In a production of Romeo and Juliet, eight actors are considered for the male roles of Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio. In how many ways can the director cast the male roles?

The three roles are distinct: Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio. Assigning the same three actors to different roles gives a different cast, so the order of selection matters. Therefore, the director is choosing and arranging actors for the roles, which is a permutation.

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