What Aspiring Actors Need to Know
First, stop saying that you’re “aspiring”
(By Jim Webb)
(Photo: Jeffrey Reed | Pexels)
QUESTION:
What do aspiring actors need to know?
ANSWER:
*find a mentor
*take acting classes
*get some training
*get great headshots
*submit yourself for acting jobs
*get some experience
*build your resume
Oh yeah, and….stop being “aspiring!” Stop calling yourself an aspiring actor.
(Photo: Ron Lach | Pexels)
There are a mountain of instructional videos that supposedly teach aspiring actors how to become actors. There are a million books out there on how to become an actor. There are more podcasts on the subject than the law should allow.
While resources like these can teach you the basics, no one can truly tell you how to become the next Broadway star or movie star. Every actor must chart their own course and find their own way.
RELATED: 10 Tips for Beginning Actors
Each actor has their own unique brand and skillset. Each actor will find lucky breaks in their own time. No so-called acting guru can do that for you.
But there’s one thing every aspiring actor must do on the first day they decide to enter this business. They must shed the title “aspiring.”
“Don’t consider yourself an ‘aspiring actor.’ Just do it!”
(Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
As long as you see yourself as “aspiring”, you’ll never be fully committed. You’ll always be one foot in and one foot out.
You’ll move on to something else, as soon as you find out that the business is tougher than you thought. You’ll move on as soon as you get bored. You’ll move on as soon as you get rejected, after an audition.
You’ll delay spending money on your career. You’ll delay taking decisive actions, making plans and following through.
But the moment you stop describing yourself as aspiring and begin calling yourself an actor, your whole attitude changes.
(Photo: Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels)
Suddenly now, your mind says, “I’m an actor. I HAVE to go to class. I HAVE to get my headshots. I HAVE to work. I HAVE to compete with the other actors. I HAVE to succeed.
And when things get tough, you won’t be so willing to quit. After all, you’re an actor! This is what you do. This is who you are. You’re not aspiring to become an actor. You ARE an actor.
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Harrison Ford’s Advice for Young Actors
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