[SPOILER - highlight to read]: You see, when we left Jack, marooned on the ship with a cuffed wrist and a hungry kraken, we forgot one very important thing mate-he's Captain Jack Sparrow... savvy?
Well, you could take the Chris Klein/Ashton Kutcher/Natalie Portman route: be incredibly good-looking and happen to get spotted by a casting director.
Or, you could happen to be related to somebody in "the biz" who could get you in.
Or, you could be like the other 98% of people who fantasize about being in show business, and actually put in years of hard work in the hopes that it will one day make you a star. To do that:
1) On your 18th birthday, gather up as much cash as you can and take a bus to New York or Hollywood. Get a room in a flophouse that charges weekly rates, and eat crackers and peanut butter from the grocery store.
2) Hang out in "hip" clubs and eateries and make as many friends as you can, as fast as you can, because your money supply will dry up FAST, and the first bank of Mom and Dad won't let the Wild Goose Gravy Train run forever. In fact, get a job as a waiter/valet parker/car wash attendant somewhere where the pay is adequate but where you might meet someone big who could "discover" you (don't get your hopes up, though).
3) After you've warmed up to a few other strugglers within the industry, get one of them to let you move into their apartment in exchange for sharing expenses and helping out. Scour the newspapers for casting calls and talk to absolutely everyone you meet about how you want to be an actor.
4) Go to acting classes and workshops, attend plays, and take ANY acting job you think will help your career, even if it's an off-off-off-Flatbush Avenue production of "Ed Wood's Greatest Hits".
5) Be VERY careful about "producers" who want you to "invest", or "talent scouts" who want to introduce you to the "glamorous world of modeling". Two words--porno junkie.
6) After a few years, you might get a break. Or, you might just stay in the shadows forever. Whatever happens, be an actor because you love it, not because you want to be famous.
EDIT: I just saw your profile...you have just under four years to hone your craft before you turn 18 and have to set out for the big time. During this time, try out for every school play and local community play.
Find the theatre department head at your school and express your interest in acting. Even if you don't get a part in every play, offer to help with scenery, stage direction, etc.
Learn EVERYTHING you can about every aspect of the craft. Check your paper for local play auditions or just call the local Arts Council to find out more.
Read books at the library on acting method and history, biographies of actors and Hollywood bigshots, etc. Watch and read about classic movies and learn about what makes them timeless. Make show business your life; your best friend; your main goal.
Finally, you might even want to consider film/acting school or be a theatre major in college. That will at least give you four more years of experience to perfect your skill. Plus, with a college degree you can at least get a better job while you're waiting for that big break.
Break a leg!
__________________ Evelle: "Balloons! Hey, these blow up into funny shapes 'n' all?"
Grocer: "Well, no...unless round is funny."
Raising Arizona, 1987
Last edited by roundisfunny on Apr 21st, 2004 at 04:05 AM
Ah yes, actress is one of my dreams. Unfortuantly, I have noone around here who really supports my dream. They want me to be a nurse. I don't want to be a nurse.
not necessarily, like somebody else already said, if you're good looking enough it takes no talent at all--just take Natalie Portman, Hayden Christiansen, or even Orlando Bloom for example... No offense intended for you Orlando lovers, he does have SOME talent, but as of now people only really hire him for his looks.
Apr 21st, 2004 12:46 AM
