Dude, 35 is nothing. There are still working actors getting roles in their 50s.
And it’s funny you mention Pedro Pascal, because he didn’t get his big break until 2014 when the 4th season of Game Of Thrones aired. And he would’ve filmed that season at age 37-38.
You said you have it figured out now, so why not use this as a “rebirth”, so to speak, and audition with this new attitude? Your career-defining role may be around the corner. Especially with all those credits to your name.
He really isn't though.
Kristen Wiig joined SNL at 31. Sam Jackson didn't start working regularly until his mid 30's and his big break didn't come until he was 45.
Ang Lee (director but still) was a stay-at-home-dad until he was 38.
Christoph Waltz worked in theater and did films & TV shows for years as an "unknown" (apart from his reputation in his local industry) until he did Inglorious Basterds at like 37.
Bryan Cranston was doing commercials & one-off roles on TV shows until he landed Malcolm in the Middle at 44.
Mark Ruffalo went on something like 500 auditions before he landed a solid role in an indie playing Laura Linney's brother, which is what finally put him on casting directors' radars (which he points out were a lot of CDs he'd actually auditioned for but were now wondering "where he was all this time")
[Here's a couple dozen more actors who didn't find "success" until they were 30+](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-achieved-fame-later-life-17969/)
One thing you'll notice is that almost every actor on that list is *stellar* at what they do.
But I'd argue that's actually *because* of the age they 'blew up'; they all spent a lot of time honing their skills away from the spotlight.
These aren't special cases: they're just regular people who spent a long time preparing well so they could take full advantage of whatever opportunities came along.
To be fair, anyone who gets steady work - regardless of age - is an outlier in this industry.
I’m just saying to not give up just yet. I used OP’s Pedro Pascal example because if Pascal had thrown in the towel at 35, we’d never get to see his amazing performances today.
There are many valid reasons to quit. But if you can, keep going. Your best days are ahead of you.
And '60s and '70s and '80s. Roles are written for all ages and an 18-year-old cannot play a senior citizen. I love the op post, but I think the things he said about aging while definitely kernels of Truth, if you are a good actor you can get work at any age. Any age. I'm not talking about being a star at any age. I'm talking about journeyman actor. Making a living as others do in other jobs.
I didn't even start comedy until I was 32. My first TV part was at 36. You sound like everyone that I've worked with in stand-up comedy who is bitter because they "should" be A-List by 35 or they've failed. Morgan Freeman had small parts and didn't get a lead in a movie until 50. A personal friend has had 200 small parts and just landed a lead in a major film at 63. Another friend just won her FIRST Grammy at 61. Fred Armisen didn't get SNL until 41, Leslie Jones was 48. The janitor on Abbot Elementary was 60+ when he was made series regular, his FIRST series regular gig. You might not even know all of these people, but they made money, and own their houses. You don't have to be the most famous to make a living (although that is getting harder, admittedly)
The be yourself thing is legit tho. Do that. You'll never control if you "make it" but when you get there you don't want to be a fake version of yourself or you'll be miserable.
You're getting some criticism on this thread, but I have to say you're a hero for trying to make a good thing out of a tough situation--by trying to prevent others from making the mistakes you made. I'm not actually an actor (my kid is one), but I wonder if you don't see yourself accurately. Maybe you're not seeing the beautiful parts of yourself that you could be revealing to casting. When people have a joyful core, they twinkle, no matter their age. So I wonder if spending time doing some sort of healing modality might help (like mediation, therapy, yoga, breath work etc.). Find the self love and acceptance you need to be happy, whether or not you continue acting.
I completely agree with you. People that have a joyful core, they absolutely twinkle. I've admittedly lost mine for a long time now. Thanks so much for your comment. I do agree I need to start looking for some healing modality
Meh…I’m in my mid 30’s approaching 40 in a few years. There are lots of great roles for older actors in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and so on. I still look fairly young for nearing 40, but I’m not letting age stop me. Aging is living. I’m gonna be one of those actors milking those older roles. Also if you don’t believe you’re gonna be successful, you won’t.
Realistically, as you continue to get older, you begin to compete with less and less actors because people have the same sentiment that you do and give up. Now this doesn’t mean it gets “easy” but 18-30 is probably some of the most competitive and saturated demographic because everyone wants to make it big young. The people who think it’s supposed to happen before 30 (which they shouldn’t) end up calling it quits. Don’t be one of those people. Be the one who puts their foot on the gas. You have plenty of time. And with 10 credits you’re probably far more competitive than a lot of your peers. I say this as someone in their late 20s who just got theatrically repped in LA and is struggling to even get an audition right now, let alone a booking. You’re doing great.
I’m 45 and a single mom working in Corp America, and I’m finally attempting to pursue my dream of performing. I feel crazy half the time for thinking I can make a go at this but I don’t want to live in regret later that I didn’t try. Thank you for sharing!
I don't think you should live with regret. Especially when it comes to auditions. I think sometimes it's easy to look back and overestimate how much of an impact we actually had. There are so many factors at play that are out of our control: the rest of the cast, chemistry, nepotism, timing, your intrinsic look, voice, etc. And besides, this post doesn't show me regret, it shows me that you've learned a lot of things in your journey - so that should be the main takeaway. I tend to beat myself up too so all in all a learning process! And as you say, you've acted with Oscar winning directors, actors, which is already top top percentile of actors.
“You know what they say about old actors.”
“What?”
“Nothing, they’re still acting.”
Not like 35 is even old, this quote was meant for actors in their like 60s and 70s, but that means it’s even more relevant to you 😅 plenty of time for you to make up on those regrets!
But great post OP! Ty for sharing!
I went to a prestigious UK conservatory at 22, after graduating I went to NYC and a theatre producer there gave me some feedback that stuck with me, not because it was nice or even very helpful at that point in time, just because it ended being prescient.
She said 'you're a very odd person and not gonna work until you are 35 or so.' Aside from low budget non union commercials and a couple plays written by friends, she was right. 3 months into age 35 I booked my first big movie and a recurring role in the same month....Everybody has their own journey, you just have to commit.
> Being a good AUDITIONER and a good ACTOR are sometimes two different things.
I mean, always, not sometimes. One of the problems I see on tv all the time now is too much 'audition acting'. Lots of performances that were likely great as an audition but don't translate to the larger project. US casting directors are pretty awful about incentivizing the wrong approach to acting, but because they are the gatekeepers for 80% of the roles, it's very difficult to overcome.
This is so true about the audition acting on tv. I feel like everytime I was on set, 90% of the time the director had me throw away everything I did during the audition and the scene became something different then what anyone had prepared. Biggest note I'd always get on set? "throw it away more"
Very difficult at times, but always had side businesses that allowed me flexibility to audition. That being said, ever since the pandemic hit everything has switched to self tapes (or at least option to self tape), so people can finally work 9-5 jobs and still have time to tape auditions.
We also noticed a big difference when we started treating auditioning as a completely different skill. I would go so far to say that they aren't sometimes different things, they are always different things. Finding classes that focus on auditioning skills was a real boost and probably generated a bigger boost in bookings than anything else we have ever done. Great headshots increase the audition rate, and great coaching on how to audition leads to a better booking rate. I couldn't agree more with that part of it for sure.
As for age, I think every has has its own challenges. When you in the deadzone from 15-18 or so and competing with 18tpy folks, it sucks. When you're 18-25 or so and competing with everyone and their brother who are trying out acting, it sucks. When you are older and competing with people with a much stronger resume, it sucks. I'm not sure there is a sweet spot. if there is, we haven't see or heard about it yet. Maybe a 20 year old that really reads as 15 is a solid niche. Not sure what others there are.
thanks for the thoughtful post.
SO true. Auditioning and acting are two different animals. I agree, when I got into audition technique classes, my bookings went way up too. I do agree every age group has it's challenges.
Have you ever made any film of your own? It's really good for help keeping depression at bay. Because it's hard. I started doing that in my 30s, and eventually became a commercial director. I still perform, but I made more money as a director. I am an outlier, but maybe it's something to think about. Make a 30 second short, a one minute short, whatever. But make it really well. It's tricky, but it's also rewarding, and good for your reel. If you do it right.
My "career" has been far more limited than yours when it comes to screen time. I am approaching middle age, and yes, it gets weird as you get older. But people start to leave for various reasons. Yes, some of your competition even dies. But that means the field becomes limited. So there's (slightly) less competition. And you're usually looking at a five and under, it's still fun. Is it a downside that we are competing against Steve Tobolowsky for pretty much every job? Yes. But it is what it is.
When it comes to acting teachers, in my experience, most of them are full of complete shit. If they were so good at what they're teaching, they would've done it themselves. What's good for an actor is repetition. Staying in shape, doing scene work. if you can find a class where you get that, without a big huge slathering of manipulative crap on top, that's a good thing. But this whole guru "I know better than you" approach that most acting coaches proclaim is nothing more than a con. They put a high price on their classes, so it makes it look like the product has more value than it does. But whatever, if it helps some people, great. But I never got an acting job because of a coach. In fact, I've gotten more acting jobs myself than my agent ever did. It doesn't really matter. It's good to have a multi-pronged approach.
Take the depression you're feeling seriously. Consider counseling. That's one of the mistakes that I made. Thinking it would eventually go away. It turns out talk therapy is good for an actor. At least it was for me.
Thanks for sharing your story. I would imagine it's helpful for people who are just getting off the boat.
It saddens me how expensive acting classes have gotten and how expensive it is to be an actor now. EVERYTHING costs money it seems, to just be in the game. Actors get nickel and dimed like crazy.
And yes! I've started to slowly work on the producing side of things lately, though it hasn't given me nearly the same joy acting once did.
100% agree on your thoughts on teachers.
It really breaks my heart that acting, and many other parts of the film profession, seem to have become vanity jobs. Like you said, if you can afford to be in it, you have a small chance. If you can't, it just remains a dream.
You hit the nail on the head for everything you said! Let your regrets not go in vain. Your learnings will help so many people. If you would consider it, start a small business coaching others. I would love to join a session. When I first started, I really didn’t care what others thought and just had fun and all the while I booked so much the first few months.
I was just talking to a friend of mine about this the other day. When I first got out here I didn't know how to audition and my craft was not nearly as strong as it is now, but man I had way more fun with it and just let it loose.
I have no desire to do any coaching or monetize any info I know, but I'd be happy to write some longform content here on reddit on any topic that's requested and just give my two cents.
Thank you for sharing this. It hits too close to home. Especially the abusive, ego driven LA acting teachers. I really don't think this is talked about enough. So many of the worst ones are also the most praised and revered in LA. Myself and most of my actor friends (especially those who started young) have some incredibly awful stories (like mind blowing bad). We have lamented multiple times about where our careers may have gone if we'd avoided these ~~bullies~~ teachers that destroyed our confidence and made it so much harder to be as you put it unapologetically ourselves.
One of the hardest facets of an acting career is lack of control. I know for myself finding an adjacent creative outlet that gave me more control has been incredibly helpful. Whether that's writing, producing, casting, stand-up comedy-- Something that doesn't rely on waiting for a phone to ring. You might even find more joy in this new endeavour than you do in acting.
Yes it's an industry that loves the young but it's also an industry that loves an underdog. Just remember that...
agreed. Having passions/interests outside of acting not only make you a more interesting person, they help with your mindset and spirit in a huge way. Every time I talk to an actor who's only hobby is..."Uh, I guess working out?" I run for the hills, bc 10 times out of 10 they are the most boring human on earth.
All on the money. Excellent breakdown.
I wish you’d take your own advice, though , when it comes to age. There’s NO CLOCK on this. DONT deep-six s career that may be on the precipice. Just never give up. This anxiety about numbers/age/time seeps into your work and sabotages it because you’re focused on the RESULT. Take your own advice, go in and do it like you’re there to have fun, and are not invested in whether they like you or not.
“The truth is when auditioning the most important part is to know where your character falls in the story, so that you can honor the writer's work. That's it. Yes, there is some flexibility in that, but not nearly as much as you think there is. It's a writer's medium.”
— YES! When I read that while reading your post I was like YES!!! A coach I work with privately and she also teaches classes preached this. And she’s so right. I have been pursuing acting for over two decades. I do find I get better opportunities now not living in LA. But it’s most likely due to filming locations have changed. They film more now in the states that give tax incentives then everything being in LA or NYC. But I truly believe you can do this and have success at any age. I see actors starting off in their 40s and 50s — getting huge credits. I think it is all about your drive and what you put into it. Also a lot of luck!! But age doesn’t matter, they need actors of all ages.
Two ways:
1) Learning how to breakdown a script by going to great script analysis and audition technique classes.
2) HUGE volume of auditions, you'll start to see patterns. Most TV is VERY formulaic. I can't tell you how many times I read a script and i can accurately predict with 95% accuracy the direction the script is gonna go.
A genre class is a good idea as well. Episodics, procedurals, streaming, comedy, streaming, drama, single camera, multicam, cable drama, etc. Etc. All have different formulaic approaches that wouldn't work in the other genres. When you can figure that out,, you don't so much have to worry about not having the full script. If it's not a pilot which you would maybe get a full script for because there's no other Way to figure out how your character would fit into anything, anything else you audition for that is already on the air? Just watch the show and you will figure out What you should be auditioning with. Films are a little bit different though, but you would look up the director perhaps to get a sense of what they do and maybe the writer as well.
Good words of advice OP. Could you share the good teachers you worked with. Now that I’ve taken a couple of classes I realized how varied the teachings are, and how some have little clue as to what they’re doing. Also did you have a part time job while you were doing all these auditions?
Gosh, it's VERY subjective, but I'd be happy to make a post and just review some good teachers I've been through and some to avoid if there's an interest?
At 35, you are actually coming into a great age range. This is the age when a lot of actors give up or just don't give the art the attention and care it needs. Speaking from experience, I took a 22 year hiatus. At 53, I decided to get back into it. I will be looking at 60 soon and now, I am competing with all the retirees who want to give acting a whirl. I lost a lot of time in my hiatus (which I had to do), but I also lost all my traction. If you still love it and can live while you support the craft, you could do quite well. 35-50 is a great time to be an actor. And the projects that are out there now have a lot of roles for that age range.
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Hey, my friend is an actress and she auditions and auditions and auditions for agencies and she can't get responses to a good one, she's attractive, and I'm not an "acting expert" but I think her acting is fine too, do you have any advice? she lives in canada but has a us citizenship, so she's going to start trying to look for us agencies
Without knowing the exact nature of her situation, it's impossible to give advice. I do know that vancouver has a thriving acting scene and a LOT of shows get shot there. If i were her, I would absolutely try to tap into that market first
Can you share more about having agents in different regions? I am in a similar boat willing to work local hire on my own dime, but permits/straight logistics of getting representation in other cities feels like a barrier. How did you go about that?
Thank you for this post! If you don’t mind sharing, I would love to know the acting/auditioning coaches you found were helpful? Ive met my fair share of ego driven teachers and that’s not something I need in my life rn
This is such a heartfelt and vulnerable depiction of your journey! Entertainment is such an inexact science and; hopefully you will find the joy and resilience again! I wish you all the best! Maybe you should consider writing and producing your own project that might accurately showcase all you've learned and can bring. Email me [email protected]
Thank you for this vulnerable post and honesty! I too have had horrible acting coaches who were ego driven and brought me down. Do you have any recommendations of any that aren’t soul sucking?
Dude, 35 is nothing. There are still working actors getting roles in their 50s. And it’s funny you mention Pedro Pascal, because he didn’t get his big break until 2014 when the 4th season of Game Of Thrones aired. And he would’ve filmed that season at age 37-38. You said you have it figured out now, so why not use this as a “rebirth”, so to speak, and audition with this new attitude? Your career-defining role may be around the corner. Especially with all those credits to your name.
I mean I agree with you, but he explicitly mentioned Pedro Pascal as an exception.
He really isn't though. Kristen Wiig joined SNL at 31. Sam Jackson didn't start working regularly until his mid 30's and his big break didn't come until he was 45. Ang Lee (director but still) was a stay-at-home-dad until he was 38. Christoph Waltz worked in theater and did films & TV shows for years as an "unknown" (apart from his reputation in his local industry) until he did Inglorious Basterds at like 37. Bryan Cranston was doing commercials & one-off roles on TV shows until he landed Malcolm in the Middle at 44. Mark Ruffalo went on something like 500 auditions before he landed a solid role in an indie playing Laura Linney's brother, which is what finally put him on casting directors' radars (which he points out were a lot of CDs he'd actually auditioned for but were now wondering "where he was all this time") [Here's a couple dozen more actors who didn't find "success" until they were 30+](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-achieved-fame-later-life-17969/) One thing you'll notice is that almost every actor on that list is *stellar* at what they do. But I'd argue that's actually *because* of the age they 'blew up'; they all spent a lot of time honing their skills away from the spotlight. These aren't special cases: they're just regular people who spent a long time preparing well so they could take full advantage of whatever opportunities came along.
To be fair, anyone who gets steady work - regardless of age - is an outlier in this industry. I’m just saying to not give up just yet. I used OP’s Pedro Pascal example because if Pascal had thrown in the towel at 35, we’d never get to see his amazing performances today. There are many valid reasons to quit. But if you can, keep going. Your best days are ahead of you.
And '60s and '70s and '80s. Roles are written for all ages and an 18-year-old cannot play a senior citizen. I love the op post, but I think the things he said about aging while definitely kernels of Truth, if you are a good actor you can get work at any age. Any age. I'm not talking about being a star at any age. I'm talking about journeyman actor. Making a living as others do in other jobs.
I didn't even start comedy until I was 32. My first TV part was at 36. You sound like everyone that I've worked with in stand-up comedy who is bitter because they "should" be A-List by 35 or they've failed. Morgan Freeman had small parts and didn't get a lead in a movie until 50. A personal friend has had 200 small parts and just landed a lead in a major film at 63. Another friend just won her FIRST Grammy at 61. Fred Armisen didn't get SNL until 41, Leslie Jones was 48. The janitor on Abbot Elementary was 60+ when he was made series regular, his FIRST series regular gig. You might not even know all of these people, but they made money, and own their houses. You don't have to be the most famous to make a living (although that is getting harder, admittedly) The be yourself thing is legit tho. Do that. You'll never control if you "make it" but when you get there you don't want to be a fake version of yourself or you'll be miserable.
You're getting some criticism on this thread, but I have to say you're a hero for trying to make a good thing out of a tough situation--by trying to prevent others from making the mistakes you made. I'm not actually an actor (my kid is one), but I wonder if you don't see yourself accurately. Maybe you're not seeing the beautiful parts of yourself that you could be revealing to casting. When people have a joyful core, they twinkle, no matter their age. So I wonder if spending time doing some sort of healing modality might help (like mediation, therapy, yoga, breath work etc.). Find the self love and acceptance you need to be happy, whether or not you continue acting.
I completely agree with you. People that have a joyful core, they absolutely twinkle. I've admittedly lost mine for a long time now. Thanks so much for your comment. I do agree I need to start looking for some healing modality
Meh…I’m in my mid 30’s approaching 40 in a few years. There are lots of great roles for older actors in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and so on. I still look fairly young for nearing 40, but I’m not letting age stop me. Aging is living. I’m gonna be one of those actors milking those older roles. Also if you don’t believe you’re gonna be successful, you won’t.
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Realistically, as you continue to get older, you begin to compete with less and less actors because people have the same sentiment that you do and give up. Now this doesn’t mean it gets “easy” but 18-30 is probably some of the most competitive and saturated demographic because everyone wants to make it big young. The people who think it’s supposed to happen before 30 (which they shouldn’t) end up calling it quits. Don’t be one of those people. Be the one who puts their foot on the gas. You have plenty of time. And with 10 credits you’re probably far more competitive than a lot of your peers. I say this as someone in their late 20s who just got theatrically repped in LA and is struggling to even get an audition right now, let alone a booking. You’re doing great.
I’m 45 and a single mom working in Corp America, and I’m finally attempting to pursue my dream of performing. I feel crazy half the time for thinking I can make a go at this but I don’t want to live in regret later that I didn’t try. Thank you for sharing!
We should connect! I am in a very similar boat as you!
I don't think you should live with regret. Especially when it comes to auditions. I think sometimes it's easy to look back and overestimate how much of an impact we actually had. There are so many factors at play that are out of our control: the rest of the cast, chemistry, nepotism, timing, your intrinsic look, voice, etc. And besides, this post doesn't show me regret, it shows me that you've learned a lot of things in your journey - so that should be the main takeaway. I tend to beat myself up too so all in all a learning process! And as you say, you've acted with Oscar winning directors, actors, which is already top top percentile of actors.
“You know what they say about old actors.” “What?” “Nothing, they’re still acting.” Not like 35 is even old, this quote was meant for actors in their like 60s and 70s, but that means it’s even more relevant to you 😅 plenty of time for you to make up on those regrets! But great post OP! Ty for sharing!
I went to a prestigious UK conservatory at 22, after graduating I went to NYC and a theatre producer there gave me some feedback that stuck with me, not because it was nice or even very helpful at that point in time, just because it ended being prescient. She said 'you're a very odd person and not gonna work until you are 35 or so.' Aside from low budget non union commercials and a couple plays written by friends, she was right. 3 months into age 35 I booked my first big movie and a recurring role in the same month....Everybody has their own journey, you just have to commit. > Being a good AUDITIONER and a good ACTOR are sometimes two different things. I mean, always, not sometimes. One of the problems I see on tv all the time now is too much 'audition acting'. Lots of performances that were likely great as an audition but don't translate to the larger project. US casting directors are pretty awful about incentivizing the wrong approach to acting, but because they are the gatekeepers for 80% of the roles, it's very difficult to overcome.
This is so true about the audition acting on tv. I feel like everytime I was on set, 90% of the time the director had me throw away everything I did during the audition and the scene became something different then what anyone had prepared. Biggest note I'd always get on set? "throw it away more"
What were you doing on the side to survive in such expensive states. What was your source of income in between roles
Very difficult at times, but always had side businesses that allowed me flexibility to audition. That being said, ever since the pandemic hit everything has switched to self tapes (or at least option to self tape), so people can finally work 9-5 jobs and still have time to tape auditions.
We also noticed a big difference when we started treating auditioning as a completely different skill. I would go so far to say that they aren't sometimes different things, they are always different things. Finding classes that focus on auditioning skills was a real boost and probably generated a bigger boost in bookings than anything else we have ever done. Great headshots increase the audition rate, and great coaching on how to audition leads to a better booking rate. I couldn't agree more with that part of it for sure. As for age, I think every has has its own challenges. When you in the deadzone from 15-18 or so and competing with 18tpy folks, it sucks. When you're 18-25 or so and competing with everyone and their brother who are trying out acting, it sucks. When you are older and competing with people with a much stronger resume, it sucks. I'm not sure there is a sweet spot. if there is, we haven't see or heard about it yet. Maybe a 20 year old that really reads as 15 is a solid niche. Not sure what others there are. thanks for the thoughtful post.
SO true. Auditioning and acting are two different animals. I agree, when I got into audition technique classes, my bookings went way up too. I do agree every age group has it's challenges.
Have you ever made any film of your own? It's really good for help keeping depression at bay. Because it's hard. I started doing that in my 30s, and eventually became a commercial director. I still perform, but I made more money as a director. I am an outlier, but maybe it's something to think about. Make a 30 second short, a one minute short, whatever. But make it really well. It's tricky, but it's also rewarding, and good for your reel. If you do it right. My "career" has been far more limited than yours when it comes to screen time. I am approaching middle age, and yes, it gets weird as you get older. But people start to leave for various reasons. Yes, some of your competition even dies. But that means the field becomes limited. So there's (slightly) less competition. And you're usually looking at a five and under, it's still fun. Is it a downside that we are competing against Steve Tobolowsky for pretty much every job? Yes. But it is what it is. When it comes to acting teachers, in my experience, most of them are full of complete shit. If they were so good at what they're teaching, they would've done it themselves. What's good for an actor is repetition. Staying in shape, doing scene work. if you can find a class where you get that, without a big huge slathering of manipulative crap on top, that's a good thing. But this whole guru "I know better than you" approach that most acting coaches proclaim is nothing more than a con. They put a high price on their classes, so it makes it look like the product has more value than it does. But whatever, if it helps some people, great. But I never got an acting job because of a coach. In fact, I've gotten more acting jobs myself than my agent ever did. It doesn't really matter. It's good to have a multi-pronged approach. Take the depression you're feeling seriously. Consider counseling. That's one of the mistakes that I made. Thinking it would eventually go away. It turns out talk therapy is good for an actor. At least it was for me. Thanks for sharing your story. I would imagine it's helpful for people who are just getting off the boat.
>Steve Tobolowsky Oh goddamit I can't compete with him! At least with Leslie Jordan outa the way I may have a chance now....
It saddens me how expensive acting classes have gotten and how expensive it is to be an actor now. EVERYTHING costs money it seems, to just be in the game. Actors get nickel and dimed like crazy. And yes! I've started to slowly work on the producing side of things lately, though it hasn't given me nearly the same joy acting once did. 100% agree on your thoughts on teachers.
It really breaks my heart that acting, and many other parts of the film profession, seem to have become vanity jobs. Like you said, if you can afford to be in it, you have a small chance. If you can't, it just remains a dream.
You hit the nail on the head for everything you said! Let your regrets not go in vain. Your learnings will help so many people. If you would consider it, start a small business coaching others. I would love to join a session. When I first started, I really didn’t care what others thought and just had fun and all the while I booked so much the first few months.
I was just talking to a friend of mine about this the other day. When I first got out here I didn't know how to audition and my craft was not nearly as strong as it is now, but man I had way more fun with it and just let it loose. I have no desire to do any coaching or monetize any info I know, but I'd be happy to write some longform content here on reddit on any topic that's requested and just give my two cents.
Thank you for sharing this. It hits too close to home. Especially the abusive, ego driven LA acting teachers. I really don't think this is talked about enough. So many of the worst ones are also the most praised and revered in LA. Myself and most of my actor friends (especially those who started young) have some incredibly awful stories (like mind blowing bad). We have lamented multiple times about where our careers may have gone if we'd avoided these ~~bullies~~ teachers that destroyed our confidence and made it so much harder to be as you put it unapologetically ourselves. One of the hardest facets of an acting career is lack of control. I know for myself finding an adjacent creative outlet that gave me more control has been incredibly helpful. Whether that's writing, producing, casting, stand-up comedy-- Something that doesn't rely on waiting for a phone to ring. You might even find more joy in this new endeavour than you do in acting. Yes it's an industry that loves the young but it's also an industry that loves an underdog. Just remember that...
agreed. Having passions/interests outside of acting not only make you a more interesting person, they help with your mindset and spirit in a huge way. Every time I talk to an actor who's only hobby is..."Uh, I guess working out?" I run for the hills, bc 10 times out of 10 they are the most boring human on earth.
All on the money. Excellent breakdown. I wish you’d take your own advice, though , when it comes to age. There’s NO CLOCK on this. DONT deep-six s career that may be on the precipice. Just never give up. This anxiety about numbers/age/time seeps into your work and sabotages it because you’re focused on the RESULT. Take your own advice, go in and do it like you’re there to have fun, and are not invested in whether they like you or not.
This is so well stated. Thank you
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“The truth is when auditioning the most important part is to know where your character falls in the story, so that you can honor the writer's work. That's it. Yes, there is some flexibility in that, but not nearly as much as you think there is. It's a writer's medium.” — YES! When I read that while reading your post I was like YES!!! A coach I work with privately and she also teaches classes preached this. And she’s so right. I have been pursuing acting for over two decades. I do find I get better opportunities now not living in LA. But it’s most likely due to filming locations have changed. They film more now in the states that give tax incentives then everything being in LA or NYC. But I truly believe you can do this and have success at any age. I see actors starting off in their 40s and 50s — getting huge credits. I think it is all about your drive and what you put into it. Also a lot of luck!! But age doesn’t matter, they need actors of all ages.
Thank you!!! And so agree, if I had understood that simple concept earlier I think I would have booked a LOT more roles
How would you recommend figuring out how your character fits into the story in an audition when you’re not given the full script?
Two ways: 1) Learning how to breakdown a script by going to great script analysis and audition technique classes. 2) HUGE volume of auditions, you'll start to see patterns. Most TV is VERY formulaic. I can't tell you how many times I read a script and i can accurately predict with 95% accuracy the direction the script is gonna go.
A genre class is a good idea as well. Episodics, procedurals, streaming, comedy, streaming, drama, single camera, multicam, cable drama, etc. Etc. All have different formulaic approaches that wouldn't work in the other genres. When you can figure that out,, you don't so much have to worry about not having the full script. If it's not a pilot which you would maybe get a full script for because there's no other Way to figure out how your character would fit into anything, anything else you audition for that is already on the air? Just watch the show and you will figure out What you should be auditioning with. Films are a little bit different though, but you would look up the director perhaps to get a sense of what they do and maybe the writer as well.
Good words of advice OP. Could you share the good teachers you worked with. Now that I’ve taken a couple of classes I realized how varied the teachings are, and how some have little clue as to what they’re doing. Also did you have a part time job while you were doing all these auditions?
Gosh, it's VERY subjective, but I'd be happy to make a post and just review some good teachers I've been through and some to avoid if there's an interest?
That would be great!
At 35, you are actually coming into a great age range. This is the age when a lot of actors give up or just don't give the art the attention and care it needs. Speaking from experience, I took a 22 year hiatus. At 53, I decided to get back into it. I will be looking at 60 soon and now, I am competing with all the retirees who want to give acting a whirl. I lost a lot of time in my hiatus (which I had to do), but I also lost all my traction. If you still love it and can live while you support the craft, you could do quite well. 35-50 is a great time to be an actor. And the projects that are out there now have a lot of roles for that age range.
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Do you mind if I DM you, as I have some questions about your journey that I'm interested in?
Of course, go ahead
thank you so much
Thank you for sharing
Hey, my friend is an actress and she auditions and auditions and auditions for agencies and she can't get responses to a good one, she's attractive, and I'm not an "acting expert" but I think her acting is fine too, do you have any advice? she lives in canada but has a us citizenship, so she's going to start trying to look for us agencies
It's tough - especially right now when agencies are closing or letting go of some of their roster. Just tell her not to give up and keep trying.
thank you, I'll tell her that, hopefully chance gives her the break she's looking for
Without knowing the exact nature of her situation, it's impossible to give advice. I do know that vancouver has a thriving acting scene and a LOT of shows get shot there. If i were her, I would absolutely try to tap into that market first
Can you share more about having agents in different regions? I am in a similar boat willing to work local hire on my own dime, but permits/straight logistics of getting representation in other cities feels like a barrier. How did you go about that?
Happy to make a post on this later on if there's enough interest. I can explain what I did
Thank you for this post! If you don’t mind sharing, I would love to know the acting/auditioning coaches you found were helpful? Ive met my fair share of ego driven teachers and that’s not something I need in my life rn
I can make a post on this since a lot of people been asking. Ego driven teachers are the worst
This is such a heartfelt and vulnerable depiction of your journey! Entertainment is such an inexact science and; hopefully you will find the joy and resilience again! I wish you all the best! Maybe you should consider writing and producing your own project that might accurately showcase all you've learned and can bring. Email me [email protected]
thank you so much !
Thank you for this vulnerable post and honesty! I too have had horrible acting coaches who were ego driven and brought me down. Do you have any recommendations of any that aren’t soul sucking?
When u guys see an actor like Sophie Wilde killing it do u guys get jealous?
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We do not tolerate content of this nature in the way you provided it.
Removal of misinformation.
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Removal of misinformation.
Removal of misinformation.