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What Are The Steps To Becoming An Actor?

Becoming An Actor | Steps To Becoming An Actor

You are sitting back watching your favorite TV show or movie and it dawns on you, "I want to become an actor!" Well, that is all fine and dandy, but where do you start? Is it hard? Yes, but the steps to becoming an actor are very random. One persons path to a being famous or just being a working actor is usually completely different from the someone else. There is no one way. That being said, there are some basic steps that you need to take to get thngs rolling.

How to get started in acting

First things first: start acting. Start doing something, weather it's taking a local acting class or working with your local community theater, start doing something. You need to find out if it's something you really want to do. Making a living as an actor is a tough road, so you need to make sure it is something you really, really want to pursue.

Head-shots

An actor's 'business card' is their head-shot. A head-shot is an 8x10 photo with your acting resume and contact information on the back. Traditionally, these photos were black and white, but these days they are are almost exclusively color shots. Almost every major city has got a photographer that can snap these kind of photos.

Resume

A standard resume is going to have your name at the top, with your union affiliation, like the Screen Actors Guild(SAG), underneath it. You are also going to want to have your contact information, usually of to the upper right or left. The contact information will be your talent agent or manager if you have one. If you don't, then you need to provide your own contact info. Note: NEVER put your home number or address on your acting resume. Get a cell phone number or some other number that people can leave messages. Trust me. Your resume can fall into the hands of some unsavory folks sometimes that you don't necessarily want to have your personal info.

I can hear you now, "I'm just getting started. I have nothing to put on my resume." Just list what you have done. Everybody starts with nothing on there resume if you really think about it. If you've only done small theater, put that at the top. If you've only taken acting classes, fine.

Cool, I should hop on the bus and head straight to Hollywood, right?

Not necessarily. Consider this:

1. Get with your local theater company and get your feet wet.

2. If you live near a major metropolitan area, you most likely have a talent agent or two that deal with local industrial films and things of that nature. Seek them out and see what they can offer you.

3. If you live near a unviveristy they almost certainly have some kind of film program. They need actors for there films and scenes that they have to produce for school.

The more experience and contacts you can make before you go to the big time the better the transition will be for you when you get there.


Becoming an actor is not like becoming an engineer or doctor. You don't go go to school for four, six, eight years and then you automatically get a job. You can study theater for years and years and never really be able to make a consistent living. It can be a little disheartening because once you get to the big time, it is not always based on actual talent. A lot of politics start getting involved when the paychecks get higher.

I don't say this to scare you, but it is something that you should know if you you are going to go for it. It can be a blast, it can be frustrating, but like I said, if you know what you are getting yourself into you will enjoy the journey and the process much more.

As they say, break a leg!

Becoming An Actor | Steps To Becoming An Actor