The life of an actor? It’s great! It’s also tough. But the reward! Sometimes quite ungrateful. And yet it’s fulfilling! And confusing. Is it worth it? Well…
Let’s start with the negative. The life of an actor is difficult. There are no guarantees of success or recognition, and the field itself is extremely competitive – sometimes you’ll be competing for work against your dearest, oldest friends. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of acting is the constant rejection you face: you may put your best work into an audition or an autocue, only to hear back that you weren’t “quite right”. The people in your life who aren’t actors may sympathize, but they will never understand what you’re going through. Acting is so often seen as a social extravagance – an ornament, a pleasure, certainly something the government shouldn’t spend a dime on. And despite developing your skills, constantly hustling in the industry, and working two jobs to stay afloat, you’re likely to be seen as a freebie for the ignorant by your family and friends.
Now for the positive. The life of an actor is wonderful. You get to do your greatest passion every day, and any phone call can change your life in the most incredible way. You will work on thousands of different jobs, meet thousands of different people. Every experience – good and bad – will fuel your skills. As an “empathy machine,” you will have the ability to connect with people, especially with fellow actors who will become your second family. You will create art, you will remain in people’s memories. You will really have the opportunity to reach out to people and change the situation: to change minds, to enrich lives! All that negative stuff? Yes, it’s still there. But you’re strong enough to take it all in stride and say, “What else do you have?” Your love for acting comes first. And this life, no matter how unexpected and dangerous it may be, is definitely worth it.
No acting life is completely one or the other. It’s up to you to decide if the good outweighs the bad, especially when your circumstances can change so quickly. Again, we’re not here to sway you. Although it’s probably clear where we’re landing in all of this…
Finding acting work
An acting career is a reward for patience and resilience, as well as for the hustle and bustle of finding opportunities. If you consider yourself a fan, you are entering the right industry! While it is always a risk whether you will find the perfect role, there are many things you can do to increase your chances of actually working as a (paid) actor. You’ll need to find an agent, develop a showreel that showcases your work; much of the creative industry is also built around actors taking unpaid work for experience and networking (although when you have to work for free is a whole other discussion). The modern actor also has a number of opportunities to advertise themselves online, through social media platforms and casting networks. Be prepared to pursue any and all of these in order to get your name out there.
Many people have the dangerous misconception that acting is something you get away with until you are “discovered.” We all know the story: you’re broke, hungry, thinking of quitting the whole racket when a producer/director spots you in a cafe/grocery store! Before you know it, you’re screen-testing as the next big thing in town… The truth is, movie stars who seemingly appear in twenty great movies all at once have often been groomed and groomed by the industry long before you’ve ever heard of them. Discoveries do happen-where do you think these myths come from-but you shouldn’t rely on them. It’s certainly nothing to build a career on.