We have found 19,246 posts across 4 actor forums:
Want to be an actor, but I’m in school. What do I do by Darthhester • last post Jun 2nd
I have so many questions, first of all is it ok to start whilst in school, I’m in year 9. Also where do I start. How do I get An agent, and headshots. There’s just a lot And it’s making me a bit stressed
Is keeping a journal and writing things down useful for actors? by SaleSubstantial9962 • last post Jun 2nd
I feel that this would help me but is there any actors who write things down as tips to help them improve their acting skills at all?
How do actors move to the states and look for work without a visa? by froge_on_a_leaf • last post Jun 2nd
I'm not planning on moving anywhere but noticed many Canadian actors I love and admire moved to California early in their careers, sometimes due to 'lack of opportunity' in Canada. Though it's my understanding that American studios can sponsor foreign actors with specific visas, at such an early stage how are actors able to do this? Even assuming they've found representation in America while being Canadian. How would they be able to work any other part-time job? Doesn't seem like the 'fantasy' of packing one's bags and waiting tables in Hollywood is all that realistic yet it sounds like it's what many actors I like did. Very curious about the logistics! Thanks
Do directors have access to see your actors access profile? by watch1122 • last post Jun 1st
I mean we do have a link they could check out even if they didn’t
Ageism towards women in the casting & talent-management system by Crafty-Front-5485 • last post Jun 1st
Writing from the UK. Just wanted to put some thoughts out there to see if anyone else has anything to say on the matter. Acting is a job that anyone of any age, gender, background or appearance is capable of doing excellently if they are talented and work hard. It's not like being a professional athlete, dancer, footballer, etc where your body needs to be young and fit to operate at a competitive level. The casting and talent-management system does not NEED to be ageist, but it is. Severely so. One's professional ability as an actor does not decrease with age (usually it actually improves) so it's very possible that a 70 year old and 20 year old are equally capable of doing an excellent job. However, I have found that women are expected to establish their acting careers by the age of 27, maybe more realistically like 25. If women over this age have not managed to gain momentum and substantial employment in mainstream TV, film or theatre, chances are that they never will. Not because they aren't capable, but because the casting system does not invest in them - good agents generally won't take them on and casting directors will prefer to audition actresses with more experience, of whom there are plenty. To clarify, I'm not talking about becoming a Hollywood mega-star. I mean making enough appearances for casting directors, producers, directors etc to think of you for good roles. And getting legit work that is artistically rewarding or substantial enough to justify staying in the game while making little money and keeping your unfulfilling day job (eg - not just doing one-liners/non-speaking/commercials or doing a guest-lead in a soap once every few years). People always say "Olivia Colman didn't 'make it' until she was older" - but they don't understand that she was regularly and consistently working in television and theatre since her mid-20s (and probably started auditioning even earlier). She always had enough momentum and industry support to keep going. She was always busy, always had a career and would have always been quite well known and respected by casting directors, producers, directors etc even if she had not yet become a huge Hollywood star. Unless you start acting professionally as a child/teenager or are able to benefit from nepotism, the expectation to establish a promising long-term career by the age of 25, in a competitive market, is just ridiculous. Many kids under 18 don't know what they want to do yet, and many have parents who do not allow them to miss school etc. Children under 18 do not start working professionally as bankers or lawyers or other competitive careers. Children may start professionally training or competing in dance or sport before the age of 18, but that makes sense given the physical requirements of those jobs. Most people figure out what they seriously want to do with their lives in their 20s, so this is the age where most people start pursuing an acting career. If you didn't begin your career during childhood and aren't a nepotism kid, drama school is the obvious choice (in the UK there are loans and scholarships so these courses are generally accessible to anyone regardless of background). Drama schools in the UK are notoriously competitive to get into. For example RADA has 4000-5000 applicants for 28 places (14 boys and 14 girls). There are also more girls applying. So it's extremely rare for someone, especially a girl, to start drama school at 18 (and graduate at 21 or 20-going-on-21). Most people get into drama school on their 2nd or 3rd attempt at about 20, so would be graduating at about 23. Many will be even older, and some decide to train after completing an academic degree which would mean they would generally be graduating at 24/25. So, the youngest graduate would have only 4 years to establish themselves in the industry and get 'picked up'. Most would only get about 2 years or less. Either way this is a very short amount of time, and if you don't manage to get a good agent who can get you lots of auditions, or if you don't have a marketable look etc, it's even more unlikely that you will be able to establish yourself in such a short window of time. If you are a woman graduating in your mid-20s it's highly unlikely you will even be able to secure a good agent. If you are 25 and working in, let's say advertising, you may well have a successful career ahead of you even if you have an entry level assistant job and no wider industry recognition. Why does acting have to be so different? So much talent is ignored, not even getting a look-in, because of the ageism in this industry. It is ridiculous. Top agents need to open their books to more 25+ year old women who are starting out and they need to fight hard for these clients so that casting directors and producers can understand that talent and ability does not necessarily equate to how many years of previous professional experience someone has. Casting directors, when selecting actors for auditions, need to positively discriminate against candidates who are nepotised or had the advantage of working professionally as children, the same way that private school applicants are positively discriminated against when applying to university. There should be a nepotism quota on every production, like how they have diversity quotas for ethnicity and disability etc. And a quota for unestablished actors in substantial roles. There should basically be zero closed doors to anyone who is starting pursuing an acting career from 25+. I am cis-gender female and will be turning 30 in 2 months. For nearly 4 years I have been on the fence about quitting acting and committing to a different career and I have finally decided to take the leap and hope to work in casting so I can fight against ageism from inside. Ageism against female actors has been a huge factor in my decision. If I was a man, I would probably think it was worth staying in the game for a bit longer. I want to have a child before I'm 33 and I've accepted that with the tiny number of opportunities I get for substantial & rewarding acting work, there's just no way I'm going to earn enough money to raise a child. Men, of course, have a little longer to have children. There are more women in the industry, less female roles and less time to try. It needs to change. To share some of my personal experiences: I decided I wanted to be an actor when I was 19 going on 20 while I was already at university on an academic degree course. I spent the holidays doing lots of unpaid fringe plays and short films etc. About 6 months after graduating, at the age of 22, I signed with a pretty well respected agent despite having no formal training or professional experience. When that (male) agent took me on, he told me to lie about my age, and to say I was 19. I therefore had to hide the fact I had spent 4 years studying at a prestigious university which was a huge part of my life story and personal identity. At 22 I was quite immature and was not particularly political or aware of sexism/feminism. So at the time, I saw no issue with a (male) agent telling me to lie about my age when I was only 22 years old. I was eager to please and agreed to what was asked of me, believing that it would help my career. I wonder if that agent would have taken me on with no training or professional experience at the age of 25, or if I had looked my age (I have always looked much younger). That agent probably got countless of submissions from women 25+ who were far better qualified, skilled, emotionally mature and experienced than myself at that time. Those submissions were probably ignored. I have taken breaks from the industry in the last 7-8 years but have always managed to book small roles in mainstream film/tv. However, I didn't find any of those jobs artistically rewarding as they were not substantial or interesting enough. From the age of 22 up until I turned 26, I got decent auditions fairly frequently (on average I would be auditioning for a good role in a mainstream production about once every 3 weeks), and when I was seeking new representation I would generally get quite a lot of interest/meetings, even from very powerful agents. From the age of 26, despite having quite a good CV, I felt a huge shift in how i was being received by the industry. Auditions became more and more infrequent and the characters/scripts I was being seen for did not seem to be as exciting, interesting or well-written as before. I would have very little interest/success when approaching agents as well. The irony is that I am now a much better actor than I was when I was 22 and have professional experience. I think agents and casting directors see that I've worked in small roles / bit-parts for 7-8 years without ever progressing to a lead or series-reg. So they do not think I'm worth investing in - they probably see me as someone who can get work here and there but will never become established. I wonder how they would feel about this if I was 19 years old? Something tells me that a 19 year old who has been working professionally for 7 years in mainstream TV/film, even if the parts were small, would be worth investing in. Why does it have to be this way?
Where do I find exceptional actors? Not just professional, I mean capable of winning an Oscar if they were discovered/had the right role? by Xmod23 • last post Jun 1st
I’m a director and I’m going to make an indie film in two years, but I require excellent undiscovered actors for the films. Do I just keep auditions going for a long time?
how do i convince my mom to let me sign up for backstage? by Impossible_Cicada_75 • last post Jun 1st
i’m a teenager, and have applied myself to previous acting before, but i was uneducated and signed up for one of those acting places where you had to pay big money (like $200) and i was never given a role. (kind of a waste of time). but recently i was on the app backstage and had seen multiple different audition roles which seemed good fits for me, but (i guess because she had a sour taste in her mouth) my mom said no even if i were to pay with my own money. what should i do? i really want to be an actor and i feel as though i’m just wasting time :/
Help with scene choices/direction by dineshgee2004 • last post Jun 1st
Hi all. New actor here stuck on making choices for a particular scene. Any advice or tips welcome and appreciated! Please feel free to DM if available, and I can send over short scene. Thx!
My small town art school wants to do Mulan with no asian actors. should I suggest to change it? by prettyahrid • last post Jun 1st
From the moment our director suggested that the end of the year piece might be mulan, I got a bit uncomfortable with the idea of using such a culturally focused story without any actors to play the parts properly. We live in a town where there isn't much of an theatre scene, and my school has about 29 students, none of which are asian. He mentioned it would be nice to do it because we would get to learn scene combat, but I'm still conflicted if it is sensible to do it. I don't know how the characterization will go, and I'm not doing yellow face (or want to be associated with a play that does it). I also feel weird about playing a character just to such an extent (I could potentially be Mulan herself, and I'm latina) What should I do? Should I try and talk about those problems with the director, and point towards choosing another play? Is it less of a big deal than I am feeling?
i need some help by No-Firefighter-7650 • last post Jun 1st
hey guys… i want to vent a little and hopefully get some advice from people that might understand eversince i finished HS ive been depressed because i take my future seriously and derive my identity from academics or a professional field : T ive never felt passionate about anything, i was that person who is curious about and interested in everything ranging from science to social science to art… i paint and sculpt and write and like to read abt alot of topics ive been doing these online career tests and i took a values test and realized i value achievement, recognition, etc highly more than other values ( ofc i mean in a career field, not in general ) so… this made me think about the performance arts like acting, music and dancing however out of all of these acting was a combination of a lot of performance arts, and ofc u know how the people who make it big have a really fancy life, its like they “made it” in life i think to me .. success equates to fame and recognition im aware i might be thinking about acting for the wrong reasons. however im so imaginative and i thought i might be a very good filmmaker specifically one that does music videos. i just like to imagine myself as the actor ( or mime) in the video basically im lost. im an introverted neurodivergent that goes through sensory overload frequently when just going out to shop or eat at a restaurant. my social battery runs out fast too, and i have performance anxiety and when i tried acting in the school theatre once, i did so horribly i was just speaking with no emotion or character depth at all. it was a small role but i felt nothing idk guys. i also like the “idea” itself maybe of acting or being a mime or a performer of some type. it makes me feel special. i also like it when i get my identity from being an artist. however it doesnt feel so right. i feel unfit for it and that its something i should just keep to my fantasies but idk what i should pursue though
Question about eco cast auditions by Gage-Dylan • last post Jun 1st
Hi, little background, I’m fairly new to acting and just starting out by submitting auditions via actors access. I was wondering, does anyone know what to do if they don’t have someone to read a scene with them but the scene audition requires a second person? Unfortunately I don’t know anyone personally who would do the scene with me so I’m just curious what other alternatives could be used in this situation? Thank you in advance for anyone that would be able to help! (:
Anglophone Actor in Montreal (Film, TV & Theatre) by oorangefleece • last post Jun 1st
Hi friends, Any anglophone actors living in Montreal? How is the scene for an english speaker? I'm aware of the two english theatres, the community created by National Theatre School and, obviously, the french sector of the arts. I'm wondering if there is any film/tv work or if a person moving with minimal connections will be able to get auditions and work with a talent agency.
Is it worth it to be an actor? by derilsome • last post Jun 1st
I really want to connect my life with acting. I like to play different roles and perform in front of people. Acting is the only area that interests me and that brings me joy. But I feel very bad when I think that, regardless of the degree of popularity, every public person succumbs to criticism for every step or word, because people discuss absolutely everything and as a result, public people do not have personal space and freedom. Celebrities can't even walk down the street normally. And based on everything I've written, I don't know what to do. I'm scared to face this kind of unhealthy attention, but I just can't imagine what I will do without acting. And all this thoughts is killing me. It would be very interesting to hear other people's opinions.
I always butt heads with my acting teacher by Expensive_Recover242 • last post Jun 1st
Hello, I’m a actor and I take a Meisner intensive class. I have always had confrontations with my teacher about creative differences. We sometimes film scenes outside of class by ourselves and watch them back in class. I have sometimes gone over the time limit he adds because my scene would not make any sense without a extra minute or so. I always get chewed out for it and my other classmate did it as well and he called it perfect. I sometimes naturally improv a few words in a scene when I’m acting as well and he chewed me out again saying I won’t be able to do that on set and that acting has lots of rules you have to follow. I always stay on the path of the scene when I do improv though. Every time I have cried or have a emotional outburst in a scene he always gets mad at me and says stop trying to be like other actors that came before me(James Dean, Brando). It pisses me off every time because I’m just being myself. I often bring my struggles from my personal life to my characters when I’m acting. I usually play emotional and rebellious roles. I’m just a young guy from a small southern town and I don’t adhere to every little thing that’s spoken to me in the arts.
Professional actor in Michigan talks about his career, tips for aspiring actors, and the importance of training by JakeKust • last post May 31st
Had some brand spanking new actor pictures taken of me, wanted to share with you guys! by ywayne • last post May 31st
I need a voice actor for a Fangame by Amigo-Ufo • last post May 31st
Hi guys, I need a voice actor for a non-commercial game. That means I don't pay because I don't earn anything from the game either. the voice should be calm, it's the voice of Bernard from Day of the Tentacle. It's a fangame inspired by Day of the Tentacle and Maniac Mansion. There is only one character in the game. It's about 180 lines. It was recorded in German (almost professionally) I only need an English voice actor. can I find one here? If not, where can I find one who will do it for free as a hobby?
I want to be an actor by ecllvspe • last post May 31st
I want to be an actor when I’m older but have no idea where to start. Can anyone give me advice on what you have to have in order to become an actor and videos or books that help know how to act?
I feel stuck by Ok_Manufacturer_1272 • last post May 31st
I just finished my first year of college undergrad. I’m over at Berkeley, and I’ve been trying to find short films / smaller projects to be in, but it’s so hard and also to balance academics (which I am also very passionate about) with my other dream of becoming an actor. I realistically can’t bring myself to go all in because I love learning in school as well and also want to keep that part of me. Does anyone have any suggestions as how to go about this? I.e keep trying for small roles in short films and eventually build my resume, or what? Many thanks.
Should I get back into voice acting? by GrassyMinty • last post May 31st
For a hot while, I worked as a voice actress (nothing special, primarily just for hobby/side gigs for games and stuff) and truly enjoyed it, but kind of got sidetracked with college and work as I got older. In between that, though, I found comfort in streaming and podcasting, and have been told countless times that the potential I have to be a comfort character with my normal speaking voice, but I'm just unsure of going back. (Plus, the guy who got me into voice acting sort of threw me in the deep end with a LOT of NSFW type material, if you know what I'm saying.) Is there still a decently sized market for voice acting as a hobby? I've seen plenty of ASMR style POV videos on YouTube that seems to do well and I'd love to explore that side of acting more than anything, but I'm a little unsure. I'd really love to get back to voicing VNs and whatnot, but rebuilding that status would take a lot more time than I have right now. Do y'all have any advice for where I should start, where I should upload, or where I should put myself out there? Is there a platform I should use, or any public scripts y'all have I can potentially use in a demo reel? Everything helps!