10 steps on how to start an acting career

Below I’ll list some generic advice that can help you to understand what it takes to start an acting career.

This is going to be a very broad look at the steps to take, but I have some upcoming articles in the future that will expand on every one of these aspects with more details on how to start an acting career and provide you with more specific advice.

1. Figure Things Out First

Every ambitious actor who got recently bit by a acting bug wants to know how to start an acting career and how to do it efficiently. Nobody’s interested in years of useless meandering around, trying to score auditions and not even understanding whether they have progressed or not.

Related post: Top 3 free and paid acting courses

You’d be surprised how many people I talked to who always wanted to be in the show business, but never pursued their dream. This idea of becoming a successful performer, be it actor, singer, dancer or musician, has popped into most people’s heads. And when it comes to this, there are three kinds of people:

1. Those who leave it at that, just a dream, and move on;
2. Those who blindly chase the fantasy of becoming rich and famous without any knowledge on how to do it;
3. And those who set realistic goals and educated themselves on how to achieve them, one step at a time.

Hopefully, by the end of this article series on how to start an acting career I will be able to convince you to become that third type of an actor – someone who’s smart about this tricky business.

So, the first thing you need to do is figure a few things out for yourself. Answer some of these questions in your mind:

• Do you enjoy the process of performing enough to tolerate this difficult business?
• How good are you with coping with rejection? Because you’ll get this a lot. A LOT.
• Are you willing to stop your regular life? You won’t be buying a big house any time soon.
• Will you be able to work two survival jobs while also trying to find acting work?

These are just a few of the conditions for someone who loves this art form and dreams big and wants to become a successfully working actor. Entertainment industry is harsh, and acting is not an easy career to take on by any means, so you better be ready for this.

I picked some great articles from the internet on the reality of show business:

• More than half of actors are under poverty line (self-explanatory)
• Most competitive jobs (acting is #6 most competitive of all the jobs you can choose)
• A tough scene for actors (some reality from the acting business)

I’m not trying to discourage you, but my personal belief is that staying half-realistic is important. It’s necessary to understand the reality of this business so that you know how hard you need to work and how well you should prepare for what is waiting for you in the future.

So if you want to know how to start an acting career, I’d say begin by making a plan and sticking to it.

2. Making an Acting Plan

If you’ve read either one of our free eBooks on acting, you know how to start an acting career and it’s actually very easy. But there is a more complicated question waiting just around the corner: How does one become a working actor?

A working actor is someone who goes out on auditions and gets to a film set or on stage on a regular basis. It’s someone who can put bread on the table solely from acting jobs. This should be every actor’s goal. Not becoming a film star, but paying bills with your acting gigs.

Once you decided to start an acting career, it’s time to open your Word and type out your plan of actions. This will mostly be based on the knowledge of how the acting industry works. Where do you get that knowledge? Reading Acting in London, of course.

Here are a few sample questions you can explore in your acting business plan:

• How well do I understand how the entertainment business works?
• What type of training am I going to do and where? How much will it cost?
• Where do I find my auditions, how do I apply for them, and how much it costs?
• Do I need improvisation and commercial class training to book commercials, or not?
• Who’s the best private acting teacher in my area that can coach me for important auditions?

Answer as many of these as you can, and keep it all in writing. If you can’t answer some of these questions, that means you need to include this in your plan and make sure that you address this.

For example, new actors who want to know how to start an acting career may not know who casting directors or even talent agents are. That means they need to read about the business first before doing anything else.

An important aspect that every new aspiring actor needs to consider is this: Don’t jump into this business too quickly, flushing down your money down every film acting class or marketing course, trying to become famous in 6 months just because you were inspired watching yet another Tom Hanks movie.

Take some time to figure out whether this is really something you want to do. Consider pros and cons, your chances of success and what you believe you can achieve, what the current state of the business is, and so on.

To get the better idea of what this journey entails, read everything you can about the acting business. Here’s a list of five best acting business books that I highly recommend for every actor to read.

You’d be surprised to learn how many people went on to study acting in drama schools, spent thousands and then realized they don’t really enjoy doing all that work. I’ve met them, I studied with them, I worked with them and I still know many of them personally. This is just the nature of this business, and it’s not for everybody.

3. Start with Acting Training

You don’t have control over who hires you as an actor for their project. You don’t have control over what auditions you can get, what gigs you can book and what people you can work with. But what you do have control over is your acting training.

If you have a little money to spend every month on an acting class, then this would be the best way to confirm whether you truly enjoy this craft. Many people have taken acting classes before auditioning for drama schools simply to see if this whole thing is worth the effort.

Getting a taste of the process is one reason to start your acting career with proper training.

Another reason to put acting training as your first priority is of course to become a better actor and demonstrate your acting chops once you finally start booking work, and to become better at auditioning in general.

There are multiple types of acting training options out there, starting with regular “Introduction to Acting” type of classes, more advanced training and specific classes. Some of those include:

• Acting technique classes, such as Meisner or Method
• Auditioning classes to learn how to be successful at auditionining
• Film acting courses that are aimed at screen acting only
• Cold reading classes which are similar to audition class
• Improvisation training to help you get out of your head
• Vocal training classes that may be helpful for all actors, including voice over actors
• Commercial acting classes which teach you how to book commercials
• Body and movement training, such as Alexander Technique

…and then some more. Obviously, you don’t need to take all of them. In fact, you don’t have to take most of them, at least in the beginning. When you just want to know how to start an acting career and spend the least amount of money, then simple introductory classes will suffice.

Acting training is also a very important part of your acting resume. Casting directors, producers, directors, and all the talent agencies will pay attention at how much training you have under your belt. Placing a few solid, well-known acting classes on your resume can help attract some attention.

So get yourself into an acting class as soon as you can. Try to meet other actors, ask for their advice on how to start an acting career or move it forward and check for yourself what this whole “acting” thing is about.

4. Watch lots of movies and plays

Learn from the best! Set a particular day of the week and time to catch up on movies and plays. In most of the Western world, Tuesday is a cheap movie day, so take advantage of that.

5. Get That Acting Experience

After you’re done with the planning phase on how to start an acting career, it’s time to begin taking action. Your first two goals should be getting experience and training under your actor’s belt.

Acting experience is going to be the first roadblock for many actors. It’s catch-22: acting jobs require experience, but how do you gain experience without getting those acting jobs? We’ve all been there. The good news is that this state of mind is just temporary. It’s tough, but you’ll make it through. I promise.

So here are best four ways for you to get acting experience without investing any cash:

1. Explore drama clubs and actor gatherings (this is London’s free drama clubs)
2. Join a local community theatre
3. Audition for student and low-budget indie films
4. Create your own film or theatre productions

For the best results, I recommend giving a shot to all four of these, in that specific order.

Drama clubs are often free and easy to join, while community theatre may require audition but is still relatively easy to become a part of. Student films will have more requirements but aren’t as difficult to get as more professional gigs, and creating your own content can be as easy or as tough as you make it out to be.

Let’s take a quick look at all four of these options for those who want to know how to start an acting career without investing any money.

Finding Drama Clubs

Drama clubs usually are small actors gatherings that are run privately either by a person or a community. Most of these drama clubs will have very enthusiastic actors who’s goal is to either continue acting and developing their acting chops, or simply put up plays for the industry people to see them and hopefully sign them.

It’s likely that you have a drama club somewhere on your block, even. These can be anything, ranging from gatherings in local high schools, local small theatres, or even doing Shakespeare plays in the park. Not everything will be enthralling for you, so do pick and choose. It’s likely you’ll have a lot of choice.

Joining a Community Theatre

London, Los Angeles, New York aren’t the only cities who will have community theatres with work opportunities for new actors. Virtually every small town the developed countries will have some type of community theatre and they often look for more players to join their company.

Do your research, Google this and find out what community theatres are near you. Reach out to them and ask if you can join or at least audition. This is your first-hand acting experience, and not only can you put this on your acting resume, but you will also be working on becoming a much better actor overall.

Doing Student and Indie Films

Majority of universities, colleges and sixth forms will normally have their filmmaking departments continuously working on films all year round. Students on those courses make short films every month, with occasional feature film or music video. These productions are your best chance to get on a real film set as a newbie actor.

The easiest way to find these is through casting websites. Some websites such as CastingCallPro have “Opportunities” section where you can browse and apply without paying anything. Most of these projects are low-budget indies or student films, which is exactly what you need.

Creating Your Own Content

The toughest way (out of these four, of course) and the most rewarding is producing your own content. Whether it’s a stage play, a short film, a web series or just a YouTube video, it’s a great opportunity for anybody wanting to know how to start an acting career without any experience or money.

Working on your own productions is arguably the best way to break into the industry today. No, not auditioning for big projects that you are unlikely to get; creating your own content is where it’s at. Not only do you get to hone your acting skills, but you’ll also gain experience in writing, directing and producing.

To top things off, producing your own short film and submitting it to film festivals can launch your career into stardom. Remember how Vin Diesel got hired by Steven Spielberg just off his short film “Multi-facial“?

6. Get your headshots done

A headshot is a professional photo of yourself. Headshots are quite important for getting an agent or an audition, so you should get yours done at this point.

7. Audition for student projects

Start auditioning for student projects and films to get more experience and to add to your resume. Check Craigslist and look at school casting calls for opportunities.

8. Register for a full-time acting program

It’s time to get serious! Enroll for a full-time program at a reputed school, college, or university.

Joe in Neutral Territory, which was shot in northern British Columbia with 20 horses! (contributed by Josias Tschanz)

9. Get an agent

You’ve laid the groundwork. Now you need to find an agent and start doing background work in movies as an extra, or acting in commercials.

10. Keep working hard

You’ve made it this far. Congratulations! Work hard on your craft until your agent sends you a speaking part. And the rest could be history!

Joe has an additional piece of advice: Break out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to explore different styles and roles, and get comfortable with the idea of acting. Be persistent and believe in your ability, and opportunities will come knocking!