Inspiring actress?

Question

I'm a 13 year old girl who lives about 2 hours from Atlanta, Georgia. I want to be an actress but i dont know where to get started so can anyone help?? thank you

Answer 1

Well, there are many things you can do. The first of which is to get a good education. Actors are their own business and the better educated you are the more likely you will make better decisions on your career. You also need to have the full support of your family since at your age, you'll need someone to take you everywhere you go and stay with you to be your advocate (make sure all child labor laws are being adhered to) and that your money is being looked after properly (you should also be involved in that). So first, talk to your family and make sure tey're on board with this.

Then get into classes. Acting, voice & dance. Be dedicated and listen to your teachers no matter how silly something seems or how little progress you seem to make. Building talent takes time.

Get involved in theatre. Many great actors start in the theatre and living so far from where any tv and film auditions happen it will be a good training ground for you.

Once you get several roles on your resume, talk to your family about taking the next step and getting an agent. This will mean lots of driving time. Driving to meet agents, driving to auditions, driving to sets when you get jobs... and someone has to commit to being there with you at all times. If things really pick up for you, your family has to consider whether or not you will move as a family to Los Angeles or NY or if just one parent will take you out there for a specific time period to see how it goes.

If you want to find a legitimate agent to represent you for commercials, TV & film go to Sag.org. Use the dropdown menu on the right labeled 'resources' and choose 'agent information'. On the next screen, on the left choose 'Find a SAG franchised agent' and follow the directions. You can look up agents all over the US, but there are higher concentrations where the work is (Los Angeles, NY, IL, FL, GA etc.)

Then you can send them your headshot, resume, and a cover letter stating that you are seeking representation and wait to see if they call you in for an interview.

Once you have an agent, they will get you the auditions, but until then you can check out actorsaccess.com. You can also see if your state has a film alliance. Sometimes they post audition information for projects filming locally. For theatre, you can go to backstage.com or http://www.actorsequity.org/castingcall/... If you find the audition on the Equity site, you still may be able to go, as long as their not taking appointments from equity actor's only :-) On backstage.com you have to pay to get all of the info, but the initial search is free and you may be able to see enough info to find out the rest on your own without paying.
The best thing you can do if you're not sure that your parents will like this is to research and think things out as thoroughly as you can and really talk to them about it. If you whine and complain then you will not sound mature enough to handle this business. It's rough out there! Your parents are only the first people you'll have to convince.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Marianne has great advice. The education is extremeley beneficial. If you have a well rounded education that can open your mind to handle different auditions, you can get into the character and impress a casting agent. I agree with Marianne who is quite knowledgeable, especially about listening to the instructors, they have seen many many hopefuls and they know what to look for so things seemingly trivial to you may be very important in your development. If you really want to be an actress, dont give up!