Expert: Kitty Kavey - 12/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I am a twenty-two year-old university student majoring in finance in Montreal, QC, Canada. I am a beginner actor with little training or experience. In the last year and a half I have taken seven acting classes, been in three plays (two leads), and did voice over work for one film. I feel like I am at a crossroads in my life where I am considering going into acting as a career (specifically film & television), or alternatively, continuing taking a more conservative approach and staying in school.

Having a lot of money is very important to me. If money did not exist I would become a professional actor, but to be honest, I wouldn’t be satisfied if I didn’t have a few million dollars to my name ten years from now.

I have searched salary.com and the US department of labor and they have only confirmed what I already know – that the mean annual salary for an actor is low and that only a small percentage of actors are highly successful.

What I want to know is:

1.   Where can I find actors’ salaries for each movie to which they appeared (ex: Michael Cera - $50,000 for Juno, $200 000 for Superbad, etc.)? If not the exact figures, how could I determine estimates?
2.   If I were to pursue acting as a career, do you believe my goal of having a few million dollars to my name in ten years is unpredictable, too far-fetched, unrealistic? Do you think that talent, determination, ambition, and work-ethic can significantly increase my odds of success?
3.   Finally, if I were to pursue acting as a career, how should I proceed? My initial choice would be to apply to university accredited acting schools in New York or LA, such as NYU or UCLA. That way if acting doesn’t work out, I at least have a bachelor’s degree and could pursue a Master’s Degree in something else. Or, do you think acting school is not that important, and it would be more beneficial for me to go to LA and just look for work? Or, do you think I’m far too inexperienced, both in work and training, to be even considering moving to LA?

I guess what I’m really trying to figure out is if someone really wants to make millions in this business, has the talent, and is willing to work his ass off to get it, does the probability for success increase significantly, or are there still too many uncontrollable factors, such as luck, to make a difference?

Thank You,
Jamie   

PS I know the message is long and there are many questions. Any guidance you give would help me a lot at this time in my life. I am really struggling to make a decision. I’ve sent this message out to several experts because I would obviously appreciate as much help I could get from as many experts as possible. Thanks again, and I look forward to hear your response.


ANSWER: IMDB.com (particularly the pro version) sometimes has the details of salaries for actors.  
As to whether or not your goal of having a few million dollars to your name in ten years is unrealistic - no, it isn't.  It may be difficult to achieve and be dependent on one or more uncontrollable or random factors coming to pass - but it is not impossible.  People do take chances and succeed "against the odds" all the time.

What would be the best course of action for you is more difficult to determine when one does not know you well.  Firstly, I would suggest determining which type of acting you are most interested in and suitable for.  If you know you are most interested in (studio) feature film work, it may be that you should relocate to Los Angeles.  You can study and work there at the same time, and it is more likely that area would afford you the opportunities to advance in your career.

There are some things that are a given as you pursue your goal.  You will need to join a professional actor's union (most likely the Screen Actor's Guild for film actors in the US if you relocate).  You will need an agent and/or manager at some point.  

You will also need to figure out how the cost of living doesn't eat into every dollar you earn, so that you do have the money in the bank rather than tied up in your house mortgage, car lease payments, etc.  A lot of mid and higher level "stars" have other business interests, particularly production companies, that help with earning an income.  Many also employ a team of people to help; publicists, coaches, stylists, and others who help "create" celebrity.  Acting, is not always based on just talent.  There is the old adage "it's who you know" (and who knows you).  

Behind everything, the film/entertainment industry is a business.  The actor is a product.  They get paid based on their experience, their potential box office draw, and their celebrity factor.  Rob Schnider, for example, has a reported income of 1 million in his last reported salary (The Animal, 1991, IMDB.com) while Johnny Depp earned 5 million for Donny Brasco back in 1997.  Sandra Bullock earned $500,000 for her role in Speed (1994), and Penélope Cruz got 2 million for Vanilla Sky (2001).  So the possibility is there for one to become a leading actor or actress who earns a large amount even in the earlier days of one's career.

As to whether or not you are too inexperienced to move to LA for acting - I'm not sure that's something I would think about.  Many actors and actresses have little or no professional experience (and some no training at all) before they move to a larger market to pursue their dreams.  Again, whether or not they "make it" as a working actor depends not only on factors they can control, but also factors they cannot - perhaps being in the right place at the right time, meeting others who will also go on to also become actors or producers, directors or writers and instrumental in given them their "big break," or being able to get into the "right" agency or management company that can help propel one's career forward.

I know fantastic writers, actors and others in the industry whose names are completely unknown.  And I am of the opinion that there are times when awful movies are made, with terrible acting, and yet the names involved are well-known, and those people all earn a great deal of money.  But whatever the opinion on talent involved, one thing remains the same - one's ability to work, to keep putting oneself out there and into situations likely to produce the results one wants.  One can dwell on how unlikely a situation is, and how everything is very unlikely - or put a plan together and start following it.  

Let's say you decide that feeling safe and comfortable is important.  Perhaps beginning your career in Canada isn't a bad idea.  You already have some experience.  You can find out through ACTRA a list of affiliated agents in your area.  You can continue with school, perhaps only missing a day or two to begin with to shoot a commercial, do a voiceover project, or an independent film.  If you are offered a lead role in a film shooting in France, for example, perhaps then you can talk to your school about a temporary leave.  And if you end up in Hollywood right away co-starring in a new television show, then of course you can change your plans.  

The same thing applies if you move to Los Angeles right now.  It may be more difficult to get the work permit and so forth, but there's no reason to say you can't change your mind in a year or two and do something else.  Again, you can return to school, or stay in Los Angeles because you've discovered directing is something you're more passionate about.  The good thing is, there are a lot of ways in the industry to earn a good nest egg, and Canada also has a fairly strong film industry to look into.  There are no guarantees that you will make your goal, only the certainty that if you don't try (either as an actor or in another profession) it is not going to happen, short of winning the lottery.  And yes, even that has happened to people.

Nothing is impossible, and things that are unlikely are made less so with preparation and a good plan to follow.

Good luck to you,
~Kitty

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Kitty,

Thank you for the quick and detailed response.

My second biggest issue, after "do I want to pursue acting as a career?", is what's the best way for me to spend my time right now?

The way I see it, there are three main options:

1. Continue obtaining my BComm in Montreal, while trying to get jobs as an actor here as well. Then, depending on my interests and how much success I've had in acting in 2-3 years when I get my degree, I can decide if I want to move to LA.

The problem with this is that there is not a lot of work in Montreal. I would eventually have to move to LA, so why delay the innevitable?
Also, if I want to pursue acting as a career, why waste the next two years obtaining a useless degree when I could be spending that time training, obtaining work, networking, etc.

2. Go to a university accredited or non-accredited acting/film production school in New York or LA.

3. Move directly to LA and focus mainly on pursuing auditioning and getting work, maybe doing some acting courses while I look for work.

If I decided to make acting my career, how much of an advantage do you think I will have, in terms of skills and networking opportunities, by going to a renowned acting school in New York or LA, or any acting school in New York or LA for that matter?

My main issue is I don't want to waste time, and like I said, you brought up a good point. My main reason for going to acting school in New York or LA is that I assumed it's the best way to understand and get into the industry. I also like the idea of having an undergraduate degree in something so that, if acting doesn't work out, I could go for an MBA. But since I already have nearly two years of credits complete for my BComm, it would only take me another two years to complete the degree, but it would take me four years to get a BFA. In other words, if a BFA won't make much of a difference, I could spend two years in LA just focusing on getting work and seeing if I could make it in this business. And if it doesn't work out, at least I found out sooner, and I could then go back to obtaining my BComm.

One last issue is that if acting doesn't work out, I would also enjoy producing/directing. Do you know if there are four-year programs that teach acting and film production, and if there are, do you know how much schooling will help to pursue a career in each field (acting, directing, and producing)? For example, maybe you feel that school will help in acting, but it is absolutely essential to become a director, and will help a lot more than a BComm or an MBA to become a producer.

Thanks Again,
Jamie

Thanks Again,
Jamie

Answer
Since you already are attending school at the moment, it might be something to continue for the moment while you find acting work in your area.  There may not be as much work available there as in Los Angeles, for example, however it's better to have more rather than less on your resume when you do submit your information to agents in L.A.

You can also take a look at the Wiki page for Canadian ex-pat actors: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Canadian_expatriate_actors_in_the_United_S

It may give you some insight into the choices those people made that will be helpful as you choose your career path.  Many of them did begin their careers in Canada first, some attended (acting# school, some did not.  From time to time you can see where the actor initially made a connection in school or during a production #with a future director, or future known actor) that helped move forward their career.

And certainly if you look at only the numbers, there are simply more people and more industry in Los Angeles.  There are also many schools with short programs as well as longer degree programs of 2-4 years for acting, directing, etc., both in industry-only schools, such as AFI: http://www.afi.com/ as well as smaller divisions in larger schools, such as UCLA's school of theater, film and television: http://www.tft.ucla.edu/

In some cases, you may also be able to transfer your completed credits and continue your current education in a US school, without losing what you have already done.  If you came into the US on a student visa, however, you most likely would not be allowed to work as well, so keep that in mind.

I think that schooling can and does help many people in the industry - and it is not required for an actor, director or even a producer to hold a degree or certification.  Many actors begin their careers in infancy, particularly doing commercials and television shows.  A fair number of directors and producers crossed over from acting without any schooling in that particular area, or just picked up a camera and began their creative journey on their own.  But each such story is an individual one, and every situation is different.  

I hope you find what's right for you,
~Kitty