I’m 14 and i want to be an actress need advice please?

Katrina E.

Many introverts (shy people) are actors so it's OK if you're a little shy. But acting itself and a professional acting career is MUCH more difficult that you seem to think it is. So the best advice I can give you is to try actually acting first and see if you really like doing it and see if you are exceptionally good at it. There are several things you can do now: *Take acting classes. Voice and dance lessons can be fun too. * Audition for what you can - school plays, community theater, church shows * Join (or start) a drama club * Compete in forensic speech/drama classes * Read plays and scripts of all kinds keeping an eye out for characters you love and monologues you want to develop and perform them for friends and family (and in forensic competitions). * Embrace learning - all kinds of things. You never know what will come in handy. But for acting, learning how to analyze literature (plays, books, short stories, etc) is particularly helpful. * Join other performance groups (band, choir, dance troupe, etc) * Get together with friends and create your own projects for fun. Basically, right now just have fun learning and growing as an actor and performer. Make sure that you love the actual work of acting - auditioning, analyzing a script, building a character, memorizing lines and blocking, rehearsing, taking direction, working with cast and crew as well as performing. Many people like the idea of acting because they view it more as pretending and being able to do something different and exciting - and the reality is different. If you find that you love acting - then research the business end of the industry. Again, it's very different then what most people expect. It's NOT just going to a bunch of open auditions you can go to and hoping to get cast. For most professional work you have to be invited to audition, usually through an agent. And you can't just hire an agent, it's more like they choose you. Basically, for a professional acting career you're starting and running a business where you are the product that is marketed and sold. You need to understand the casting process (agents, breakdowns, casting directors); legal issues (contracts, unions, taxes); marketing (head shots, resume, show reel, website, social media); and networking (making contacts in the industry). The backstage website is an industry website that has helpful articles about the business end of the industry. And it's good that you understand it's hard to "make it" - but do you really understand what that means. It means that it is EXTREMELY hard to just get an audition. Most professional work is union work, meaning preference is give to actors who are members of the SAG-AFTRA actor's union. And you can't just join the union, you need a specific type of experience to be eligible to join. There are currently over 100,000 professional union actors just in LA. That's not counting the non-union, wannabe actors or the tens of thousands of union actors in other parts of the country, or the thousands of established international actors all competing for the same job. We're talking fierce competition. And it's not unusual for an actor to book 1 job out of 50/100 auditions. And a part-time job isn't going to cut it in LA - it's a very expensive place to live. Once you have some actual acting experience and understand the realities of what is involved in attempting a professional acting career you, you can figure out if it really is the right move for you. Good luck.

Cogito

Please see my answer to your other question. All I can add is that almost all the actors I know are shy. It doesn't matter. But you can't just go to LA and 'look for acting parts'. Real auditions for real roles are not advertised in public. You have to be referred by a good agent. And agents are only interested in very well-trained, very experienced professional actors. They don't accept beginners. Acting is extremely hard - that's why most actors get about seven years' training, right up to degree standard, and loads of unpaid experience before they get even their first one-line role in a small production. I think you need to be more realistic and try to understand the way it really is!

Enguerarrard

It pays to start young, but you have to be realistic. The only successful actors who never had to work at a real job in between gigs were the fortunate ones who had family money or family connections. This is equally true of musicians, authors, dancers, etc. Success requires not only talent and discipline but also luck and timing. You can start acting now in student films (most big cities now have student filmmakers, who you can find on craigslist.org or through meetup.com). Don't expect to get paid, though. In any art or craft there is an apprenticeship period - regard your early free work as your apprenticeship. You're also old enough to volunteer for film festivals. I was part of the Boston International Film Festival for several years - I was on the screening committee deciding which films were to be shown, and also volunteered with the actual festival itself. Teens were always welcome, as we needed teens to help us with the teen market. We met filmmakers and actors and producers from all over the world. Decent high schools have drama clubs. Acting is wickedly competitive. Anything that makes you stand out can give you an edge. Win beauty contests. Take a martial art - in action scenes you might shine. Study foreign accents. Learn ASL. Take horseback riding (still useful in some movies). Memorize famous monologues (very useful in auditions). Be wary with agents and contracts. There are many con men out there who will promise much and do little. Legal language in contracts can be very exact, so have a lawyer's advice before signing a contract. Good luck!

John P

There is a difference between "being an actress" and "wanting to act". Do you want to act so much that you will make every sacrifice in life to live that way?

Anonymous

I’m in the same exact boat too. I’m 14, I’m super freaking shy but I get really loud with friends and stuff.. and I really want to act but I have no experience and it’s sorta freaky because everything you said sort of describes me. I’m a little bit scared to join drama club and school plays and everything, but I think you should start out being behind the stage first, like building sets and managing lights, just so you know how everything works. Get to know the people.. get to be their friends and when you feel like your loud self and when you have observed everything from behind the stage you can start practing on stage with you new friends... and that’s how you slowly start to get better. Practice makes perfect and I think just try going for every opportunity like community theater as well, good luck!! 😊 hope this helped lol 😃

jean

do some theatre on the weekends

dewcoons

Begin by getting any experience you can. School plays, community theater, church plays, etc. Do not limit yourself to "acting." Also work back stage and learn about directing, set building, costuming, make up, and anything else you can learn. It will help you as a actor to understand how everything works. Most community theaters have connects with other types of acting. The ones have I worked with usually know about auditions, student movies, theater competitions, chances to be an extra (or even get a walk on role) in a movie. (You can see me for about 1.5 seconds walking behind Jennifer Lawrence in the first Hunger Game movie that filmed some District 12 scenes about 15 miles from my house, or passing Kevin Costner on a gold course in Tim Cup, or running with a beared Tom Hanks in a scene of Forest Gump - all because of the community theater.) Join a drama group. Taking any theater classes offered at school. Get your hands on some scripts and begin acting out roles from the plays. (Do NOT try to duplicate how you see someone do a part of TV or in a movie. Create your own interpretation of the part.) Find some monologue scenes that you like, and practice them so that you have something to perform at auditions. Be prepared to be disappointed time and time again. Most actors get 1% of the roles they try for. But at this stage volunteer to work backstage instead. This will help the directors to learn who you are and increase your odds of getting a role in the future. Mostly, at your age, have fun. Theater is a wonderful way to spend your time. Many of us who act are introverts. The control of having a script so that we know what is going to happen and can be prepared to react (through our acting) lets us express and experience all those emotions that we normally are too shy to do in real life.

Knightingale

Both of the two responses above are correct.. Even if you luck out and place in a role, that may be all you ever become famous for. You are smart to get a degree in another area for just in case this dream doesn’t pan out. You could try putting yourself out there like Lizzy did.. Youtube videos. This means you are the actress, camera crew, script writer, editor, costume designer.. And you have to try over and over again until everything comes out smooth and flawless. My daughter wants to become an actress but she won’t listen to me about having a backup plan because she KNOWS she will make it.. Even working hard, studying for her SAT’s to try and earn a scholarship to an acting college. I have been encouraging her to continue learning Japanese so she can at least work as a translator as a backup.