Actor's agents

[KimBritt]

How do I find out who reps a certain actor/actress?

[jimjimgrande]

call SAG on the phone and ask them.

[Totiwos]

Is it a good idea to target a specific actor or better to search for an agent who represents screenwriters?

[jimjimgrande]

could you rephrase the question please?

[Totiwos]

I thought maybe the question was posted because the writer might want to contact an actor and try to get a sale that way, but I wasn't sure. I wondered if it is a good idea to do that, or if it is a better idea to concentrate on trying to find an agent to represent the screenplay.

[jimjimgrande]

There are only a handful of actors whose poduction companies actively purchase and develop scripts. Reese Witherspoon's Type A is a good example of one that does, CW (Cruise Wagner) is another.

Many actors have prodcos that serve as a filter for their material and also serve as loan out corps, a weigh station for their income that helps alleviate their tax burdens.

Pursuing an actor generally involves getting to their agent or manager, not always an easy task without production funds. If you can get to their development person or assistant, it doesn't hurt, but the actor is going to have to get their agent involved anyway when it comes to finding someone to buy the project for them because they aren't going to spend their own money on it.

Pursuing actors is a part of moving a project forward. Getting a lit agent is about creating a career as a writer, because doing the latter doesn't guarantee the former.

[KimBritt]

Sorry for the confusion. It was just something I thought I would try. This actor I'm interested in, he's not a big name so I figured what's the harm in trying. I'll probably get shot down, but at least I tried.

Thanks for the responses!