Expert: Peter Messaline - 8/26/2007

Question
Hi my name is Gabrielle Williams I am VERY interested in becoming an actress,but I do not even know where to start at.It's my dream to become an actress So i hope you will write back please do.Thank You very much.

Answer
I should like to be more helpful, but I don't know how old you are or where you live!
There is a big difference between what you should do if you are a tweenie in Minneapolis, and what would be good advice for a college student in NYC.
I can say that working as an actor is very hard work, that very few even get as far as working. LA and NYC are filled with people who think they are having a good year if they are getting some auditions.
If you are successful enough to work fairly regularly as an actor (three or four theatre shows a year, or two or three film or TV jobs) you will make less than twenty thousand dollars a year before expenses.
Most actors have trained at a college or university. Some have taken a BA and then gone on to acting as their MA. Good college courses are difficult to get into - they look for kids who can show they have been acting in their teen years, in clubs, at school, in private classes, or running their own shows. The schools audition for entry, and some thin out the students between the first and second years.
Acting is a career choice, and there are books about being an actor. Look in the library under 790 in the Dewey Decimal system. Don't read books about stars, look for 'How-to' books and read as many as you can find. Everyone has different advice for beginners, and some are more optimistic than others.

Lotsa luck, if I haven't made you tearful or angry!