Am I too short? Height matters in Hollywood?

Question

Hey all, I am male, 18 years old and I study acting here in Los Angeles since I was 15. It's my dream to become an actor (screen). I am quite good looking (quite the model type), my height is 5'4" 1/2 (without any shoes and about 5'7 at the very most WITH shoes...), would you say I am short? Do I still have the potentiality to grow taller after 18, even few more inches? Do you think my height will influence the opportunities of being able to get acting jobs here in Hollywood? Serious roles, not a Gary Coleman or a Danny DaVito (with no offense to them...lol)

I've studied for many years to come to this point and now at the thought that height could influence my future is bothering me like hell... What do you people think? Thank you for taking time to read!

Answer 1

Unfortunately, your height is likely to have a bit of a downer on your career- but it will not make things impossible.

I think that to act in a lot of romance and romantic-comedy style films, it would probably be required that you be tall (they generally like the guy to be taller than the girls), but this doesn't exclude you from dramas, comedies, alternative, action, thriller (etc.) as well-- remember, there are short people in the real world and that is what hollywood is trying to portray in their films-- not every guy on the planet is going to be 5'11" with brown hair and green eyes- they want to portray a vast array or different types of people.

You can try cheating your height with extra soles in your shoes, thicker shoes, hair gel, etc. and yes, at 18 you are still likely to grow a little (men generally stop growing at around 21).

Keep your eye on your goal and know that you can achieve anything you truly set your hopes on-- think about it, the director is going to want to choose a talented short actor over an untalented tall actor and there are plenty of celebrities out there who are facially unattractive and very successful- if the only thing you've got holding you back is height I wouldn't fuss too much-- they can work wonders with camera angling these days anyway.

Answer 2

Perhaps I am less than qualified to answer since I know very little about Hollywood and it's glitter. I have heard that the camera adds dimension and makes people look bigger. Several male actors are short in real life but don't appear so on the screne. It wouldn't throw me off to watch a movie with a short lead as long as the acting was well done. Good luck

Answer 3

* Tom Cruise (5' 7" / 1.70 m) [1] [2]
* Danny DeVito (5' 0" / 1.52 m)
* Michael J. Fox (5' 4" / 1.63 m)
* Dustin Hoffman (5' 6" / 1.68 m)
* Dudley Moore (5' 2 1/2"/ 1.59 m)
* Al Pacino (5' 5 1/2"/ 1.66 m)
* Elijah Wood (5'6"/1.68 m)

Yes, it'll be more difficult to land roles from being vertically challenged. But it also gives you a heck of a lot more character and will set you apart from the rest of the clones.

Answer 4

If you live in LA you will likley run into a celeb or two,, most are VERY short a few are quite tall. There is a lot of hollywood magic when it comes to height.
Don't worry you will be fine.

Answer 5

I think I answered this question a while ago...

When James Dean was told he was too short to be an actor, he said, "How can you measure acting in inches?"

...follow his words...

Answer 6

No, most leading men are REALLY short, look it up. Its perfect for film. You'll grow more too if you dont stress out about it. Break a leg kid.

Answer 7

Nah it doesn't matter, look at Tom Cruise. Although he's not a very good actor.

Answer 8

Nobody's perfect. You can make it if you believe in yourself. Just don't look down, and you'll be able to fly.

Answer 9

No midesty here, eh? Make sure you get a degree too.

Answer 10

tom cruise is a short ****