Dungeons & Dragons is a table top role-playing game that incorporates character creation, role embodiment and improvisation skills. For actors, these skills are vital to learn and to keep honed. Therefore, Dungeons & Dragons provides the perfect means of exploring and improving on these skills in a fun, social manner. 

All you need to play a game of Dungeons & Dragons—which I will now start referring to as DnD because it’s quicker to type–is a set of funky looking dice, some pencils and paper and a table to sit at with your pals. Usually, the group will consist of 3 – 5 players and a Dungeon Master, who writes the story, controls the world (kind of like a director) and plays all of the characters you will meet on your journey. Players create characters and interact with each other, solve puzzles, fight monsters save and/or destroy the world … or die trying. 

It might sound ridiculous, but it’s a helluva lot of fun and an incredible way to tell a story. Let me explain why it’s so good for actors.

Creating your Character 

When you land an acting role, your job is to make the character you’re playing believable. They don’t have to be realistic, but audiences need to believe that they exist and adhere to some set of logic, or rules. When you are building  a character in DnD, you’re doing the same kind of work you would do to create a believable character for an acting job. You come up with a name, a background, morals, beliefs, what they wear—everything you need for a good session of make-believe.

Once you’ve made your character, you take them into an imaginary world and send them out on an  adventure alongside a cast of characters. You will determine your objective, try different actions in your pursuit of this goal. Alongside your fellow players, you will experience failures and successes that will weave together to create a story. Believe me: the stories that arise from a group of people rolling a dice and describing what happens are unbelievable. I’ve been at tables where something tragic happens to one of the characters and everyone bursts into tears. The longer you play, the more invested you get in the characters and their stories. 

We need this kind of investment in the characters we play on stage and on screen, too. 

Next time you’re working on a role and it’s feeling like a chore, pretend you’re working on a DnD character who is about to go on an epic journey. It’ll take you back to that feeling when you were a kid, playing make-believe in the backyard. Character in DnD is all about play: character on stage or on screen should feel the same.

The Imaginary Muscle 

One of my acting tutors used to describe the imagination as a muscle. It gets stronger with use, but atrophies with neglect. When we were kids, our imaginations were Herculean in strength because we spent so much time using them–most of our spare time was spent pretending we were the heroes or villains of our own imaginary worlds. Every single person on the planet was an actor at some early stage of their lives. 

At some point though, the saddest thing in the world occurs: we grow up.

It’s very hard for adults to get together and save the world from an undead sorcerer. We feel like we need rules if we’re going to do something as childish as that. Thankfully, DnD has rules: as soon as you give a bunch of adults some structure for play, it becomes far more acceptable to save the world from that undead sorcerer because we feel like we’re doing it for a reason. It gives us permission to play and to use our imaginations like we did as kids. 

Strong imagination is vital to our work as actors. Even if method acting is your cup of tea, you’re still playing pretend—and you need a vivid imagination to do that effectively. In DnD, your imagination is getting the workout of a lifetime as it conjures up the characters and the environment and the powerful undead sorcerer and the sounds of spells exploding overhead and the ringing of swords–all from a bunch of funky dice. When we’re playing DnD, we’re using our imagination in a very similar way to how we could use it on stage or screen. The more we use it, the more vivid it becomes. The more vivid it becomes, the  better performances we can give. 

Improv Skills 

Every DnD experience is unified by the effort to tell a great story. Beyond that, everybody experiences the game differently, and I think that’s one of its main appeals. This comes from the chance of dice rolls and the collaborative story-telling the game encourages. You can’t anticipate what the Dungeon Master will throw at you next, or how your fellow players will react to it. You often can’t (and shouldn’t) plan for how things will go. And there’s a lesson for actors in this.

But first, let me tell you about a game I ran recently:

Players had arrived by ship in a town overrun by nasty pirates. As Dungeon Master, I’d planned for the pirates to approach them and demand gold to be let into town. The players would then enter the town to help the townsfolk reclaim their streets.

That’s what I thought was going to happen. 

Instead, the players refused to hand over their gold and attacked the pirates. They set their own ship on fire and rammed it into the pirates’ ship. They swam to the town, caused two explosions in the local mine, snuck aboard the pirates’ ship docked for repairs and freed a monstrous bear in a cage below deck. And none of it planned, despite my best efforts as the God of this world. DnD keeps you on your toes, whether you’re a Player or a Dungeon Master; it encourages you to improvise at every turn of the adventure. 

As actors, we know our lines in a script, but we don’t know how we’re going to say them. We don’t know how the other actors will say their lines, or our character will be affected by them. If we do, it means we’re not listening to our scene partners, because we’ve already planned everything out. It doesn’t feel authentic for us and it doesn’t feel authentic for our audience. 

You need to think on your feet when you’re acting—especially if you’re on stage doing the same thing  night after night. How do you keep it fresh? You don’t plan ahead. Playing DnD can teach us to let go and enjoy the ride. The longer you play, the better you’ll get at rolling with randomness and responding to stimuli in the moment.

Role-play (Also Known as Acting)

Let’s put all of this together. You’ve created a character, you’re pretending to be that character, you’re imagining a fantastical world full of monsters and magic and you’re thinking on your feet and allowing yourself to be surprised by the events of the game and how your character is affected by them. This is role-play, which is what DnD and acting is all about. The more you play DnD, the more you’ll see just how similar the two are. 

I came out of drama school thinking that acting was the most serious thing in the world. DnD reminded me that it’s not. It’s tempting to put acting on a pedestal as some sacred art form that cannot be touched by those who have not studied its complexities long enough to respect how difficult it is. But, holy moly: it really is just playing dress ups, no matter how you look at it. 

Role-playing games encourage you to imagine you’re someone else in a completely different time and place, which is exactly the same as what we do when we perform. Acting can feel more high stakes because we’re taught to take our careers seriously (and I suppose you should) but you should never forget that what we do is just one big game. 

Famous People Who Play Dungeons & Dragons

Might not have expected to see this as a sub-heading, hey? But the list of Hollywood celebrities who play DnD is long and storied—and contains a few surprising names as well! Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Vince Vaughn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Felicia Day and Martin Starr have all expressed their love for DnD. Diesel is a particular advocate, attributing his ability to act and tell stories to an early love for the role-playing game.

On the other side of the camera, you have Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward, Community and Rick and Morty creator Dan Harmon and cult director Kevin Smith.  Finally, we can’t fail to mention the legendary Robin Williams, whose love for DnD and all things gaming is a celebrated part of the man’s legacy.

Conclusion 

Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine who I play DnD with about an acting role that I was working on. It was giving me a lot of trouble, I explained, and he said to me: “Why don’t you just imagine you’re playing DnD?” So I did. And it helped. I think it was because all the best acting is done when we have fun doing it. Never forget that what we do  is wicked fun. 

So: get your friends together on a Friday night and play some DnD. Make a  character, make up a world and take them out on an adventure and see what kind of stories you can  tell together. Then take everything you learn from those joyous hours spent sitting around a table onto the stage or in front of the camera and see what happens. 

See you around the traps, you nerd!

The post How Playing Dungeons & Dragons Improves Your Acting appeared first on StageMilk.

That was my impression of your inner monologue. How did I do? Yes, thank you, I’m very good at impressions. Now let’s get that voice to tone it down a bit.

Table of Contents

1. A Quick Note on Managing Expectations
2. Take Care of Yourself, You Deserve it
3. Approach the Monster with Mindfulness
4. Stand on the Shoulders of Giants
5. Ditch the Outcomes, Love the Process
6. Articulate!
7. Jealousy is a Treasure Map
8. Break Glass in Case of Emergency
9. Conclusion

What’s the Problem?

The Oxford dictionary defines “jealousy” as—I’m kidding, I’m not a monster. For me, jealousy is seeing someone else’s success and feeling either inadequacy (“they’re better than me”, “I suck” etc.), or resentment (“they don’t deserve that, I should have that, I’m being treated unfairly”). Often both at the same time! Ah, the wonders of the human condition.

As actors, it’s no surprise that we’re particularly vulnerable to jealousy. Social media, film, TV, commercials [SR, a choir of actors sing: “I could have done that”] constantly barrage us with examples of our peer’s successes.

Point is, it can feel like everywhere we look, we’re being reminded of the myriad ways we just don’t measure up. And that’s stupid. So here are 7 techniques I use to remind myself that it’s stupid, that we’re all awesome, and that jealousy is like LSD: a little can be quite useful, but too much, and you’re having a panic attack. No? Just me?

A Quick Note on Managing Expectations

Before we get started, I want to touch on what you can expect from this article. The goal here is not “to never get jealous again.” Jealousy is a normal, natural and even healthy part of being human. What I’d really like your focus to be, is to develop the muscle that allows you to move through these uncomfortable feelings with grace, and not get stuck in them. Remember: it’s a muscle. Give yourself some time! You won’t read any article once and be “healed”. It’s a constant process.

Remember those shoddy trolleys at Coles when you were a kid? The ones that would keep going to the right for some reason? Well that’s your mind. It has this lousy path it knows, and it’s your job to keep gently guiding it back to centre. The amazing thing is: you can actually re-wire your brain, and change your default patterns! Which is crazy, because I’ve never seen anyone fix those god forsaken trolleys. Which means it might actually be easier to heal your negative thinking patterns than to fix a Coles shopping cart. And if that’s not inspiring, I just don’t know what is.

Enough Foreplay, Gimme the Good Stuff

No more edging, here’s the list. There’s no order here, take and pick what works for you! However, I will encourage you to start on ‘Take Care of Yourself, You Deserve It’. I can absolutely guarantee it will make you a mentally stronger, healthier human being. So let that one run in the background like an overeager extra in a Marvel film, and then try some of these other approaches at the same time.

1. Take Care of Yourself, You Deserve it

Sleep, diet and exercise. It may seem over-simplistic and mildly irritating, but it works. I know when you’re feeling low, it can seem like there’s something deeply wrong, but let’s just hold up before we take a pick-axe to our trauma-mines. Sometimes you really are just tired, or hungry, or need to move around a bit. And no matter what, a bit of self care will, at the very least, give you extra strength to face the green-eyed monster.

Things to Try:

– Sleep 7.5+ hours for several nights in a row, and see how you feel.
– Go for a 10 minute walk/run with your favourite tunes.
– At the end of your shower, turn the tap to cold and see how long you can handle it. Oh boy, what a rush.
– Eat something that makes you feel good after you’re done eating. You know what I’m talking about.

What have you got to lose? Do these out of spite to prove me wrong. Imagine how good it would feel to be right and then destroy me on the internet. That could be you! [reverse psychology intensifies]

I say several nights, because your body might feel more tired after the first couple. It’s just catching up on some sleep debt, and is a [good sign you need to persist] 

2. Approach the Monster with Mindfulness

You might hate this, but: let yourself feel the jealousy. You can’t always think your way out of a problem. Often, resisting negative emotions can prolong and intensify them. Think of it like Devil’s Snare in Harry Potter: the more you resist it, the more it constricts you.

So, if you’re up for it, give yourself permission to run an experiment:

1. Set a timer on your phone for 5 minutes.
2. Take a seat, relax, close your eyes, and breathe. Don’t worry about deepening the breath, just let it appear as it comes.
3. Let your attention move toward the jealousy. Give it 100% of your focus.
4. Notice that, like any emotion, it’s just a pattern of energy. Become actively interested in any physical sensations that arise. Where do you feel it? In the gut, behind the chest? Does the sensation change over time? Let yourself surrender to it completely.
5. Once the timer is up, come back to the room and open your eyes.

How do you feel? It’s OK if nothing has changed, just notice that too. After running this experiment many times, I’ve found that no emotion, positive or negative, can survive very long under the light of our awareness. That the best way past it, is through it.

3. Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

Here’s a quick one that helps me a lot. Watch some inspiring stuff! Brené Brown will be like the mother you already have, but actually listen to. Watch two minutes of her, or anyone that inspires you, and see how you feel.

For those resisting the woo-woo self-help cult: I get it! I don’t want Tony Robbins to absorb my life force either. But just drop the defence mechanisms for Daddy and give it a go.

4. Ditch the Outcomes, Love the Process

This one’s long, so here’s the TL;DR: focusing on outcomes leads to jealousy and comparison. Focusing on your process leads to constant improvement and self-satisfaction.

Outcome-Based Thinking

I remember seeing an Indie theatre show on a Sydney stage which shall remain nameless, and thinking: “God, if I could just get on stage here, I’d know I was good enough. I’d have proof that I have some talent.” 6 months later I got on that stage. I felt good for about 0.3 seconds, forgot about it, and started worrying about whether or not I could do it. Then I saw a play on another Sydney stage which shall ALSO remain nameless, and I thought “oh no it’s this one, if I get on stage here, then I’d know I was ‘good enough’.” You see where this is going – I was never satisfied.

It’s a cycle I’ve fallen into not just in my career, but in my life. “What’s the next thing??” This is outcome-based thinking. As soon as you achieve something, you get a sexy little dopamine hit, and then you look for the next one. It can be effective in short bursts, but my god does it make you susceptible to jealousy. All you’re ever thinking about is getting the next audition, the next role – why them? Why not me? You’re a crack-addict with a ring light, shooting external validation into your veins. Spoiler alert: It’ll never be enough.

Let’s look at a different approach. One that requires no external validation. One that you have more control over. And, ironically (maybe, I still don’t know if I understand irony), one that will give you more effective results in the long term. Enter process-based thinking.

Process-Based Thinking

The process refers to your daily habits, and is within your control. Whether or not you work on your acting today is within your control: You could do a 5 minute vocal warmup, read a script, improvise with a friend – blah blah, you already know. With the process, there is only one goal: build a system and improve it incrementally. Start small. Want to start meditating? Meditate for one minute a day for a week. No goal is too small! Do it consistently enough that it becomes a habit. It’s now part of your system! Crank it up to 2 minutes, then 5 minutes, and then 4 hours. Congratulations, you are now a monk.

I promise you, that if you start small, work on the things you know are important, and sloooooowly increase the load, you will become amazing. Because you’re moving in the right direction and getting better every day! And, here’s the kicker: those elusive outcomes will start coming your way, as a happy by-product of your new focus!

All you ever have is the doing of the thing. The present moment. The goals, the plateaus, they’ll keep shifting. But the process? That’s why you started acting in the first place! Because it’s fun to pretend with your friends. And no matter how successful you get, that’s all it’ll ever be. Those moments where you’re having fun pretending.

Great Article: Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead

Best Book: Atomic Habits

5. Articulate!

If you can talk to a friend, or partner, and feel safe to do so, I recommend communicating your jealousy. I knoooow, it can feel really gross to admit your insecurities. It takes a lot of courage. But in my experience, I often feel about 50% better the second I stop holding in the jealousy. Not only that, but I find that these conversations usually bring me closer to whoever I’m sharing my feelings with!

But “hold up a minute Mr. Internet Article Man”, I hear you say. “What if the one I’m jealous of is my partner, or friend?” Well played, stranger. God knows actors love to date each other. It’s a community more incestuous than a Medieval royal family. Alas, my recommendation is the same: Even if you’re close to someone you’re jealous of, I recommend telling them directly. This one takes extra-hot-peri-peri-marinade courage, but can bring about a profound sense of relief. I’ve done this several times, with partners and friends, and here’s what I’ve found:

1. I’m almost always comparing myself to an illusion. For example, I’ll see someone as full of confidence. Once I tell them I’ve been feeling jealous, they reveal all the same neuroses I thought were unique to me.
2. The other person often ends up revealing that they are jealous of me, for qualities or skills that I’ve been taking for granted! Which is always a beautiful reminder that we tend to see only what we think we lack, when we get stuck in comparison.

So give it a crack! Because what’s the alternative? A slowly growing, and festering resentment. And resentment is the worst feeling. Because then you’ll start to hate yourself for getting resentful. Which will make you feel more inadequate. Which will make you more resentful. This will continue until the earth explodes.

For more mental health tips check out Dr Mark Seton’s advice.

6. Jealousy is a Treasure Map

Another lightning round. We can actually practice gratitude for our jealousy, and use it as a treasure map to our most desired qualities and highest-held values. This is because we only get jealous when we recognise our realised potential in others.Which means you already have those qualities you’re jealous of, otherwise you wouldn’t get triggered!

So rejoice in your jealousy! It’s showing you what you care about, and guiding you toward the person you truly want to be.

7. Break Glass in Case of Emergency

This is one I use when I’m feeling particularly low. I’m not sure why, but it can give me a bit of extra strength when I need it.

Sometimes I really don’t like myself – it happens. It’s OK. People will tell you you need to like yourself all the time – screw those people. They’re less than you are and have no self worth (see? We’re already making jokes about it). We all fall into negative patterns from time to time, so here’s a reminder when you’re feeling particularly yucky: The world deserves your best.

This little reminder helps me take the attention off myself. Think of it like this: When you’re at your best, the world is a better place. You connect. You brighten other people’s lives. So even if you’re not vibing yourself, the world still wants the best of you.

At the end of the day, acting is an art of service. We go on stage to give a performance. It’s not about us! It’s about telling stories, it’s about reminding people how connected we all are – in grief, in joy, humour, sorrow, love and pain. And honestly I think the world could use some of that, now more than ever.

Wow, what a rant. Here’s the point: When we get stuck hating on ourselves and jealous of others, we become quite withdrawn. So this is a little slap in face to remind you not to live there, because the world wants you to succeed.

Conclusion

And that’s it! I sincerely hope some of these ideas and techniques can help you when you’re feeling stuck. Jealousy is a demon that can drain us of energy, make us question our passion, and turn us against each other. And we don’t need that smack right now, because we’re all in this together. I want every single one of you to succeed, and become the best you can possibly be. So get out there, and show the world what’s burning inside you! And if you need a little extra boost, this page will always be here. I got you bby.

The post 7 Ways To Deal With Jealousy as an Actor appeared first on StageMilk.

The Tips

1. Bring The Fridge

Honestly, one of the things I found most useful was having a steady cold-bag and a couple of ice bricks to bring with me wherever I went. It meant I could at least have my staple foods with me. Like a loaf of bread, salt & pepper, olive oil, and perhaps most importantly, snacks. There also could be quite a few hours and quite a few kilometres between you and your next stop so keeping whatever food you have fresh and less likely to poison you is ideal. It’s also a great idea to bring a handful of go-to cooking utensils: a sharp knife, a small chopping board, and some food storage containers, because you never know what you’re going to find in those hotel kitchen drawers!

2. Plan Your Downtime

If you’re touring a production for young audiences, or schools, you’re probably dealing with some early starts, and getting back to your hotel for an afternoon and evening off. Or, if you’re performing in a show for adults, you’re probably working (mostly) in the evenings, with a lot of time off during the day. Either way, we would recommend planning what you want to do with your spare time… ahead of time. When you get home from a day of shows is not a great moment to make a plan; you’re probably a little exhausted already, and might find yourself a few hours later on the couch having done none of the things you wanted to. Give yourself some structure, and plan the night before, or if you’re super organised, make a weekly plan of what you want to achieve in your time off.

3. Cancel or Pause Your Gym Membership

One of the cool perks about touring is that you’ll often be staying in hotels that have free of charge gym and pool access. Check your schedule and do some research to find out what facilities are available at the places you’re staying. No gym? Get creative with your at home (hotel) or online work out sessions, and figure out what you need to bring with you to make this work. If you’re not spending a lot of time in your hometown, it’s a good idea to save your hard earned money by cancelling (or suspending) your regular membership, unless they have locations everywhere you’ll be travelling.

4. Check the Weather

It seems like such a simple one, but you’d be surprised at the variance in weather across the country; just because it’s sunny where you are right now, doesn’t mean it will be at your next destination. Do you need an umbrella, a beanie, and a coat? Or your swimmers and a pair of shorts? To save yourself from over-packing everything, keep a reliable weather app on your phone and check the forecast when you’re packing for your next destination.

5. Make Plans with Friends

Whether you’re organising virtual catch-ups on the road, or booking a table somewhere for when you’re back in town, it’s important to keep in contact with your social group and support network while you’re touring. Touring can be lonely, even if you’re seeing people every day, and sometimes you will just need to hear a familiar voice. But the tricky thing is, while you’re off touring your production, life goes on, and it’s important to remember that your friends and family won’t be able to drop everything because you’re back in town and would like to catch up. Make plans that you can look forward to, and put the effort into communicating with your loved ones!

6. Have a Mental Health Plan

Whether you deal with mental health issues often or not, it’s important to make mental health a priority. If you do have a mental illness of any kind, it’s important to have a crisis plan outlined with your therapist. With that being said even if this isn’t a recurring issue for you, you should try to take active steps to keep yourself mentally healthy just the same way you take steps every day to keep yourself physically healthy.

7. Take Up a Hobby

It’s inevitable that you will end up with some down time. Now we’re not condoning unhealthy #hustle habits, it can be really nice to have a goal or hobby to keep you occupied when there’s nothing else to do. And from time to time this will happen. Always wanted to write a script? Take an online course? Or even learn to play the harmonica? Well this would be great way to keep you occupied and anchored in your downtime.

8. Look Out For Your Colleagues

We’ve talked a lot about looking after yourself, and this is very important! However it’s just as important that, when you can, you make sure to keep an eye out for the people around you. Touring is hard. That’s a fact. And the more that we can all look out for each other, the healthier and more fun we’ll have.

9. You Do You, Too

With that being said we’ll flip the script on that. Yes it’s very important to look out for our mates, but it’s also really important to look out for ourselves. It is perfectly fine and totally normal to need some time and space to just do your own thing. For example one of the actors we reached out to would take twenty minutes each morning to just do something for themselves, and they found immense value in that.

10. Keep it Professional

Given that you will be spending your work time and a lot of your downtime with the same people, it’s important to try not to blur the lines between the two. When it comes time to work, that’s exactly what you do first and foremost. I don’t necessarily mean you have to be straight-laced 8 hours of the day, but it is beneficial to everybody to keep work and play modes distinct.

B-B-B-BONUS TIP

Have fun! Easily one of the most important tips we’ve got. Try not to fret too much and to just enjoy what you’re doing. Touring can be so rewarding and can be so enjoyable if you let it. Yes it’s hard, but it’s so much fun as well, so try to let go and enjoy the ride!

Conclusion

So hopefully now you’re a little more prepared to hit the road. If you follow all or even some of these tips we think you’ll certainly be on the right track. So strap in, get ready, and have a blast. We’ll see you on the other side.

The post Ten Tips for Touring Actors appeared first on StageMilk.

As an actor, you should watch films that extend your knowledge and challenge your sensibilities. Seek out films that you can learn from—as an actor, and a human being—and analyse them to learn how they have been crafted. This will help you eke out techniques and ideas to use in—and enrich—your own work, because you become aware of how such films are created and how they function.

Please know that this article won’t be speaking to matters of taste: this isn’t some “Best Of” list that will boil down to whether or not you’ve seen Citizen Kane. Instead, learning how to watch films as an actor will allow you to engage with any film critically: be it The Bicycle Thieves or Battlefield Earth. It means that no cinema-going experience will ever be a waste to you: at the very least, you’ll learn exactly what not to do in your own work, and why that might be the case!

Why Watch Films As An Actor?

That might sound like a silly question, so let’s reframe it: “Why, as an actor, is it important for you to watch films?”

In more ways than one: it’s your business. It’s your job to know the history of cinema, where it came from, how it evolved and how it continues to evolve. Because if you want to survive in this industry, you need to know what other creatives are talking about and stay up to date with the conversation. How many times have you worked with a director who said something like: “This shot is our [insert director] homage. You remember, that last close-up in [insert film] when [insert actor] looks out to sea?” Learn to speak their language. They can lay it on thick, sometimes … but they’re in charge. And they likely got there by sitting home and watching every film that [insert director] ever made. Watching and learning.

Learning is another reason you should watch more films. Study your own craft: acting. Film acting has evolved and complexified like any other aspect of the medium. But this is not to say you can’t pick up new ideas for performance or character work by going back and watching something from the 1930s, or even the silent era! And this is to say nothing of the countless, brilliant screen actors who you might very well study every day for the rest of your life and still discover something new. Meryl Streep, Daniel Day-Lewis, Song Kang-Ho, Denzel Washington, Peter O’Toole, Sidney Poitier, Ingrid Bergman, Philip Seymour Hoffman … all of these masters (and more) continue to teach us—some from decades past, some from beyond the grave.

Where To Find Films To Watch

So, you’ve decided to start watching more films as an actor. Huzzah! The next question is: where can you find films to watch—especially new or challenging choices that you might not normally encounter? Living in a post-DVD/post-Blockbuster age, the wealth of film choices at our fingertips can be almost overwhelming. Here’s a couple of great places to start if you’re looking to go deeper than the AFI Top 100, or the IMDB 250. (I mean, they’re great lists … but do you really need somebody telling you to watch The Godfather?)

Online

Let’s get this one out of the way. Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBOMax all have incredible selections of films on their rosters. And while these are some of the more top-tier services for original content and television, don’t discredit newer, less established services such as Paramount+, whose back catalogue of movies is formidable.

Beyond the bigger names, there are more selective streaming services that offer more interesting choices. The Criterion Channel, from prestige publisher Criterion, have an incredible selection of classic films from all over the world. Mubi is a curated streaming service, offering a top-notch international selection each month. On the education front, Kanopy provides free, streamed films for public libraries, colleges and universities. Speaking of libraries…

Libraries

Never underestimate the film selection at your local library. They’ll often have more interesting, arthouse choices—a great chance for you to watch and appreciate some underrated gems. If you study at a drama school with a library, chances are it will be stocked with an excellent selection of films. It may even have the screenplays as well, in case you care to do a little compare/contrast of the written/filmed material!

Social Media

For a quick fix, try joining a film group on social media. Obviously, you’ll still need to source the actual films (although some groups will say where copies can be found) but you can get some great recommendations from like-minded people on what you might enjoy.

Platforms such as Letterboxd are custom-built social media sites for film lovers. You can make lists of recommendations, review and keep track of the films you watch. The advantage of a site like Letterboxd is it is often a far more respectful space than some other social media sites can be; there is a greater deal of respect and understanding and everybody’s tastes are welcomed!

Personal Recommendations

If you’re looking to get more personal, consider asking your friends and peers for recommendations! Grill ten interesting people you know about their favourite films and make that your viewing list for the month. Ask your acting teachers or industry mentors for their favourites. You can even look up recommendations of your favourite actors to see what they watch or keep returning to.

How To Analyse A Film

There are more than a few guides like this one floating around—designed to get you thinking analytically about how you watch a film. While this one isn’t as comprehensive as what you might pick up over three years of film school, it’s a solid starter: a list of things to consider the next time you settle in to watch something.

Look:

• Cinematography. What’s the camera doing? How has each shot been framed? Is it close or far away from the action? Is the angle of the shot high or low? Does the camera move at all? If so, why? And do any shots stand out as different?
• Lighting. Is the film well-lit? Dim? Is it meant to look realistic, or stylised? What does the lighting do for the colour palette?
• Editing. Are there many cuts? Not many? Are you aware of the editing and, if so, are you meant to be? Are shots long or short? Do two shots, shown side-by-side, suggest something that wasn’t actually shown?
• Design. What does the filmmaker want to suggest about the story from how its world is physically composed? Do the sets and costumes want to be believable? Whimsical? Fantastic? Related to this: colour palette. Does the film use bright, subdued colours
• Grading. How has the colour of the footage been manipulated in post-production? Are colours bright, and vivid? Or washed out and bleak?
• Subjectivity. Are you supposed to be aware of the camera? Does it exist within the world of the film? Is it showing a person/object’s point of view?

Listen:

• Dialogue. What’s being said? How is it being said? Is it in another language? Is there a lot of dialogue, or a little? How does that affect the telling of the story? While we’re at it:
• Voice-over. What is the function of the voice-over? Who is speaking? What can you glean about this character? Are they a reliable narrator? If some characters have voice-over and others do not, what sets those characters apart?
• Sound effects. Are they realistic? Symbolic? Can you see what’s causing the sound? Has one sound been used to stand in for another?
• Music. Before there was dialogue in movies, there was music. What does it ask us to feel? Is it original, or pre-existing? Does the music fit the era of the story? Does the music ‘fit’ with a given scene, or is it intended to juxtapose the visuals?

Think:

• Shot context. What is the story of this particular image/shot/sequence? What does it mean? Where does it it in with the rest of the film?
• Story. What’s the overall story like? Is the plot clear or convoluted? Are you meant to be entertained, challenged or provoked? Is the plot even important in this film?
• Themes. What kind of themes/ideas are being explored? Does the film support or attack them? How are they being explore
• Genre. What is the genre of the film? How does it engage with the familiarity of that genre? At the same time: how does it subvert and challenge audience expectations?
• Style. What style does the film adhere to? Is it naturalistic or fantastic? Is it evocative of other films, or a genre, or a time period? Does it pay homage to another text?
• Creatives. Who directed it? Which actors star in it? Who wrote it, and shot it, and lit it and wrote the music? Can you connect these people to their other films? Can you trace the trajectories of their careers to this particular project?
• Post-modernism. Does the film wish to make you aware of itself? Could it be labelled post-modern?
• The Web. More on this one later…

Some of these concepts might come easy to you; others may take more practice noticing or understanding. Don’t sweat this: a lot of film technique is about making things totally subconscious for the viewer—meaning if they’re done well, you’re not supposed to notice them. With that in mind, look for meaning in everything you can. Even if it wasn’t intended by the filmmaker/s, it’s fair game if you can tie it back to something you’ve seen on the screen or heard on the soundtrack.

What To Watch For As An Actor

Once you start flexing your film analysis skills, you can start to focus on the actors and acting in particular. While some of these concepts might operate independently of any film techniques, it’s worth thinking about how aspects like sound design or framing might fit in.

• Character. How has the actor created this character? Do they use props, costume or interact with a certain location? Can you see a certain physicality—perhaps a mannerism or a posturing—that they have employed? How do they use their voice? If performing a voice-over, what does this tell you about them?
• Technique. Can you see evidence of the actor’s training? If it’s an older film, how has training or acting style changed in the time since? Are they employing a stylised technique or training? How is it similar or different to your own?
• Choices. How does the actor navigate a scene? How clear is their objective? What kind of actions are they playing? Are their choices simple, complex or unexpected? As always, ask yourself what you might do differently (a great question when watching a film for context when you’re prepping a scene for an audition/demo reel.)
• Career. If you can, contextualise the performance within the actor’s larger career. Where does this film sit in their journey? Does it mark the start or end of an exciting chapter in their careers, or the time they first worked with a new director, or opposite a soon-to-be collaborator? What do you think these relationships or films did to shape them as actors?
• Acting For Screen. Think about the actor’s relationship with the camera, the soundtrack, the language of cinema. Does their performance gain strength because of a low-angled close-up? Or is it the subtle use of sound design under their monologue that builds tension and dread…

How To Make The Time To Watch More Films

If you have the resolve to educate (and entertain) yourself, and you have the skills to study and learn from the films you plan to watch, finding the time to watch them is really the only obstacle. Sadly, there’s no hack for this. However, we will give you this piece of advice: set time aside in your week to watch films. Treat it like homework, give it the respect of some space in your week. It doesn’t have to be every second night: pick one night a week, or an afternoon on the weekend. Switch off the Netflix, put your phone down and let yourself be taken on a journey.

When you learn how to watch films as an actor, something amazing happens: you can find yourself more aligned, delighted and challenged by films than ever before. Perhaps, most importantly, you’ll find yourself inspired to add to your knowledge of the acting and filmmaking craft. You might even want to make your own short film, or step into the director’s chair!

To understand and appreciate cinema is to engage with one of humanity’s greatest, most influential artistic mediums. Don’t forget that it’s barely a century old … think about all the things that might come next! And, as an actor, how you can be ready to be a part of it all.

The post How To Watch Films As An Actor appeared first on StageMilk.

This is a list of 10 silent films all actors should watch—to understand the history of cinema, to broaden their horizons and to enrich their acting craft. While some of these silent films are challenging to watch, the majority are engaging and entertaining. The examples on this list range from silent-era films to contemporary works, hidden gems to landmark examples of the film medium.

Before we launch into the list, let’s start with a few questions worth asking—that is, if you haven’t asked them of yourself already…

What is a Silent Film?

Historically, ‘silent film’ refers to motion pictures made before the widespread adoption of synchronised sound technology. Dates for this era vary, but generally span from 1895—the date of the Lumieré Brothers’ first films—and 1927, the year Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer was released. The rise of ‘talkies’ marked the greatest technological, artistic and industrial shift in the film industry to date.

In a wider (and contemporary) context, silent films are films that eschew spoken dialogue, either in part or in total throughout the runtime. Characters may still communicate, such as through sign language, and voices may still be heard by way of voice over or in music recordings. However, there is no firm ruling on what makes a film 100% ‘silent’.

Funnily enough, some film historians argue that there is no such thing as a truly silent film: if there wasn’t dialogue, there was music. If there wasn’t music, there were the sounds of the audience, the atmosphere of the venue (including the projector itself). For a time, the visuals took precedence over the soundtrack. But they never existed in alone, in a vacuum. Keep this in mind when you next watch a silent film: what did the original audience actually hear? What can you hear right now?

Why Should I Watch Silent Films?

Good question. Didn’t this whole scene peak, like, a hundred years ago? While that might be true, there are still a number of reasons you should be watching silent films, especially as an actor. First of all—and this is especially true of the older films on this list—it’s good to know the history of cinema. Know where the trends of the medium today were born, and what films and styles might be referenced by a contemporary director you work with (or hope to someday). Secondly, there are a number of fascinating, entertaining movies out there with zero dialogue : there’s a fair chance you’ll stumble across something you really enjoy.

But perhaps the best reason to watch silent films is for the acting. Seriously: hear us out on this point. Silent films are a terrific reminder that acting on screen doesn’t end at the neck—something most performers tend to forget when spewing dialogue in front of a camera. Take that dialogue away and ask yourself how you might convey your character’s thoughts and emotions? How have actors done so in the past, or elsewhere? In a film less grounded in gritty reality, what stylistic choices can you find in the silent era that might be an interesting take when performing a role today? Become an observer of the acting craft in silent films. Learn what you can and fold that into your own process!

10 Silent Films Actors Should Watch

Let’s get to it: 10 silent (or almost silent) films, presented in chronological order. As with any list on this site, please don’t forget that the selection below is our own opinion. If you feel as though we’ve missed something important, please don’t hesitate to send a hot take through to us!

#1 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Robert Wiene’s surreal horror masterpiece is remembered as the acme of German Expressionism. Its visual style has been referenced a thousand times over in the films that followed it—chances are, even if you’ve never heard of it, you’d recognise its graphic, angular sets and characters from a single glance. The story centres on an evil hypnotist who bewitches an innocent sleepwalker into committing murders. The sleepwalker, portrayed by a young Conrad Veidt, stalks through the film like a huntsman spider; it’s a must-watch for any actor hoping to broaden their physicality on stage or screen. Take the time to view The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and drink in its strangeness. Count how many references you can trace back to it, how many images seem oddly familiar. Most of all, appreciate that there will never be another film like it, only a sea of imitators chasing that same, warped dream.

#2 The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Another film on the list of “The most famous movies you’ve never actually watched”. Despite being almost a century old, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s masterpiece feels oddly fresh to watch even today. He understood the symbolic visual power of the close-up, even in a time when he had to cut to a title card to convey what his characters were actually saying. Much of the film is trained on Reneé Jeanne Falconetti’s tortured face as the titular saint—her suffering is transmuted by long takes and strange eyelines into something almost beautiful (if certainly troubling). Every actor needs to see this film and understand the power they can have on screen if they know how to work with a camera. In the cinema canon, The Passion of Joan of Arc is as beloved and referenced as Caligari by contemporary filmmakers—everybody from David Fincher to Wes Anderson to Dave Eggers owes this film a hefty debt.

#3 Modern Times (1936)

It’s pretty much a guarantee Charlie Chaplin would end up on this list. What’s interesting about this particular film, however, is the release date: Modern Times came out a full nine years after The Jazz Singer dropped and spelled the death spiral for silent cinema. Chaplin resisted the transition to talkies—not only was he good at making silent pictures, they were a helluva lot easier to sell to his vast international audience without the language barrier. Modern Times pits his signature Tramp character against the perils of the new: industry, mechanisation, The Great Depression, the commodification of the common man. At the film’s climax, the Tramp finds himself singing at a restaurant. He loses the lyrics to the song he’s supposed to perform, prompting his love interest to tell him (via title card) “Sing!! Never mind the words.” And so he does. Chaplin’s improvised lyrics are nonsensical, and yet he still connects with his loving public—as if to suggest that dialogue on screen hardly matters at all. It’s a farewell to the silent era and a middle finger to the ubiquitous talkie all at once.

#4 Big Night (1996)

The first of our ‘modern’ selections on this list, Big Night is actually far from a silent film. That is, until its final, wordless, perfect scene. Two immigrant brothers attempt to save their failing restaurant by cooking the mother of all Italian feasts. While the food itself is triumphant, the evening is a disaster and ends with them screaming at each other and wrestling on the beach behind the restaurant—their lives in ruin and the future uncertain. The final scene, however, unfolds like a short stage play caught on film. A single shot hovers over the kitchen as they cook, eat and reconcile in silence. Not a single word is needed. Big Night is an underrated gem of American cinema; it’s a must-see for food lovers and actors alike.

#5 Juha (1999)

Juha, a film by Finland’s best-known director Aki Kaurasmäki, is an adaptation of a 1911 novel of the same name. Kaurasmäki’s films are famously light on dialogue—they are deadpan, laconic exercises in absurdism that unfold at a snail’s pace. They’re also hilarious, touching and uplifting stories (just in case the previous description had you ready to scroll on past this entry.) In Juha, he does away with dialogue all together, telling the melodramatic story of a man who loses his wife to a wealthy city slicker. The resulting film is, strangely, one of his most dynamic: the drama is conveyed by heightened physical action and the music used throughout is hypnotic, claustrophobic.

#6 Brand upon the Brain! (2006)

Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin is one of cinema’s greatest living treasures. Each film he crafts feels fresh and handmade—reaching back through history to shooting styles and images, long forgotten, in order to explore and subvert the new. Brand upon the Brain! is an exploration of Maddin’s (fictional) upbringing in an orphanage/lighthouse, told through nightmarish flashbacks, title cards and the odd voice-over and sound effect. While the influence of several films on this list can clearly be seen, Brand upon the Brain! really does defy any straightforward explanation or comparison. It’s best to, just, find a copy and take it all in. For all of his focus on himself and his past, Maddin is often classified as a pseudo-documentarian. A film like this is a fine reminder to actors that some of the best vehicles they can find for themselves come from within. Beyond all the artistic mastery, it’s worth mentioning that Maddin made the film for $40,000 and shot it all in nine days. What’s stopping you?

#7 There Will Be Blood (2007)

Another silent-but-not-silent entry on this list, Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic begins with almost twenty minutes of wordless action and character building. In front of our eyes, Henry Plainview evolves from lone prospector to oil man, encountering injury, danger and death along the way. He gains a limp, loses tools, gains a fortune, loses colleagues, gains a son … Plainview lives a lifetime in front of our eyes before his first line is ever spoken. It’s a great introduction to a man who spends the following two hours pushing everybody away; it binds us to the character, ensuring that we’re never left cold by his manner or deeds. The sequence is often compared to the opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which apes literally evolve to the tool age. In some ways it’s more a prologue than it is a true beginning. But There Will Be Blood would be a far weaker film without it.

#8 The Artist (2011)

The Artist, directed by Michel Hazanavicius and starring The Most Charming Actor Alive (Jean Dujardin), is a modern film shot in the style of a black and white silent picture. It’s a love letter to that long-gone era, and a tribute to the silent stars who struggled with the talkie transition. The Artist cleaned up at the 84th Academy Awards, collecting Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Dujardin. It enjoyed international praise and recognition … and then kinda faded from view. One of the issues it faced was its immense success—it ceased to become the underdog and was instead a highly praised film that perhaps wasn’t quite as good as anybody said it was (although what film is). But The Artist is definitely worth your time: performances are stellar and it ends with a superb nod to Modern Times‘ own dissection of the talkie craze. Plus, it contains one of the cutest dogs in all of cinema.

#9 The Tribe (2014)

The Tribe is a crime epic set at a boarding school for deaf students—performed in Ukrainian Sign Language without any subtitles. While this might sound challenging, the action of the film is gripping and performances so strong that meaning is never beyond the audience. You may not understands the words being signed, but you certainly understand the intention behind them and what each character wants. For any actor, this film is a must-watch in how objectives and actions can be played entirely without words. For any film lovers or filmmakers, it’s a unique piece of cinema that strips away dialogue at no cost to the drama.

CONTENT WARNING: The Tribe does contain scenes of graphic violence including sexual violence, as well as depiction of drug use and abortion.

#10 A Quiet Place (2018)

Okay, so this one’s a bit of a stretch: there are 25 lines of dialogue in A Quiet Place, and much of the film is signed in ASL with subtitles. But the majority of the film does take place without any dialogue at all; the result is a tense and terrifying work of science fiction. A Quiet Place is definitely worth your time if it’s a film you’ve missed—the performances are incredible and the central ‘gimmick’ of no dialogue never feels like a barrier between the audience and the story, or their enjoyment. You probably didn’t even think of the film as ‘silent’ when you watched or heard about it. If that’s the case, take the time to view it through this specific lens: study the concerted effort the actors are making to communicate and learn all you can from their efforts. A Quiet Place is a strong reminder that a silent film doesn’t have to be an artsy or harrowing experience.

The post Silent Films All Actors Should Watch appeared first on StageMilk.

The structure of a good acting career is comparable to the structure of a good play, television episode or movie.

Act One – Understanding the Discipline

The Importance of Acting Training

Acting is an artform. Like all artforms, it is refined by a high level of technique and discernment. It is not something you can learn in a week, or even a year for that matter. It takes time. 

Training and education are key. The building blocks start with the premise that we are physically and vocally trained and ready to perform at any given moment. You must know your skillset so intimately that you are prepared for the challenges that working in the industry bring.

Stanislavski and Method Acting

One of the most important early steps you should take is comprehending the “Method.”  Often misunderstood, often confused, the Stanislavski System stands at the centre of American approaches to the craft of acting. For ease of explanation, the Method is the Americanised branding of the “Stanislavski System.” Konstantin Stanislavski envisioned a new kind of acting performance—a subtle and intricate display of true human behaviour that would infuse the character and make the audience see them as an authentic being. It is personal work that is deeply connected from the individual actor to the truth of the characters’ experience within the script. 

The success of the Method changed the style of acting. For the first time, audiences saw actors truly crying, truly laughing, and truly working from their wonderful, vulnerable souls. The success also meant there would be many different adaptations of the essential teachings. Never forget that most modern acting techniques are branches of the Stanislavski tree.

If you’re going to be the best artist you can be, you need to know the history and evolution of your field. Eventually, with training and practice, you can master the method to the point that you create your own branch of the tree.

Act Two – Growing into the Craft

Know The Actor’s Job

Being an actor means knowing the job.

It is not your job to:

Be sexy.
Be funny.
Be smart.
Be manly.
Be feminine.
Be cute.
Be entertaining.
Seek validation.
Get approval.
Receive good feedback.
Start deep friendships.
Prove you’ve done your homework.
Show your homework.
Convince people how uniquely talented you are.

What is your job? Be the character. That’s it.

Go into the audition room. Be a pro. Be considerate. Connect with the reader or your fellow actor and be the character, living truthfully in the moment, off-book, not acting, not lying, or performing. Don’t get caught acting. Show them who you will be on set. That’s your job.

If you do that, you will be good, you will be funny, you will be sexy and charming. You’ll receive validation and positive feedback and approval. You might even get a callback or, even better, book the job. The industry looks to hire actors who understand how the system works, who don’t need to be taken care of or babied, and who know that their job isn’t to be a “good actor” but simply to be the character.

The ‘Champion’ Mindset of the Actor

This industry can be particularly challenging, which makes it easy to adopt a “victim” mindset. I see this every day as I coach actors at the Archibald Studio in Los Angeles. I battle this tendency toward self-pity with a simple but powerful dictum: make everything make you better. If you can use every difficulty as an opportunity for self-betterment, you change your mindset from victim to champion.

There is nothing more boring in show business than dealing with a victim. Victims are desperate for approval and comfort. There’s nothing attractive about being a victim, nothing interesting or funny or inspiring. Never go on set or into an audition being a victim.

A quality artist is a champion. Work diligently, maintain the integrity of your art, and maintain your quality. I promise you will rise.

Act Three – Finding Success

An Actor’s Formula for Success

Here’s my formula for success as an actor:

Discipline + Time = Integrity
Integrity + Perseverance = Quality
Quality + Opportunity = Success

Give yourself time. It takes time to build an empire. Don’t rush into this like a fool. You are an entrepreneur in a large business. This business has many layers that take time to learn. This business hires quality artists. Don’t think that it can be done overnight. Every “overnight success” has actually been in the works for years.

A young actor who doesn’t understand this process is naive. I want you to be smart and savvy. Be disciplined in your practice. Be disciplined at the gym. Be disciplined at class. Do your homework.

Treat Acting Like a Business

Being an actor means being an entrepreneur of integrity. You need to be the best businessperson you can be. You own a business, which provides a service called acting, in a marketplace called the Entertainment Industry. Because many other entrepreneurs provide the same service, you must make certain that yours is the best it can be.

Understand the casting process, contracts, business relationships with agents and managers, unions, crisis management, and how to have good meetings. Recognise that you are the boss of the company. Run it with integrity and treat others how you want to be treated!

Don’t judge others. Don’t waste time in jealousy. Don’t be a baby. Don’t let your ego overrun your common sense. And perhaps, most importantly, do not be seduced by the trappings of fame or the desire for celebrity. It isn’t what you imagine it to be. It is a very big deal to give up your privacy. Don’t take that lightly. The only good I’ve ever really seen coming from fame is the ability to help others and do philanthropic work. 

Grow your business acumen. Seek inspiration from the other art forms. Do the deep work of defining what success means to you.

Conclusion

Show business is the Wild West. Nobody actually knows how it all works or what’s going to be a hit or who’s going to make it big as an actor. What we do know is that a life lived as an artist dedicated to the quality and integrity of the art form is a life that will reward you. You will achieve far more than you thought you could, perhaps in ways you never thought you would.

Being an actor means respecting yourself and being kind to others. Work hard but give yourself the grace to let your journey be whatever it is. There’s tremendous value in a life lived in the pursuit of artistic excellence. The storytelling journey is the goal!

By guest writer Craig Archibald.

The post What Does it Mean to Be an Actor? appeared first on StageMilk.

Actors’ careers can be wildly different from one another—based on such factors as location, level of training,  professional/personal connections and luck. For this reason, it can be extremely difficult to find unbiased information about acting as a career that isn’t tainted by personal experience or hearsay. There are some truths that are universal to the actors’ experience; the more you know about them, the better prepared you can be for times of unexpected fortune both good and bad.

In this article, we’re going to do our best to get past the myths around acting and give you the facts: what this business actually entails, what to do if you wish to enter it and how you might navigate a career. No matter your individual path in an acting career, it can be invaluable to know what to expect and what will be expected of you on this terrific—if sometimes fraught—adventure.

Skip to:

• What is an Actor?
• Training as an Actor
• How Does An Actor Progress Their Career?
• How Much Does an Actor Make?
• An Actor’s Lifestyle
• Should I Become An Actor?

What Is an Actor?

A Definition

An actor is a person who portrays a character as part of a performance. Usually working from a stimulus text such as a play or script, they use skills and techniques to convey narrative, emotions, thoughts and ideas to an audience. Actors usually train at a drama school or equivalent institution before entering the entertainment industry with the hope of securing paid work. This may be in the field of theatre, or screen media such as film, television and online content. However, many actors also work in advertising by filming commercials or lending their voices to products. Because of the low artist-to-work ratio in the creative industry, most actors supplement their income from acting with secondary jobs. Some actors regard this as anathema to their artistic integrity, whereas others regard the hustle of the ‘day job’ as simply another facet of an actors’ rich and varied life.

A Brief History

The roots of acting as an art form can be traced back to countless storytelling traditions in cultures around the world. The first recorded actor in history was a performer named Thespis who, in 534BCE, was the first person to stand on a stage and portray a character—a person completely different from their own self. Depending on the culture or historical period, actors have been both lauded and derided members of human society. They have been embraced or persecuted for their ability to convey thoughts and ideas to the general public—who may regard them as artists/thinkers, simple entertainers or layabouts who offer no practical societal contribution. This attitude has effectively carried through to the present day, although some modern actors in more industrialised entertainment systems (such as Hollywood) have emerged as wealthy cultural elites and influencers.

Training as an Actor

Foundational Training

A large majority of professional, working actors have some kind of formal training. They may study at a dedicated drama school or pursue a degree at a university or college with a drama program. These programs usually run for 1 – 3 years, after which the actor graduates with a certificate, diploma or bachelor’s degree. These courses can cover a wide variety of topics, and as there are multiple schools of thought on acting training they may be informed by differing methodologies. However, each course is geared towards producing industry-ready graduates—to the degree where they may help an actor secure an agent by way of an industry showcase or the production of a showreel.

Continued Training

Despite having graduated from drama school, many actors will continue to seek formal training well into their professional careers. They may participate in acting workshops, one-off masterclasses with industry professionals or prestigious acting teachers. An actor whose background training stems from the teachings of, say, Konstantin Stanislavski, might study the methods of Tadashi Suzuki to augment their skills or to gain a new perspective on their craft. Beyond additional formal training, actors may also engage in personal scene study or join a scene or drama club to keep their skills honed and sharp.

Untrained Actors

Of course, while formal training is the best and most direct path for actors, there are some actors with less or no training who enjoy successful careers. For example: “non-actors” with zero experience may be discovered for a role by a producer or director and find themselves quickly elevated through the industry ranks. In other cases, an untrained actor may transition into the job from other performing arts fields such as comedy, music or dance. 

Finding the Right Training

Given the allure of acting as an exciting and glamorous profession, it is unsurprising that the training of actors is, itself, a profitable industry. When an actor decides to seek formal training, it is vitally important that they choose a reputable, trustworthy institution—one that is backed by respected teachers and alumni. Actors should be doubly wary of less-established teachers and companies, who will happily promise quick results (and sometimes industry clout) in exchange for the money of a would-be performer. Any actors looking for training should conduct careful research into the various options available to them; finding the right kind of training will produce far better results than attending a prestigious institution that fails to meet one’s needs. 

How Does an Actor Progress Their Career?

Auditioning

Actors secure the vast majority of their work by auditioning: delivering a short performance to a director, producer or casting director that showcases their ability and suitability for a given role. They may come upon auditions by themselves in the industry, or find them on purpose-built casting website like StarNow. Most actors, however, will be sent to auditions sourced for them by their agent. An agent is a person in the entertainment industry whose job it is to find work for the actors they represent. While some actors have no representation or choose not so sign with an agency, finding a respected agent is one of the first major milestones in an actor’s career. Without one, many actors feel ‘locked out’ of an industry heavily regulated by interpersonal relationships—the dreaded “who you know”.

As actors gain more recognition, they may find themselves having to audition less. This can be because their work is more widely known, or they have worked with that particular director/producer in the past. However, some actors enjoy the auditioning process and may even insist on being seen for a certain role: they may get to play an unexpected character, or even completely reinvent their established brand.

Networking

Networking is vitally important to an actor’s career. The creative industry is a very small place, meaning reputation can make or kill careers faster than missed opportunities or the occasional bad performance. Actors are required to make connections and build relationships with other creatives: not just other actors, but directors and producers and anybody with power to wield. An actor must always remember that dynamics in the industry can shift rapidly—and one can never afford to alienate somebody in case they end up running the theatre/studio/world.

As with auditioning, networking is something that actors with more status can afford to do less of should they desire it. Some famous actors throughout history have been famously private individuals, while others remain open and accessible to industry, press and general public alike—especially in the age of social media. As with any other aspect of the business, an actor needs to find a balance between public and private, networking and simply making friends. A phone-book full of actor friends are usually far more helpful than a phone-book full of high-powered industry contacts.

Unpaid Opportunities

A contentious issue, and rightly so. We’ve discussed when you should work for free elsewhere on StageMilk, as it is sadly an unavoidable part of the creative industry. Many actors will take on unpaid work in order to raise their own profile, or to make connections with artists they hope to collaborate with in the future. Depending on the circumstances (which should always be thoroughly examined), unpaid opportunities can be very beneficial to an actor’s career—especially at an earlier stage when their contacts and resume are limited.

However, an actor must limit these opportunities to protect themselves. It can be very easy for emerging actors to say “Yes!” to every unpaid job that is put in front of them—even if doing so will negatively affect their own living stability or mental health. Indeed, one of the more difficult things an actor needs to learn is how to let go of potential opportunities (and learn which of them are genuinely worth your time and effort). Here at StageMilk, our advice is this: work for free when you can afford to do so, and that work doesn’t conflict with other paid opportunities. Respect yourself, know what you’re worth and if you have to tell somebody “no”, use it as an opportunity to separate respectful future employers from the self-serving users.

N.B.: As actors can often find their skills and labour exploited, it is strongly recommended that they join an arts union that will protect their interests and inform them of their rights. Unions do not just ensure safe and fair work practices, but may be able to support actors who find themselves struggling with financial security, personal hardship or mental health.

Making Their Own Work

Some actors have enjoyed great success in their careers—sometimes after years in the wilderness—simply by making their own work. Actors-turned-writers, actors-turned-directors, actors-turned-producers make their own opportunities happen. Sometimes they act in these projects, but may transition completely to a writer/director/producer role in future projects. There are many famous examples of this happening throughout the history of acting (Barbara Streisand, John Cassavetes, Warren Beatty, Jordan Peele to name a few). However, actors making their own opportunities is something that can happen at any level of the industry—and with great effect. Every actor should consider writing their own starring vehicle, becoming a producer or getting started on the directing path. Even if they have no aspiration beyond raising their own profile as an actor, the creative industry respects nothing more than ingenuity and hustle.

How Much Does an Actor Make?

Average Wage

It is notoriously difficult to put a number on the average acting wage. Most statistical data from countries such as the United States, England and Australia put the median actor’s income at somewhere around $40,000/p.a.—with the hourly wage sitting somewhere between $35 – $48. However, these figures fail to reflect actors who earn far less than this, far more than this and the actors who are employed in another industry to sustain their living expenses.

Full-Time Work

Given the large pool of acting talent in any given market, as well as the proportionately small number of acting jobs available, very few performers work in the industry full-time. In a sobering, pre-pandemic article, The Guardian reported that just 2% of all actors in England are making a living off their profession, while 90% are unemployed (as actors) at any one time. For these reasons, most actors will hold down a ‘day job’ and treat income from acting work as supplementary. Some will stick with this day job for a number of years—even building healthy reputations in their secondary field. Other actors prefer to keep to professions with minimal commitment, allowing them to leave at a moment’s notice for that perfect opportunity.

Teaching—especially in the field of drama and acting—is a popular profession for many actors, as it allows them to exercise their training in a professional setting. Likewise, many actors will work support roles in the creative industry such as ushering at a theatre, as industry employers may be more sympathetic to an actor’s needs (such as attending auditions). 

An Actor’s Lifestyle

Social

Actors lives are fraught with rejection and uncertainty; it is an existence that requires a lot of courage, hard work and an inch of thick skin all over. That being said, actors often lead socially rich lives—buoyed by their natural networking skills and the close-knit nature of creative communities. They may form strong bonds with their peers, especially those they studied with at drama school, who provide support and understanding about aspects of the life that non-actors (such as family) may not fully comprehend. Sometimes, these friends may be professional competitors; actors constantly need to navigate feelings of jealousy. But these bonds are usually forged by a shared passion for the acting profession; the desire to see one’s friends succeed often trumps any ill-will. 

Financial

Despite the worrying numbers and statistics in the above section of this article, a large majority of actors lead lives of financial comfort and stability. This is not because they’re always getting high-paying gigs—and certainly not because they’re collecting government hand-outs—but because most actors are hard workers who will take a second job to fund their passion or training. Actors learn to budget and plan ahead for leaner times in their calendar when acting work is scarce. They may also engage in seasonal work, or longer-term contracts in fields such as education. Very few actors have the privilege to treat their acting income as anything more than a ‘windfall’. And while those who do can live very comfortable lives, the remaining ninety-something-percent will happily opt for stability over the occasional lottery win.

Artistic

As artists, actors lead wonderful lives. Their work will require them to be well-read across multiple fields, and to develop a rich knowledge of history and culture to inform the hundreds of roles they may portray. In order to stay up to date with current trends in their industry, actors tend to consume a lot of media and see as much theatre as possible. Many actors, at some point in their career, will also branch into other areas of the industry such as writing, producing, directing, stand-up comedy or even music. It might sound overwhelming, but it makes for an extremely fulfilling existence. To work as an actor is to appreciate art, as well as the world in which you live that might inspire it.

Should I Become an Actor?

If you have a genuine passion for acting, if you’re not afraid of hard work and reading this far hasn’t scared you off: it’s definitely something you consider! For many acting hopefuls, this question is more philosophical than logistic, and we’ve talked through that angle elsewhere on this site. But whatever your reasons for wanting to actor might be, it’s important to approach this career with a clear understanding of what it takes … and what it might take from you. As we said at the start of this: an actor’s life is one of variation and uncertainty. There’s never a dull moment.

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Yet Stanislavski’s deeper meaning is clear—that talented performers can do wonders with even their briefest moments in the spotlight.  My book, There Are No Small Parts: 100 Outstanding Film Performances with Screen Time of 10 Minutes or Less, marvels at such people, those who can take only ten minutes, or just five, or even two, and create—with no time to waste—a significant screen characterization.  Here are ten of my one hundred selections.

#1 Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Elsa Lanchester is a fascinating start to our list, as her mere seven minutes of screen time is actually split between two distinct characters. At the start of the film, she plays a delightfully perverse Mary Shelley who insists there is more to the story of Frankenstein than is commonly known. For the other four, she portrays the unforgettable title character—suggesting a terrifying duality between author and creation. As the iconic “bride”, Lanchester makes a uniquely astonishing impression: all animal sounds and staccato movement, with a costume as iconic as her neck-bolted groom. She is somehow monster and newborn innocent: both a terrifying and yet pitiful presence on the silver screen.

#2 H.B. Warner in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Remembered fondly (and rightly so) as everybody’s favourite Christmas movie, It’s A Wonderful Life is often underappreciated for its array of brilliant, grounded performances. H.B. Warner appears as Mr. Gower the druggist, in only three-and-a-half minutes of Capra’s holiday classic. Gower rages at the young protagonist George Bailey—having been devastated by the recent news of his own son’s death. When the young boy questions the druggist’s mistaken use of poison in a medicine pill, Gower’s anger becomes violent. But George reacts with compassion, and Warner’s resulting performance flits seamlessly from disbelief to despair to remorse as he cradles the crying boy and begs his forgiveness. It is a masterfully restrained performance, and is among the richest emotional components of a film that will never grow old.

#3 Canada Lee in Body and Soul (1947)

African-American actor and activist Canada Lee gives an impressive performance as Ben, a broken former boxing champ encountered by protagonist Charley (John Garfield). In just nine minutes of screen time, he exhibits an extraordinary range of warmth and strength when acting opposite Garfield. However, his tragic, climactic scene sees him explode with pent-up rage and frustration. Lee, himself, was a successful boxer in his younger years; this perhaps lends his performance a realism still largely foreign to cinema of that age.

#4 Marilyn Monroe in All About Eve (1950)

It’s hard to believe that Monroe is in this theatrical cult favourite for a mere three minutes, because she commands the screen with such distinctive humour, adorability, and all-around sparkle. Monroe is absolutely magnetic: every bit the star we’ll come to know and love. Even alongside heavyweights like Bette Davis and George Sanders, Monroe displays a formidable quality of presence; she confidently nails every one of her laugh lines. It’s clear that this young woman is going places.

#5 Robert Duvall in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Boo Radley is the perfect bogeyman in To Kill A Mockingbird. He is largely unseen, known only through gossip and rumour and the gifts he leaves in a hiding place for protagonist Scout to discover. Radley is the perfect shadow figure, one that the audience learns all about without ever appearing on screen … until he does. Robert Duvall made his screen debut as Boo Radley, and his performance is brilliantly minimalist. Without a trace of actorly self-consciousness, he embodies the role simply and completely, and in just six minutes. It’s as if he’s stepped right out of the book.

#6 Jodie Foster in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

She’s just a kid here, but Jodie Foster, in her four-and-a-half-minute role as juvenile delinquent Audrey, shows remarkable poise and potential. As a shoplifting, wine-drinking tomboy, she has an enviably smart-mouthed delivery that hints at the great depth we will later come to expect from this actor. The character could be something quick and cheap to drive the main plot along, and yet there is a complexity to Foster’s performance that makes this characterisation feel so refreshingly real.  Alice… isn’t as lauded as her next collaboration with director Martin Scorsese—indeed, 1976’s Taxi Driver would grant her international acclaim. But for the sheer lasting impact of this blink-and-you’ll-miss-her cameo, Audrey is very much worth your time.

#7 Christopher Walken in Pennies from Heaven (1981)

Pennies From Heaven is the American remake of an acclaimed British mini-series by Dennis Potter; it’s a depressing, tragic tale about a sheet music salesman that punctuates its plot with surreal musical numbers. Critically praised but a commercial bomb, it’s a fair bet you haven’t seen or heard of it. The film is marked by some great performances, but a true standout is Christopher Walken’s gangster Tom who, in eight-and-a-half minutes, dazzles in a fantasy tap-dance rendition of “Let’s Misbehave”. He brings a tawdry, old-Hollywood glamour to the role, plus impeccable precision and panache. For many viewers, this was their first introduction to Walken’s musical theatre and dancing chops (and he’d later remind us of these talents in the timeless music video for Fatboy Slim’s Weapon of Choice.)

#8 Annette Bening in Postcards from the Edge (1990)

Postcards… is only the fourth on-screen credit for Bening; while she is more widely known for her breakout role in The Grifters (released the same year), it’s this short, three minute scene with Meryl Streep, that marked her as a talent to watch out for. As a mellow actress rather amused by the fact that she and Streep are sleeping with the same guy, Bening is witty and naughtily suggestive, effortlessly lighting up the screen.  She’s what happens when versatile acting talent meets movie-star charisma—teaching a lesson to actors everywhere that theatrical training is not just helpful when applied to acting on screen, it’s an absolute asset to one’s craft.

#9 Ruby Dee in American Gangster (2007)

Ruby Dee was a powerhouse artist, activist and actor; it’s no surprise that even five minutes of screen time featuring her work is going to be incredible, and lift the quality of the film around her. Despite her role lasting five minutes, Dee nabbed herself an Oscar nomination as Mama Lucas, particularly for her ninety-second confrontation with Denzel Washington as her criminal son.  This veteran performer exhibits the kind of force, spontaneity, and unblemished truth that confirms the legendary status she attained. Her work in this film is a masterclass, and warrants close study by any actor serious about the art form.

#10 Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

In the midst of the McConaissance—Matthew McConaughey’s career resurgence of the 2010s—McConaughey set aside Oscar-baiting, powerhouse performances to show up in Martin Scorsese’s marathon dissection of greed and capitalism. In the eight minutes he spends on screen, he dispense cocaine-and-martini-fuelled wisdom to stockbroking novice Leonardo DiCaprio who, in his own display of acting prowess, has to keep a straight face through the entire ridiculous display of ludicrous philosophy and (literal) chest thumping. Seductively persuasive and insatiably craving more (of everything), McConaughey is an all-out razzle-dazzle personification of excess. But most impressive is the fact that he makes the character seem almost likeable, and an unforgettable figure in the story’s landscape for the two hours of story that follow.

Conclusion

This should encourage you to go and check out some of these amazing performances. Watching great films is one of the best things you can do as an actor. It serves to inspire you and gives you a rich knowledge of the film industry you are hoping to work in. This is also a great reminder that even if you only have a small part in a film or TV show, you can make it count and still offer a three-dimensional character that really adds to the story.

John DiLeo’s There Are No Small Parts: 100 Outstanding Film Performances with Screen Time of 10 Minutes or Less is his seventh book about film.  Published by Foliofina, it’s available wherever books are sold.

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Flagging the Fear of ‘Talent’

Questions about talent frequently arise in the minds of actors, and here at Stagemilk we are often receiving questions from actors as to whether or not they themselves possess or need talent to achieve success in this industry. 

These concerns are well founded. ‘Talent’ is a word which bounces around in every cinema or theatre foyer. The words “Wow, they are so talented!” have been uttered countless times about actors all over the world. When we are just starting out this word is really loud in our ears. As we are auditioning for drama school or going for our first few professional auditions, this question of whether or not we are ‘talented’ enough can be heard ringing in our ears.

Like with any skill, there is undeniably a level of ease and sophistication the best actors in the world possess. A performance which would be desperately challenging for us seems easy in their hands. Now, I feel that most of us are aware of the importance of hard work and time spent developing our craft in the quest of mastery – that is definitely a factor of these top actors’ work. But there does often seem to be something else; some essence – let’s call it ‘talent’ – that these actors possess which gives their performance an extra edge. What is that THING? How do we get some of it? Or has our level of talent been preordained, fixed into place by some cruel deity, restricting our ability to achieve the success we so desperately seek in our lives?

I must admit, I’m making myself chuckle whilst writing this. This is absolutely a fear I have experienced in the past, and may still experience yet. These concerns in this industry are absolutely normal, and I want to begin this conversation by validating your experience a little.

The casting process for acting roles can be SO elusive, so mysterious and so unpredictable. We can be given roles we’re sure we are not right for, and we can have roles we were born to play given to someone else. There is no measurable progression as an actor. We are not in a workplace which presents a clear ladder of opportunity, where hard work will be rewarded with promotion, and complacency discouraged with unfavourable consequences. No, this is not our lot as actors. Some actors will shoot immediately for the stars upon stepping out the door of their drama school, and some may never meet their full potential until later in life. Many actors will continue striving for a goal which remains out of their reach for the entirety of their career. 

Whatever this factor is which catapults some to dizzying heights of success, and leaves some strapped to the spoon, whether it is talent, luck, coincidence or fate – there is one important thing to remember.

Focus On What Is Within Our Control

At the end of the day, whether talent or fate is real or not is beside the point. These factors are not useful for us, for they are completely out of our control. Focusing on talent as a factor which will determine our success and the success of others is simply a way for us to shift responsibility off ourselves. It’s a defence mechanism. Praising the talent of a successful actor is simply the flipped side of the coin of bemoaning the success of an actor for sheer dumb luck. 

As hard as it may seem, as unfair as this industry can appear sometimes, my main point to you today is this: focus on what you can control. This sentiment was made popular by Stoic philosophers of ancient Rome. Stoic teacher, Epictetus, says, 

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own . . .”  — Epictetus

Adopting this attitude will prove invaluable to you as an actor, for there are SO many factors which are out of our control in this game. Whether the casting director likes you, where you’re in the casting bracket for a particular role, whether you land a role, what the audience thinks of your performance, whether you get good reviews are ALL factors completely outside our control, and yet we all place so much focus and importance on these things. This is to be expected – we, as humans, are social creatures, and crave the validation of the tribe. You should not be beating yourself up whilst reading this if you have felt tied to the opinions of others. It’s normal, and BELIEVE ME – I have spent a lot of my life focussed on the thoughts and opinions of others which are out of my control. 

The question of ‘talent’, therefore, fits into this category of things which are out of our control. If talent is this elusive force which provides success in some and restrains others, then so be it. C’est la vie. If talent is merely privilege; that some actors are born with more opportunity than others, then so be it. We cannot cultivate talent, in the same way that we cannot increase our stockpile of ‘luck’. So, now that we’re agreed that we are not focusing on or bemoaning our perceived levels of talent as actors, what the heck DO we focus on?

What Is Within Our Control

There is a big, courageous shift which is required from us to take our focus off the uncontrollable factors surrounding us and onto what we are able to influence. This requires courage from us because it forces us to take responsibility for our every action, and for the result of those actions. No longer can we blame, complain or question the ‘fairness’ of another actor’s success. All we can do with another actor’s success is allow it to inspire us, and remind us that “if it is possible for them, then it is possible for me”. Another person’s success does not mean your failure – even in the closest of races. Your result is your result – and reflects your preparation, practise, work ethic and attitude. 

“Woah woah woah Jack, are you telling me that me not getting a role is my fault?” Ah, I see I am beginning to ruffle a few feathers. That’s a good thing, I believe this is an important and difficult conversation to have. 

No, I don’t think that the result of an audition, (positive or negative) is your fault, but I do believe it is your responsibility. Now, your responsibility can mean any number of things, from your level of preparation, confidence with an accent, confidence with the lines, your hair colour, your age, your look, your emotional state on the day of the audition, and so on. Your responsibility is YOU – not anyone or anything else. Now, what you need to do next is to determine what within your responsibility is within your control. These factors, such as your look, age and even your emotional state on the day, may be out of your control, and therefore maybe not worth worrying about- or simply trying to optimise for the opportunity. These other factors, however, are well within your control. How well you learn your lines, do the backstory for your character, how confident you are with the accent, how hydrated you are, how healthy you have eaten recently, how well you have slept, how kind you are to the casting director and others you encounter, how present you are in the room – these are all factors well within your control, and the ONLY things worth focusing on. 

This is why this is such a confronting and difficult task. There is great solace which can be found in placing blame or fault on things outside our control – our uber driver took a wrong turn. The casting director was in a foul mood. There was a party raging last night so I couldn’t sleep. Whilst all of these things certainly impact our lives, placing the fault, blame or responsibility on them when it comes to the result of our work is short sighted and unsustainable. I say these things because I know, I KNOW that I have shifted the responsibility for my work onto something outside of my control in the past. It was a defence mechanism. “Oh yeah, I didn’t get that because I ran into an old friend right before the audition and that threw me” I have said. “These theatre companies always cast the same actors, it’s such a closed shop” I have said. “They only got that role because they are really good looking” I have said. I have uttered these words at times where deep down in my heart I know that I didn’t work as hard as I could have. That I felt shame about my lack of dedication, and fear at the prospect of me giving it my all and still coming up short. This, (I hope – unless I’m discovering that I’m quite abnormal) is normal, and understandable. But leaning into this challenge with courage will see us developing exponentially over time. At the end of an audition, if we say “Ah that didn’t go well because of ‘X’ (someone else’s responsibility)” we will probably meet our next audition with the same effort and dedication that we met this one. If we actually go through a truthful debrief with ourselves and take responsibility for our work, acknowledging where we may have been able to work harder or more effectively, we’re far more likely to grow and develop and increase our chances of success.

What it comes down to is this: take responsibility for your life, and focus on what you can control. 

Practise and Process

Take your attention off what is outside your control, and bring it back to what is within your control. One thing that is well within your control is your commitment to practise and your process. 

Instead of looking at the ‘talent’ of others, look at the steps they took to get where they are today. What you will inevitably find is that hey, these actors who are so talented and make their work seem so effortless actually were beginners once, and they have come a long way. Now, instead of being daunted by an intangible ‘talent’, we can actually see the steps and process which led to their mastery of craft. What we will find in the majority of the best actors in the world is courage, persistence and hard work. Any natural ‘god given’ essence to their work is minuscule compared to the degree which these actors have had to persist in the face of adversity and overcome the hurdles in their path.

The best actors have worked really hard to achieve what they have today. This means you need to do the same, if you wish to achieve this success too. Even if talent was a true and influential factor in this industry, these talented few would still need to work hard to position themselves in the right circles, and work towards getting their craft known by people in positions of power. Hard work is inevitable, so that’s what you should be turning your attention towards, right now. Today. 

Genetic ‘Talent’

Don’t get me wrong, I do think ‘talent’ is a factor which does exist in many fields, perhaps more than in the acting industry. But I think it is important to make a distinction between ‘talent’, and ‘genetic suitability’. This phrase, ‘genetic suitability’ is something I’ve lifted from Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is a fantastic book, and incredibly useful in service of developing habits and processes which will maximise our productivity and growth. Clear speaks about talent in his chapter, ‘The Truth about Talent (When genes matter and when they don’t)’. When it comes to a conversation about talent, this chapter is really useful to read. Clear speaks of the importance of us seeking to maximise our potential by seeking environments and situations where our genetics will give us an advantage. He writes, 

“The secret to maximizing your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition… The strength of genetics is also their weakness. Genes cannot be easily changed, which means they provide a powerful advantage in favorable circumstances and a serious disadvantage in unfavorable circumstances.” — James Clear, Atomic Habits

This truth is perhaps most noticeable in physical skill sets, where some body shapes are undeniably more suited to certain sports than others. In acting, this factor is less tangible. To be an actor does not require one particular ‘type’ of human. They can be introvert or extrovert, of all different body shapes, all different backgrounds and life experiences. Perhaps, then, what is useful for us to consider is whether or not we are aiming for the area within the acting industry that is best suited for our natural ‘style’. What might be the case is that we’re working against the grain of our personality while trying to break into a particular style or medium of acting. Clear goes on to expand on this notion, writing,

“The people at the top of any competitive field are not only well trained, they are also well suited to the task. And this is why, if you want to be truly great, selecting the right place to focus is crucial… In short: genes do not determine your destiny. They determine your areas of opportunity.” — James Clear, Atomic Habits

Or, in a more light hearted fashion, 

“Boiling water will soften a potato but harden an egg. You can’t control whether you’re a potato or an egg, but you can decide to play a game where it’s better to be hard or soft.” — James Clear, Atomic Habits

So, if this question of talent has got you beating your head against a wall, and you feel you are failing to progress, then perhaps the task is actually redirecting your efforts to a different area of the industry. Perhaps you are more suited to the environment of screen acting than stage. More comedy than drama, for instance. This is not to say that you will not, one day, be able to do all of these things, but in the early stages of your career while you are establishing yourself, it is definitely best to work towards your natural strengths. 

Unapologetic ‘You’

Here’s a final thought for you. One thing seems to clearly exist amongst the most successful actors in the world. This isn’t talent or hard work, though those elements may certainly exist, too. No, this factor is an unapologetic acceptance of self. These actors have got themselves to a place where they are willing and able to give themselves, all of themselves, to the work. They offer themselves up to the craft of acting life a sacrificial lamb – unapologetically, vulnerably, confidently and willingly. Perhaps this is what we must strive to do as well.

In order to best be able to act, we must develop our self awareness. We must deepen our self-acceptance. We must know ourselves so we can give ourselves. The challenge of achieving this self awareness is going to be far more fulfilling and useful for us than focusing on ‘talent’ – this wishy-washy intangible substance that is of little use to us. 

Use your ‘talent’ – that is, using ‘yourself’, and every facet of your being, to maximise your chances of success. People are watching you act to see what you can bring to the role, not just the role itself. People don’t go to see Hamlet, they go to see you playing Hamlet.

That is the whole crux of this article. You are talented, whether you believe it or not. You are talented because you are you, and no-one else is you. You are unique, and you have everything you need to achieve what you wish to achieve in your life and in this industry. All that is left for you to do is to focus on what is within your control and do those things to the best of your ability. With hard work and discipline and taking responsibility for your life, there really isn’t anything which can stop you. Doing these things will ensure that your success is unstoppable and inevitable. 

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#1 Los Angeles, USA

If we’re going to talk about the best place to go if you want to be an actor we have to talk about LA. Almost synonymous with the Film industry in and of itself, LA has been a home to actors and filmmakers alike for a long time. When we talk about Hollywood blockbusters, we’re quite literally referring to an actual place, Hollywood, California, which is a neighborhood in the surrounding city of Los Angeles. Make no mistake, LA can be tough and unforgiving for everyone, especially actors, but if you’re interested in the US film industry, then this is the place to go.

#2 London, UK

And now for something completely different, we have London. London is one of the Actor capitals of the world. With a thriving theatre culture, and an ever booming film and television industry, when it comes to being an actor in the UK, most roads lead to London. London is home to one of the largest theatre districts in the world, The West End, which is on par with Broadway. While there are a lot of fantastic regional theatres as well as productions that are shot elsewhere in England and the UK, if you were looking to bet on a place to live based on sheer volume of work, London would be the place. Once again, just like with LA, Londons not an easy place to live, it’s expensive, it can be quite crowded, and actors can sometimes not earn a lot of money from their acting. So keep this in mind if you plan on making the jump to Ol’ Blighty.

#3 New York City, USA

Another big pin on the map for actors is New York City. As mentioned before, New Yor, and more specifically Manhattan is home to easily one of the largest theatre districts in the world… Broadway. But not only that, New York is home to a thriving film and television industry. While it may not be quite on par with Hollywood when it comes to sheer scale some of the cinemas greatest films have been produced and shot in New York, as well as a number of TV shows. Ever heard of Law & Order, well I can’t think of a better example of a staple of the NYC TV industry. Some New York actors have gone so far as to say ‘If you haven’t done something on Law & Order, can you call yourself a New York Actor?’.

#4 Mumbai, India

Home to one of the largest film industries in the world this list would be incomplete without mentioning Mumbai. Mumbai is the centre of the Bollywood film industry, which when you take into account the sheer volume of feature films produced, is the largest in the world and rivals Hollywood, where it gets its name. Bombay + Hollywood = Bollywood! 

#5 Sydney, Australia

Coming in at number five is Sydney, Australia. Now I may be a little biased as this is where a lot of us at Stagemilk are based, and really you could argue that most of the eastern seaboard of Australia, including of course Melbourne, and the Gold Coast are great places to be an actor. However when it comes to being an actor in the southern hemisphere you can’t go past Sydney. Sydney not only is home to Fox Studios Australia where a number of Hollywood films and Australian TV series are shot, as well as numerous film and TV productions being made around the area it also has a thriving theatre scene. Much like London, LA and NYC, Sydney is not the easiest or most affordable place to live, but the arts scene and culture are some of many reasons why this is definitely worth your consideration if you’re looking for a career as an actor.

#6 Hong Kong

For a number of years Hong Kong has been a powerhouse of film on the global stage at one point being the third largest film industry in the world as well as the second largest exporter. While it has seen some decline over the years Hong Kong continues to deliver incredible films to the industry and would be well worth your consideration as an actor and filmmaker.

Honourable Mentions

• Vancouver, Canada
• Berlin, Germany
• Surulere, Nigeria
• Melbourne, Australia
• Chicago, USA
• Paris, France
• Atlanta, USA

Conclusion

It should be said that should you choose to pursue a career as an actor, there’s no one good place to start. As you can see from our honourable mentions you can create the work you want to create, meet like minded people, and be the best actor you can be no matter where you are. The most important thing is that you get out and give it a shot! Because it doesn’t necessarily matter where you are, it’s what you make of it. So whether you’re ready to pack your bags and hit the road or you’re starting your journey where you’re at, we hope this will give you a better idea of some great places to start.

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