We have found 19,322 posts across 4 actor forums:
What day jobs have worked best for the acting lifestyle as you’ve discovered? by ViddyWellMyFriends • last post Mar 8th
I want to be a professional actor but find myself constantly worrying about what kind of day job I should get. Other than acting, I’d also be interested in working in other areas of creativity such as writing, directing, or any other job I can get around film or theatre. I’m currently working a labor job in a warehouse. I’d like to get a job as part of a big chain company so that I can transfer over to New York once I’ve saved enough, and not have to worry about finding a job there. I don’t know how smart of a move this is though, as I could possibly be focusing my efforts on finding a short term job that will be more fulfilling in the long run, not in that it will become a career, but that it can help me gain experience or networking opportunities in a creative field outside of acting. Acting is the main goal though. TL;DR: What day jobs do you all find to be most advantageous to an acting career? What’s worked for you and what hasn’t? I’m interested in reading it all. Hoping your responses will curb my focus on this. Thanks!
Thinking about sending an email to my agent - thoughts? by justsomethrowawayacc • last post Mar 8th
My post history provides context to my current rep situation (tldr; agent prematurely dropped me after seeing an IG post about me that mistakenly said I was repped across the board with a new agency. Wants to touch base this week after I explained that the post was mistaken). I was drafting an email covering some bases that I’ve wanted to communicate for a while now, and was looking for feedback on it. Is it too long, is it unnecessary, will it make them angry or offended, should I even send it, etc. I have my initial draft below: Hi [Agent’s name]. I wanted to check in since our conversation this past weekend. First off, I would like to apologize for not catching that post's wording about my representation. I should have read it more carefully and had the original poster edit it sooner before interacting with it. That was my bad. The person who originally posted admits that he jumped the gun and promptly edited the post to have the correct information and fixed the mistake. Second, I would like to have a discussion, whenever is most convenient for you, about the status about our partnership. If I am still represented and under contract, great. If not, and if you are still willing to have me on the roster, we can go forward from there. Finally, I wanted to bring up the initial termination itself because frankly I was pretty shocked at the email you sent. I would have appreciated you at least consulting with me first about the post before making, in my view, such a brash decision. I understand this business is cutthroat and you have to be efficient. I understand you probably have to deal with a lot of actors who don't have a clue about how to navigate the business. However, that decision gave me the impression that you did not think I was professional enough to notify you if I were to move onto another agency. Or that it was not worth at least asking me beforehand for clarification. That was hurtful, and I think that damaged our trust in each other. I originally assumed that you were letting me go because of me not booking anything in the year that I've been at [Agency]. This made me feel as if it was just a matter of time before you made the decision. Being a collaborative venture, I understand communication here is a two-way street. If you are still interested in moving forward with our partnership, then I will make an effort to improve and garner success. If not, then I see this as a learning opportunity for the both of us. Thanks for taking the time to read this. [My name]
What are you told in casting sessions? by _madcat • last post Mar 7th
Hello everyone. I'll admit right away that i'm on the other side of the coin, i'm not an actor but a director in our upcoming webseries for a cinema school project. In this case, we don't have a casting director or anything of the sorts, we looked for the actress we needed when it comes to race and looks, and we have a casting session now. The role of this actress will be very driven on how she can react and how well her facial expressions are, dialogue delivery is important too but secondary honestly. And honestly?I'm nervous, I really don't know what to tell that person, we are going to introduce ourselves, read the script and then act the script. Is this enough?Would you be content with this or is there any other way for me to tell you have the quality?
Should the COMPANYmeter on IMDbPro be a good indication of which agency I should choose? by Raider9000 • last post Mar 7th
Hi there currently a senior BFA acting major and I decided to reach out to agents in LA before I make the move in June. I recently had a few meetings with some talent agencies from there and fortunately 4 of them are interested in signing with me, and a couple of them wanted to talk with me once I move to LA. After all my meetings were done, I decided to go on IMDbPro to see what their COMPANYmeter ranking was. They are ranked 52 (Panache Management) Ranked 117 (Media Artist Group) Ranked 635 (Modern Artists Entertainment) Ranked 954 (The Polygon Group) Also Eris Talent (ranked 32) was interested in seeing me once I’m physically in LA. I’m having trouble deciding which one I should go with, all of them were really nice and approachable, but not sure which agency will give me the best opportunities as an actor.
What do you love about acting? by Noo_no_noo • last post Mar 7th
Recently, I have been having doubts about my motivations and my passion for acting. There's so many sacrifices one has to make to "make it" and be able to act full time without monetary worries. It's hard to even get jobs, it's hard to get good jobs (or sometimes it seems like it) and even if you're commercially sucessful you may get famous which sounds kind of dreadful. Everybody who's serious about acting knows how hard the business can be. And still we all do it. But I can't quite put my finger on why I do it, which sounds weird I know, but I'd love to hear why fellow actors do what they do? I don't mean to complain, and I don't mean to sound depressing, I just think it's important to be aware of my motivations and since I am not, I think it would help to see what other people are thinking and feeling.
Education to put on resumes by trustmeimallama • last post Mar 7th
So I’m a new actor which means I’m in the acting classes phase. However the only school near me is EXPENSIVE. So I’ve booked one, short private online course with a legit actor and an online course from a school in New York. Most of my education it seems we’ll be taken online. Well these count towards my education that I can put on my resume?
How to break up with your current representation? by dan_c_kim • last post Mar 7th
I was wondering what is the proper protocol to break off the relationship with your current reps. Will an email suffice? Or a phone call? My assumption is it depends on the quality of your relationship with your reps, right? In my case, I'm very happy with both my manager and theatrical agent. I have a more personal relationship with my manager, and not so much with my agent. I very rarely interact with her except to acknowledge receiving the details for an audition. I'm just at a point where I think it's time to move on for reps that have more/better relationships with CDs. My current reps are more of the developmental level and I've been with them for 3 yrs. Also, I just flew back from a guest star turn on a huge, much anticipated production and want to strike while the iron is hot from that to change reps. Also, what do I put in a solicitation letter to a prospective rep? I have a friend who will vouch for me with her manager but I realize I've never sent a solicitation letter to my current reps b/c they found me via talent link on actors access. Apologies for the wall of txt and thanks in advance for any advice!
Becoming a working actor with non-college training by deanu- • last post Mar 7th
What advice do you have for those that have a non-acting school background? I’m 25 and already got my BA in psychology so I’m not sure it’s feasible to get another degree. However, I do want to raise my chances of getting acting work as much as possible. What kinds of training, classes, and programs do you guys recommend? I mainly hear about acting/arts colleges that actors have gone to, but there have to be lots of working actors that haven’t. I’m curious to learn as much as I can and to get as much training as possible. Give me your suggestions and advice. Thanks guys!
I’ve been working on the business side of entertainment for years, but I really want to start acting. I’m too afraid all of my connections will stop taking me seriously now and won’t help me out as an actor because they only liked me when they thought I w by Adhdsaggitarian • last post Mar 7th
Does anyone relate or have any advice? I want to really try acting and see if I can make it, but I’m afraid my peers will judge me harshly. I hate being accused of wanting this for the wrong reasons...
First Professional Acting Coaching by uzivicSD • last post Mar 7th
I recently enrolled in a very well reviewed Los Angeles acting school with a great acting coach. It is a 4 week course and I will most likely be signing up for more. I have taken a college acting course that taught me some basic acting methods and getting comfortable with other actors. How long should I take these classes before I start looking to audition for roles and make a huge leap in my young acting career (Im a 20 year old male college student from San Diego so Im only a hour and a half drive to LA.)
Is it worth working backstage when you don't get offered a speaking role? by ofulysses • last post Mar 7th
Ok so I suck at auditioning. I've auditioned for a so many amateur theatre productions and I've never been offered a role. This last production actually had 4 roles that needed filling and I didn't get any of them even though only 6 actors (that I could see) auditioned, so I guess I was that bad ☹ I definitely need acting classes to work on my auditioning skills, and acting skills in general, but in the meantime I have been asked if I want to work backstage in the production I didn't get cast in (unpaid) Tbh I'm not that interested in backstage, but I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to build up experience and reputation with the directors so that maybe I can be given more opportunities for a speaking role in future. The thing is it's going to take time away from auditioning and other acting opportunities as it's 6months of rehearsals so I don't know if it will end up being a waste of time. Has working backstage in amateur theatre been a benefit towards your acting career?
(Women only) What is the appropriate term for a female actor? by TimPrice2 • last post Mar 7th
I'm trying to find out which term women prefer, so please refrain from voting if you're not female. Thanks. [View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/lzzrte)
Acting with mental illness by caz-salari • last post Mar 7th
Is method acting with a mental illness easier? Is it an advantage? I have Bi-polar and when I watch certain actors I feel like I am them, I can replicate what they’re doing, I can easily fall into that characters feelings and become the character, for example say if there’s an explosive rage scene (like Al Pacino) then I can pull it off perfectly, or a scene with true emotion, something hardly anyone can replicate authentically, I can do it flawlessly. I have no experience with acting but I’d love to do it, it’s my dream but I wouldn’t want to attend acting school or act on stage, I don’t have the confidence neither does anybody know about this however I could manage perfectly in front of a camera acting out scenes with someone/people. The acting process stops a lot of born great actors from doing what they love wether it’s down to confidence or not being discovered.
Representation by meeloorrd • last post Mar 7th
Hey everyone, Hope you all are doing well during these times. I have a question when it comes to representation and seeing that this subreddit has a lot of seasoned actors with agents I figure why not ask. A little background about me I am a early 20's male Afghan actor currently residing in Vancouver, BC. I have taken acting classes for the past 4 years and have a couple theater performances as well as one short film that I received an IMDB credit for. My dilemma here is that I do not have enough clips to make a demo reel that I am comfortable with showing potential agents, so do you think that it would be a good idea to use my self tapes from my audition classes? Because I have quite a few of those that I feel like I have done an adequate enough job to share, or would it just be a better idea to keep auditioning and land a couple more independent film jobs and make a demo reel that way? Any feedback at all would be appreciated, thank you guys for reading and I wish each and every one of you the best.
My agent told me she was too busy to give a submission report - I should wait a couple of months by ACCDEVNTR • last post Mar 7th
So I was super nice in the way I asked my agent for a submission report. I was getting roles that didn't fit me and I told her I'd like to see it to check the numbers. When I self submit in 1/9 roles I get a booking or a callback. I wanted to check her numbers to see what was going on. She told me she was too busy to send it and I thought that was very odd. How long does it take to generate a report from Casting Networks or Actors Access?
Why I think acting is more simple than it sounds. (Personal Opinion) by MyPChasNoGPU • last post Mar 7th
I'm only 15 and ik this makes me sound stupid but I'm smarter than a lot of people my age so please hear me out, I have been amazed by actors my whole life and I found it amazing how these people can step outside their comfort zones and do what they love, but everyone always says "it's extremely hard" when taking about acting for big industries and I agree but they also say that many people who attempt to become actors fail, but that is where I have to disagree, whenever I think about "failed" actors all I think about is people who gave up before they made themselves known. I'm gonna start auditioning when I turn 16 and get a car but I know for a fact that I'm looking at a good 10 years of hard work before I get my big break and that is something I'm willing to do. I'd love to hear your opinions and if you think I'm right or wrong, I don't expect many to agree with me and that's all right.
Am I going in the right direction? by emaeking • last post Mar 7th
I’d like to see some current opinions from you guys so ... Short story: I have wanted to act (film/tv) my entire life. All I’ve ever wanted to do was make movies and play characters on screen - but financially my family was not well off, meaning acting workshops or classes were not an option. I was in theater & drama throughout HS but I was very introverted late bloomer and very bullied so I never had the confidence to got for lead roles. I always kept my dreams hidden because I was told many times as a kid that being an actress was unrealistic. Now moving on: I’m 21, I’m financially stable, I’m getting healthier, I’m able to get my teeth fixed and so I feel confident and happy enough to focus on my passion. I am close to LA (not for acting reasons, I’m a SoCal native) but this has almost hindered me, because all anyone (friends, coworkers, my hairstylist??) asks is if I have an agent - when it’s my understanding you have to be doing work to get an agent in the first place? - which is making me insecure to the fact that I don’t have one and it’s a vicious cycle. I have taken a couple workshops in the last year (online because COVID) and I’ve started looking through castings for some roles, hopefully some background work - I haven’t submitted yet because I’m waiting for a current headshot, but I’ll start once that’s complete. The problem I’m having is that I only have one supportive person in my life (my mother) who has zero experience in acting so I’m totally flying blind and I have no idea if I’m doing anything correctly. Do you have any advice? Am I moving in the right direction? Do you have any tips on the process of getting started professionally? Thank you in advance!
Social media presence ? by Particular-Sport-627 • last post Mar 7th
Hey i have heard alot that as an upcoming actor you need to be present on social media . Which social apps are the most important for this ?
Starting my journey of becoming an actor, need reassurance and help. by HekuuuZ • last post Mar 7th
So you know how the story goes about wanting to be an actor, so I'll skip **most** of that and actually talk about how I need help. I know the post is disgustingly long, but bear with me. ​ Some starting info and the situation I'm in: I'm an 18 year old guy and I'm just about to take my final exams out of high school. (I'm from Finland so terms like high school, college and university aren't really the same as in the US or UK. I can clarify if needed, just ask.) In 20 days I'll be done with my exams and by the end of the month I have to apply to a future school to continue my education. Issue is that the places that I'm applying to aren't what I want to do in life. Been thinking about what I want to do with my life for the last 3 years and cramming my head into math, physics and biology seemed like the logical and safe direction. Just now realizing that the distant dream of acting could actually really fit me and even happen is a bit late if I'm honest. The reason I'm too late to change my plans for the upcoming years is due to how applying to schools works in Finland. (Applying to acting and art related schools happens earlier than applying to other schools) The only way for me to fully convert to acting now is if I don't apply to any schools and pay for acting classes/education/whatever myself, which would most likely require me to move in on my own and work a full job to pay the fees. Not an option in my opinion. I've come to the conclusion that pursuing only acting will not work. I'll have to make myself a "back drop" if this acting thing doesn't work out at all. And that back drop will be the education I'm going to apply for. Some details that I missed: \-As of now my experience is really small. The basic school acting stuff I've done but I've never taken an actual class or anything like that. But for the last 3 years I've been a part of a media emphasized class and have been thought the very basics of filmmaking. ​ What I need help with: I need someone to tell me if my plan is ever going to work or even has the chance to work. Be brutally honest, because even though someone has succeeded with a plan like this before and "*Anything is possible! YAY!*", the odds aren't the best. And to make those odds the best I can I need help to fix/perfect my plan. I'm going to split my plan into a couple main checkpoints/steps so that it's easier to follow, but I'll fill in details and plans as needed. Please ask any questions, because I 100% forgot to mention some crucial info. I'll answer as quickly as possible. 1)Finish my exams and apply to other schools. \-Nothing special I can do to change this anymore. Just hoping that I get a spot, if I don't then I'm in for a wild ride and I rethink how I'll move forward. ​ 2)Army. \-In Finland as a man you have to complete a 6-12 month long training period in the army and I start on the fifth of July. \-I have the option to be there for 6 months (if this plan is any good and I have hope) or 12, if I feel like I'm happy there and it feels like the "place to be". \-Now since my army duty starts in July and I'll be done with school by the end of the month, I'll have about 3 months of summer break to play with. During this time I'm going to study acting on my own and hopefully get a part-time job or something like that at a theater or alike. I'll be reserving about a month off that 3 months for things that I feel like are mandatory in life like friends, family and having fun while I'm 18. (feel free to disagree with having this "free" month and please express any concerns or such) ​ 3)Finish army things and continue school. \-After applying to a school in the upcoming month and hopefully being accepted, the school will hold a place for me until I finish army and I'll start school then. \-During my education (3-5 years) I'll do my best to find any way to continue my acting dream. Planning on searching for any kind of experience from theater, to side roles, to commercials or even modeling. ​ 4)I don't know yet/finish school. \-I'll probably be done with school in 2025-2027 (20-ish years old) and that's where my plan stops. Hoping that the connections and skills I've made during all this time can get me at least started in acting and I'll chase my dream until it becomes my job. (While actually working in the profession I studied for and making money) \-The other option here is that during school I somehow got to a point where acting is already a career option and I've dropped out to study acting for real or I got stupid lucky somehow and I don't need to study anymore. (I think this option is highly unlikely since Finland isn't really the best starting place for an acting career in terms of connections etc.) ​ So that's it. The end goal is to become an actor (film, not theater) while being mostly self taught (for now atleast). I'm hoping that my acting career can flourish somewhere outside of Finland (obviously the big leagues lol). My upcoming education will most likely make me enough money to move out of Finland fairly quickly so any ideas/recommendations on where and why are welcome. As I said please ask any questions and help me how you can, suggest things to do during my plan and things to avoid doing to help me add/change checkpoints/steps. AND PLEASE, and I can't stress this enough; disagree with me in any situation you want. It's not going to kill my drive no matter how shitty you say my plan is or how minuscule my odds are, I just want all the possible information/perspectives. Thanks.
Re education by PolPotato7171 • last post Mar 7th
Premise: So I was raised a bit off and never learned to properly socialize, read body language, change the pitch of my voice, correct facial expressions, small talk etc. It's to the point where people who do not know me well and have no experience with neurodivergent people think I'm autistic. I'm fairly certain I'm not. Just have adhd along with depression and anxiety. So to the point I'm considering taking acting classes to try and learn all those little details that everyone else who was raised properly inherently knows. Would that be beneficial to someone in my case? I've tried people watching(have to make it obvious your not watching someone and let's face it is a bit weird), socializing with strangers, going to parties (even joined a frat at one point) and it's failed rather miserably. I'm not very interested personally in becoming famous or acting in general but if I can relearn or well actually learn atleast some body language, facial expressions, eye contact, correct voice pitch, etc. It would help and go a long way towards helping me. I don't particularly care if people like me but it's rather detrimental to any future careers, goals, friendships, relationships, etc if I come off as autistic. Specific class types I've looked at so far are body and movement, vocal, and improv. Would these be helpful for my purpose? Any thing else you guys could recommend? I fully understand this is not really the place for this but at the same time y'all are actors and who knows maybe I'm not the only one that's thought of doing this. If you know of anyone who has gone this route have they been successful in achieving what they wanted? Have you learned valuable techniques from acting class that has helped you in social situations? And who knows maybe I'll enjoy it and do it as a hobby.