I received this question this week: “What’s your take on monologues?”Not a huge fan, but they’re a necessary evil – at least since the days when Charlie Chaplin carried his own golf clubs.
In the early stages of your career, the best way to build your reel, besides shooting your own scenes, is to book roles in student films. Film students often cast before their scripts are finished, so they’ll ask that you perform a monologue of your choice to show them your essence. Some actors like to have two versions memorized – one comedic, one dramatic – and you can find books loaded with them on amazon.com.
I used to use one pieced-together from the film High Fidelity, in which John Cusack’s character analyzes his top five breakups.
So yes, they’re good in the early stages of your career, but here’s where I loathe them: agent workshops. The casting workshops I attend, in which casting directors provide scenes for actors, occasionally have agent nights, in which actors choose their own scenes – performing either with partners, or doing their own monologues.
I’ve seen hundreds of them, and only one worked, and that’s a really shitty batting average. The problem is that no one in real life rants incessantly that way. Here’s my impression of every monologue ever performed (it works better in person, so ask me to do it for you if ever meet me):
“So in walks this guy, and I sez to the guy I sez I sez ‘What do you mean I’m not that guy?’ So he sez to me he sez he sez ‘You’re that guy alright. And I’m the guy that sez you’re that guy.’ Sez.”
Every one I’ve see goes on like this for about 15 minutes, and for the entire time I’m glancing around to make sure I’m not dead and in Hell.
So to answer your question: yes, find a good one, memorize it and use it. Then move on to auditions with scripted scenes, so I can drop the restraining order against you as soon as possible.
