Expert: Phil Nemy - 8/13/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
my name is kayla and i'm 13 years old i live in new england and all my life i've dreamed  of becoming an actress. my question to you is how do i get started? i'm also wondering how i should tell my parents that this is what i really want to do? what are the best ways i can get myself out there? my last question is what should i look for in an agencey? and if there is any other advice you have for me please tell.




ANSWER: Kayla,

Thanks for writing. Much of what you've asked about is in my book, GET A REEL JOB, which can be found at my website (www.reeljob.net) or on Amazon.com. Why don't you consider reading the chapters for actors in it, and then if you still have questions, write to me again and I'll be happy to answer them for you.

As far as telling your parents, I always believe that honesty is the best choice. Tell them how passionate you are about acting, so much so that when you're old enough, you'd like to enroll in a university or college that has the best training program for actors, a school that would offer you a BFA degree in acting. That way you receive a college education AND you get the training you need to be a successful actress. If you share with them your passion and commitment, and the fact that you're taking this seriously by showing them you want to attend college to study this, how could they not want to support you in your decision?

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your advice. I am really looking forward to buying your book. It said that you were a former disney executive and i have noticed that a lot of actors who had something to do with disney such as lindsay lohan and the cast of high school musical have made it very far in the industry.what types of things do you need to have to get booked in a disney project?

Answer
Kayla,

You need to have primarly three specific things to be a success as an actress. First, you need talent. If you don't have talent, you may find work but you won't be able to sustain a career.

Second, you need what I call that indescribable "it." If you've got "it," then you'll make it. If you don't have "it," then you won't. What is "it?" "It" is a look, a charisma, a charm, a sex appeal, an attraction, it's what audiences respond to and the camera can see. If they camera doesn't like you, you won't have much of a career in front of the camera.

Third, you need a lot of luck. Truly! There are so many incredibly attractive, talented people in this town and very, very, very few of them are able to actually make a living as actors. And they're talented, and they're attractive, and the camera likes them. But because there are SO MANY of these kind of people walking around, the odds are against them ever becoming successful. So luck plays into it in a big way. Some people don't like to call it luck, instead they call it fate. If it is meant to be that you are to be a successful actress, then it will happen. If it's not meant to be, then it won't. Some people believe this.

YOU need to believe in YOURSELF! When you've spent 10 years  trying to make a career happen, you can't give up. You need to dig down deep inside yourself and find the courage to keep trying even though the odds are against you. Never give up!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil