Expert: Peter Messaline - 4/6/2011

Question
Hi, so im 17 years old and would really want to take a shot at acting. I am good at acting, i passed all my drama classes and got great praise from my teacher, my one problem, im shy.
Im afraid to ask for help on acting or to ask for scripts incase i screw up and people laugh and taunt me.

So, i was wondering how can i get a job in the acting business? What do i have to do and what do you recommend?

Thanks.

Answer
It might be of some comfort to hear that I have been just as shy throughout my career.

There are, it seems to me, two sorts of actors:
"Hey, It's Me, I'm Here and I'm Wonderful"
and,
"I'm not here at all, but look at this other interesting person I'm pretending to be".

The other possibly comforting thing is that people won't laugh and taunt because they're actually not that interested in you. It's a curious arrogance of the shy (remember I am one) to think that what we do, no matter how awkward and pathetic, would attract any attention at all.

All you can do is to concentrate on the acting, and find ways round the bits you find difficult. If you find it hard to ask people, do your own research, if networking at parties is hard, write letters and articles (and answer questions online(!).

Remember, though, that the acting business is a wretched place to be if you have any alternatives. The work is hard to get, even when you get it the money is not great, and you will never be sure that the whole fragile edifice of your career might turn out to be self-delusion, dry up, and blow away. If you love to act, get a job you feel alright about, and join an excellent local amateur company. You'll do more acting, offering more challenge than "This way, officer", you'll work more regularly, and the standard will not be much lower than the larger part of ordinary professional acting. (Remember that the acting you admire is the top 5% of professional performance.)

Find out all you can about actors and acting, in the past and in the present. Libraries will have copies of theatre and film magazines, and acting career books. Avoid the star publicity machinery and look for bread and butter advice books about the UK industry. Look at the Equity website and its links. Find local societies for actors, film-lovers, artists of all sorts.

I hope you stay with this and find an angle where you can feel fulfilled, between your fears and your ambition.