Wanna be an Actor? You could be a star or starve!
It’s thrilling to see stars in movies and on stage, and many a teenager has dreamt of growing up to be an actor. Yes, the bright lights, travel, adoring fans can be exciting. It also seems like actors don’t need to know Math or Science to excel - just be great at arts, singing, dancing and being on stage.
Well, for all those aspiring actors, here are some hard facts to consider.
There are very few jobs! In 2004, there were only 74,000 jobs. Most of these jobs are in New York and Los Angeles, but they can work all over the country. Actors may work for television, motion pictures, and Broadway shows. Actors may also work for cruise lines, theme parks, or summer festivals, and as teachers.
Only a few make big money. On an average, actors made between $7.75 and $30.76 in 2004. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $6.63, and the highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $56.48.
It’s a tough job! Actors work long and irregular hours, have a lot of evening and weekend work, need to be in great physical health and face stress of finding their next job.
Looks matter Roles in movies and plays are often filled based on specific physical traits needed for that role, such as the right face, height, size, look, smile and more.
Still want to be an actor?
Here’s the scoop!
Make sure you participate in your high school and college plays, get a job with a local theme park or on the college radio stations, or act with local groups during summer. Some have local experience and work in summer plays, on cruise lines, or in theme parks.
Find out if there’s a local training school, like an acting school or even a college program you can enroll in. You can always pick a major in college in one of these fields: film, theater, drama, radio and television broadcasting, or communications.
Try to get diverse training in areas such as speech and movement, dancing, singing, directing, playwriting, and design, as well as acting workshops.
If you are ready to get a role, then your next step is to find an agent or belong to a casting agency. They can help you find the right role and prepare you for what needs to be done next. Your first role maybe a small or even silent, but the future could be millions of adoring fans and websites dedicated to you! So keep dreaming…they might come true!
