We have found 19,412 posts across 4 actor forums:
Have you ever turned down a role? by IcemanLA • last post Apr 30th
Have you ever turned down a role. And I don't mean an audition, because I'm sure we're all done that, but actually booked something and then said no? I have only twice \(I think\). The first was a long time ago and a student film. I was cast as a 16 year old.... I was about 30. The other 16\-year\-old characters were actually 16. I might have looked young, but not that young. Also strange was that I didn't make it to the audition, but was cast anyway. I told the director I wasn't going to do it after the table read. The second time was a play. They wanted to bring me in at the last minute to replace an actor, and it was a big role. For this one I just didn't feel I could get up to speed in less then a week and not look like a terrible actor next to those that had been working on it for months.
Is there anything that I am missing? by ImaginedKing • last post Apr 30th
I am almost done with my freshman year of college, and in this year, I have been getting very involved in acting. In fact, I've recently declared a theatre minor because of this sudden interest in acting. I am just curious if there is any important information that I am missing about the field that I need to be made aware of, and I also want to voice some concerns of mine to see if they are legitimate. Finding this passion started with me taking a mandatory theatre appreciation class my first semester. This class happened to be my most enjoyable class, not just because of the students and professor but also because the class was just sincerely enjoyable. The professor taught the class in a more active way and let us get on the stage a few times to do some acting games. On one of the first assignments we submitted online after one of these acting games, he mentioned that I acted well and thought I had previous acting experience. I told him that I didn't, and he recommended that I try out acting as something to go into. Now in my second semester I'm in an acting for non majors class and this professor thinks of me as a good actor as well. He wants me to go even further with acting and take an acting for the camera summer class because he thinks I have a great potential and a sort of "face" for acting. Now for my concerns: I would love to just go an audition for plays, but I am extremely limited because I do not have a car and therefore do not have reliable transportation. I also do not think there is much in terms of acting opportunities where I live, though I may be mistaken. There's also this doubt that I have that might even be irrational. I fear that my abilities are being highly exaggerated. My current acting professor said that for one of my monologues, I did better than a professional actor he saw do the character once. Along with this, everyone in my class constantly "praises" my acting, and I just don't know how much of the praise is from them knowing me and liking me as a person. Are these concerns legitimate, mainly the one about transportation, or am I just overthinking? Also, is there anything I should be made aware of? Thanks for taking the time to at least read this.
Actors, how hard is it to hold a full time job while trying to get auditions and parts? by whaleforce9 • last post Apr 30th
Also, how do you work around your schedule to balance both acting and working? For some background, I'm aspiring to be an actor. I have about a year and a half left to finish my accounting degree and plan on moving to LA after I graduate (I live in South Carolina). My plan is to use my degree to generate income while training as an actor/auditioning. My primary concern is balancing work/acting until I'm generating enough income in acting to where I can survive on it. Are there any working actors on here working a full time job? Are most audition times during normal working hours? I'm pretty inexperienced, but I'm trying to be as prepared as possible for when I make the big leap across the country. Any advice/information is greatly appreciated.
Bit of an odd question... by AJHickling • last post Apr 30th
Hey all, New to the sub and fairly new to acting as a profession. I've always been passionate AF about acting but in the last year things are blowing up in crazy ways in regards to me acting on stage. Recently, I have been working with a singular director, helping bring his original pieces to the stage in Manchester, UK. He's cast me as the lead twice and both plays have been huge successes and are going to London next year (fingers crossed). First however, his other acclaimed play "Porno Chic" is definitely going though. He has offered me a smaller role in this play - Dolly Sharp (yes, the play is about the famous porno film "DeepThroat") - I am not too bothered about what the role entails because I've already seen the production and it's incredible (the play, not the film). What I am worried about however, is how to keep my body hair away for the duration of the run. I have really bad eczema and can't shave every day. My legs I can wax ofc but it's under my arms I'm worried about. So, I wanna know, fellow actors; how do you keep your pits so silky smooth for two/three weeks? Do you wax? Shave everyday? It's an odd question, I know but I thought someone on here must have some tips! TL;DR - How do actors keep their pits silky smooth for the duration of a play without shaving everyday?
Photography by Clatworthy • last post Apr 29th
Can anyone recommend a good photographer? I am currently signing up with casting agencies, but I need some really good photos for my portfolio. Thanks in advance.
How do you feel about self-taping? by WordAndCopySayer • last post Apr 29th
You love it? Hate it? Think it's fair that actors are expected to audition themselves? Not fair? You feel technically competent to produce a good looking and sounding audition? One that is as good as what you'd get in a casting office? Curious how people feel about the whole thing.
I’m starting to freak out a little. by ThrowawayFreakOut97 • last post Apr 29th
I started pursuing this back when I was 17; I did a couple student films, popped up in a TV show for a few minutes, then a handful of commercials, and suddenly I’ve got myself an agent. Now all my auditions feel really official, I’m having meetings in casting offices and things are looking up. I soon realise that I’m totally winging it, most of the time I’m bombing these auditions because I have no clue what I’m doing; I mean, up until that point my only experience had been high school plays and watching movies. So, at 18, and with my agents support, I spent a year in a conservatoire studying the craft — I’d still audition every now and then, but from aged 18 to 19 my focus was solely on soaking up everything I could and improving myself as an actor. A few weeks after I’d graduated, I landed a small TV gig and got the opportunity to tour in a play but then after that... nothing. I kept myself busy by writing my own stuff, putting together shorts for festival runs, and keeping fresh with acting teachers but almost 7 months went by and I hadn’t heard a peep from my agent. And then she phones me, she tells me that she has cancer and is leaving the agency to spend time with her family — I’ll spare you the details, but it was heartbreaking to hear and we shared a lot of tears that day. The agency took on most of her clients but, as I hadn’t booked anything in 7 months, they more or less dropped me; an assistant at the agency took me on and I was basically pushed into leaving myself. So, at 20, I’m agentless, and if I’m being honest with you guys, in my whole “life plan” this was not supposed to happen. Like, not at all, and I kind of flew off the handle. Long story short, a good portion of the last year, I spent eating Cheetos on my couch and getting high on a cocktail of drugs; I lost my job, got kicked out my apartment - it’s safe to say that that was a really shitty time in my life. But, I guess, you can only smoke away your troubles for so long - I realised that in the summer of last year when, on a rare outing, I saw a friend of mine that I hadn’t spoken to since things had went awall gracing his very own billboard and I kind of had a real existential crisis. And I know this’ll probably sound stupid, self-obsessed, and just really gross but my imediate thought in that moment was “shit, that’s supposed to be me”. It’s from then that I pack in the procrastination and start really working —day and night putting together a showreel; new footage and old, contacting old acting teachers, getting headshots, emailing every agent in the city; honestly, all in all, I worked from August to October almost none stop. I swear, I must’ve emailed at least 150 agencies; and none of this copy and paste bullshit, nah! I’m talking about notebooks filled with research on these guys, I bought a fucking whiteboard for this! At the time, my room looked like the lair of a serial killer. Eventually, after troves of meetings that went nowhere and automated email rejections, this dude takes me on. Now, honestly, for where I was at, he was way out of my league, man. I don’t know why he took a chance but he did, and for that, I’m grateful. A couple of months after he took me on, I’m already working. At the end of last year I was in an off-westend show and a couple of months back I recorded my first radio drama! But now, I’m deep into a three month dry-spell; not just role-wise but auditions, too. And I can’t lie, I’m really starting to freak out. The things I’ve been writing for myself have all fallen apart and, right now, I’m just like, fuuck! I’m at a point now where everywhere I look someone I know is either starring in a tv show or has a movie coming out and I’m just here feeling stuck. Nothing is happening. Everytime I try and make something happen it falls apart, it’s like I’m banging my head against a brick hall here; screaming into my pillow. I’m 21 now, and it’s starting to feel like I’ve wasted four years of my life. I know I’m still young, I don’t have any delusions about being “too old”, I just... it’s hard to put into words how I feel. It feels like I should be further in this than I am, if that makes sense? I don’t know, it’s weird (sorry if this feels anticlimactic). Sorry for the rant, guys. Just needed to get this off my chest because I woke up today feeling like shit. Hope you’re all well. ____________ tl;dr: Basically, I feel like I should be further in this industry than I currently am. I’m currently in a 3 month audition dry spell and I’m starting to freak out a little.
nyc actor new to LA, any other actors wanna grab a beer sometime? by saladfingers0971 • last post Apr 29th
29 year old dude, reasonably chill. living in the koreatown / westlake area. just moved out here, figured I'd see if anybody wants to get a little actor meet up thing going or go hiking or something.
Becoming noticed out of the blue... by nathanla24 • last post Apr 29th
Hello. I was reading something about the actor Chris Pratt. It says that at 19 years old when he was waiting tables at a restaurant, an actor and director decided that he was perfect to fit in their movie. This was basically the start that kicked off his career. Has this ever happened to anyone you know or yourself. Thanks
Everyone Was Right About Those Audition "Do nots"... by alamana • last post Apr 29th
I had an audition this weekend for a Renaissance Festival cast that does several plays (this year Henry VIII and La Dama Boba) as well as improv type stuff with the festival attendees and I have some thoughts as a result. We auditioned in small groups (12 or so actors), performing our (Shakespeare) monologues in front of one another as well as in front of the auditors. That experience really kind of solidified much of the common audition wisdom in my mind. Big time. Having sat through that audition, and seen pretty much everything we are warned against, here are my thoughts: Yep -- don’t do a monologue from the play you are auditioning for. When one of the actresses announced that she’d be doing Katherine from Henry VIII, I saw one of the auditors look up with a look of shock that dissolved into annoyance. (This was especially egregious here given that they’ve done Henry VIII for several years now and Katherine of Aragon is already cast and wonderful). The actress did a pretty good job with the piece, but at least for the auditor that I noticed, that didn’t seem to matter. Yep – don’t do something that conflicts with your “type.” A guy who looked about 50 years old did Hamlet’s speech to the players. Even though he did a nice job of looking like an older experienced actor/director given amusing advice to actors, that isn’t the character of Hamlet. And that was distracting as hell, even though the acting itself was pretty good. He would have been much better off with a different piece. Yep – try not to do something that’s overdone. Two young men did the same monologue. It was impossible not to compare them. One’s mind automatically does a “who did it better” thing, whether you want it to or not. Yep – time yourself and don’t go over time. They told us that the timekeeper would stop us if we went more than a little bit over 90 seconds, and one actress was stopped because she went over time. Watching the look on her face as time was called and watching her look all defeated while walking back to her seat was painful and all but cancelled out the great job she’d just done. Yep – be prepared. They had sent sides by email about a week before the audition (because they basically do callbacks on the spot rather than at a later date) and told us that if we were interested in a particular role, that we’d be given the chance to read for it. Out of twelve of us, only two of us took that opportunity (and the auditors were clearly pleased with us). I think I’m being seriously considered for the role I asked to read for. Most of the actors in the room clearly hadn’t even looked at the sides. It was a big opportunity missed for all but two of us. I know we’ve all heard this stuff a million times if we’ve heard it once, but seeing virtually all of the faux pas we are warned against happen in one audition room with twelve actors was very interesting so I thought I’d post. The good news is – pretty much everyone is messing up, so the odds are in my favor, ha ha. Flip side of that coin was that it was kinda painful to watch people shoot themselves in the foot.
How do fellow LA actors / actresses meet people? (Outside if acting) by lovebug055 • last post Apr 28th
New to the Area. Just trying to find a way people might recommend to make new friends :) I know meetup is popular but anything else you LA bets recommend?! Thanks!
what is your story before became an actor? by NickNameIs_A • last post Apr 28th
Maybe you have some experiences how you end up being an actor? And perhaps you can tell your when you first time acting? Maybe it can be a 'gasoline' for this 'dying sparks'.
Is it considered rude to write in your journal during a performance? by ailander • last post Apr 28th
My professor said that it's perfectly fine to write in your journal while watching performances, and today I did write in my journal. However, I did write quite a bit. I wrote roughly around eight pages during the performance (not counting the four pages I wrote preshow). I just wrote mainly about different actors and their performances with some of my critique about the entire show. I think I did learn how to critique acting better and I'm just wondering if anyone else does this too.
Reconsidering college. Opinion? by TroiasAchilles • last post Apr 28th
Hey all. Wanted to get some feedback from the community. Im a 23 year old actor with decent credits and good material but I feel like the last year or so has been a virtual waste. I parted ways with a big agency and have signed with a smaller one but very little has been happening. I've been considering going back to study law or psychology while continuing to act, just so I'm not staring at 30 with no degree. And maybe this way I could support my acting work better if I had a degree/ better job. Can I get peoples opinions on this. I feel like I'm surrendering if I do this for some reason. But I dropped out of college originally to work and pursue acting in the first place.
What’s with the way actors eat on screen? by maffew12 • last post Apr 28th
Are you taught to put a piece of food in your mouth and not chew it and talk with it sat there? Watching Tomb Raider, she bites an apple, let’s it rest on her tongue and speaks. Big Lebowski he straight up talks with liquid in his mouth - these are not isolated incidents, it’s in every movie at some point - who is teaching this??
Advise on Talent Agencies by Shakina Giovonnie • last post Apr 27th
Hello, So I’m new to this site and to the industry and was wondering if anyone could provide tips and info on joining talent agencies or finding a agent in Los Angeles.
Remember.. by vassafras • last post Apr 27th
We do this because we love it. We do this because it makes us feel alive. We do this because it gives us purpose. The gigs will happen. The agent will happen. The success will happen. Spend everyday being grateful and excited to be an actor, and make every new opportunity a reason to be better and love it more. You can do this! :)
Something that motivated me! by xijalu • last post Apr 27th
I was listening to a voice actor, who was saying that he does 300-600 auditions a year and if you book 2% of those you're crushin' it. This made me feel a lot less pressure! Is this common knowledge...?
Experience with John Rosenfeld? Billy O'Leary? by BonafideBonanza • last post Apr 27th
Or any other coaches you can think of for trained actors looking to get their asses kicked and hone their techniques some more? My background is specifically Meisner, if that matters (studied outside of LA). Just looking for some thoughts and suggestions for scene study/on-camera classes like these.
Torture scene: How to play panicked/scared characters? by mirrorsarereflective • last post Apr 27th
So I am doing this scene for a character that involves panickedand heavy breathing. Basically im being kidnapped and I wake up and being intimidated. I am trying to understand how to play panicked and heavily btrathe yet deliver my lines.... I find I end up talking fast like I was panicked or I fumble the lines. Technically this would be truthful given my circumstances, but I feel it can be problematic in the context of a film scene? Any ideas or inspirations from famous actors? Most interrogation scenes make the victim seem too much like a calm badass or cool-headed killer. The scene calls for a panick and scared situation. I made the choice of being tortured or potentially tortured. Since I wake up in a sketchy room and I am tied up.