Expert: John T. Aney - 8/26/2009

Question
I am 5'11, Black, and always get compliments on how handsome I am, what special skills do I need to poses in order to be a sucess in Broadway, non-Broadway or in movies in order to be a professional actor

Answer
Adam,

I'm afraid you are looking at things from the wrong perspective.  It's a huge mistake to get into acting because people tell you how handsome you are.  You should try modeling instead.

Acting, whether in movies or theatre, requires a great deal of commitment and brings a great deal of failure and misery.  There are no famous actors who are famous just because they worked hard at what they do - they all, in some way or another, were simply extraordinarily lucky.  There are thousands if not millions of actors who work extremely hard, and are extremely talented, but who will never make a decent living in the theatre.

If you are serious about acting, you should first look to see if there are any colleges or community colleges in your area that offer acting classes.  Take some classes and see if you enjoy it and if you get good responses to your acting.  Once you have done that, find a small theatre in your area that is holding auditions, and start auditioning.

If you start with a desire to become famous, I can guarantee you will fail.  If you start with a desire to have a life in the theatre, I can guarantee you will succeed.

jta