how hard is it to get into acting?

Question

my 12 year old granddaughter wants to be an actress and thinks of nothing else, we all of dreams at that age but she won't even try at school anymore because she said she'll make alot of money acting so she doesn't need school

Answer 1

I have an 18 year old who is going to go to college in the fall for acting. I will tell you this-It is VERY competative and difficult to get into most good theatre programs let alone finding good jobs at it. DePaul University in Chicago auditions 600-700 students a year and only accepts 52. NYU Tish is even more difficult to get into. If she is not doing well in school now she's only hurting her chances even more. You also need good grades/test scores to get into a good college. Talent is 1 thing they obviously really want BUT if they don't see the grades or test scores they see an unmotived talented person-1 who may not be suited for most schools. Don't let her live in a pre-teen dream world. Life as an actress is very hard work and very difficult to get rich quick at. Good luck though, I know how teen girls can be.

Answer 2

Explain to her the famous actors that are educated, ( make it a fun project looking up the bios of actors and actresses she admires ) and how is she going to get into an acting school , let alone a college if she gives up her education this early. I could possibly see her having this attitude if she was a child star, but since she is just a kid with big dreams, she needs guidance or she'll have a hard fall when reality hits.

Answer 3

Everyone gave you great advice, and I'd only like to add that good actors aren't dummies - some roles require a great deal of research before you can even begin to play them. How will she do that if she never learned how to study? Good actors need to understand psychology and history and language and literature. At least.

And almost every actor I know, in between jobs, goes back to acting class. Actors NEVER stop learning - whether that's to brush up on technique, taking a computer class to help with their survival job, a seminar to help them learn something specific for a role, or even just a knitting class to pass the time between takes, every actor I know is a curious, inquisitive person who loves to learn.

I was watching Inside the Actors Studio this afternoon, and Clint Eastwood said something very similar - that the reason he hasn't retired is because he's still learning the job.

Someone who has no quest for knowledge wouldn't last very long in this career. My opinion.

Answer 4

I agree with Lola. I am like your granddaughter. I cannot even think about any other jobs i can do. But i do try hard in school. I think education is more important than a dream

Answer 5

she needs to study, she could go to a good college for acting. NYU's Tisch school of Arts has a great acting program. If she can get into that one day, she will get an acting job. But grades are important, even if she wants to do acting.

Answer 6

It is extremely difficult to become a working actor. Your grandaughter should currently be taking acting, singing and dance lessons if she wants to act. She should auditon for plays at her school. Acting is hard. She has to have talent, which is a rare commodity.