We have found 19,407 posts across 4 actor forums:
Suitable attire as an actor? by CornrowKenny100 • last post Feb 13th
Hey all! I’m a 22 year old actor who is a bit stumped when it comes to what would be the best way to set a professional look for myself, without being over the top. e.g 3 piece suits dressed to the 9’s I more or less have a picture in my head, of what would be a good professional look for me. I don’t know if this is an issue for any other actors, but sometimes when I go for networking events or acting auditions I’m a bit self conscious about if I’m underdressed, or doing a bit too much. I don’t have much variety as of late, as I’ve adopted a minimalist wardrobe, but I will be looking to get some new pieces I’d like to add. Here are some ideas I had: • A matching blazer and trousers (pants) • All White Stan Smiths • White Dress Shirt • Black Denim Jacket • Black Turtleneck A nice mix of smart casual, should hopefully give the right impression, I would like to think. Also, do any actors of colour sometimes find themselves having to think extra about their wardrobe choices as a result of quote unquote not being stereotyped or typecast? When it comes to attire and attitudes towards it, does it differ from the US to the UK or is it pretty much the same? Cheers!
Actors who made the move to L.A., how did you know you were "ready"? by InfamousSir • last post Feb 13th
Or those who went without being prepared, how easy was it to hitchhike home?
Which actors access region do I choose if I'm in New Orleans? by griffindor11 • last post Feb 13th
I have a resume and headshots on actors access and I'm ready to start submitting for auditions, but which region do i pick? New Orleans in pretty busy with film and tv, i know a lot goes on here, but im not seeing anything on actors access. What gives? My region is set to southeast, and im not seeing anything in new orleans, mostly stuff in atlanta and Tennessee. Should i pick 'Texas-South central region' instead? Or do not many productions use actors access in new orleans? I was told by muiltiple people in the business a lot is currently going on in new orleans, so its not like the market is dry here.
Trouble with Meisner technique by Permanenceisall • last post Feb 13th
Hey everyone, first time lurker long time poster here. I’ve been taking a Meisner technique class from a reputable teacher who studied with Sandy Meisner but for the first time in my career I feel absolutely lost. I’ve always been a naturalistic actor and very comfortable with myself on stage, and i usually get good feedback in that regard. But in this class it seems to be a detriment. I’m a naturally broad person (think Jason Mantzoukas) and I tend to lean more towards comedy and humor in my daily life and in neutral or improv scenes. I’m constantly told I’m either over doing it or not “landing/sitting on my impulses” but if I feel no tension coming from my acting partner I see no reason to artificially create it. I understand that a lot of this is very particular to the class and I did talk with the teacher and conveyed to her that what she sees as my “shtick” (her words) is truly just who i am. I’m entirely open to the idea that this technique is just not for me but I wanted to hear other people’s (especially those who lean towards comedy) thoughts.
Feeling rather lost and not sure where to go from here... by Phoenix2700 • last post Feb 13th
Hey all, ​ I tend to frequent the VO boards on reddit for the most part, but I feel like the folks over here at /r/acting might give me a fresh perspective on things. I've been signed with an agency for about 9 months now doing only voice over work, with the hope of expanding into on camera work once I have a video reel properly established. In that time I've gone on plenty of auditions and have been taking a good deal of classes and I've still yet to book a single job. Many of my friends are commercial actors (in NYC, as am I) and manage to find all sorts of success in on camera acting and here and there in voice over and I just feel like a complete loser at this point. ​ I know it seems ridiculous to say that, but I've pumped thousands of dollars into having my audio demos done as well as into classes and training programs and my buddies who have zero training (although more professional experience) seem to coast right on through and make it where I can't. Now I'm not jealous of my friends success, I'm extremely happy things are going well for him but the fact is I cannot figure out what I need to do to improve. I don't know how my buddy got to where he is and why I am seemingly incapable of it. I don't understand what else I should be doing every single day to make sure my skills are improving properly and that I'm making it more likely for myself to book work. ​ I'd also really like to make the transition over to on-camera work and I feel really at a loss for how to approach that at all. I feel like the catch-22 mentality of the industry is a very tough hurdle for me to get over, as most places won't even look at my headshots if I don't have a reel along with it. And of course I can't make a reel unless I have footage of myself from things I've been involved with! ​ I do have a handful of short films and the like which I've participated in but according to my agent, she doesn't believe they fulfill my typing requirements and would not make a substantial reel. ​ So to sum it all up, I'm not booking work and I have been auditioning for 9 months with zero hope in sight. What the hell can I do to get myself into the world of on-camera auditioning and what can I do to effectively get myself on the right course as far as my skillset to that I can actually book work? ​ Thanks for the help.
Voice Actor and English Dub Director Mary E McGlynn AMA Today, Wednesday, February 13th, at 6 PM PT! by PanpanBamboo • last post Feb 13th
[GIG] Looking for an actor who can perform Jamaican and/or Hindi by childish5iasco • last post Feb 13th
Hey there VoiceActing Reddit! This is my first time posting here. I've been looking all over the internet from Fiverr and Upwork and message boards to find a voice actor but now I'm trying Reddit. I am producing an audiobook for a novella in a fantasy world, one character having a Jamaican dialect and all the others having Hindi dialects. **Yes, this is for paid work. If you live in or around Los Angeles and you can come into my studio I pay $20/hr USD but if you don't then I pay $50 PFH.** This gig is just for character voices within the story. You can audition for both or just one, depending on your comfort level. ROLE #1: Amana. Male. Late 20s. Jamaican Patois dialect. (Note: If you do speak Jamaican Patois, I'll pay extra to make sure the character's dialogue sounds appropriate. Editor's Rate: $7.50 per 1000 words) ROLE #2: Male voices. Varies from Early 20s to Senior. Hindi dialect. ROLE #3: Female voices. Varies from Late Teens to Senior. Hindi dialect. Message me if you're interested and for more details!
Advice for a newbie? And questions for any professional voice actors/actresses by UsernamesAreABitch • last post Feb 13th
Hello, voice actors/actresses of this subreddit! First ever post on this subreddit.I am new to the voice acting scene with my first role being a narrator for a project my bestfriend was planning. I'm 16 and some people say that my voice makes me sound like I'm 22. I'm a little bit flattered to be honest when people say that but it makes me concerned that that is the only thing that's unique about my voice. I honestly want to feel the emotion in the characters or the story that is being made. And I also want to extend the range of my voice and not just sound like a guy with just a deep voice. So I wanted to ask: 1. What are some tips to extend your range? 2. What are some tips to really feel like you're in sync with a character you're playing? 3. What age was your first VA gig? 4. What are the most important lessons that you learned in VA? I am not currently looking to get a job as a voice actor. My worries right now are exams
'Shirley and Shelly'- trade by Erin Soto • last post Feb 13th
Hi there, I have a web-series out! wohoo! www.youtube.com/shirleyandshelly LMK if you have a series, and will do a trade, subscribe or view of a video of equal length in time. Mine go from :40 seconds-9 minutes, but check out what's been released thus far. Erin :)
Anthony Meindel Actor Workshop? by Polartec239 • last post Feb 13th
Anyone have any experiences/reviews/thoughts on this studio?
The First Year by worldtraveler9700 • last post Feb 12th
I was wondering if some of the older actors here could say how their first year in the business went. And I mean the first year you decided to act even if you had another career. I'm kind of near the end of my first year in the industry (graduated college last year) and feel like even though I was busy and didn't do enough. How did you all figure out this balance?
Okay. Let’s talk mentors. What did you do to find them? How do I get a mentor?! by darlingamateur • last post Feb 12th
I just asked one of my professors from school who was super supportive and encouraging of my talents while I was there. They gave me amazing advice and one day, we talked for an hour about the industry, my place in it, and what I should be doing now to get to where I want to be. It was SUCH a helpful conversation and I found myself thinking I should just ask them to be my mentor officially. I kept trying to meet up with them but they recently got a promotion and were not very good at keeping up with emails (months would go by without a response). So I kept emailing and finally just asked if they wanted to be my mentor (was planning to ask in person), but they said they feel like I should get an acting mentor since I’m an actor, and not a director (which is what they are) as a mentor. So that’s where I’m at. Mentor-less and no idea where to find one. At my point in my career, it would be so beneficial for me to have one. So my question is - how did you all find yours? And do you think that relationship has been helpful to you?
Improv online group by dover64 • last post Feb 12th
Hey guys. So I've had this idea lingering for a few days that I'm still working on but I thought I'd try to find intrest. So lately I've been trying to find local improv classes to improve skills. And it's a struggle either no where is doing one , or it's only for a week on next July. I'm struggling to connect to any local talent to be inspired or have any connections with. So I had the thought of having a group online. Maybe it's a Skype call or A discord where Reddit Local voice Actors can come, meet eachother and hang out. Personally I'm trying to step in to different characters so I really want attempt some group improv, but we could bounce scenes and characters off each other and maybe even do different group Warmups. It wouldn't be for a project or product, it wouldn't be recorded or shared. It would just be a few friendly voices with a shared passion for acting starting a small group. I'm 27 and from the UK so scheduling a time will mostly be evenings and weekends, but we'll work out a time to suit everyone. I'd say there would probably be some limit on microphone quality but I'm open to all ideas. *Edit* We now have a Discord. The Voice Acting Round Table. https://discord.gg/AGHa6c6 Feel free to join, Introduce yourself and start getting to know people.
How do you act out a character when you completely disagree with everything that character thinks, feels and believes? by colobluefox • last post Feb 12th
I'm just a regular person (not an actor) who is a Game Master for a table top roll playing game. I have a character in my story who I disagree with in every way. However, I have to speak and make decisions as if I were this character. How do you do this when you are unable to empathize at all with the hopes, dreams or aspirations? Thanks for any advice you can give me.
does watching movies/tv and studying the actors help anyone? by dryadgod • last post Feb 12th
i feel i’ve been benefiting somewhat by studying the way characters interact, etc when watching movies. do people do this to learn?
Actor CV Question!! by xz23oswi • last post Feb 12th
Hey, I'm just starting out with acting. I just wanted to ask if you're supposed to put your screen name on your actor cv? Thank you!
Dearest Actors: Is this overstepping? by WaffleHouseNeedsWiFi • last post Feb 12th
As I write, I find myself bolding things for emphasis. It just now occurs to me that you probably would do a better job interpreting the work on your own. What do you think? Would you read this and be like, "Don't tell me how to do my job, dork"? ​ [https://imgur.com/a/z2jOITq](https://imgur.com/a/z2jOITq)
Aspiring Actress in Toronto. Practice Buddy? by madeline9595 • last post Feb 12th
So I've always wanted to be an actress since I was a kid, and after moving out I decided to drop out of school to follow my passion. I have yet to get into the union or get an agent, but I was wondering if theres anyone in Toronto with a similarish situation wanting to practice with someone. Let me if you have any tips or are down to be a study buddy :)
Received an email from ‘Actors Fast Track’ by Caramel_kiwi • last post Feb 12th
Hi ladies and gents of r/acting, this is a throwaway account. Earlier this evening I seemed to have received a ‘day one of five’ email from Valorie Hubbard with Actors Fast Track at the bottom. I was wondering if anyone else has received anything like this? I’m guessing I’ve signed up to some sort of mailing list between signing up to casting platforms, although the two platforms I use I’m pretty sure aren’t in the USA - I’m in a different county (California is at the bottom of the email). Anyone else get this? Cheers Edit: *different country
For anyone who browses this sub and wonders if this is a viable career or lifestyle by connocauseimcool • last post Feb 11th
This is going to be a long post but I’ll put a TL:DR at bottom I want to start off by saying you and I are one in the same. I am now 27 years old and I used to browse this sub when I was around 19-20 years old. Never acted a day in my life, but I thoroughly enjoyed browsing this sub thinking “what if?” I grew up poor; always had a roof over my head, but not always utilities and many nights went to bed hungry. Now I don’t want this to be a sob story so hang with me. I never had aspirations to be anything other than not poor. I left home when I was 17, finished high school on my own. I worked for everything I had and school was basically the place I caught up on my sleep. I had many friends in drama even the girl I was dating was in advanced theater; I wanted to take an acting class the last semester of my senior year but it didn’t fit with my schedule so I dropped the thought for about two years. I went to the Votech college in good ol’ Norman, Oklahoma. At the time I wanted to be an electrical engineer so after the Votech went to community college to finish up an AA degree. The last semester of community college I needed to take two electoral classes and something pulled me into the thought of acting again. So I enrolled in an acting for the camera course and had my first acting experience. I was awful (still am). It was nerve racking. Standing in front of people who are judging you?! Why am I doing this???!!! It’s cause we all secretly enjoy the torture haha. At the end of the semester I felt some sort of growth in myself or it could have been when the professor had me stand on front of the whole class and scream as loud as I could to “relieve stress” cause I looked stressed trying to act out my scene. Oh boy that was fun especially when other students in the hallways walking by could hear and see me screaming. Now he didn’t make me do it just once or twice but for like a solid 10 minutes. Anyways I asked him basically “hey if I want to do this more what would you recommend for me to do at this time. I’m graduating so I don’t want to enroll anymore classes here?” This next part changed my life. He asked me where I lived and I told him Norman. I was instructed to take classes with Chris Freihofer who owned his own acting studio. I enrolled in acting for the camera again at Chris’s studio which was/is taught by Darryl Cox. Darryl was the first person who changed my course for the better. I took one class with him and a second class. At the end of the second class I was struggling through a scene from I believe “The Abyss”????? Basically my wife(?) was telling me about something she saw but didn’t matter. I couldn’t look at my scene partner as my wife. This girl was really cute by the way and I remember that was part of the struggle for me should be easy right? Eventually we made it through the scene and Darryl told me something along the lines of “you have a barrier up emotionally, I tried to direct you in a way that for some it comes down but for you its always up. If you want to continue improving that barrier is going to have to come down.” I didn’t know what to do. I felt like shit. I felt like giving up. I was 20 or 21 at this time. I beat myself up about it and he told me later not to worry about it. A lot of people struggle with that and once you conquer that barrier you will do well. He said I will get all the pretty boy roles that he always wanted haha. Lastly he asked me what my plans moving forward was and I told him I’m not sure. Darryl advised I take Chris’s class which was similar in form to his and that Chris could help me with that barrier. Wow this is getting long. I finally enrolled in Chris’s class which was always sold out but Darryl talked to Chris for me (thanks again Darryl) and got me in. Chris helped me in so many different ways later in life not necessarily at the time in class. Mainly I was holding myself back. I remember doing a scene where I wasn’t there at all. He paused the camera, looked at me and said, “what did you want to be when you grew up?” I told him I didn’t know. He said back, “yes you do, it was what you played as everyday when you were little.” I thought about it for a second which truly didn’t take me long and I said, “a power ranger; blue to be specific” (Billy Cranston for life). This is some of the best advice I can think of that I have received in the 7-8 years I’ve been acting. “Acting is pretending to be a power ranger like you did when you were a kid.” Let me say he is so incredibly right that I look back and cringe thinking I can just “be” someone else. No not quite it’s a bit more than that. Towards the end of class Chris asked me similarly to Darryl, “what are your plans after class?” I said I didn’t know (if you haven’t realized it yet this is a theme for all of us even you reading this). “Connocauseimcool why do you not have an agent yet?” I froze. Why didn’t I have an agent? Because I suck that’s why. What I said was, “well I don’t have headshots first of all.” Chris said “okay I’ll get you headshots done next week now you don’t have that excuse, what else?” I was in a bit of disbelief to that and so I did say that I don’t think I’m good or ready for an agent. Chris said something along the lines of we all aren’t good but that not our job to judge that it’s somebody else’s. Fast forward a week I had headshots taken by Jeff Nichols in LA who flew over to remember Norman, Oklahoma. Jeff and Chris are friends and he got me scheduled in with Jeff. Headshots literally in hand as I walked away I was told once I had these taken to start contacting agents in my area. I still did not think I was at any sort of caliber to start acting for actual money. All I had been by this time was extras on set. Unpaid. The dream of all of us. I will say that I was an extra on a movie with Alton Yelchin before he passed away tragically and that is a memory I won’t ever forget. He was very nice to all of us. Chatted a bit between takes with the 20 or so of us there. Billy Cruddup wasn’t but that’s neither here nor there. So back to the regularly scheduled programming I started emailing agents. I’ll save you time and basically there was only two in Oklahoma. Magna Talent and Switzer Talent. I wanted to be with Switzer because she had a much smaller roster and was a little more “elite” but I wasn’t even good right, so why should I get my hopes up? I emailed Switzer Talent and within a couple days I had an email back saying she’d love to meet when she has an appointment available. Weeks go by and I hear nothing from Becky. I even email her again I guess reminding her I exist. Nothing. I was pretty bummed. One day out of the blue I receive a call from a new number and I pickup. It was Becky. Months later. Like 3-4. She said I have someone who called an appointment tomorrow can you be here at 3PM. You bet your ass I was there at 3PM. I took the afternoon off work which at the time was very easy for me. I worked at AT&T and got the job from someone else who helped me get that (here’s another theme is sometimes it’s not what you know it’s WHO you know). But trust me when I say hardwork and perseverance will put you leagues ahead of the competition. The meeting with Becky put me gleefully with my head in the clouds. Normally when you meet an agent I hear it is customary to have a monologue or scene prepared to act out. I did not. I lucked out. Remember I still suck? Becky said she talked with Chris and he vouched I was “okay?????” “Decent?????” I have no idea but she’d sign me if I was ready. I wanted to sign the papers right then and there!!!!! She could see how excited I was; she said, “take the weekend to think about it and I will see you Monday at noon if you can make it. I signed the papers when I got home and dropped them off Monday. I officially had an agent. I had made the big time lol. Wow this is actually really long. With Becky as my agent I started booking commercials. Very small commercials. All non union of course. Eventually I started feeling better about my acting chaps. Not that I was okay or even decent but that apparently I can sell it. In one year I went from taking a single acting class at community college to taking multiple classes, having an agent, and booking small gigs. When I sit and think about it I think how lucky I am to have all those people nudging me along but also I’m so thankful I didn’t give up. The story doesn’t end here guys so if you’re still reading strap in for at least 4 more paragraphs. Eventually I lost my job at AT&T. They close my entire department so instead of waking up one day being 30 years old I decided to leave the company and take my severance package. I called Becky and told her that I quit my job and that I could basically “act” full-time. Well Becky came through because she got me like three commercial auditions in Texas. I got to be a featured extra on a film set for about a month which was pretty fun. Towards the last days of filming a had my own trailer which was a fun experience. So if you were remember I'm living in Norman Oklahoma and all anyone ever told me was if you want to do this for real you need to go to LA. So after a couple months of working on some projects making a decent amount of money and having severance from AT&T I packed my bags and moved to Phoenix Arizona. I have friends There that are basically my family. I haven’t spoken to my family since I was 17 they have no idea what’s going on my life nor do I theirs. At this point in time I was about 22 and I knew that I wanted to act as a career or at least give it the best shot I could. When I got to Phoenix I met with about five different agents. Half of them wanted me to model only the others were model and acting. Eventually I picked an agent who just focused on film and television. I didn’t want to model. I lucked out again no monologue or scene because my very small resume to me spoke enough that they were willing to sign me off that. Sweet big time again. Now I just had to find a day job. So I asked myself what do actors do for a living? Well they either work at Starbucks or wait tables. My friends helped me get a job in a restaurant so queue up a big shift in my job life. I serve tables for three years eventually moved up to bartending all with the idea that I will take this experience to LA and serve people there while trying to “make it.” Through these years with my agent in Phoenix I got a decent amount of work but nothing noteworthy. Last month I quit my job and now I am typing all this from my room in Burbank, California. I finally made it. Lol just kidding. I don’t know anybody here. I have a lot of acquaintances through the years that are all here somewhere. So Sam, Bruce, Heath, Emily, Tiffany, Casey, Madison, Scott, etc. I made it like you all said I should. 8 years later I am here. We’re almost done I promise. All the posts about am I too old? Am I too fat? Am I too skinny? How’s my hair? How’s blah blah blah blah blah. Guys it doesn’t matter. Actors come in all shapes and sizes. That means ages, ethnicity, height, weight, hair color, eye color all of it. Every single person who is reading this can be an actor if that’s what you want to be. Unfortunately choosing this career option is not the hard part. The hard part is all the sacrifices you have to make. You don’t get to live a normal life. You will live a life of struggle, of uncertainty, of anxiety of is this all worth it? It is going to hurt a lot. My friends who are my age all have long-term S/O. Some of them even have kids. some of them own houses. some of them have careers. All of them have everything I want. But I want to be an actor. I want to be a working actor. Not rich. Not famous. Just being a different person every other day of the week with a smile, or maybe not because the character doesn’t smile. Who knows. My friends think that I’m free that I have zero obligations. While that may be true I have someone that I care very deeply about in Arizona. I had to say I don’t know what the future holds but this is my life goal. This hurt me greatly. All of this hurts. I don’t have any friends here I don’t have any family here. Just me. And my dream. The sacrifices are in numerable that I’ve had to make. Every person who is a working actor or are famous actor or somebody of note; they all had to make sacrifices. Nobody sees what they had to go through; we only get to see their success. So stop worrying about them and worry about yourself. Worry how are you are going to make your dreams a reality. I hope this helps at least one person but mainly I’m just alone and wanted someone to listen. I didn’t proofread this. Right now I’m in a weird sad state thinking about my life and how’s it led here. Brighter horizons are ahead. Thank you for reading. TL;DR : Please read. Used to read this sub around 8 years ago wondering what if. Zero experience. Typing this from my room in Burbank trying to make this a reality.