Just curious. For the more famous actors and actresses, do any of them audition or “read” for any acting roles once they’ve reached a certain strata of success? If they don’t, how does the producer or director know they’re a good fit for the role?
I don’t have much to offer to the answer here, but I wouldn’t discount the fact that once actors get established, sometimes roles are written specifically for them. I don’t imagine that accounts for a significant percentage, but it happens on occasion.
I don’t have any factual information, but I’m sure once an actor get to a certain level of stardom, the producers and casting directors are trying to sell the actor on the project, rather than the actor trying to sell himself to them. Because they know that the name on the marquee has the ability to make or break the movie. And since they’ve seen the body of the actor’s work, they have a good idea of what the actor is capable of.
StG
I’m sure if/when they audition, it may be more of a screen test, to make sure they fit the role on-screen. Or else they’re trying for a type of part they aren’t usually associated with (like Michael Keaton as Batman, for example).
Whether there’s a point of success is somewhat debatable: it happens for a few, select A list actors like Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson and maybe a dozen others. There is definitely a point of familiarity where auditioning isn’t necessary. Consider those actors who have established an ongoing relationship with certain writer/directors – the parts they’re offered they almost never have to read for. Anytime Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Buscemi or Uma Thurman appears in a Quentin Tarantino movie – that’s likely a tailor-made part. Same with Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci in Martin Scorcese’s films, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Kevin Smith movies, John Goodman and the Coen Brothers, John Turturro and Ossie Davis with Spike Lee.