Ive always wanted to be an actor. Like an actor in movies, and I always wanted to give that a good shot and if I fail at least i would know...but I want to be a doctor if not an actor...but by the time I graduate medical school I'll be like 30....and I don't know how I could try acting at such an old age...=( Most big actors start while they are younger...so I just don't know what to do..whether to give up on acting...cause i need to go to medical school, if I would do acting I would need a fall through...but I almost feel like acting would be a pointless endeavor...basically I'm asking, would be pointless under the circumstances to try to be an actor?
ANSWER:
... if you read your question again to yourself, you just might find the answer in it. It sounds to me like you have already decided what you need to do.
One important question to ask yourself once you decide whether or not to start an acting career is whether you chose acting or whether acting chose you.
In your question it sounds like you are choosing acting, but that wanting to become a doctor has chosen you.
What I mean by something choosing you is that you just feel that it is something you MUST do. You can't not do it! You simply have to do it! That's the way it seems that med school is for you. It doesn't seem like acting has that power over you. In the long run you will be happiest doing something you are passionate about, something you really love.
To help, go through this exercise on my website for new and aspiring actors. It will help you clarify your goals. On this page link you will find a series of goal questions and then a link to other questions. This is just for starters, but my hope is that you will begin to understand why you want what you want. Once you clarify that (and it will probably take some time-in other words, don't think you will just read that page once and then it will be settled. My advice is to continue to ask yourself those and other questions until you feel 100% sure of what you want.) you will be at peace with yourself and with your decision. Here's the link:
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/long-term_acting_goal.html
You can also take those questions and adapt them to your medical career as well.
Good luck in your future.
Tony
Friday, March 21, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Question: I want to start an acting career. I'm feeling a little lazy and bored today.
I spent a lot of time over the last two days looking up famous actors.
I'm not sure what I need to do to get started. Can you help?
ANSWER:
One question you will want to answer sooner rather than later is, "Did I choose acting, or did acting choose me?"
Why were you looking up famous actors? Was it because you would like to see what kind of life they live? Was it because you hoped to see what kind of path they followed to get where they are today? If that's the case, it might be a little soon to be declaring that you want to start an acting career. If you are already trying to become an actor, then you should already know they answers to those questions.
But you are on the right track for starters. It's important to find out what it really means to become an actor FIRST.
Getting back to figuring out what your goals are, it might help if you ask yourself some questions:
Why do you want to become an actor?
What will that do for you?
How will it make you feel?
What kind of actor do you want to become?
How far are you really and truely and honestly willing to go for your acting career?
Do you know what it's like to work as an actor?
Do you know what actors do when they are looking for work or in between jobs?
Do you know what kinds of different acting careers you could have?
How hard are you willing to work? Honestly. (I ask that question, because you openly declared that you feel lazy and bored. If you become an actor, your days should never be that way.)
What do you think having an acting career entails?
What do you think an actor does day to day, when he's not working?
Do you know anything about business? Do you realize how important it is to know how to promote yourself and to be able to get your work seen?
Have you taken any acting classes yet?
What method are you studying?
What other methods are you aware of?
Do you know what the benefits are to taking acting classes? In other words, do you know what they can do for you, other than teaching you how to act?
Do you know how you can tell if a class is right for you or not?
Do you know how to choose an acting school?
Do you know of at least ten different ways that you can promote yourself as an actor?
Do you know how to go about finding a talent agent?
Do you know what agents look for in an actor?
Do you know your type and why knowing that is so important?
Do you know how to do a mailing?
Do you know how to use post cards?
How about head shots? Do you know what the disadvantages are of getting head shots taken before you are ready?
Do you know the right questions and what to look for when selecting a head shot photographer?
Do you know what the industry formats are for an acting resume?
Do you know one of the first places agents and casting directors look when they look at your resume?
If you were further along, I would ask you other questions like:
How did you get your agent?
What do you do while you are waiting for your agent to call you for an audition?
Or
How did you choose your monologues? Do you know the most common mistakes actors make when performing a monologue and how to avoid them?
Or
How do you prepare for your auditions?
What method of acting are you studying and why does that method speak to you?
Do you know how to build a character?
You shouldn't be bored any more now. If you really want to be an actor, then get to work and answer all those questions and look for others to answer as there are many more. If you start with those, you should have a pretty good idea what it means to become an actor.
Good luck
I'm not sure what I need to do to get started. Can you help?
ANSWER:
One question you will want to answer sooner rather than later is, "Did I choose acting, or did acting choose me?"
Why were you looking up famous actors? Was it because you would like to see what kind of life they live? Was it because you hoped to see what kind of path they followed to get where they are today? If that's the case, it might be a little soon to be declaring that you want to start an acting career. If you are already trying to become an actor, then you should already know they answers to those questions.
But you are on the right track for starters. It's important to find out what it really means to become an actor FIRST.
Getting back to figuring out what your goals are, it might help if you ask yourself some questions:
Why do you want to become an actor?
What will that do for you?
How will it make you feel?
What kind of actor do you want to become?
How far are you really and truely and honestly willing to go for your acting career?
Do you know what it's like to work as an actor?
Do you know what actors do when they are looking for work or in between jobs?
Do you know what kinds of different acting careers you could have?
How hard are you willing to work? Honestly. (I ask that question, because you openly declared that you feel lazy and bored. If you become an actor, your days should never be that way.)
What do you think having an acting career entails?
What do you think an actor does day to day, when he's not working?
Do you know anything about business? Do you realize how important it is to know how to promote yourself and to be able to get your work seen?
Have you taken any acting classes yet?
What method are you studying?
What other methods are you aware of?
Do you know what the benefits are to taking acting classes? In other words, do you know what they can do for you, other than teaching you how to act?
Do you know how you can tell if a class is right for you or not?
Do you know how to choose an acting school?
Do you know of at least ten different ways that you can promote yourself as an actor?
Do you know how to go about finding a talent agent?
Do you know what agents look for in an actor?
Do you know your type and why knowing that is so important?
Do you know how to do a mailing?
Do you know how to use post cards?
How about head shots? Do you know what the disadvantages are of getting head shots taken before you are ready?
Do you know the right questions and what to look for when selecting a head shot photographer?
Do you know what the industry formats are for an acting resume?
Do you know one of the first places agents and casting directors look when they look at your resume?
If you were further along, I would ask you other questions like:
How did you get your agent?
What do you do while you are waiting for your agent to call you for an audition?
Or
How did you choose your monologues? Do you know the most common mistakes actors make when performing a monologue and how to avoid them?
Or
How do you prepare for your auditions?
What method of acting are you studying and why does that method speak to you?
Do you know how to build a character?
You shouldn't be bored any more now. If you really want to be an actor, then get to work and answer all those questions and look for others to answer as there are many more. If you start with those, you should have a pretty good idea what it means to become an actor.
Good luck
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Acting Career Question: Talent Agency in NY?
Talent Agency in NY?
I am considering getting an agent, I have had a lot of experience, and next week I am getting head shots. I have made up my resume and so far it's really good. My mother and I just can't find a decent talent agency in NY.
What do you suggest?
I am not saying I'm going to to get an agent, but it's worth the try.
ANSWER:
Well it sounds like you are doing the right thing by keeping your mother involved. That is especially important as there are a lot of creeps out there preying on young people. They will tell you anything.
I just recently received a story that I will be posting soon on my website for aspiring actors. It is from a girl, sounds like she's about your age. She and her mother were almost victims of a scam at some agency.
One of the things you will want to think about doing is making sure that you know what your type is.
You have two choices. You can either go after any and all agents or you can go after an agent in a targeted and methodical way. Needless to say, the second way will get you better results.
First of all it's important that you know what your type is. If you are not familiar with that concept, find out. See if your acting teacher can help you figure it out. Type is important because it will help you to make sure that your head shot, your résumé and your cover letter are all giving off the same message. That will get you some extra points, because you will be not only projecting an air of professionalism, but you just might make it easier for an agent to decide to bring you in for an interview.
I can recommend to you a way that I used to personally get my first agents in a relatively short period of time.
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/how_to_get_a_talent_agent.html
Don't forget then that you will want to prepare for the interview itself. One of the best resources to help you do that and to help you be able to prepare for some of the questions that an agent might ask you is Brian O'Neil's book, Acting As A Business: Strategies For Success. I know Brian personally and he has many years of experience in the industry as an agent, actor and personal manager.
Lastly, another thing that you must never forget is that agents are in the business to make money. They can make more money from, and will be willing to invest more in people who are well-trained, prepared and who have a better chance of booking work.
In order to be all those things to an agent, you need to be trained...well. You should be taking classes continuously.
I wish you the best of luck!
Tony
I am considering getting an agent, I have had a lot of experience, and next week I am getting head shots. I have made up my resume and so far it's really good. My mother and I just can't find a decent talent agency in NY.
What do you suggest?
I am not saying I'm going to to get an agent, but it's worth the try.
ANSWER:
Well it sounds like you are doing the right thing by keeping your mother involved. That is especially important as there are a lot of creeps out there preying on young people. They will tell you anything.
I just recently received a story that I will be posting soon on my website for aspiring actors. It is from a girl, sounds like she's about your age. She and her mother were almost victims of a scam at some agency.
One of the things you will want to think about doing is making sure that you know what your type is.
You have two choices. You can either go after any and all agents or you can go after an agent in a targeted and methodical way. Needless to say, the second way will get you better results.
First of all it's important that you know what your type is. If you are not familiar with that concept, find out. See if your acting teacher can help you figure it out. Type is important because it will help you to make sure that your head shot, your résumé and your cover letter are all giving off the same message. That will get you some extra points, because you will be not only projecting an air of professionalism, but you just might make it easier for an agent to decide to bring you in for an interview.
I can recommend to you a way that I used to personally get my first agents in a relatively short period of time.
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/how_to_get_a_talent_agent.html
Don't forget then that you will want to prepare for the interview itself. One of the best resources to help you do that and to help you be able to prepare for some of the questions that an agent might ask you is Brian O'Neil's book, Acting As A Business: Strategies For Success. I know Brian personally and he has many years of experience in the industry as an agent, actor and personal manager.
Lastly, another thing that you must never forget is that agents are in the business to make money. They can make more money from, and will be willing to invest more in people who are well-trained, prepared and who have a better chance of booking work.
In order to be all those things to an agent, you need to be trained...well. You should be taking classes continuously.
I wish you the best of luck!
Tony
Acting Career Question: I want to get into television hosting. How do I get started?
You have two main possibilities in my opinion; both of which I would pursue. First of all, I am an actor, author, motivational speaker and seminar leader and I have done some hosting of live events and presented on video for companies.
Get yourself some hosting training. Learn how to use an ear prompter and a tele prompter. If you want to be a host you will need those skills. You can find people who teach classes on those things like Pat Murphy in NY www.mediaimagecoach.com . She's very good.
So, first and foremost you will want to be trained!
You will need to be good at marketing yourself to production companies and casting directors who cast hosts.
You'll also want to find out which agents or agencies have hosting departments and contact those people directly.
I wrote an article on the site about 12 steps to getting an agent that you can check out if you want.
Something else you should take into consideration. That is become an expert at something and create your own show! With today's technology, you could create a program of your own and shoot it all over the internet, youtube, myspace, facebook and there are so many other sites like that. You could build a website and become a point of reference.
Remember that something else that is important and that will help to increase your possibilities of getting booked on jobs is how big your fan base is. What I just suggested is an excellent way to create a fan base or a following of people who can't wait to see your videos or the next episode of your show.
Here's another page on my site with videos on it that I took off youtube that show how some actors and entertainers are making their own videos to promote their careers.
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/job-in-acting.html
To follow the path of creating your own show or website you will need an extremely high dose of PASSION. If you have passion you will want to work on your project all the time and doing things for it will not be a chore. If you are thinking more about what people want and less about your passion, you will find that the things you have to do for your site or for your show will be a chore and you won't enjoy it.
Lastly, when you do create your videos and your show, you will then have more things to show your agent or to casting directors interested in your skills.
Good luck!
Tony
Get yourself some hosting training. Learn how to use an ear prompter and a tele prompter. If you want to be a host you will need those skills. You can find people who teach classes on those things like Pat Murphy in NY www.mediaimagecoach.com . She's very good.
So, first and foremost you will want to be trained!
You will need to be good at marketing yourself to production companies and casting directors who cast hosts.
You'll also want to find out which agents or agencies have hosting departments and contact those people directly.
I wrote an article on the site about 12 steps to getting an agent that you can check out if you want.
Something else you should take into consideration. That is become an expert at something and create your own show! With today's technology, you could create a program of your own and shoot it all over the internet, youtube, myspace, facebook and there are so many other sites like that. You could build a website and become a point of reference.
Remember that something else that is important and that will help to increase your possibilities of getting booked on jobs is how big your fan base is. What I just suggested is an excellent way to create a fan base or a following of people who can't wait to see your videos or the next episode of your show.
Here's another page on my site with videos on it that I took off youtube that show how some actors and entertainers are making their own videos to promote their careers.
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/job-in-acting.html
To follow the path of creating your own show or website you will need an extremely high dose of PASSION. If you have passion you will want to work on your project all the time and doing things for it will not be a chore. If you are thinking more about what people want and less about your passion, you will find that the things you have to do for your site or for your show will be a chore and you won't enjoy it.
Lastly, when you do create your videos and your show, you will then have more things to show your agent or to casting directors interested in your skills.
Good luck!
Tony
Friday, February 29, 2008
Question: What is the very first thing that i have to do if i want to be a child actress and i have some experience with working in front of a camera?
ANSWER:
With regard to your question, first of all you must be more specific about what
KIND of child actress you want to be. Have a look at this page on my site. At
some point you will have to decide which kind of acting career you want:
www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting_careers.html
Then, the first things I would do are these:
1) talk to some working actors and see what it's like to be an actor.
See what actors do before they get to television or the big screen.
See what it's like looking for work and the types of things you have to do:
www.actingcareerstartup.com/working_as_an_actor.html
2) Get into a good acting class with a good teacher.
www.actingcareerstartup.com/taking_acting_classes.html on the benefits of taking classes.
www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting_classes.html on how to choose the right school for you.
www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting-career.html This is an interview with a Hollywood acting teacher. I asked him how you know if a school is the right one for you. His answer you will find about half way down that page.
3) While you are going to class (and you should be doing that all throughout your career),
you should figure out your type and then study the industry.
To find information about how to figure out what your type is, check out my blog:
www.actingcareerstartup.blogspot.com .
To know the types of things you need to know about the industry, study the links
you see on this page: www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting_industry_information.html
And that should be all you need at the moment!
With regard to your question, first of all you must be more specific about what
KIND of child actress you want to be. Have a look at this page on my site. At
some point you will have to decide which kind of acting career you want:
www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting_careers.html
Then, the first things I would do are these:
1) talk to some working actors and see what it's like to be an actor.
See what actors do before they get to television or the big screen.
See what it's like looking for work and the types of things you have to do:
www.actingcareerstartup.com/working_as_an_actor.html
2) Get into a good acting class with a good teacher.
www.actingcareerstartup.com/taking_acting_classes.html on the benefits of taking classes.
www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting_classes.html on how to choose the right school for you.
www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting-career.html This is an interview with a Hollywood acting teacher. I asked him how you know if a school is the right one for you. His answer you will find about half way down that page.
3) While you are going to class (and you should be doing that all throughout your career),
you should figure out your type and then study the industry.
To find information about how to figure out what your type is, check out my blog:
www.actingcareerstartup.blogspot.com .
To know the types of things you need to know about the industry, study the links
you see on this page: www.actingcareerstartup.com/acting_industry_information.html
And that should be all you need at the moment!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Question: I WANT TO BE AN ACTRESS SO BAD I CAN TASTE IT!!!! I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE. I CAN SING AND DANCE A LITTLE...
...My problem is that I don't know where to start. Can you help?
ANSWER:
First of all, don't let anyone tell you that you can't fulfill your dreams. You can do it if you have a method. I changed my life completely from corporate manager to actor/voice-over artist, host, author, motivational speaker and I'm loving it. This change took place three years ago and I'm still not where I want to be, but I am enjoying the journey and most importantly, I'm making some serious progress! I have agents working for me. I have productions companies and casting directors and agents call me either for work or for auditions. But this didn't happen over night. It takes time and lots and lots of hard work.
It will take time to build your career and set yourself up for long-term success. I conduct a lot of interviews that I share with aspiring actors and one of the most recent ones was with a noted industry professional who owns an acting school in New York. She said that, "You should plan on at least 2 - 3 years in the beginning, preparing your base so that you can get to the point of being able to compete with well-trained actors who are and have been working regularly."
Most aspiring actors never make it for several reasons.
1) They think that it is just a matter of getting an agent, no training, no classes, just get an agent! False!
2) They are not motivated enough to 'see it through' and to do what is necessary to be successful.
3) They have no business and marketing skills or what's worse, they don't realize that they themselves are a product that they must sell and have no clue how to do it.
4) If they do get an agent, they believe that the agent should do all the work and get them all their auditions. Let me take an historical quote from John F. Kennedy and twist it for the purposes of my communication: "Ask not what your agent can do for you, but what you can do for your agent!"
5) They neglect training, because many people around them (family and friends) tell them that they are cute, beautiful, make people laugh, are talented and should go into acting.
What they don't realize is that most if not all of those people are not qualified to say whether or not you are talented enough or have what it takes.
6) Most aspiring actors neglect probably the single most important show-stopper: Money. They don't plan to be able to have either enough money set aside to really be able to pursue an acting career full-time or they have not set up at least one or more streams of passive income so that they will be able to concentrate fully on their careers.
7) They have no clue what's going on in the industry, what the trends are, who casts the types of projects they are interested in.
8) They don't know what their type is and thus don't focus their efforts on getting that type of work. Their headshots, résumés and coverletters don't speak the same language. And the industry professionals they contact are not the right ones.
9) Lack of focus and method and strategy to get what they want.
10) They don't know themselves well enough. The market is so saturated with well-trained actors AND with people who think that they have what it takes to be an actor. It is ESSENTIAL to find that something special about yourself that will set you apart from all the other actresses out there who are of your type. Otherwise, you will get lost in the crowd! Once you've figured that out, you need to find a way to get to the people who could be interested in what you have to offer. Here's my approach to how to figure that out: http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/actor.html
11) They start out approaching their acting career by asking themselves the question, "I wonder what an acting career will get me?" instead of, "What am I going to bring to my acting career? What do I have to offer?"
So, what to do? If you are really serious about pursuing an acting career, there are several things to do in my opinion.
First: Research: Find out as much as you can from people who are already doing what you want to do.
Learn about the industry: Read Variety, Backstage for starters.
Learn about the different acting techniques.
Research different schools. Interview teachers about their teaching methods, techniques, audit classes if they so allow.
Figure out how much time you will realistically be able to dedicate to an acting career.
Figure out how you will make money so that you don't have to work 9-5 and don't have enough time to pursue your career.
Then get into a good acting class with a good teacher and stay there...forever! What I want to say there is that your training never, ever stops.
If you want to in the meantime, you could check with your local film commission to see when Hollywood films will be coming to your area to shoot so that you can put in for some extra work. Check this page link for 17 things you could do today to get started.
Also, you could sign up with some extra casting agencies. That's great experience at the beginning of your career to learn how things work on set and make a little money at the same time.
You could also get into some community theatre.
Lastly, if you really are serious about becoming an actress, you will find these things to be easy and you won't be able to wait to do them. If you are not motivated enough in the long run, you will find all these things to be a chore and tremendously difficult.
I know this was a long post, but I get passionate about this!
One last quote from a Hollywood acting teacher I recently interviewed named Bernard Hiller: "The elevator to success is broken. You'll have to take the stairs."
Good luck!
Tony
ANSWER:
First of all, don't let anyone tell you that you can't fulfill your dreams. You can do it if you have a method. I changed my life completely from corporate manager to actor/voice-over artist, host, author, motivational speaker and I'm loving it. This change took place three years ago and I'm still not where I want to be, but I am enjoying the journey and most importantly, I'm making some serious progress! I have agents working for me. I have productions companies and casting directors and agents call me either for work or for auditions. But this didn't happen over night. It takes time and lots and lots of hard work.
It will take time to build your career and set yourself up for long-term success. I conduct a lot of interviews that I share with aspiring actors and one of the most recent ones was with a noted industry professional who owns an acting school in New York. She said that, "You should plan on at least 2 - 3 years in the beginning, preparing your base so that you can get to the point of being able to compete with well-trained actors who are and have been working regularly."
Most aspiring actors never make it for several reasons.
1) They think that it is just a matter of getting an agent, no training, no classes, just get an agent! False!
2) They are not motivated enough to 'see it through' and to do what is necessary to be successful.
3) They have no business and marketing skills or what's worse, they don't realize that they themselves are a product that they must sell and have no clue how to do it.
4) If they do get an agent, they believe that the agent should do all the work and get them all their auditions. Let me take an historical quote from John F. Kennedy and twist it for the purposes of my communication: "Ask not what your agent can do for you, but what you can do for your agent!"
5) They neglect training, because many people around them (family and friends) tell them that they are cute, beautiful, make people laugh, are talented and should go into acting.
What they don't realize is that most if not all of those people are not qualified to say whether or not you are talented enough or have what it takes.
6) Most aspiring actors neglect probably the single most important show-stopper: Money. They don't plan to be able to have either enough money set aside to really be able to pursue an acting career full-time or they have not set up at least one or more streams of passive income so that they will be able to concentrate fully on their careers.
7) They have no clue what's going on in the industry, what the trends are, who casts the types of projects they are interested in.
8) They don't know what their type is and thus don't focus their efforts on getting that type of work. Their headshots, résumés and coverletters don't speak the same language. And the industry professionals they contact are not the right ones.
9) Lack of focus and method and strategy to get what they want.
10) They don't know themselves well enough. The market is so saturated with well-trained actors AND with people who think that they have what it takes to be an actor. It is ESSENTIAL to find that something special about yourself that will set you apart from all the other actresses out there who are of your type. Otherwise, you will get lost in the crowd! Once you've figured that out, you need to find a way to get to the people who could be interested in what you have to offer. Here's my approach to how to figure that out: http://www.actingcareerstartup.com/actor.html
11) They start out approaching their acting career by asking themselves the question, "I wonder what an acting career will get me?" instead of, "What am I going to bring to my acting career? What do I have to offer?"
So, what to do? If you are really serious about pursuing an acting career, there are several things to do in my opinion.
First: Research: Find out as much as you can from people who are already doing what you want to do.
Learn about the industry: Read Variety, Backstage for starters.
Learn about the different acting techniques.
Research different schools. Interview teachers about their teaching methods, techniques, audit classes if they so allow.
Figure out how much time you will realistically be able to dedicate to an acting career.
Figure out how you will make money so that you don't have to work 9-5 and don't have enough time to pursue your career.
Then get into a good acting class with a good teacher and stay there...forever! What I want to say there is that your training never, ever stops.
If you want to in the meantime, you could check with your local film commission to see when Hollywood films will be coming to your area to shoot so that you can put in for some extra work. Check this page link for 17 things you could do today to get started.
Also, you could sign up with some extra casting agencies. That's great experience at the beginning of your career to learn how things work on set and make a little money at the same time.
You could also get into some community theatre.
Lastly, if you really are serious about becoming an actress, you will find these things to be easy and you won't be able to wait to do them. If you are not motivated enough in the long run, you will find all these things to be a chore and tremendously difficult.
I know this was a long post, but I get passionate about this!
One last quote from a Hollywood acting teacher I recently interviewed named Bernard Hiller: "The elevator to success is broken. You'll have to take the stairs."
Good luck!
Tony
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Question: I just got a role in a play in which I have to play a girl...
...who is a few years younger than me and a lot different than me. How do I get into character.
Answer:
1) You should know as much about that character as you can. Who is she?
· First of all understand the entire story and understand how your character fits in and what her relationships are with the people with whom she comes in contact throught.
· Where is she from?
· Where did she grow up?
· What kind of life does she have?
· What does she do for hobbies?
· Where does she go to school?
· What does she like/dislike?
· What is she good at?
· What are her strengths and weaknesses?
· Where is she vulnerable?
· How does she talk?
· Does she have friends?
· What are they like?
· What kind of character traits does she have?
· What kind of family life does she have?
· What kind of relationship does she have with her parents?
· Does she have brothers and sisters?
· How old are they?
· How does she interact with them?
If these things aren't in the script, you have to create them yourself. That helps you to bring something special to the character. Clearly all this must fit into the script. You can't re-write it.
2) If you as the person you really are, don't fit the profile of that character, then go someplace and observe how those kind of girls behave? Just spend some time and watch them. Talk to them. See what they tell you.
3) You might want to pick up Stella Adler's book. She takes you through everything in much more detail than I ever could. She's one of the masters.
4) Start today and get yourself into a good acting class with a good acting teacher. If you are doing this for a hobby, then coming to forums like this is fine to get some advice. If you are serious about becoming an actress, then this is not where you want to be coming for advice. A serious actress would be surrounded by people who can help her, including classmates and a good teacher. Taking class in a group setting is such a valuable experience, because you not only get to work on what your teacher tells you, you also get to see others work through the same issues and see how they do it.
The people here on this forum can give you advice, but alone it will be difficult for you to put it into practice and to know whether or not you are doing the right things.
All the best!
Tony
Answer:
1) You should know as much about that character as you can. Who is she?
· First of all understand the entire story and understand how your character fits in and what her relationships are with the people with whom she comes in contact throught.
· Where is she from?
· Where did she grow up?
· What kind of life does she have?
· What does she do for hobbies?
· Where does she go to school?
· What does she like/dislike?
· What is she good at?
· What are her strengths and weaknesses?
· Where is she vulnerable?
· How does she talk?
· Does she have friends?
· What are they like?
· What kind of character traits does she have?
· What kind of family life does she have?
· What kind of relationship does she have with her parents?
· Does she have brothers and sisters?
· How old are they?
· How does she interact with them?
If these things aren't in the script, you have to create them yourself. That helps you to bring something special to the character. Clearly all this must fit into the script. You can't re-write it.
2) If you as the person you really are, don't fit the profile of that character, then go someplace and observe how those kind of girls behave? Just spend some time and watch them. Talk to them. See what they tell you.
3) You might want to pick up Stella Adler's book. She takes you through everything in much more detail than I ever could. She's one of the masters.
4) Start today and get yourself into a good acting class with a good acting teacher. If you are doing this for a hobby, then coming to forums like this is fine to get some advice. If you are serious about becoming an actress, then this is not where you want to be coming for advice. A serious actress would be surrounded by people who can help her, including classmates and a good teacher. Taking class in a group setting is such a valuable experience, because you not only get to work on what your teacher tells you, you also get to see others work through the same issues and see how they do it.
The people here on this forum can give you advice, but alone it will be difficult for you to put it into practice and to know whether or not you are doing the right things.
All the best!
Tony
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