Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 5/20/2007

Question
Hello. i do not really have a question, but more of a request. I would love to go into acting; it is all I think about. I cannot though. I know my chances are low and I want to be a teacher. I cannot stop thinking about how awesome it would be to become an actress. Could you please tell me some ugly facts about acting to dicourage me? Please? It would mean a lot. Thank-you so much.

Answer




Hi Serena,

This is an unusual request!  So, you are throwing down the gauntlet to me huh?
I had to wonder for a minute if maybe you were a parent trying to get ammunition to use against a child bent on being an actor. (There are lots of those)

Well, although you are talking to someone who loves what he does, I'll try. One thing, however, why do you say you can't pursue acting?  A lot of people create obstacles in their mind about things..."I'm too short...I'm ugly... " And you know what? -They are right! They never do get anywhere because they create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Many people imagine the worst and waste precious hours of their lives WORRYING OVER THINGS THAT WILL NEVER BE AN ISSUE. -Don't ever short-change yourself by doing that.

So, let's see...the number one thing to hate is the uncertainty. Uncertainty of "Did I get the part?" after auditioning. I have had one occasion that I actually found out what the outcome was immediately. Usually you audition and either you wait for days to hear you got it, or you hear nothing but crickets....and they never call.
Uncertainty of what character they are looking for. Usually there is little information given as to what they are looking for. Thing is, we are actors and maybe, JUST MAYBE, could show them that side of us if we knew. I think that's where you get the Michael J. Fox actors instead of the Billy Bob Thorntons; actors who are basically the same guy in each role verses different guys each film. When you act in a movie, when you do good, no one says: "Good Job!" or anything else, so you have no idea about your performance. It's not really their job, so if you need feedback, you will be bitterly disappointed.

Uncertainty if the phone will ever ring again. Actors often get a little crazy during this time. There's too much time to question whether you should continue, what you give up devoting yourself to your art, how you will pay bills... That's why I recommend a backup plan: a way to make money when times are slow, or worst case, to have a career when the acting ends...which is more often the case than not. A lot of actors reinvent themselves later in life.

Dealing with egos: you often run into industry people who see actors as cattle.
Acting is also like many jobs in that you must constantly train in your off time so you are ready when they call.
The last two negatives I will mention are BIG ones:

Rejection: If you can't stand being rejected and have no capacity to grow in that respect, this is not for you. However, life is like that, and it's healthy to get accustomed to the concept. My way of coming to peace with it, was to realize that when you are not chosen, it doesn't mean you sucked, but that they very likely pictured someone who looked different in the minds than you. It's like when you read a book and then see the movie...the characters don't match what you saw mentally, did they?
The second, and last thing is relationships. It may be a lot easier for women than men to be actors in this department, for the reason that even in these modern times with liberated women, there is still this expectation that men need to be financially stable and although women are quite attracted to successful actors, the interest wains when the paychecks are few and the bills pile up. Again, the backup plan comes into play when trying to keep grease on the table! For women, a lot of boyfriends or husbands will not be okay with their devotion to their craft and possibly the romantic scenes and generally, the independent-ness of their "woman". Basically, your romantic life would likely be turbulent.

So, after all this, do I regret choosing acting? Well, it chose me, and not for one minute do I regret going for it. I love it.

Hope this helps!
Taylor