5 Things Every Beginner Actor Should Know
Acting is a tough business to break into. If you are just starting out, you may find that the entertainment industry can be incredibly intimidating. For child actors and their parents, there are many lessons you both need to learn so that you can start off a career in acting on the right foot. These insights are essential for adopting the right mindset and creating a roadmap for success.
1) Know yourself and what you want.
Mozart said, “The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.” You can’t do everything as an actor; you need to find your niche and understand where you fit best. There are so many branches of showbusiness, including performing, directing, writing, producing, set designing, and more. Even in the subset of acting, having a too-broad view can be detrimental. It’s better to find the one or two things you are really passionate about and pursue them with all your attention.
If you don’t know exactly what you want to do yet, don’t fret! Read up, do some research, and think about what you enjoy the most. Let your passions and skills guide you.
2) It takes consistent practice to build a career.
Success doesn’t happen overnight. As a new actor just starting out, it’s important to have realistic expectations, and understand that it takes hard work to bring a dream to life. Patience and confidence are essential for actors at every stage of their careers. If you are committed to putting in the work, it will pay off in time. Just don’t expect a miracle from the start.
3) Trust the professionals – they are professionals for a reason.
Cultivating cooperative relationships with industry professionals is essential to your success as an actor. Viewing others in the industry as obstacles to your career isn’t a healthy mindset. Casting directors, producers, directors, agents, and even other actors have their own jobs to do. It may be tempting to view them as the gatekeepers of your success when you are just starting out, but there is no good reason to view their goals as contrary to yours.
Since you will be working closely with many different types of professionals in the industry, it’s best to establish a strong working relationship from the start. You may not have the same aspirations or goals as they do, but it is important that you work productively with them. They earned their place in the industry just like you are trying to.
4) Get your resume, headshot, and demo reel in order as soon as you can.
Of course, if you don’t have any acting credentials yet, it might be hard to build a resume. (Check out our tips for that here!) But it is essential for actors to have a headshot, as it helps casting directors decide how well you may or may not fit a part. Professional photographers are the best choice for this. You want a headshot that captures the essence of you as an actor and as a person. When you start to book jobs, you can start building a demo reel.
5) The only way to fail is to give up.
No matter how many auditions might not result in a role, you will only fail in acting if you stop trying. The nature of a creative field like showbusiness is one of constant growth and learning. You will never run out of source material to study and actors to learn from, so there is always potential. Don’t give up!
With these lessons under your belt, you’re ready to embark on an exciting journey into the world of acting. And if you need more resources to consult along the way, be sure to check out the rest of our blog!