How to Break Into the Acting Business

Becoming an actor is the dream of millions of people worldwide, yet only a few people every really make it big as an actor. Becoming an actor is hard work and can take years to get enough income on which you can survive. Follow these steps to learn how to break into the acting business.

Things You'll Need

• Computer

Instructions

1. Get a headshot made. Spend an amount that you can afford to have a professional-looking headshot made. The headshot will have a full length picture and several close-ups on one side and your acting resume on the other side. This makes it easy to hand to the people auditioning you.

2. Take acting lessons. Many acting coaches know people in the industry or are acting themselves. You never know who you will meet. Very often you may find leads for work and you will be honing your skills as an actor. This can only help you to break into acting.

3. Find an agent or manager, if possible. Send headshots and resumes to legitimate local agencies. They will contact you if they are interested in having you as a client. If so, someone will interview you and you get added to the agency's roster. When an audition comes up, the manager will asses those who are qualified and send them on an audition. Many directors of movies, commercials and TV shows find actors this way.

4. Locate your own auditions. You can do this by searching through your local paper for auditions and listening to the radio for announcements. Search Craigslist for auditions as well and join online forums where others will send you information about local auditions (see Resources below).

5. Try, try and try! This is a very hard business to break into, and you may have hundreds of auditions in a year before landing a part. If you keep trying, something is bound to turn up.

Tips & Warnings

• Always show up to every audition on time or you may not even get a chance to audition.

• Practice as much as you can before an audition and make sure that you know your part.

• Dress the part as much as you can. If you are auditioning for a part as a college student, then do some research if you need to, but show up looking like a college student.

• Join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) as soon as you have a chance. This is an excellent opportunity to network with others in the industry (see Resources below).

• Never quit your day job. It takes years to break into the business, and it never happens for some people. Harrison Ford was a carpenter before he was discovered.

• Never pay money to someone for an audition or to represent you as an agent or manager. Legitimate people in the acting business will not ask you for money or to pay for anything if they want to "make you a star."

Resources

• Screen Actors Guild
• Craigslist