Alright r/acting \- let's see if you can help ease my overly-analytical brain. I'll try and keep this short. Hopefully this post can belong here. 30/f/LA Graduated BFA Acting from a major US conservatory. Waited tables for 10 years while also booking occasional work up until March 2020. I'm a really good server, and worked in some incredible restaurants, but definitely felt burn-out. Tired of the guests, honestly. Post-pandemic I wanted to re-enter the "side job" world in a different environment/position. Well, a year ago, an opportunity presented itself to work administratively at a super dope, conceptual business in the heart of Los Angeles, and I took it. I'm now working in hospitality but more through a music lens, and it's been super cool, but it's SO much more responsibility for somewhat similar pay. I'm talking accounting, building management, staff training, AND the business is open 24 hours. I'm kind of always on-call, I work 5 days a week 9-5 in-person, I'm the M.O.D half the time I'm there, and I often think "what would they do if I were to book something". They need me there, and they barely pay me $25/hour, and I'm now salaried so they can basically call on me anytime they need, and the one person above me (GM) is about to go on maternity leave. I now feel trapped, and I miss the lack of responsibility that serving provided. I also kind of miss the whole "production" of serving tables - it feels very similar to theatre. And I love love LOVE food & wine. Everyday when I leave my current job I barely have the mental bandwidth to be creative, go see a show, meet up with friends, take a class, or just be a part of my community. I'd love to hear from actors who maybe thought they wanted to leave the service industry for something else, but struggled with balancing a 9-5 job w/ acting. With so much responsibility on my plate, and not great money, it just really makes me miss the hustle of a dinner shift, and the camaraderie of most the servers in LA being artists.
I’d say I get a casting call invite for a Tv show a few times a month. Are these legit? The profiles seem legit. I was wondering why they keep sending me messages? Is it something that is sent out to thousands of people? How exactly does it work if you follow through with it. Also I’m not an actor nor have any interested, just curious
Hi all. I am interested in finding out what the going audiobook rate is, what it should be and also, when there are 10 to 50 characters in an audiobook, (with tons of character interaction between narration), what a good rate is then? I have been a voice actor for 11 years. I find the majority of clients offering meagre and really low rates for audiobooks in general, but it undermines the profession and one's value, particularly if you're capable of making each character sound unique and constantly having to switch tones and accents etc. With the voice over industry becoming flooded with newcomers, (and I understand that many are trying to keep their heads above water), I would appreciate your thoughts and comments on this. Thank you in advance!
I’m a successful commercial actor with loads of theatrical training struggling to get theatrical auditions. I only have two co-star credits and a couple of film credits one film where I was the lead- they turned it into a docu-drama though : / I have a manager who reps very busy working actors and she seems to really know her stuff. Their actors are always booking and I really only hired her to help me theatrically, but since December of 2021 I’ve had 4 theatrical auditions! One recurring guest star, one series regular (for a soap), and two co-stars. I felt great about all of those but that’s just not enough auditions! Meanwhile im booking a couple of commercials a month so im making this manager money. I did have a baby in July so I took time off, but before I was showing and about 4 months after my baby was born I was back in the commercial game and booking nationals. And I’m cute y’all. Im ethnically ambiguous and I’m really confident in my acting as I’ve had loads of training. My manager says wants me to book a big gig before she shops me to the agents she works with, but says im not getting called in and they’re not sure why. I think I have enough footage/clips on AA. Im a bit bewildered and wondering what gives? Btw my manager is able to submit as an agent on AA. Should I put more pressure on her to at least get me meeting with agents to get their feedback even if it’s “get more credits” somehow? I hate to think my manager is stringing me along for the money I’m making commercially- i don’t really think so. I wonder if I’m giving off a bad smell through my profile somehow…
Heyo looking for inspiration here. What actresses (no males please, we all know the world views older men different from older women sadly) started acting in their 30s? I don't mean "had their break through but started drama school when they were 20" - I mean, actually had their first acting classes in their 30s and continued rocking it and paying their bills with acting? I knowwww none :)
So I have a question that might sound stupid but basically I've been told times and times again that I look a lot like a certain actor (only thing changing is the eye colour fr) and I wanted to know how can I stand out? When I get my big breakthrough I really don't want to be known as “X's look alike” for those curious the actor is Timothée Chalamet (yes I even have the same concave jawline, brown curly hair and all that jazz)
Hello everyone, I recently became SAG eligible and I was wondering if it's worth it to join in if I am mainly doing background. I've been asking the union bgs I work with and opinions have been split. Some say they get less work after joining SAG while some say they're working pretty much all the time since joining. If possible, I would like to hear what the union BG actors here think. I personally would like to join because the pay gap between union and non-union is massive. Plus, I still think that there's more opportunity working as SAG. Thanks!
I've done some Meisner in the past, and it was fantastic. A discontinuous step up on the level of my acting. I'm in a new city where I can't find a Meisner coach (small city, local language isn't English). I've started reading Meisner's book ("Sanford Meisner on acting") and I can recognize the sequence of exercises I did with my coach (plain repetition, subjective repetition, adding changes, entering the room, independent activity,...). This makes me think there's an established way to go about it. I'm thinking of getting together with some fellow local aspiring actors, and just going through the exercises (I know it's not ideal without a coach, but it's probably better than nothing). My question here: **is there a "guide" detailing the sequence of exercises one should do**, as per my example above? If there isn't one, I'll just go through Meisner's book taking notes and go with that, but perhaps something like that already exists. Thanks in advance!
I am an actor who struggles with self-judgement and negative self-talk constantly both in daily life AND on stage. I wonder if CBD helps. But at the same time, I somehow feels like a looser if I take them, just because that’s an external support. Any opinion about taking CBD when you act professionally will help. Thank you!
Hi! Just wanted to pass by here and ask if having dyed hair that doesn't match your "look" will decrease your chances of getting cast? I'm asian, so like 99% of the asian population and therefore the "stereotype" is that asians have dark hair even though in real life I know a lot of fellow asians who've dyed their hair. Even in Asian cinema/tv, a lot of the actors have dyed hair. I personally have dyed my hair copper since I was 16 and I still love it, but as far as I've watched media, I don't think I've seen any asians in English TV or Films that have dyed hair. There are already so little opportunities for Asian actors, so I'm wondering if having dyed hair will further diminish my chances. TIA :)
Hi! So I’m an aspiring actress. I’ve been doing it for years now, and I am currently studying for my BFA in acting. 2 years ago I started my first low budget movie and it recently came out to a few streaming services. It wasn’t very good at all. I (probably shouldn’t have done this) went through the comments and reviews most of which were negative. Now I feel terrible and i’m pretty embarrassed. I keep trying to stay positive and listen to my friends and family’s encouragement (they also thought it was bad) but it’s not working. I’m kind of struggling to accept it and i’m at a loss right now. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!
What are some natural characteristics an actor has? This is just a random question that I was asked in one of my classes. Took me a while to think about but I’m not as experienced I feel to answer this question. What do you guys think? Either that they must have or something that actors naturally have? Just curious.
Looking for Some local Actor’s from NYC to keep each other motivated in the arts and on the same subject. Yah?
We’re seeking a persuasive presenter/actor, Male/Female, 40-65+ Years Old This will be a self-shoot, at home, video for supplement product related to.Longevity. Video Script will be provided, but some improvisation will be required for naturalness. If you consider yourself having these qualities: \- Expressive, able to convey emotions not only through words but body, face language. \- Persuasive, you have high emotional intelligence, and you know what to say and how to say something to get your desired action. \- Well-Spoken, you are able to convey your thoughts simply, with clarity, you’re fluent in the English language. Please attach a video of you presenting yourself. You can speak about anything that you like, what we’re looking for is how confident you’re in front of the camera, your language fluency and most importantly your character “taste”. Just be you.
Hey there! So, my daughter submitted to a casting call on Actor’s Access. She ended up quite sick (cursed Covid and yes, vaccinated and boosted) so couldn’t submit to the audition by the deadline. I did put in the little box the reason I was declining it. Is there a way to resubmit on AA that I’m unaware of? I did try to find a website for the casting company but have had no success. Thoughts?
I was really excited when I got cast as a Henchman but during dress rehearsal the other Henchman, Jamie Taco, kept taking my lines. He says my lines before I can even get them out and the director doesn’t do anything. Jamie took like 15 of my lines! He says them so fast before I can say them, then they become his lines. I wanted to quit because I could never say my lines faster than Jamie Taco! I tried to tell him that some of the lines he says on stage might be my lines he asked me “who said the lines?” And I said “you did but they’re supposed to be mine” and he said “you have to be much quicker than that if you wanna have those lines. The audience doesn’t know whose lines they are and if I say them, they’re mine and I’m quick!” Then he walked off with this kid Brandon to get food. But I was determined to say my lines during our first show. During a scene where the henchman are intimidating a guy who is roped to a chair, Jamie got the first line out before me he yelled “I’ll slap your head around, you jabroni. Now give some pozole, I’m hungry.” I did not want to let Jamie do it again. My next line was “Don’t talk to me like that. I got fifteen-hundred guys that’ll pop you. Ah, my pozole!” But he said it faster than me again. However! The next line I exclaimed “Grab the keys, and get in the frickin’ truck, you jabroni! I’ll slap you jabronies!” I couldn’t believe that I got my line out so fast! I was really proud of myself for finally saying my line faster than Jamie Taco. So was my wife, she gave me two big thumbs up from the front row, she’s amazing. She’s the kind of person who laughs when I pretend to be a hippo in my bowl of cereal, and the kind of person you dance with on Christmas and thats why I felt bad about that joke I made to my friends that they’d be clugging a few cans if they had my wife. She helped me I freaked out about Jamie Taco and I love her, I love her. Anyway thank for reading!
Not an actor but am a filmmaker and we are dealing with a somewhat overwhelming experience and not really sure how to proceed. We just posted a casting call for our largest project to date and were very unprepared for the volume of submissions. In the past we just had the handful of actors audition and let them know we chose someone else as that was the easiest way to deal with it. Now we are experiencing hundreds of submissions and emails keep coming in. We are trying to figure out the polite way of telling people they aren't a fit for the role so we don't waste their time or ours. We also just don't want to ghost people. What is industry standard when it comes to respectful rejection? Thanks for your time.
Hi all, I’m a female in my 30s. I’ve had a growing desire to be an actor for the last 10years and have applied to drama school this year in the UK. I’ve had some recalls and have some more coming up. I feel that my Shakespeare monologues are letting me down and thinking to find a new one for my next recall. Can anyone make any suggestions for my age? And any advice about how to nail a Shakespeare monologue would be really appreciated! Thanks so much
As a young legal woman who plays 14-18, I just graduated from undergrad (studying accounting) and want pursue a professional tv/film career in LA. I have a solid resume full of hometown theatre leads and workshops, and I train weekly with a Los Angeles young actors studio. I used to be a child model. I know the typical route is to self-submit before seeking representation… but as a young woman, the legitimacy and safety/guidance that can stem from being represented is something that gives me comfort. So as a girl who plays older child and teenage roles only, would it be smart to submit to agencies? I do have a 4-scene professional reel and new headshots, however I just don’t have film/tv credits as of yet. I’ve had many Actors Access auditions. I ask this because most of the threads I find are for actors who play roles a bit older than me. Seeking advice in general! Thank you.
I’m primarily a film and theatre actor. I have done voice acti bc before bht never for anime. It says the tone of the film is more natural and cinematic. So does that mean I try to act as if I would for theatre or film naturally or do I add a bit of thay voicd acting quality bht not too over the top? Advice please! Sorry I’m so bad at typing
Hi, I'be been debating posting about this for a while, but I am a younger male character actor and I was a recurring guest star on a show that came out during the pandemic but got cancelled. I have had credits before this booking, but this was my biggest credit. I got some positive reviews for my performance, but I haven't booked anything in almost 3 years and I'm getting scared that I'll never work again, I am making my own stuff, but it does cost money to do this. my agent and manager look at my auditions and they say my acting's fine. I am very specific looking. I don't really look like anyone and I've noticed CD's are very set in their ways when it comes to casting. Usually for co-stars, I lose out to non descript looking people. I've been pinned for some guest stars, but, alas, they go with, again, very non descript actors, am I mis-marketing myself or just having bad luck? I'm honestly very close to quitting, I talked to the show runner who hired me and they said I was cast because I was unique. How can I use my uniqueness to convince casting I can bring my uniqueness to the show?
I’m 20 and studying business / comp sci. i’m struggling with college and have been home for a few semesters - none of this shit really matters. I’m 6’1 175 pounds lean, strong, brown hair, green eyes, good smile, and good looking. Please don’t mistake me for me being into myself, I’m just trying to get as accurate feedback as possible. i’ve really wanted to become a film actor since 2018, when I was a junior in high school. at the time I was playing baskerball, and training for basketball 24/7 and didn’t see I could even begin my acting career. I now have more time on my hands before I transfer back to university and really don’t want this dream of mine to go to waste. I’ve never taken any acting classes, but i’m a visionary and part of me for some reason believes in me… I seriously want to drive to LA right now and sit outside tarantino’s house until he lets me hear him out .. lol. But seriously, is being an actor just too hard of a career? Is it unreasonable for someone like me with no acting experience to want pursue this dream? i’m really not interested in theater… I thought that meant I was just in it for the money, but i’m not; I really just love film. I don’t even know what to ask, but can someone give me any advice? Thank you in advance and good luck to everyone trying to be someone in life.
A fellow actor (NOT a friend) said my auditions and bookings have stopped because I'm a"typical blonde haired, blue eyed white girl they don't need". I know there have been wonderful, great strides in diversity casting as of late. So I feel embarrassed to ask, but is there a possibility that this could be true?
Hello guys i am from myanmar,21 years old and mu dream is to become an actor .the problem is there isn't any acting class open atm and some people suggest i should get on modeling class . is there any way to start without an acting class ? what i need to know ?tips and tricks .i really need to know where to start plz help
After years of classes and scene study I’m ready for auditions and having an agent would facilitate this greatly. So far, I do not have a reel. Is it worthwhile to self-tape a monologue and send it, unsolicited, to agents? Any other suggestions/strategies? A little context - I’m a new actor, but an older human. Just turned 61, so I feel the click tick, tick, ticking. Thanks!
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I have a meeting with an LA commercial agency tomorrow. They have two agents at this agency. Its an older sister (who owns the agency), and then the younger sister, who is a newer agent. I have a meeting with the younger newer agent. The commercial agent that I'm meeting with tomorrow, is also an actor. They post on their agencies instagram, about her booking commercial roles. How would you feel about this? Is it a conflict of interest? I know casting directors who are also actors and they always give themselves small roles in the shows they are casting, and that just doesn't sit well with me. I also know agents who represent a lot of their own family members, and the agencies Instagram is just filled with their families bookings. I have a pretty good gut feeling about things. I'd rather not have an agent at all, then sign with a bad agent. I've been down that road before, and I dropped my last agent because of that. Am I right to be weary?
Yellow actor fam, I have quite a big imdb issue. So I was an extra on a show and I got credited on imdb for it. Well it would seem that I’m not the only Isaac Alford out there. My credit got put with another Isaac Alford’s imdb profile. Is there anything I can do to fix that?
like do they have better personalities, are more likeable, etc.
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I'm 16 and searching for ways of how to improve myself, what do you think I should consider?
For those who live, or have lived, in Vancouver, and trained at either Studio Cloud 30 or On The Mic (or both), which would you recommend?
So I have been applying to several agencies and heard back from a few and this recent one said that since i’m not 18 (but 17) I should use this time to get film/ commercial classes under my belt since it would he hard to suggest me to union projects (understandably) with only theatre credits. The thing is that i’m going to be attending NYU Tisch for drama in the Fall and i’m honestly not sure if the training i’ll get there will count as training suitable to be eligible for these kinds of projects (film/tv). Should I also be taking film study classes/ commercial classes on the side or before I attend? I really want to get at least some commercials in while i’m younger since my eventual goal is to act on film/ tv. I know that you have to be SAG/Union and have an agent to be even considered for television roles which is why I have been trying for an agency but it’s hard when you don’t have experience or referrals. The reason i’ve never taken classes besides the ones offered at school is 100% money (I can barely afford to be in productions at school). I by no means expect become an A-list actor by getting an agent and putting no work in, I just really want to start somewhere in my career and get that door open. I tried backstage, actors access, and other platforms but backstage only has short films near me and actors access seems to prefer union. I know I need training because i’ll get contacted back by an agency due to my self-tape but my cold-read skills aren’t the best. Sorry if I sound green haha no one around me knows about this kinda thing they just support my efforts from afar. Any advice would be gold, thank you!
I’m 18 and I’ll be moving to LA this year in August. I’ll be a college student so on top of auditioning on a regular basis I’ll probably have to get a job on the side. Which job would be the most optimal considering auditions and all the time/energy I’ll already be putting into acting?
I was going to make a trip to NY this weekend for this audition, but before I commit to any decisions, I look up the Director, Producer, Casting Director, etc., to check their credibility. I haven’t found anything about them … I also don’t know if they’re inviting just anyone. I got in touch with the casting director to ask questions like where will this be streamed (don’t know if that’s taboo to ask) but they said they’ll give all the details at the audition. So my question is … is this normal? Should I make the trip or sit this one out due to the lack of transparency?
"Forget about all those expensive courses, activating frameworks, inspirational bootcamps, and acting seminars. As somebody who offers many of these resources, I’m here to say there’s no such thing as a silver bullet to make your acting life easy. There’s really only one thing you need to do in order to become a working actor." Check out our latest blog post from our founder, Broadway and Film/TV actor Joshua Morgan. [https://www.artists-strategy.com/blog/an-actor-is-an-entrepreneur](https://www.artists-strategy.com/blog/an-actor-is-an-entrepreneur?fbclid=IwAR08Ue4as-IYrmnDoKRrykU-dEZK0yY3Q9ep4lc3V6HR0HHWAAnAQfjzCRI)
Howdy hey everybody! I just wanted to stop in here and say hello. I'm new to voice acting (quite literally just getting started) and just wanted to ask a quick question or two. One of the places I had been told about by a friend of mine was Casting Call Club. I understand this is more so a site to just... dip your toes into voice acting and sorta getting used to it, but I still wanted to drop in and ask if there are any particular safety precautions to take when auditioning for some sort of role (paid or unpaid) and if there were other places to look in terms of starting out as a voice actor. I also just wanted to put myself out here and start talking/meeting to other people and connecting with others. I know this post is... more than all over the place, but as said, I'm quite fresh to voice acting and as daunting as this can be, my knowledge is still quite low. Thank you.
Hey so I’m not actually an actor hence this very simple question: when recording myself performing a scene that has multiple characters, am I supposed to at-least say every character’s line or am I supposes to pick one and just stop talking as if the other characters are saying their line? Im in college and my major (speech comm) is grouped with the theatre major so I end up taking theatre classes sometimes. I have an assignment to perform a monologue or scene (recording) from “mother courage and her children” but unfortunately that play doesn’t have any monologues (that I know of? I did a basic google search lol I haven’t actually read the play-i know terrible) so I have to pick a scene. The assignment is due tonight and I’m trying to avoid asking my prof this last minute. Thank you!
Hi there. I’m just curious how things are done here. In LA you do CD workshops and self submit on Actors Access. LA Casting, Casting Frontier are also used. You have a website with a reel and headshots. Hopefully a good agent and commercial agent. But the people I know who work the most do CD workshops constantly. In NYC — what sites do you use to self submit? Obviously CD workshops are still mostly online but are there NY places where NY CD’s are? What companies do this? Where do you all go for agent showcases? Is Backstage still a thing? Are there many commercials cast and shot here anymore? Do you usually plan to spend pilot season in LA? Is most of your decently paying work Union or have you found it’s worth it to go fi-core here?
I can’t find any website for the name of the production company or either of the two directors on IMDb or anywhere else online. The page for the project just has a description of the story and some of the characters. They have a partial cast list and I could find those actors on IMDb, but who’s to say they couldn’t have just pulled those names to make it seem like real people are involved? They’re offering $300 a day for shoot days as well as travel, meals, and all of those expenses paid. It just seems kind of sketchy to me that I can’t find anything on the directors, and the company. Also the website was created 2 years ago and there have only been 3 updates posted on it. I’d love an opportunity like this if it were legit of course, but things just seem off. They asked if I had anymore questions when they requested my self tape, should I dig a little deeper before moving forward? What would be the right questions to ask? Just want to make sure I’m not potentially getting caught up in a scam.
Dear band director: I understand that you are here orchestrating our music on your own time. I understand and appreciate the sacrifices you make for us. That said, please stop changing things for no reason. The tempo of these songs is not what you have the band play and I am fucking sick of it. The tempo is meant to be where it is for a reason. And I could get over the weird tempo that screws up our dances and singing, but at the very least, could you pick a tempo? Like, we should not need to be constantly listening to the music to stay on tempo. It really isn’t that hard. The actors are annoyed, and even the band says you don’t know what you’re doing. Everyone is pissed. Please stop. Sincerely, A frustrated student
I want to start working as an extra/small actor (in Germany) Modelling/acting agencies require a portfolio of pictures and videos of myself. I do have a handful of pictures and one video (small commercial I played in). But I realised I need a lot more pictures and seemingly in different situations and from different angles. Each agency has their own requirements. I setup a session with a Photographer friend and want to take a bunch of pictures and maybe short clips. What type of pictures and clips would you say HAVE to be in an acting portfolio? Is their a template we can follow? Thx for the help!
In their teens, 20's, and 30's ideally?
Are a lot of tv/movie sets still requiring weekly testing AND covid shots (and booster?) or are they settling those rules? Just wondering because I’ve been holding off on auditioning for bigger projects (via actors access, which is why i’ve been using backstage) due to that, while many community theaters/even some small short films near me require one or the other (mostly just proof of 2 doses of covid vax) if even.
Why is it very limited? they can't just get more?
Actors always tell me anything in which I purchase that involves my acting I should write it off on my taxes. Now, I don't do my taxes so i have no idea how to even do that. Should I start?
So I was wondering, as a beginner in the whole business/full time hobby as a VA, is voice editing through audacity or Adobe Audition allowed? By editing I mean changing pitches or modifying the sounds themselves? For example, if I make a zombie sound as a base form and I edit it to sound deeper and more gutteral, does it make me more of a sound engineer rather than a voice actor or is it technically allowed? A bit confused...
What is your favorite keeanu movie
NYC, LA, or ATL. Of course anywhere I go will be a struggle so don't factor in money just opportunities for an unknown young actor.
I’ve been put “ON AVAIL” for a commercial for a pretty big company, and today was supposed to be testing for whomever books it. So I expected a an email yesterday to see if I booked it or not, but still no response from casting. My agent contacted them last night but no response and it’s already the morning of the testing day. Is it possible they already contacted the person who got the role yesterday and didn’t send a “release” email to those who didn’t, or they are gonna pick someone the same day as testing? It’s just really frustrating that they would wait the same day as testing to book them, forcing actors to just get up immediately as soon as they get booked. I am just curious of how frequent this happens nowadays.
Weeee, you found me!
I'm your buddy Bottie, I was hiding behind the scenes, but now that you've found me I'd be happy to tell you what I'm doing.
I just wrote a few fun facts about Web For Actors
Would you like to take a look?
Click here to check them out. I hope it will cause involuntary audible response.
