Just because an actor has an agent doesn’t mean the actor is working a lot.
An agent is more of a legal representative for actors — someone to protect
the actor from being taken advantage of on the set and to make sure she
receives payment for services rendered. An agent usually does all the contractual work with you for the actor he or she represents, whether it’s a
detailed agreement or a simple one-page deal memo (see “Handling Actors’
Agreements” later in this chapter).
An agent usually collects the actor’s payment and takes a 10 percent agent
commission fee before paying the performer. A manager can charge 15 percent or more as a commission fee. This is important for you to know, because
sometimes an agent and/or manager asks for the actor’s fee, plus the agent
and manager fees on top.
Most agents won’t consider a project for a client until they’ve received and
read the screenplay, along with a written offer. If the agent doesn’t like the
script (or the offer) or thinks her client isn’t appropriate for the project or
part, she’ll decline.
If the agent likes your project, this is a good time to ask who else he or she
represents that may be good for your film. For my movie Undercover Angel,
I asked the agent who represented Yasmine Bleeth (the actress playing the
lead in my film) who else he represented that he could recommend to play the
male lead opposite her. This is how I ended up casting Dean Winters (of HBO’s
OZ, 30 Rock, Law & Order).