One of the most often asked questions I get on a weekly basis is how do you become an actor without much experience? Many aspiring actors who are just starting out in show business are unsure how to acquire acting jobs when they don’t have anything on their acting resume.
I can understand how this catch-22 position might be perplexing to many, especially those who have just graduated from theater colleges or who have entered the field without professional training. I’ve been there before, as had everyone else. Each and every actor.
First, the good news: you CAN become an actor with no prior experience. Everyone has to start somewhere. The trick is to actually take action and accomplish something in order to get that experience, and there are a few things you can do right now that we’ll discuss below.
“You don’t have to be great to begin, but you must begin to be great.” Zig Ziglar is an American businessman and philanthropist.
There are several methods to becoming an actor with no experience, as well as when and where to begin your acting career. Many of these questions have previously been partly addressed in the Acting for Beginners Guide and other articles on our blog.
How Do You Become an Actor? 8 Simple Guidelines
When you’ve chosen to pursue a career in acting, you’ll need a clear plan of action for how to become an actor with no experience. Planning is essential, as we discussed starting an acting career post. Your major aim will be to add skills, experience, and training to your acting résumé.
There are several paths for novice aspiring actors to pursue in order to progress their careers, and they are all interconnected. Some of these include hunting for work, while others are just beneficial to your acting career and will lead to you discovering and scheduling more auditions.
So let’s get started. Here are seven guidelines for becoming an actor with little experience in the most effective manner imaginable.
1. Do not make an immediate move.
While bigger cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago may provide more chances, they also house a larger number of actors. Because these areas are highly competitive, it may be advantageous to begin your career in a smaller city and gain more experience before relocating.
However, if you are not in one of the larger cities, such as London, Los Angeles, or New York City, you need not be concerned. As an aspiring actor just starting out, your area is likely to have a plethora of small-time plays that are absolutely fantastic for gaining experience, since such gigs are easy to obtain.
Big cities are not only highly competitive, but also very costly. So, if you reside in a small town and want to become an actor with no experience, concentrate on saving money, learning about the profession, and researching local opportunities.
If you want to be an actor, don’t go to a major city right away. You must determine if this is only an impulsive choice, or if you really appreciate the craft and will be able to do it for a long time. Try to capture as much of the less-competitive market in your tiny town as possible, and begin constructing your acting résumé.
2. Take a professional headshot
Typically, directors begin auditions by requesting a headshot along with your résumé. Physical appearance is essential in a visual career, such as acting, where television and movies are the key media. You may ask a friend who is an amateur photographer to assist you with this assignment to save money, but most professional headshot photographers should be able to work with you for a reasonable charge.
3. Read and study
First and foremost, you must get acquainted with the industry. Understand the ins and outs of this industry, how it operates, and who is involved. Reading books on the acting industry, marketing, talent agents, and so on will offer you confidence and an idea of where you want to go and how you’ll get there.
Depending on where you start your acting career, your booking process that you do well may vary slightly. Once you understand the complexities of this industry, it will be much simpler to build your own unique plan of action, rather than depending on broad guidance from websites such as this one and many others.
Not only that, but reading a lot can help any actor’s skills. To learn the idea underlying genuine acting, read literature on acting technique. Remember to read the most important plays as well. However, don’t depend only on books to study acting; they can’t teach you everything. In any case, you’ll need to attend acting courses or apply to a theater school.
When it comes to figuring out how to become an actor with no experience, self-education is invaluable. In addition to learning about the profession and business, reading a lot will boost your creativity (top creativity books) and broaden your horizons (best books for imagination).
Related: This is Fate Zee world Cast, Story Line, Teasers
4. Attend auditions and casting calls
The acting profession is a competitive one. Attending auditions and casting calls increases your chances of performing for local directors and decision-makers. This will most likely boost your chances of landing a job, and will assist you in developing your confidence as an actor. Remember the old adage that acting is a marathon, not a sprint? This couldn’t be more accurate. Anyone who jumps into this vocation will shortly burn out. It’s not a smart way to do business.
An acting career is like a marathon. It is not a race.
Unless you reside in a town like Manningtree, UK, which has a population of 700 people, or Whittier, Alaska, which has a population of 217 people, your city is likely to offer some opportunity for you to act. If you want to know how to become an actor with little experience, here is the way to accomplish it quickly — in a less competitive market.
So, what possibilities do you have? Anything, really; anything that allows you to act. At this stage, you should begin acting as much as possible, whenever and wherever you can. Community theater, drama organizations, amateur acting workshops, student films, and so forth are all possibilities.
If you’re fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to already reside in a larger city, there will be a lot more going on, but it will also be more competitive. Nonetheless, aggressively seek out employment, audition, and do anything you can to get up and perform. As soon as you can afford it, enroll in a local acting class or workshop.
The idea is to begin constructing that resume in any manner feasible. Put anything you want on it. Take on every assignment that comes your way. Take the initiative!
5. Become used to rejection
Rejection is a part of the job. In fact, it plays a significant role. Many aspiring artists might not anticipate this turn of events when they decide to pursue careers as actors, singers, dancers, or other types of entertainers in this very competitive industry. Unfortunately, that is the reality of show business – everyone is turned down.
Unlike in other fields, you must realize that rejection (with a capital “R”) is entirely natural. It’s not personal, and there’s no need to take it personally. It does not necessarily imply that you are a lousy actor or that you have done anything incorrectly.
Assume you’re casting a project. You only have one role, and 100 actors show up to audition for it. Fifty of them were excellent. Are you able to recruit all 50? You can not do so. You must choose one, which is a difficult choice to make as a casting director. Nobody wants you to fail, yet owing to the nature of this company, you will be rejected often.
“For every successful actor or actress, there are many more who do not. Rejection is the name of the game. When you go to an audition, you’re told you’re too tall, too Irish, or your nose isn’t quite right. You are rejected for your schooling, for this or that, and it is quite difficult. Liam Neeson is a well-known actor who has appeared in a number of films.
What exactly am I trying to say? The point is to purposefully put yourself in a position to be rejected as soon as possible. Get used to being rejected. Trust me when I say that if there is one “ability” that actors must have, it is this one. It won’t be simple, but it will save you a lot of internal struggles and keep you on track.
“Actors look for rejection. They reject themselves if they don’t get it. ” — Chaplin, Charlie
Don’t go out there hoping to win at this point. Get out there and FAIL. Do your best, explore, play, and have fun with it. As an actor, you can never attempt to escape failure.
6. Create a resume
Begin compiling your resume while you seek schooling, and obtain relevant acting experience so that you will be ready to apply for acting employment. Resumes that incorporate both acting and non-acting experience, such as writing and directing, can help you stand out to casting directors.
Also Read: This is Fate Zee world Cast, Story Line, Teasers
7. Begin working on your marketing strategy.
If you have no acting experience and follow the recommendations above, it is unlikely that you will spend too much of your time on recording projects day in and day out. As a result, you’ll undoubtedly have some additional time on your hands, which you might put to good use by advancing your acting career.
My advice is to start working on your own marketing and branding. It won’t help you much right now, but if you start early, after you have that acting experience, you’ll be ahead of many other actors who are just catching up with their actor marketing objectives.
So, what can you do to begin creating a brand for yourself? There are various things, and they are all quite simple to perform and understand, especially because they are all centered online. Here’s what you should concentrate on:
- Create your own personal acting website (or hire someone to build it for you, although it’s not worth the money).
- Create social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and any other platforms are available.
- Participate on social media and on your website. Share your knowledge and interact with others.
- Make online contacts with other actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, and industry professionals.
In addition to doing all of this online, you may begin to network a bit. Even if you reside in a tiny town with no film or theater activity, there are most likely other aspiring actors, directors, and producers doing the same thing. Find them, communicate with them, and maybe start collaborating on something.
You may also locate specialists in the sector who are already working if you look hard enough. Getting to know these folks is more difficult, especially if you’re still trying to figure out how to become an actor with no experience, but if you can attract their attention, attempt to use or store those connections for later.
In our free eBook, we discussed networking and how many industry professionals like talking about business and offering advice. Take advantage of this.
Also Read: How Do You Break Into Voice Acting? Here’s How Kelly Marie Tran Did It
8 Finally, be persistent and patient.
To be honest, the six steps listed above should be enough to get you started on the road of how to become an actor with no experience and alter your situation as quickly as possible. If you follow my recommendations above, you’ll be a year ahead of the competition. The majority of actors have given up on their acting careers as a result of that career.
Finding any form of experience, selling yourself, creating your site and network, and being comfortable with rejection will most likely take you a year or two. Yes, it’s a long time, but remember that being an actor is a marathon, not a sprint. Take pleasure in the process and gaze far into the future.
The main thing to remember is that you finally have or will soon have a firm understanding of how show business works, what the performing profession is all about, and that you are completely serious about achieving this. You’ll feel like you’re laying the groundwork, creating acting habits, and preparing for a big step.
So please be patient. It is critical because you will not – repeat, you will NOT – notice any effects at first. Learning how to become an actor without prior experience is not difficult, but it does need some work. It will also need a significant commitment in terms of time, hard effort, and possibly money, with no immediate payoff.
But if you stay with it, you’ll see how gradually the fruits of your previous labor begin to trickle down, and you’ll exclaim, “ooooh, I understand it now!”
This is all you need to know about how to become an actor without any prior experience:
- Study and read a lot.
- Hone your talents and learn to enjoy your job.
- Look for any local possibilities.
- Take things slowly and don’t hurry into anything.
- Market yourself and network in order to continue to grow as a person and an actor.
- Continue to be patient and consistent.
If you have any additional thoughts or questions on how to become an actor with no experience, please leave them in the comments below, and we’ll see what more we can discuss.
