your resume improves the chances that a producer will see you as a benefit to the production. Dancing, singing,
juggling, horseback riding, painting, surfing, skiing, breathing fire while standing on your head….almost anything
that people do may be called for, and can add to your chances.
While being a good actor is important, other things can also improve your chances. Be well educated, well
informed, and well read. Be able to pick up a book and read aloud from it with no practice. Being able to speak
with an regional accent can be as important as having a generic accent. Be able to tell a joke with good timing.
By being a well rounded person you will impress those who you deal with in all parts of your life.
A pretty face is no substitute for preparation and hard work. Hollywood is full of pretty faces
Be professional. By this I mean that you should do and act in ways that are not amateurish.
You should be on time and you should be prepared because, to a producer, time is money. If you cost a
producer money he will not often choose you again.
Remember that until you can establish yourself to a producer you are an unknown factor. Just as you can
choose between many doctors layers and plumbers, producers have no shortage of people who would love to
work for them.
If you are lucky enough to be given an opportunity to work for a producer you should do your best to get the job
done efficiently. The producer’s first impression of you should be one of someone that wants to get the job done
and is willing to work hard. Even if you are not the best natural actor, a producer might be willing to work with you
if he knows that you will work hard for him and not be a problem on the set.
Avoid being too chatty or forward on set. Don’t talk about money for instance, never ask anyone what they are
being paid. Never ask anyone for an autograph as this is another sign of an amateur and makes many famous
people feel uncomfortable. Remember that every actor on the set is at work and, like you should be, they are
trying to focus on their job.
Some advice from a Casting Director
A famous director once told me that 95% of trouble and difficulty comes from the same 5% of actors
over and over again. Don’t be part of that 5%. As a casting director I cannot in good conscience bring in an
actor who I know has a history of causing problems on the set. Producers talk and word gets around. This is
really a small tpwn and you can quickly gain a reputation that you don’t want. There are people who Production
Companies have told me that they never want to see again. There are Production Companies who have told me
not to bring in anyone that is represented by a specific manager.
Every production is like an emergency where timetables are tight and every problem is a big one. If you want to
work regularly you want to be known as a reliable and versatile part of the solution.
Advice from a few successful actors
Take care of your money.
This is a business of feast and famine. When you are earning good money, put some away if you can. There are
times in every actor’s career when things will be tight and it is important to have something in reserve. When you
decide to try and act you are deciding to have two jobs. The first job is the one that pays your bills and enables
you to eat while you go to auditions and develop yourself. The second job is acting. There are very few actors
who don’t have real jobs and most of them are 10 years old and living with their mother. Finding a “real job” that
will give you the flexibility to chase after acting jobs will be difficult but it is not impossible. As most of these jobs
do not pay very well the pursuit of an acting career often means years of very lean living.
Be careful whom you share your money with.
As an actor, you will be tempted to sign up with people who say that they can get you work. Sometimes they
can... but this service comes with a price. Any agent or manager will demand that you pay them a percentage of
your income. Some management people will want a percentage of every dollar you make, no matter where you
make it, no matter how you got the job. Let me say that again in a different way; some management contracts
entitle the manager to a percentage of every dollar that you earn, even if you find the job yourself, even if the
manager told you not to do the job, even if the job is being a waiter at a restaurant. Just be sure to understand
EVERYTHING that you sign your name to.
Here is a breakdown of a financial arrangement of one actor I know.
The agent gets 10%
The manager gets 15%
The federal government gets a big bite
The state government gets smaller bite
That adds up to the fact that A LOT of that actors money is going into other people’s pockets.
That means the of the 500.00 that the actor earns he gets about 200.00
Then there is the 8% sales tax on anything that the actor buys with the 200.00 so that is another 16.00 out.
Ouch.
When you aren’t earning any money it is easy to promise part of your future earnings to someone, but once you
start working you will regret every dollar that you gave away.
You have to pay the taxes. You don’t want to mess with the government because once they get involved in your
business you are screwed.
Eventually, you WILL need an agent. Choose a professional agency, with a good reputation, with agents who you
actually like. If your agent likes you and believes in you, they will work hard to put you in positions where you will
earn money. When you earn money, they earn money.
VERY FEW people have the need for a manager. When your acting career is so successful that you
consistently have many choices and you have so much money that you can afford to give away some more of
every dollar you make, then maybe, just maybe, you need a manager. Until then you are your own best
manager. You know who you are. Be honest with yourself and know what you can do and what you cannot.
Talk to friends who are actors and ask them about yourself. Listen to input from casting directors. Work hard to
get your pictures where they will be seen in the correct context. Most of the things that will get you booked are
things you are in control of anyway. After that it is luck, especially in the beginning. So good luck to you all..
Advice to the parents of future child actors.
In my experience, when a child is brought in to me because he or she is "dying to act" it is generally more true
that they are there because the parents want the child to act. I know that because the children cannot drive,
cannot afford pictures, and have really no idea what they are getting themselves into. And that is O.K., at least
in the beginning. It is part of your job as a parent to expose your child to new things and new experiences.
Pursuing acting with your child is a good way to help your child develop hisself or herself into a rounded and
confident person . The pursuit of acting can spur your child to do well in school because they will be forced at an
early age to compete with other children in a very cutthroat business. Cuteness counts for little after the first
couple of years, after that it is professionalism, acting ability, charisma, talent and all of the rest of those things
that come from dedicated hard work and unwavering parental love and support. These are the same good traits
that will serve your child well in ANY future.
If you, as a parent, are willing to provide a good and secure home life for your child, are ready to drive your child to
audition after audition without any promise of any reward except that of seeing your child compete; if you are
willing to work hard to convince your child that their repeated inability to book a commercial is not in any way a
reflection of their worth as a person; if you are willing to help your child acquire the never ending additional training
that will help them to compete with the other actors in their age group, and finally; if you are willing to write it all
off as good personal development when the child decides that sports or school are more important…then acting
may be something that you might like doing with your child.
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