Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 7/13/2007

Question
Taylor i really need your help because acting is really my passion i live in maryland so i was wandering could u help me out.

Answer
Hi De'Andre,

I am really not sure what your question is, but I can give you general advice....

Take classes! Many people who write to me have a "burning desire" to act, but they lack the "burning desire" to put any time or money into learning how to be a good actor. A great smile and a trendy look isn't all it's about. One trip to Los Angeles would be a sudden shakra (psychic kick to the head, if you will)to someone that believes that's all you need! There are thousands of "beautiful people" with varying degrees of talent, from zero to great, walking around, trying to make it happen.
Your ace in the hole will be knowing what they don't know: how to use a camera to make you look good...how to come off looking natural and like what you are doing is the easiest thing on earth...and most importantly, how to get in touch with your emotions to bring them up to perform realistically in a scene. What the average person doesn't understand is, actors aren't just pretending to laugh, cry, get angry or act crazy, they actually dig deep into their memories to find something that matches or comes close to what their character is experiencing. That is known as method acting, by the way. There are other types/methods of acting, but by far, that's the method widest used. The reason so many people think they know how to act, is that trained actors make it look easy. It's like flying an airplane: you have so many dials and gauges and controls with numbers inside an airplane cabin. It's all confusing looking. But if you took classes and paid attention, you could jump in to the plane, flip some switches and taxi off to fly away, no big deal.
Some people would argue that acting and flying an airplane aren't as hard as each other, but just try to locate a specific feeling from deep inside yourself ON CUE, with 40 people standing around, some drinking a coke or eating, and be able to do it 3-5-10 times in a row! NOT EASY!

Bottom line, being a good student in acting is one thing everyone has an equal chance to do, and it can make your chances to be an actor a lot better.

Best,
Taylor