Expert: Phil Nemy - 11/7/2007

Question
Hi Mr. Nemy,

I've always been interested in acting. In high school, I was involved in a few musicals (although I was only a chorus member) and did dramatic interpretation for the debate team.  I studied visual arts in college and, therefore, only worked on a couple of local commercials and stage or classroom productions.

I have been living in Norway for the last 4 years and have involved myself with one year at a theater school, a short film, a few extra roles, a small recurring role in a soap opera, a dance performance, one commercial and a couple of short theater productions. I've also taken or am taking song/voice, piano, improvisation and movement, modern dance, hip-hip, and Irish solo dance classes or workshops, with the intention to take more dance classes next year.

My husband and I will be moving to Los Angeles in the fall of 2008 so I can pursue my acting career. I find myself, however, feeling that I haven't had enough experience. And I feel a bit lost now that I've been away from the states for so long. Going to LA and working with within the film industry has been a dream I've had since I was 14. But at 27, I'm a lot older than I expected to be when I reached LA.

My questions are:
Do you think I've waited too long?
Will my experience in the Norwegian entertainment industry help or hurt me, or will it matter at all?  
I was never taught about auditioning, CVs, or headshots. I have received almost every job that I've had in the field through my network, but I don't have one in LA. Do you have any advice on how I can get my foot in the door?
How do you document work experience from a different country?

Thank you for listening. Warm regards.

~Regina

Answer
Regina,

Thanks for writing. You've asked some good questions. Let's see if I can give you some good answers.

1) It's never too long to wait to begin an acting career. John Houseman began his acting career at age 80 and won an Academy Award for his first acting role in the film THE PAPER CHASE.

2) Your experience in Norway will help YOU as a performer as it's given you some experience and some perspective. It won't, necessarily, help you with getting work in LA, simply because no one knows the work, no one will have seen it, and no one knows any of the instructors or the training at the theater school. But rest assured it won't count against you.

3) You document work experience any differently. Work is work, regardless of the country in which it was performed.

4) My advice when you get to LA is get into local acting classes. You may believe you don't need them, but Casting Directors want to know who you're studying with. It's also a great place to network with fellow actors which may lead you to an agent (which you need) and a good photographer for headshots (which you also need). You'll also need to get your headshots and resumes online on LAcasting,com. They are the most widely used and widely recognized online casting source in LA.

5) Subscribe to Backstage West - it lists ALL of the union and non-union auditions for film, TV, commercials, industrials, theater, improv, etc. Audition for as much as you can. Don't worry about making a ton of money at the outset. The key is to be cast, do good work, get it on tape, and develop a demo reel of your work. Every major casting director is going to want to see your reel. It's one thing for them to meet you and get to know you, even see you in a play, but since the real money is in film and TV, they want to see if the camera likes you or not. So you need a reel of your work.

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

Phil