We have found 19,369 posts across 4 actor forums:
Does anyone watch a movie or show, see an actor and wonder how long and hard it took them to get there by Soft_Jellyfish8301 • last post Dec 8th
I swear everytime I watch a movie or show I can barely get immersed anymore because all I can think about is what their first project was, did they have any nepotism, how long they've been acting for, what was their breakthrough role, where are they from etc. Is this just me or is this a common experience
I really need some advice about about having a “survival job”. Please help! by bassistfornothing • last post Dec 8th
Ever since i can remember i have wanted to act and the last couple months i have decided i want to become a career actor. now i haven’t started taking any classes or anything but that’s because i’m only 18 and don’t have much money to pay for classes so i’ve just been doing a bunch of research on youtube. but the last couple weeks my parents have been talking to me about becoming a firefighter. now i’m not against that at all. i think it would be great but i really want to give acting my all and i’m afraid if i start becoming a firefighter it’ll hender my opportunities in acting. i know i don’t want to go to college or university so i’m not worried about that. if anyone could give me some adobe about what they’d do that would be great so i can help make a decision.
Weirdest moment for consideration in our voice acting community…. by ahorseinasuit • last post Dec 8th
So here’s the story I’m lifting up for discussion among our community. About a year ago I booked the “dream cartoon job” for a major network. I’m playing a new interpretation of a character with a long and storied history (6 other voice actors over the years) in a beloved franchise. It’s been a blast. Seeing my work on the screen and with more work to come has me and my family in orbit my friends. Here’s the weird part. I made the mistake (I know better dang it) of looking up some responses to my character. While there have been a lot of positive comments there are (go figure of course there are) also some strong negative feelings about my character choices. THAT I can handle. Part of the gig. Part of life. The weird part is just today I came across a YouTube channel where someone had “redubbed” my work with their work. This cat has like 23,000 followers and the comment section was a graveyard of negativity towards my choices (and weird attacks on my sexuality…I mean really internet?!) At first the apologetic midwesterner in me felt like the beast choice was being decent and posting a laid back response complimenting the guys work (funny thing was is that he was actually decent) and I did for a second but almost instantly deleted it because I realized that the optics would be screwy. Any way you scramble those eggs it would look like a defensive response. No need to weigh in I decided. Also my name would be next to some comments that were cruel and offensive. No good. Many of those folks in the comment section need some help and education or both. What are your thoughts on this? I kind of feel like while this guy is talented he’s trying to prop himself up with an act that is negative in its inception. It’s like saying “hey producers check out how my ideas are better than yours. Wanna hire me?”. Obviously no threat to me personally but if I’m honest I kinda hate to see someone with talent not do himself any favors. Of course (let’s be honest) my feelings were a bit hurt but there’s no doubt that’s my problem. If I can’t take solace in the fact that I was the one who booked the gig in the first place then I need to get my mind right. Also a strong choice is going to illicit a strong response. That’s the game right? If I want to be in the kitchen then I have to yadda yadda. Ug. I don’t know. I guess that’s why I’m writing this out. I could use some perspective from my fellow performers. Side note of positivity here. Folks. I did it. I got the gig. Anyone of you could be next. Go us right? Yeah. Go us!
Should I Go Back to BG Acting to Get Union Status? by kidpassion • last post Dec 8th
My Status: Non-Union, Not Repped I quit background acting a year ago to begin formal acting training. In a calendar year, I’d do at least 12-13 days as a background performer, so it wasn’t as consistent, but it granted me set experience, so I stopped. On the principal acting end, It’s been a journey with a few shoots, including a music video and a short film, but that’s all. In between, I film my monologues with friends in a home studio set up to keep the momentum going. I submit continuously to roles that I deem fitting and have ongoing training. I don’t consider myself the best actor yet. I have a long way to go. I do enough to get the job done to the best of my ability, leaving the rest for casting God. I don’t want to let go of an opportunity when it requests my performance. In pursuit of a day job, I began applying to casting offices to work as an assistant, and one of them said they didn’t need office positions but wanted to take me in as a background performer. I’m in a mindset where I think I should take up background acting again and get the union status that I failed to get years prior since I was always a few vouchers short by year's end. It’s a shot in the dark and may lead me into the same hole. However, I know sometimes talent reps consider actors with a union status before those without, so it could be a winning situation. However, I’m still at the mercy of the work available, so It could end up as time wasted. Another thing is I hear people say principal landing roles are impossible if we’re doing background acting because our face enters rotation of casting offices that’ll recognize me as the background guy. Since I don’t have an agent yet, I don’t receive the breakdowns that could be career-moving. But if a show or film is filming, it’s not like I could get lines on that production since it’d been ironed out in pre-production. TL;DR - Should I go back into background acting to get my union status and seek professional representation, or should I continue applying to student short films and self-tapes to get representation based on my active and up-to-date material? Also, do any of you still do background acting with principal representation? Thank you!
How do you target & submit updates to reps that you actually want? by Peace-and-Love-5000 • last post Dec 8th
I have really hated this journey so far. It has been so unbelievably challenging as a working class person to pursue this. But, finally, I've had enough traction with CDs to know, deep down, that I will break through in a major way at some point. But because I'm stuck dealing with low level reps that don't give a shit about me, it's going to take me many more years to ever develop anything even close to a "career". Out of 71 major CD offices i've read for, 31 offices have given me at least 2 tapes, many at 3/4/5/6/7 and a couple at 8/9/10/12 tapes each. I've gotten a bunch of pins, and a handful of random call backs / producer sessions for co-star, and 1 pin for a small supporting role in an Academy Award winning director's last film (does that mean he watched my tape?). One time, an actor told me that all you need is 7 CDs to like you, to have a career. Well it seems like 31 like me, so isn't that a good sign? I am incredibly grateful to have FINALLY, after many years of pursuing this, have some kind of validation that CDs are responding positively to my acting. Since I have not yet booked my first co-star, only student films and shorts for years and years and years, this is the only thing I can go by. I am deeply, deeply envious of the people who have close relationships with their agent / manager. My relationships with my reps has always been just business, and yes a couple of them have humored me with "strategy" conversations, but they have no clout, so it's really just them feeling good trying to feel important based on my excitement. I hate to speak this way, it feels gross, but I have no one more experienced than me to take council with. I do not want to waste another second of my life trying to submit to shitty low level reps. I'd rather do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get a better quality manager and agent. Manager would probably be easier, so then they could help me get a better agent. I've gotten plenty of emails back from reputable management companies saying "get guest stars then come back to us". Great, that will probably take me another 10 years since getting a co-star is taking almost that long. Watching my life just pass me by. I even submitted once to a boutique management company, the one guy responded and we hit it off, but his partner had a conflict who he's spent developing for years, so it was a no go. But this guy and I've kept in touch, and he has always told me he was going to start his own company one day, but who knows how long that will be? well now one of their clients won an Oscar, so they are big time now, clients booking all sorts of major projects all over the place. We text every couple months just to catch up, but I feel like who knows what I need to do, in order to make them actually want to sign me. Like what do I need to do for these people? Seriously? I have a bunch of reputable teachers I plan on studying with again in January / early 2023, when I can FINALLY nail down a decent serving job that makes enough money to pay for COL and classes, while also being flexible enough to allow me to actually take classes. I'm hoping that once I've studied with these teachers for 6 months +, I can respectfully ask them for advice / a referral to a better quality manager / agent. I'm hoping they will be impressed enough with my acting to offer it on my own. The only time I was able to get myself on a stage in NYC, a few years ago, it was a comedy / variety show, and I was given the most amount of scenes than anybody else, a handful of reps attended the performance, and I signed with a manager & agent who repped one of the stranger things kids. I had NO IDEA what was normal, and i had the wrong person in my ear at the time, and I dropped them because they weren't getting me auditions. Obviously that was a huge mistake, that kid now is repped by one of the big 4, and the decision haunts me. It's taken me 5 years to finally get to where I am now from that mistake, which I would never make again. But at the same time, I don't think those people were right for me. I'm just saying this because I know I have the skills to be a series regular and a working actor working at a high level. Back to my question: how do I appropriately follow up with people who have sort of "expressed interest" in me before, basically just responding to my email? Getting professional credits is out of my control, I get repeats from casting, I get pinned every now and then, but i'm solely at the mercy of the speed in which I get tapes from my current terrible low level reps. Getting better training is my next focus. Doing student films has always been a waste of time for me and more trouble than its worth. I CANNOT rearrange my work schedule to do them anymore. It's hard enough to get any decent job these days and once I finally get a schedule worked out that is set, I would ONLY switch shit around for a professional credit. This is non-negotiable. But, how do I actually find a rep that I WANT to work with? How do I find somebody that has integrity, that actually believes in me as an actor? In another life, I'd be able to take an MFA. But they are so expensive, it's absolutely unthinkable, unless it was completely tuition free, and there are like, what, 3 schools that actually offer free tuition that are also reputable and worth taking aka will get you top tier rep after graduating and shoot you into the guest star / series regular level upon after graduating? Sorry this is a lot, but this is my life, man, and I'm tired of having my time wasted by low level reps that throw me against the wall like spaghetti. It feels like shit. I want to be respected and appreciated and know that I'm working with somebody invested in my success, that is excited to help develop me into something great, which I know I will be one day, even if it takes another 10-20 years. How do you find and target and submit appropriately to higher tier reps that you actually want? Thank you for your help.
Poll for Fun by love_acting99 • last post Dec 8th
As actors we are obviously grateful for work in any form (screen, stage, VO, etc). But just out curiousity, I'm going to be making a little poll (but it's going to be for screen work) Which medium do you prefer? Personally I prefer television! It's so fun to grow with a character, work with different people, and never know where the story is going! Anything can happen! I shared why I love television better, you're welcome to share why you picked whichever option you picked! [View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/zgj1n8)
Raw Dialogue Needed for Video Game VO Reel by Psychological-Toe831 • last post Dec 7th
Hello! I'm creating a VO Reel and I could use some additional variety. Any VO actors willing to send me raw, unedited files? Happy to credit you for your work, and I never need to use the audio in any professional or commercial capacity. This is specifically for video game dialogue so short phrases from an assortment of characters would be ideal. If ur not able to provide, maybe yall could point me in the direction of some websites where i can get unedited, unprocessed, samples. Thanks for your help in advance.
Anyone had any success in the UK without drama school? by ofciwanttochangethe • last post Dec 7th
As much as I'd love to, I can't afford to go to drama school even if I got in as I already have an undergraduate and masters degree so no hope of funding for either. Don't get me wrong, I know I need to train and am attending classes around my job as well writing my own stuff to perform. The thing is, everyone I search from either theatre or TV in the UK seems to have either gone to drama school or was a child actor. Is this because of agents, Equity/Spotlight or something else? Realistically, what are the chances of ever acting professionally without school? (I know in the US it is different.)
Weird question but do you think it’s easier to “make it” as an actor or musician/artist? by neverever1298 • last post Dec 7th
Make it as in being in a big/popular network show or movie and being able to make a living acting.
performance of my Imdb video, with a very good performance Kindly check it out, https://m.imdb.com/video/vi1038729497/?playlistId=nm0191747?ref_=ext_shr_lnk by William Delesk • last post Dec 7th
Hello fans, need more views on my new released video on imdb, will return all views in respect https://m.imdb.com/video/vi1038729497/?playlistId=nm0191747?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Can Stand-In work help you get to principal work, or does it make it harder? by PeaceAndLove3500 • last post Dec 7th
I have a buddy who does a ton of stand-in work, gets SAG health insurance as a result, makes a ton of money, and is genuinely happy because he gets to be on set every day. meanwhile, i've been waiting tables for years and i want to blow my brains out and I cry myself to sleep every night. My manager told me that doing background and stand-in work is not good, and that you will not book principal work on that show because the directors / producers all see you as a stand in. but then I've seen on IMDB that some people do background / stand in work, maybe on the same show for years and years and finally are thrown a bone in the form of a co-star or something, sometimes even bigger. what is the truth here? i cannot wait tables anymore and be surrounded by dumb ass people and nasty, nasty degrading restaurant managers. it'd be one thing if it were "all actors & artists waiting tables" but in my experience, with how fucked up the economy / world / corporate oppression is these days, it's not, it's all unambitious working class people waiting tables as their full time "career", and i'm the one that stands out because it's NOT my "career", it's a shitty terrible part time job I do to literally just get by and specifically for flexibility, and most of these restaurants aren't even flexible anymore because the managers are such disgusting people so used to desperate people looking for a job that they want full time slaves that have open availability, i mean it's just disgusting.
Abusive Meisner Class - Is This Normal? by AssortedGourds • last post Dec 7th
Back when I was doing music and my best friend was training to be an actor, she took a Meisner class. I had never heard of it before. She had a rough time in this class - from what she described, she was being verbally abused in these classes as part of the exercises. Men in the class said very overtly misogynistic stuff and this was just part of the class? She was supposed to react to it or something - I don't recall the exact nature of the exercise and I don't want to exhume that by asking her. I was disgusted and have continued to be disgusted by it since then. I think her experience in that class is part of why she quit. I'm jumping back into acting this year and deciding on acting schools to attend. I'm in Chicago so there are lots. I'm reading about Meisner and it seems like a technique that would work well for me but I'm petrified of going to a class now. Was my friend's experience the exception or the rule?
Backstage for new actress? by ffffffwwew • last post Dec 7th
Hello, I’m a teen, with zero acting experience (other than being in drama class) and I live in Europe, too. I really need to try new stuff though, and I’d really like to be able to act in some kind of way. I know it’s unrealistic to expect to be a background character in some netflix series, but i’m wondering if investing in backstage makes any sense at all for me.
Actor required for a Youtube Ad by INKASSAFE2022 • last post Dec 7th
Inkas Safe requires an actor for our youtube ad. Preferably 30-50 years old and is confident, authoritative. This youtube ad is to do the comparison of other safes vs inkas safe and script will be provided. Shoot will be for 1-2 days and location is North York, Ontario, Canada. Interested? Please email your portfolio to [revika.d@inkas.ca](mailto:revika.d@inkas.ca)
A24 Pilot Role of Jayden by Most_Amphibian6967 • last post Dec 7th
Not sure if people remember the A24 open call from a while back. The role of Jayden in the open call was looking for East Asians specifically. Today they released the cast and an actress called Annie Marie Elliot was cast as Jayden. She’s gorgeous and I’m sure a wonderful actress but ngl she looks vaguely Asian but straight up white in some photos…….feels like a disingenuous attempt at diversity and representation. Sorry for the rant. Just wanted to see if I’m insane for feeling this way?
GF isn't supportive of my passion to be actor by desi_aladdin • last post Dec 7th
Hey everyone. I've been dating my gf of nearly 2 years and we're extremely serious. We've discussed about the future: marriage, kids, and our passions and ambitions for life. She has much much more on her list and I'm still extremely supportive of them all, but when it comes to my deep passion of becoming an Indian actor, she's not very much so :( We both love and care for one another very deeply and connect on a level that we haven't with anyone else we've come across. We're the same age, but she's currently in grad school and I'm a little behind due to taking a few gap years but am planning to attend grad school as well. Her main issue is: a) she really misses me a lot on a daily basis and will do so if I'm away for work (we've been long distance since the start), and b) she believes our kids in the future will need me around at all times. My main responsibility as a man is to provide for my family, so I know deep in my heart that I will not even pursue acting unless I've comfortably provided for the family with a substantial amount of savings, and I've ran this very fact through with her. She's still not very thrilled with the idea. I want to make a name for not just myself, but for our family as well. I've asked her how traveling for acting would be different than traveling for work if I was a contractor. Unfortunately she called acting just a "passion" and doesn't consider it as work. She thinks I'm being selfish :( My family will always be my number one priority, but I also want to do something I can look back on 50 years from now and be extremely proud of and die without any regrets. I love her so much, but I can't help feeling stuck. Could anyone advise me on how to talk this out with her? Thank you so much.
is it worth attempting a carrer as an actor in 2023? by C0untingNightmares • last post Dec 7th
I feel like it's a career path that has a very high failure rate. I think it is more about you knowing the right people and building a "network" than being actually good at acting. Being able to make a living from acting can take years and years of carrier building and still be risky. I have seen many actors from my childhood now ending up doing no movies, some even having very successful TV shows and yet, they are kind of out of the business. I think acting is one of the few career paths where some luck is a must, in order to be successful. ​ I want to be an actor but there are so many insecurities for me.
Pilot Season Without an Agent: My Worst Fear by Revolutionary-Leg659 • last post Dec 7th
**tl;dr I'm not sure I'll be able to get an agent in time for pilot season and need to figure out what to do if I don't - are there casting sites that take submissions for pilot roles, co-stars and guest-stars from unsigned actors?** Just moved to LA three weeks ago after wanting to be in a bigger market for the last six years (the wait was for a variety of different reasons at different time ranging from savings to other work in the field to relationships to an entire pandemic). I've updated my reel, started working surivial gigs just enough to make my budget, submitted on Backstage and Actor's Access like crazy, signed up to audit some classes, and even landed a couple small projects with film students (not quite what I'm trying to make most of the next year be, but I'm incredibly thankful that I can say I'm getting work of any kind). I took the time to draft and get feedback on a cover letter to send to agencies, and I've submitted to 18 in the last week. Made a spreadsheet today to see what "level" the different agencies and their clients are on to see which ones will be in the middle ground of not so prestigious that they won't even look at me but with enough of an establishment that I'd feel really good about signing with them (solely to prioritize where I send my material first - even with my experience I'm a new arrival to the city itself so I'm taking the reality check to realize I'll be grateful for a boutique agency signing me). I'm confident in the steps I'm taking, but time is of the essence and my biggest adversary here - if I'm understanding correctly, once all the agencies close for the holidays, it's onto pilot season and all their energy will go to submitting the clients they have rather than picking up new ones. I feel like I'm in the middle of a window of opportunity, but that it's closing fast. I'm sure it's going to take some time for them to even get through my submissions (6-8 weeks is the quote I'm seeing - eek), so I want to plan for the worst-case scenario where I don't have representation come January. Making the most of finally moving out here is imperative to me, but I'm still trying to figure out: how do I navigate pilot season without representation? I still need to look into casting sites that aren't Backstage and Actor's Access (LA Casting and CastingNetworks are the ones that I've heard mentioned most), but do any of them allow submissions for guest stars and co-stars for unsigned actors? Even if the answer is no, I'm sure I can use the time to network and bolster my training, but I want to make sure I have every single tool available to me. If anyone has further insight as to navigating this, I'll be super grateful. Hope everyone has a great day!
Should I move forward with this stand-in actress role I've been chosen for? by alyeria11 • last post Dec 7th
Hi! I'm just starting out in my film acting career. My friend sent me a listing for a new movie being directed by an actor I really admire. The qualifications were for the stand-in of the main female actress, and I fit each of the physical requirements. Seeing as I've applied for multiple student films over the past few weeks - and haven't heard anything back - I figured it was good practice just to apply and get my name out there. Well, they emailed me back tonight, and I'm one of the top four choices. The only issue is that it lasts for an entire month, in a few states away from me, and I'd have to pay for my own accommodations. The pay would balance out what I lose at my primary job. Here are what I can think of as pros: \- Industry and set experience; incredible working set knowledge \- Networking and connections \- Resume building Cons: \- Would need to leave my new full time job for an entire month, which I am excelling at \- Would lose a slight bit of money (the pros outweigh this one for me) So, is this worth it? Again, the stand-in would be for the primary actress, and the actor who's directing the film is a big, big name. This would be my first working film job. Thanks so much for any feedback and advice, I really do appreciate it!
Are Closing Credits classes worth it for a beginner VA? Where would be a good place to start? by Maridash4ever • last post Dec 7th
Are Closing Credits classes actually worth it for a beginner voice actress looking to get into acting more? I haven't taken any formal classes for voice acting in the past, and I was wondering if Closing Credits would be a good place to start, or if there are some other classes out there that are more worth my time (and money). I have technically done unpaid voice work in the past, but I still consider myself a beginner because I have only featured my voice in relatively small projects like Gacha voice-acted content and fandubs. I want to branch out more and seek out more roles, and I want to receive some sort of formal training/lessons before I do so.