should i pursue my dream and become an asian actress?

Question

that seems like an impossiable task for a plan girl like me, i am 18 in college and people say i would have to go to asia to become famous cuz i am asian, if you know any good universitys that focus on acting in china plz let me know..

Answer 1

Most colleges have a career guidance center that can help you research possible professions and identify career goals.

Acting in general is a tough profession to break into that requires years of study, hard work and low income before finding your career niche. It's not that it is impossible - but it does require a lot of dedication and scarifice.

But this is true of anyone who aspires to greatness in any profession. Most professional success stories involve trial and error, hard work, sacrifice and periods of struggle.

With the US becoming more and more diverse and with communications and media becoming more global, I don't believe that you would need to relocate to a foreign country to get into acting, no matter what your ethnicity. In this day and age, I don't believe it is true that you would need to relocate to China.

Answer 2

Well, you have to decide whether you want to be an ACTOR or a STAR.

If you just want to be famous, I can't give you any advice -- "Famous" is not an actual job title. The only time fame comes is if you're in a new major film or stage production that becomes a hit and you have a particularly well written part that garners attention -- however, to even become involved with that project in the first place, you will need to be quite experienced.

It's fine and dandy to dream of being a star, but there's no career path to that goal. If you truly want to act, then you need to focus solely on that -- you need to train and audition and work, aiming to always learn and always be at your very best.

The only performing arts I've experienced from China has been Chinese opera, which is quite loud. I know nothing of theatre styles there. However, are you targeting China simply because you have Asian facial features? If so, I'd urge you not to. First, it's still an oppressive Communist society. Second, I've worked with a lot of Asian folks throughout my career -- then again, I work in theatre, where casting is significantly more "color blind" than the film world. If you stay in the U.S. and become trained/experienced, I assure you that you will be able to audition for anything you want -- and I mean for characters that are non-Asian. I did a production of "Fiddler on the Roof" a couple years ago with a Japanese woman playing Fruma Sarah. :-)

Answer 3

I could be wrong,but I believe people who are citizens of other countries regularly work in American cinema... you most likely have to apply for a work visa, I forget the name of it. From the SAG website:
What if I am not a U.S. Citizen or Resident Alien (holding a "green card")?

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), as directed by Congress, sets the visa requirements for alien performers who want to work in the United States. The INS allows performers who are not US citizens or permanent residents to audition on any visa, but they must then get a very specific visa to actually work on a film, television, or electronic media project like a video game, whether it is SAG signatory or not, in the United States.

Production companies, and sometimes talent agents and managers, apply for these visas on behalf of the performers. Due to the INS criteria and cost of transportation, living expenses, and legal fees, these visas are typically granted only to major-role principal players.

You do not have to be a member of Screen Actors Guild to qualify for these visas. However, the criteria for the most common of these particular visas (the O-1) require that the performer has been recognized for his/her accomplishment of outstanding achievement (as closely defined by the INS) in a media similar to the one for which the visa is sought.

Visas are issued by project, not by time period. Visas cannot be applied for until an employment offer is extended to the performer. O-1 visas are not available to performers who seem promising, but are not yet fully "proven".

For further information about visas, you will need to seek out and make contact with an immigration attorney. We are not able to provide references.

So, if you are currently a college student in the US, then start here. Like I tell others, get into acting classes. You may need to work on your dialect as well and there are coaches available. Get involved in theatre any way you can, even if you have to start by volunteering backstage as long as you can hang out during shows and watch hpw performances are run and how actors handle everything.

At your school, contact the film department and ask how they get actors for their student films. Many advertise for them in trade papers, but some keep things in house and have a book of headshots that students refer to when they need actors for their projects. Get your picture in that books or check the trades for auditions (backstage.com and actorsaccess.com)

I think that's plenty to start with. Once you've had lots of training and you've built a decent resume, then you can start looking for agents but that's going to be awhile from now.

good luck!
Marianne

Answer 4

The problem that you face is based upon the status of your immigration. If you are here on a student visa, you will not be able to act in professional films and theatre. Generally theatre and film is ethnic blind and casting is done by best actor not by race. If it is not being done that way at your college, you need to talk to the administration about the situation.