Expert: Phil Nemy - 8/24/2009

Question
I graduated college with a degree in Media/Law, while I was attending college I also did a 2 year part time acting course - 2 evenings a week over 6 semesters. I graduated both in June and have been trying to get work as a professional actor since. I am trying to build a reel before moving to a major market city.At the moment my credits are student film and plays I did at my acting classes.
I am submitting for everything suitable I find and can't get an audition. I did a mailing and received 3 responses from agents. One was a no, one was not looking for clients but they'll keep me on file and the other was a meeting.
The meeting went well and she seemed very interested. She gave me advice such as to stop taking classes and spend my money on more important stuff like subscribing to actors access etc...She said it was between me and another girl and she'd get back to me in 2 days.
She didn't so 2 weeks after I follwed up with a postcard and got an e-mail saying that she tried to fit me in but I need more experience and training but if I ever needed anything to call her. Now I feel I am in catch 22 land. How can I get more experience? I can't even get called in for low level stuff I'm self-submitting for. And what about training? She said not to do any more classes. Does she expect me to do an MA? I can't afford that and I also think that I'd rather get experience than more training. Where can I go from here?

Answer
Terri,

Thanks for writing. Let me start by saying that pursuing an acting career is a TOUGH, TOUGH ROAD! The chances of you EVER being cast in ANY SPEAKING ROLE in a major motion picture or a television series is slim to none! At any given moment, 95% of all members of the Screen Actor's Guild are unemployed. I'm not making this up - it's a fact! And of the 5% that are working, really only 3% are any good - the other 2% are pretty faces (this is NOT fact, just my opinion).

Most actors DON'T have agents. Why? Because any good agent, if he's good at what he does, can really only handle properly representing 25-30 actors at one time. Considering the number of agents in Los Angeles, and the overwhelming number of actors, you can see why most actors DON'T have an agent. So don't take it personally that the agents you've contacted don't want to rep you.

I don't know your look or your talent, so I cannot speak to whether or not any agent has turned you down because of your talent or your look. Let's assume for the moment that you're like most actors in that you are reasonably attractive - not gorgeous, not stunningly beautiful, but also not bad to look at. Let's also assume that like most actors, you have a modicum of talent. Not classically trained, not gifted, not acutely funny, but you can get by with an everyday female role. So you fall into the camp of most actors. Here's the bad news - these actors are a dime a dozen! They're not bad, but there's nothing special about them. Every actor appearing in a lead or supporting role has something, what I call the indescribable "it" - you either have "it" or you don't. It could be a talent, a rare gift of talent, it could be stunning looks, mouth-watering gorgeous eyes or a smile, an amazing figure, captivating charm, charisma that jumps off the screen, etc., etc., etc. But they all have something. Some don't have anything BUT good looks - truly, very, very little talent, maybe even none, but they are so amazingly beautiful and they have extraordinary sexiness, and maybe a willingness to do a nude scene, that they get cast. Some have gifted agents, people so connected and so good at selling talent that they are some of the best agents around. Many of these actors have little if any training at all! They simply rely on their looks and agent's or manager's ability to sell. So this is what you're up against.

The best way to get an agent is to appear in something where an agent can see your talent. Some better known acting classes in LA produce actor showcases at the end of the actor's training sessions. Agents, managers, and casting directors are invited to these showcases where actors acting in scenes and monologues. Wine and cheese is generally served after the showcase allowing the actors to mingle with the invited guests. If an agent sees an actor's work, and thinks that he/she has some talent and a look that the agent can sell, the agent will often approach the actor to set up a meeting to discuss representation. This is a common practice in Los Angeles.

My advice to you is this: if you really, really, REALLY want to go down the hard, difficult, poverty-stricken road to an acting career, knowing that truly the odds are against you of EVER being able to support yourself from income solely derived from acting, the you need to do the following:

1) obtain the best acting training you can find (preferably in LA)
2) get a a terrific headshot
3) write a good resume
4) find a terrific talent agent
5) move to Los Angeles (95% of all auditions for film & TV in the USA are held in LA)
6) hope that you have lots and lots of luck!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil