Hi. I’ve been acting for a long time, on and off since childhood. When getting into industry in my early 30s, I had medical bills and a lower income than I do now, so I didn’t have much freedom.
I tried to make connections and become a better actor piecemeal, but I can’t recommend it to others starting out.
Things you should know when you start:
1. If you have a known technique, whether it’s Stanislavski, Meisner, Chubbock, whoever, you then have a vocabulary of activities to work with and to make adjustments with.
2. Keep a Diary. Keep an ongoing listing of what works for you and what doesn’t. Keep a Monologue and Role List handy so you can track how your look and your monologues are related to the roles you receive. This can help you get into doing what you want.
3. If people won’t give you what you want, take some mood shots, or even make a film or series of small clips that shows you in the kind of role you’d prefer. This helps people to see something they may not have thought of without the suggestion.
4. Know your type. I don’t look like Michelle Rodrigues, and I’m much older than Hayden Panettiere, so we, rightly so, would not be up for many of the same roles, and that’s fine. I’d like to do work with substance, so looking very young is not required.
5. Learn how to cold read before you audition. You’ll probably need to do that.
6. Have a minimum of two monologues ready to go.
7. Know the basics of preparing for the set and moving properly when you’re there. I highly recommend that you read Erin Grey and Mara Purl’s book, Act Right, and watch Michael Kane teach basic film behavior. Some samples are on Youtube as well.
8. Organize yourself with the basic marketing knowledge needed. Waste no time getting a minimal headshot and resume. Even a reel of 15-30 seconds is good to have, and recordings of your voice are always welcome.
9. Use extra work to meet people, but limit it, or that’s all you’ll do. Move forward consistently.
10. Work on your voice and movement. Make sure you’re carrying yourself as a professional does. They don’t trip every couple of steps and they tend to have good posture. Think of how a dancer walks in their offtime. It doesn’t have to be that good, but you should be closer to that than the norm.
11. Play up those features that make you interesting. Celebrate the flavor of you.
12: Get lots of extra mood shots
13. Shoot yourself at home daily, even all you’re doing is re-interpreting lyrics or reading out loud. Learn to deliver at a nice level by default. This is no different than how a musician would practice their craft. You should too.
14. Read. Read lots of books and lots of plays. Clip dialogue you like. Perform it with friends, or make a monologue. Do this a lot. But whatever you do, read.
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