One Minute Monologues for Men
12 one-minute monologues for men, from Ted Lasso and Succession to Shakespeare, each timed at about 60 seconds, with age range and tone.
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A one-minute monologue is your whole audition in sixty seconds, so the piece has to do the work fast. Below are 12 one-minute monologues for men, timed and sorted into recent film and TV, more screen and stage picks, and classics, with the playing age and tone for each.
What is a one-minute monologue?
A one-minute monologue is a solo speech that runs about 60 seconds at a natural pace, roughly 125 to 160 words. Casting directors ask for them at open calls, agent meetings and self-tapes. The best ones have one clear objective, a turn in the middle and a strong last line.
Looking for more? Browse all 355 monologues in our database by age, gender, tone and length, or see our one-minute monologues for women.
One-minute monologues for men at a glance
| # | Character | From | Age | Tone | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waymond | Everything Everywhere All at Once | 40s–50s | Dramatic | 1:00 |
| 2 | Ted Lasso | Ted Lasso | 30s–50s | Comedic, dramatic | 1:15 |
| 3 | Logan Roy | Succession | 60s+ | Dramatic | 0:45 |
| 4 | Uncle Boris | The Fabelmans | 60s+ | Dramatic, comedic | 1:00 (cut) |
| 5 | Toby | The Inheritance | 20s–30s | Dramatic | 1:15 |
| 6 | Gus | The Fault in Our Stars | Teens–20s | Comedic, dramatic | 1:15 |
| 7 | Black Stache | Peter and the Starcatcher | 20s–40s | Comedic | 1:00 |
| 8 | Carter | Fat Pig | 30s | Dramatic | 0:45 |
| 9 | Konstantin | The Seagull | 20s | Dramatic | 1:00 |
| 10 | Algernon | The Importance of Being Earnest | 20s–30s | Comedic | 1:00 |
| 11 | Puck | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Teens–20s | Classical, verse | 0:45 |
| 12 | Edmund | King Lear | 20s–40s | Classical | 1:00 |
Recent film and TV monologues
These are the scenes casting directors have watched recently. The scripts are copyrighted, so we describe each scene and tell you where to find it; watch the scene, then work from the published script.
01
Waymond
Everything Everywhere All at Once · Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (2022)
“Please, be kind”
Men 40s–50s Dramatic Film About 1:00
In the middle of the chaos, Waymond asks Evelyn to stop fighting and explains that his kindness is not naivety: it is a choice, and the way he fights. It is quiet, plain and enormously moving. Resist pushing; the power is in how simply he says it.
Where to find it: A24 film, available to rent or stream (about the scene); A24 sells the published screenplay.
02
Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso · Season 1, Episode 8, “The Diamond Dogs” (2020)
“Be curious, not judgmental”
Men 30s–50s Comedic · Dramatic TV About 1:15
Playing darts in the pub against Rupert, Ted explains how people have underestimated him all his life because they were never curious about him, and then wins the game. Folksy on the surface with steel underneath; you can mime the darts.
Where to find it: Season 1, Episode 8 of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ (episode recap).
03
Logan Roy
Succession · Season 4, Episode 2, “Rehearsal” (2023)
“You are not serious people”
Men 60s+ Dramatic TV About 0:45
One of Logan’s last conversations with his children: a short, brutal verdict on all of them, with love buried under contempt. A rare strong piece for older actors. Find the love first and the cruelty lands harder.
Where to find it: Season 4, Episode 2 of Succession on Max (episode recap).
04
Uncle Boris
The Fabelmans · Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner (2022)
Art versus family
Men 60s+ Dramatic · Comedic Film About 1:00 cut
Great-uncle Boris, a former lion tamer and circus man, warns young Sammy that art will give him everything and tear him away from his family. Wild, funny and frightening at once. Trim the full scene to the warning itself for a one-minute cut.
Where to find it: Universal Pictures film, available to rent or stream (Judd Hirsch on the role).
More one-minute monologues from screen and stage
Proven pieces from TV, film and contemporary plays, each with its full text in our monologue database.
05
Toby
The Inheritance · Matthew Lopez (play, 2018)
“What you ‘gave’ me?”
Men 20s–30s Dramatic Play About 1:15
“That is bullshit, Eric. What you ‘gave’ me? You didn’t give me anything. I built my life from the ground up. I didn’t get to do it from the comfortable…”
06
Gus
The Fault in Our Stars · Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (2014)
“A grand soliloquy”
Men Teens–20s Comedic · Dramatic Film About 1:15
“Hazel Grace, like so many before you – and I say this with great affection – you spent your Wish… moronically. Hush! I’m in the midst of a grand soliloquy…”
07
Black Stache
Peter and the Starcatcher · Rick Elice (play, 2012)
“A bona fide hero”
Men 20s–40s Comedic Play About 1:00
“Perchance you think a treasure trunk sans treasure has put my piratical BVDs in a twist? How wrong you are. Yes, I’d hoped to be hip-deep in diamonds, but they’re…”
08
Carter
Fat Pig · Neil LaBute (play, 2004)
“Do what you want”
Men 30s Dramatic Play About 0:45
“All I’m saying is this . . . Do what you want. If you like this girl, then don’t listen to a god**** word anybody says, Not one. (Beat) But…”
Classic one-minute monologues
Classical and early modern pieces in the public domain. They are free to perform, and they show you can handle language.
09
Konstantin
The Seagull · Anton Chekhov (1896)
“Personally I am nothing, nobody”
Men 20s Dramatic Play About 1:00
“I love my mother, I love her devotedly, but I think she leads a stupid life. She always has this man of letters of hers on her mind, and the…”
From Act 1, to his uncle Sorin, in the 1912 translation by Marian Fell (where he is called Treplieff).
Read full monologue
I love my mother, I love her devotedly, but I think she leads a stupid life. She always has this man of letters of hers on her mind, and the newspapers are always frightening her to death, and I am tired of it. Plain, human egoism sometimes speaks in my heart, and I regret that my mother is a famous actress. If she were an ordinary woman I think I should be a happier man.
What could be more intolerable and foolish than my position, Uncle, when I find myself the only nonentity among a crowd of her guests, all celebrated authors and artists? I feel that they only endure me because I am her son. Personally I am nothing, nobody.
When the celebrities that frequent my mother’s drawing-room deign to notice me at all, I know they only look at me to measure my insignificance; I read their thoughts, and suffer from humiliation.
10
Algernon
The Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde (1895)
“Once a week is quite enough”
Men 20s–30s Comedic Play About 1:00
“I haven’t the smallest intention of dining with Aunt Augusta. To begin with, I dined thereon Monday, and once a week is quite enough to dine with one’s own relations…”
11
Puck
A Midsummer Night’s Dream · William Shakespeare (c. 1595)
“If we shadows have offended”
Men Teens–20s Classical Play About 0:45
“If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber’d here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No…”
12
Edmund
King Lear · William Shakespeare (c. 1606)
“This is the excellent foppery of the world”
Men 20s–40s Classical Play About 1:00
“This is the excellent foppery of the world, that, when we are sick in fortune, often the surfeit of our own behaviour, we make guilty of our disasters the sun…”
How to pick a one-minute monologue
- Stay close to your age. Pick a character within about ten years of your playing age.
- Match the room. Comic for a comedy, dramatic for a drama, classical for a classical season.
- Look for a turn. The character should want something and change course at least once.
- Time it out loud. Aim for 50 to 70 seconds at a natural pace, not a rushed one.
How to cut a longer monologue to 60 seconds
Keep the first line, the moment the character changes and the last line. Cut repeated ideas, lists and references to people the audience hasn’t met. Read it aloud with a timer and stop at about 150 words. Never stitch together lines from different scenes; it breaks the character’s logic and most casting directors will notice.
One-minute monologues for men: FAQs
How many words is a one-minute monologue?
About 125 to 160 words. Most actors speak around 150 words a minute, so time yourself out loud: anything between 50 and 70 seconds is safe for a one-minute slot.
What is a good one-minute monologue for men?
Strong recent picks include Waymond from Everything Everywhere All at Once, Ted from Ted Lasso and Logan Roy from Succession. For a classic, try Edmund from King Lear or Konstantin from The Seagull. Choose one close to your age and the tone of the role.
Can I cut a longer monologue down to one minute?
Yes. Keep the opening line, the turn and the ending, and cut repeated beats, lists and references to other characters. Read the trimmed version aloud at audition pace and stop at about 150 words. Never stitch together lines from different scenes.
Can I use a monologue from a TV show or film?
Yes, for auditions and class, as long as the casting notice doesn’t ask for a play. Screen monologues work best for on-camera auditions and self-tapes; for theater auditions, a piece from a play is usually the safer choice.
More monologues: one-minute monologues for women · comedic monologues for men · dramatic monologues · monologues for teens · the monologue database
Picked and timed by the We Are Actors team at a natural pace of about 150 words a minute. Monologues are shared for educational purposes; all rights remain with the writers and publishers. Public domain texts from Project Gutenberg.
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