How much does it suck to be an actor?

I agree 100%. I couldn't handle it. I wonder what percent go into acting because they want to get rich and famous and love attention, and what percent do it solely because they like to work at their craft. I assume the percent of the latter is very small, and they don't have to become professional actors to achieve that.

I bet it doesn't suck as much as being a garbage man. I'd trade places for a week and see how it goes.

Tom Hiddleston OWNS this thread!

I resent that, R3.

I really loved Taylor Swift.

Eventually, it drives you to this...

I bet it doesn't suck as much as being a White House toilet. I'd trade places for a week and see how it goes.

I think the people who take up acting for the right reasons--- passion for their art---end up more sane. They can always do local theatre. The ones who do it for fame and attention are the messed up ones.

R7 agreed. When you reach the fuck you level of money and fame and you are a character actor is probably the best place to be.

Someone like Bryan Cranston who has the artistic cred, is happily married and doesn't have to be worried how he looks is lucky.

But he struggled for years to get there too. I feel sorry for guys and girls under thirty. It's truly a cutthroat world. The odds are against you. If you're a true actor you have to look at the world outside of Hollywood.

I thought it said, How much to suck an actor? I think that would be a much better thread.

I'd pay big bucks to suck off Chris Evans.

Plenty of actors approach acting with realistic expectations without collapsing like the OP would.

They work day jobs, they rely on spouses who will subsidize them or they made it rich enough with one show to live in comfort.

If you thought you could make a living off of it without backup plans, you are a fool who shouldn't be doing it. 99% of actors are out-of-work most of the time and only a few make a lifetime, life-sustaining career of it.

I know a lot of actiors and a lot of writers. Novelists are in a lot worse shape than actors.

Actors just have to hang in long enough. Few make anything in their 20s and it is pretty awful, but most actors I know where were able to hang on till their 40s are quite comfortably well off.

It never gets better for the writers.

R3 I OWN THIS THREAD!

The endless, multi-part Datalounge threads that will be written about you if you attain even a modicum of success, oh the horrors!

Carrie Fisher talked a lot about this very thing from witnessing the tumultuous. ride of so many in Hollywood I would have to agree with her that even if one 'makes it' the journey is guaranteed to end in tears and humiliation as one ages and becomes irrelevant.

Watching an aged actor leaf through his/her binders of collected reviews, press photos and other personal memorabilia is fairly stomach churning.

"You have to love acting so much, you'd do it for free." -- advice I overheard from a C level actor on a hit TV series to a new person in Hollywood.

My friend tried and tried and I guess he made a living, sort of, but gave up at age 50 with no savings and no relationship and moved back to him hometown.

a friend from college did try to do it right after college, he had his degree in related field,he appeared in small parts in sit coms but nothing came of it, eventually moved out to some flyover state to teach acting in a university LOL.

^ you're a dick.

r16 & r17 that's depressing.

I've noticed that more and more people trying to break into the business come from rich families and are basically financially supported by their parents, i.e., acting is becoming a career for rich people.

I think James McEvoy wrote an article similar to what I'm saying that acting is becoming a profession only for the elite.

you have to be connected to get anywhere.

One of my friend's friend moved out west over 15yrs ago to try to make it as an actor, he was not good looking, merely average. He had made some money flipping a house or two during the real estate boom years ago. He hasn't made it big yet. Only guest appearances in a few shows, here and there. He also does voice work...But I don't know how much he makes but I don't think it's a lot, he probably has side jobs.

It's tough (understatement) but I love it. I've been on Broadway & TV but there are long stretches of unemployment and disappointment. For most of my career, I'd say that I don't know how to do anything else but now that's untrue. I've taken up magic for birthday parties and I love it. I'm also working on a screenplay and I've always wanted to be a sportswriter. Still, I have a callback for an Off-Broadway show on Wednesday.

The comment about needing to adhere to a standard of perfection, attractiveness, and fitness that is impossible to maintain is right. My brother is an actor, moderately successful in theatre and a few smaller speaking parts in film and TV, which may not sound that glittering, but is counted as success in acting. He is a good actor, and I think would have been happy honing his craft without looking for fame or fortune (much), but he says that you can't even get character parts in the US unless you have great looks and spend every spare moment in the gym honing your 8-pack. Even the guys playing bums and crack addicts have glistening wall-to-wall teeth and washboard stomach muscles. He has spent a ton of money on his teeth and on a chin implant and botox, and he wears a hairpiece in public now. He says the acting bit is getting lost in the cosmetic stuff - it's more like modelling than acting.

What general age range is your brother in, [R22]?

A friend of our family acted a ton in soaps and starring guest spots on TV shows (plus one very short lived series that gets talked about on here all the time), very very pretty. But When things began to dry up around her mid-20s, she became a talent manager, and has been top in her industry for decades at this point. Makes a shit ton of money. I wonder if her parents gave her money to get started in the beginning. They must have.

She was also married to a pretty successful director who would order escorts up to his hotel room when on location. When she found out they divorced.

Anyway point being it behooves aspiring actors to be somewhat smart and have a backup plan. And yesterday family and spouse money helps too.

Bayne Gibby is a somewhat successful character actress that I follow on instagram. She played Gigi—the sole female writer on Room and Bored—on the Comeback, and that's why I love her. On her IG more recently, she posted a vid of her in her car after losing out on an audition/call back where she was 100% SURE she was going to get the job. She goes on and on tearfully, about how it was all going so well, sob, how the part was hers, sob, how did this happen, sob, etc. It's a revealing look at rejection in the moment. The cynic in me also wondered if it was real or if she was 'acting.'

(Tried to link it but couldn't quite get there.)

I know a lot of actors. They get their main industry income from jobs like corporate videos involving role play, commercials, and student films. This allows them to work in the theatre which doesn't pay or is done as a co-operative experience where any profits are shared among the company. The big theatre companies who pay generally use the same circle of people and it's hard to break into that world, unless you have connections.

R2, garbage men in NYC make good money-- plus a pension and potential retirement after 20 years of work-- they are smarter than most of us!!

I work in a theater department in a university and you can pick out the ones who are going to get somewhere. A lot of students fuck around and get by on personality. They are offended at the idea of working for acting. They all fail...or succeed in local theater.

Then there are the ones who are maybe crazy but think of it as a business. They get further often on less talent.

R28 well it is a business. Actors who refuse to admit that are pretentious as fuck.

[R23] He is 33.

The opening when your heart beats like a drum!

The closing when the customers don't come.

My sister was an actress for a few years, but she used marriage and children as a reason to stop doing it. In reality, she was very sensitive and the rejections actors routinely endure were too much for her self-esteem to handle. She would cry, become resentful over the unfairness, and fall into various stages of depression as a result.

Her children are grown now, and she's considering resurrecting her acting career. But she's still very sensitive (and now "old"). If she doesn't get her confidence in check, she's going to fall right back into those depressive moments she used to have. Acting is NOT for the weak of heart.

The op seems to be talking about being a star, not an actor. The other posts here talk more realistically about what it's like to be an actor. Saying you want to be actor along the lines of a Tom Cruise or Jennifer Aniston is the equivalent of saying you are going to win the lottery. The odds are the same. It isn't realistic to bet your future on either happening. If you are just able to support yourself as an actor, that is very respectable. Fame is a whole other sphere.

[quote] rejection, the desperation, the competition, the constant groveling, the job insecurity, the discrimination

This is looking for work and the workforce/workplace in general now

Even when actors have jobs they have to worry about what their next will be.

It's times like these that I wish Lisa Rinna posted on Datalounge.

Oh, the stories she could tell!

A fine French actor I know was invited to LA to audition for a number of shows/films. Within 3 months he was back in Paris suffering from a bit of shell shock.

He said Hollywood was run by gay men who wanted him to fuck his way into the business. He's str8, but not a phobe. I asked him if he couldn't let a few guys blow him to get what he wanted. No. He works regularly in France in theatre and TV. Some film work as well.

The casting coach is very important. The famous quote of Joan Crawford: "It's better than the cold hard floor."

[Quote] The casting coach is very important.

Did you mean couch??

r39, yes. But I wonder how much coach is also pertinent.

R40 Lol

There is also a lot of false encouragement to deal with coming from various motives. Lots of people saying that you'll only fail if you give up, etc. and that helps keep people struggling in the industry far longer than they should.

I think it was from a documentary that someone said, "Show business is the only profession where you can be encouraged all the way to the poor house."

The vast majority of success comes from solid connections, financial support and having the luck to be an in-demand type at the time. And even then, success can be short lived.

It's great! And sometimes I get a really awesome fuck! Just kidding, lol, I'm no actor.

.....theres always porn.

One of my best friend's is an actress- don't want to mention her name, but a gay icon and still working on her 90s. She starred in some 60s movies, but since has been doing TV spots, touring companies, etc. She averages around $250k a year- not bad doing what you love.

You join a disgusting cult that monitors your every move but kisses your ass.

I went to high school with a girl named Nancy Valen who was in the drama club and told everyone she was going to be an actress when she graduated.

She worked for awhile and then married Dick Van Patten's son Nels. At least she was smart enough to marry into money and connections, although I don't think she's acting now.

I think someone like Laurie Metcalf has an ideal acting career. She plays great roles, makes a nice living doing what she loves, but is still able to maintain her privacy and age naturally.

Hell, I'd be thrilled with Eve Plumb's acting career. Consistent work ever since The Brady Bunch, even if many of the roles are small or one-offs. If you really love the craft, the experience of performing is what you're after, not being on the cover of Us Weekly or having 50 million Instagram followers.

I've worked for20+ years in Hollywood mostly in the entertainment marketing world. That said, most of my co-workers are would be actors that came here as young adults, did the auditions, the student movies, the showcases etc. But never made a living as actors and then be default started working in the corporate end of the entertainment industry. Really about 80% of my co-workers came to LA (most with degrees in acting/arts) and now work the corporate end.

My best friend is an agent (also a former actor) and he's stopped taking in clients over the age of 20, it's his personal experience that if you haven't been working as an actor by your early 20's, your chances of making it in Hollywood be it movies, TV, or commercials, your chances of making it big are almost zero. However, he does say that middle-aged character actors will always get work, but since he works on commission, there's really no incentive to represent that type of actor since they make so little.

So currently he's got a dozen of young clients that work steadily in TV and movies and he's hoping that one or more breaks into a big movie franchise or big hit TV show, where the amount of money is insane.

But like many actors, he's got a backup/cushion... a rich, non-actor husband who owns a successful film production house.

There was a girl in my college who was a wonderful stage singer/actress. She was really pretty too but she was so fucking crazy and a hypercondriac. I worked for the director (theather) in college and she got all the lead roles coz her voice was just great. she was in the directors office every single day, just being a nut. Everyday, it's something, she thinks she has this medical condition or that. So insecure and dramatic about everything. "omg, you won't believe this but....", "omg, i gotta tell you what happened to me today...", "omg, i think i'm coming down with something..."

I don't know if she ever tried to make it on broadway but she now works in insurance and on husband number 2.

One of the great mysteries of acting:

TOM HOLLAND.

Not the handsomest, tallest, or most attractive actor in Hollywood.

And yet, here he is... in a blockbuster movie.

All I can assume is that he is one good piece of ass for some creepy casting director.

Yeah, probably. Its good to be the casting director.

This thread illustrates that there are some connected DLers. I wonder if any you ever share any decent gossip here...

[Quote] My best friend is an agent (also a former actor) and he's stopped taking in clients over the age of 20, it's his personal experience that if you haven't been working as an actor by your early 20's, your chances of making it in Hollywood be it movies, TV, or commercials, your chances of making it big are almost zero.

Damn.

Its all about luck and timing...there are plenty of people who decided to start an acting career late in life...30,40, 50, plus.....and succeeded.

Washed up over age 20? Here are a few actors who achieved success over 30: Jon Hamm, James Gandolfini, Samuel Jackson, Gene Hackman, Alan Rickman, Phil Hartman, to name a few.

R56 hmmm....and you list all men.

r56 and none are A listers.

[quote]I went to high school with a girl named Nancy Valen who was in the drama club and told everyone she was going to be an actress when she graduated.

I remember her - she was on some soap years ago (one of the ABC ones?). Think she was also on Baywatch. I only took note of her because I thought she was Latino and was pretending not to be (probably Anglicized her last name). Interesting that she married one of the Van Patten boys.

Acting is akin to prostitution.

You are told what to do with your body, for the pleasure and or entertainment of another, in return for money.

^ Say that to Sally Field and you'll get bitch-slapped.

R56

Your list is not relevant for three reasons: 1, The actors you list built their careers one or more decades ago. They do not reflect the reality of today. 2. With the exception of Phil Hartman and Alan Rickman, all the people you list were working as actors in their early 20s. 3. All the actors you list were working for at least ten years before their careers took off, which supports the idea that one needs to get started in one's twenties if you are going to have a significant career. (There are not a lot of leads for 40-something unknowns.)

Most of the actors I know who are now well-known did not make their name until they were in their 30s....but ALL of them began working professionally in their 20s.

R56 is a good reminder that a lot of people thing famous actors appear out of nowhere, whereas in fact they usually appear out of years of playing smaller parts.

A friend got about 30K a year in residuals from three lines in one superhit movie. Not enough to live off of, but not bad for an investment either.

If you're John Travolta, you suck a lot.

R9, sure.

If you want his herpes.

Who doesn't have herpes in Hollywood?

[Quote][R56] hmmm....and you list all men.

DL favorite Estelle Getty didn't really get a break until she was cast in Torch Song Trilogy, in her 50s.

Watch La La Land. You have to really really want it to persevere.

The attention must be worth even more than the money. Otherwise, those who make it big wouldn't really worry about whether they'll get more roles. How many millions do you need? It is the quest for fame that is insatiable. It must be worth all the hassle.

@R56 R62 R63 -- Hamm and Bruce Willis are often cited as examples of actors who were basically waiting tables until their mid-30s and then became famous. Probably kept a lot of people in the game longer than was reasonable.

My cousin is very good friends (childhood BFFs) with an actor who had decent success in the 90s and 00s, with leading roles in TV shows, enough to get him a fan base and all that. But he's early 50s now and hasn't worked in about 5 years.

According to my cousin, his friend lived relatively frugally and invested well, but never made the millions needed to live comfortably off his investments for the next 30 - 40 years. He is starting to think about getting an actual job but isn't sure what he's qualified to do--my cousin only mentioned it because he wanted to see if my brother or I had any ideas/could help his friend out in any way.

And while corporate layoffs force many formerly comfortable 50somethings to start over again from scratch, none of them are recognizably famous, so they can do what they do in relative obscurity.

So yeah, OP, if you're content doing regional theater and corporate videos and have a spouse with a good-paying job (or a trust fund) it's a fun way to make a living. If you want to be a TV or movie star, it seems like a very tough business

[quote]Most of the actors I know who are now well-known did not make their name until they were in their 30s....but ALL of them began working professionally in their 20s.

There was a famous actor or actress that gave a quote about being referred to as a "newcomer." They stated that newcomer was such a strange term because they'd been acting for years and essentially they were simply new to being noticed.

I started acting years ago in my 20s (although technically I started in college) and now I make a steady living only acting. Recently I've been doing other things related to entertainment since I've managed to pick up a ton of skills over the past decade or so (as well as connections) and it's nice to not have to go through the grind every now and then.

I'm at the point now where randomly people do know who I am and that always freaks me out. I don't do it because I want to be "rich." I do it because I genuinely like performing. In my experience, from looking at all of my classmates from back when I started, that loving it and working hard are the only ways to get anywhere and even then you still need connections.

[quote]I've worked for20+ years in Hollywood mostly in the entertainment marketing world. That said, most of my co-workers are would be actors that came here as young adults, did the auditions, the student movies, the showcases etc.

You nailed it R49. A lot of my friends who were actors, maybe 8 years ago, all went this route in some way, shape or form and I've found myself heading that way too. (I'm getting tired!) It's funny because I remember being super, super young and meeting with and studying with all of these teachers who were once stage actors. My agents were once actors. My manager was once an actor. I never thought I'd be around long enough to consider doing that myself but I guess for many it's the circle of life.

Does being mocked on DL count as a hardship? Or is the goal to be famous enough to get a thread? Same with paparazzi & gossip columns?

Given how obscure many of the actors mentioned on DL are, R73, I suspect being mocked on here is a perk.

You haven't really made it until DL thinks you're gay.

If you don't have an agent, can you still get parts? I mean if you aren't asking for a lot of money and have experience?

Phyllis Smith doesn't have an agent r76, the casting people for "The OA" sought her out.

But things like that are rare.

[quote]If you don't have an agent, can you still get parts? I mean if you aren't asking for a lot of money and have experience?

Yes, R76 and honestly as an actor you should be going on auditions your agent generates and ones that you've gotten on your own (which you then pass back to your agent.) There are quite a few celebrities who appeared in smaller projects because they've heard there was a role they liked and they went out and got it on their own.

However, you can go out and audition and find roles without them. It's just a bit harder because some of these roles (the goods ones) are being cast by companies that have existing relationships with agencies/casting agents so you'd never even know they were up for grabs.

Some casting agencies have connections with agents and ask for certain talent to be sent over but they also have their own database of actors and actresses who may not have agents and they'll contact them too.

An agent would be useless for someone like Phyllis Smith, who is a very specific type and is now well known in the industry for being that type. If producers weren't considering a Phyllis Smith type, no agent could sell them and if they want her type, they can go directly to her.

On that subject, it's another pain; actors who work in casting offices for low/no pay (like how Phyllis started) and can get into auditions over actors who will not get called in.

It does seem as if the really truly great actors don't really start getting noticed until their 30's, 40's, or even 50s. That's when all the little flavors of the month have dried up and gone home. I'd assume there's probably a little less competition. Imagine going in to play one of the teens in a show like Riverdale. I'm sure it's packed and you'll be one out of thousands being considered. As the years go on, I'd think a lot of those people would have packed it in, realized it's not gonna happen, and leave the ones with real talent and passion left.

I think I'd rather be a struggling actor in my 20s who ends up finally getting noticed for their talent in my 30s and working steadily until death than being some hot twink who makes it for 5-10 years and falls off the face of the earth.

I'm friendly with an actor who's a DL favorite -- started off with a bang in H'wood in his early 20s in a few big movies, then the movies kind of fizzled and he co-starred in a successful tv series in the 80s, but when that ended he's spent the rest of his career doing Lifetime movies ... first as the husband who gets shot in the first act, then the father who gets shot in the first act, and now as the grandfather who gets shot in the first act. Still, he's more successful than 95 percent of his peers, he continues to work, and his name is still something of a draw.

But is he happy about it all? Nope.

Unfortunately, only a tiny, tiny fraction of struggling actors in their 20s get noticed in their 30s and work steadily for the rest of their lives. And not one of them gets the chance to choose that over short lived success.

[Quote] some hot twink who makes it for 5-10 years and falls off the face of the earth.

And there's so many of them.

I will never forget . about 15yrs ago. i met a playgirl model who came to los angeles to be Movie Star. as he said. well he was extrem hot. He actually was voted by thousands of women to be the hottest man in playgirl. well a few weeks here he had gone on couple auditions and he said. "I cant believe all the very attractive guys, many look just like me and many are even better looking than me. He did not last long here. most dont. i pulled up his pics the other day on line. still looks good but what is it old queens say? the bloom is off the rose...haa

I have a wonderful old book called "No Pickles, No Performance" by theatrical director Harold J. Kennedy. I've read it several times. The cover blurb reads "From Tallulah to Travolta . . . Absolutely the funniest, gossipiest, warmest, wickedest, and lovingest book ever written about the American stage." My favorite part is when he writes about Tallulah Bankhead holding court naked on her bed, legs spread and smoking, chatting up her loyal friends. If you like entertaining behind the scenes stories about actors and the theater you'll love this book.

I knew a guy who got a degree in theater and did a lot of local work. He absolutely loved it but he got tired of living in a meth lab motel (that's all he could afford on those wages) so he gave it up in his mid-30's and now works for a medical supply company.

You could tell he was sad about giving up his dreams but he was fed up with starving.

I studied acting as a teen after high school, and struggled forever. I had no idea what exactly to DO to get to the next rung and didn't see doing endless free theater gigs as any sort of fun. I mostly jacked around but got a few tiny gigs here and there.

I decided I really wanted to TALK for a living and worked at voiceover with everything I had, as a rank newcomer and already in my late 30s. I just wouldn't quit. By approaching it purely as a business and with a 'now or never" attitude it was very different from my earlier pursuits. I now support myself as a voiceover artist 100% and have for a few years. I've done a slew of on-camera commercials and finally audition for tv shows pretty regularly. I actually feel as if I have a professional skill, am treated very nicely and love the work. More "real acting" comes my way now and I can afford to take a small union paycheck gig if offered. It seems getting older and wiser was the only way I could do it. I give all the credit in the world for those who manage all of this in their 20s.

When you are young you can put up with alot, for the sake of the promise of the gold to come. but as you get older mid to late 20s, you have to re organize and see it things are working. some dont and are old waiters that used to be actors.

#87, interesting! Good for you for hanging in there.

More! I am enjoying reading these real life experiences.

[quote]The casting coach is very important. The famous quote of Joan Crawford: "It's better than the cold hard floor."

The interview is pretty much scrubbed from the internet, but I found it very enlightening when Aaron Paul of "Breaking Bad" fame was commenting on the casting couch, he found it the most surprising and worst part of the industry. A very honest admission, and then one that was quickly hushed up.

I recommend checking out any productions shooting locally in you're interested in acting and in a smaller market. My mom made decent money in the midwest after she had three kids. There just weren't many "mom" types available and interested. She ended up booking commercials without even pursuing them, even voice over work, joined the union, health/dental insurance for the whole family.

Who is the big old flamer casting coach in west hollywood? he has the hottest guys in his classes but the guy is just on fire flamer

R87, I almost posted a thread asking about voice over work.

Is it hard to get? It seems like they hire mostly big name stars with familiar voices.

Also, is the money good?

I've always wanted to do that, especially since I'm camera shy, but I wouldn't mind at all being the voice behind a cartoon character.

How would I go about finding work in this field?

An agent can only do so much for you. Look at the agent Sydney Pollack played in Tootsie. He told Michael Dorsey he "fielded offers" but it was Michael who got himself the Tootsie job. His agent just did the contracts.

I started acting in my early 40s. I had done technical theater for years. I'm having a ball doing community theater and local commercials for fun and the occasional paycheck but I'm not about to give up my day job as a physician.

Hi humblebragger, R96!

i think sometimes being a waiter (esp if in a top resto) or bartender (esp in a hotel as a union worker) makes more money than an average actor.

R85, are you Bennett Books or Snow Discount?

R 64, Hate to break it to you, but a lot of people working full-time jobs live off 30k a year.

Another thing that sucks: once you've hit a small degree of fame, it's hard to go back to doing smaller gigs. So if you were a lead in a TV series, it's tough/impossible to go back to doing Guy-In-Elevator type jobs, even if you desperately need the money.

One thing I've learned from DL is that is sucks to be a not-very-famous actor with an insane fan base. Current DL obsessions Ben Barnes and Colton Hayes aren't famous enough to have an army of PR people to protect them from fans and they are very far from household names, yet they have to deal with multiple stalkers and obsessives.

I did a bit of acting on the side and was in a few pilots that went nowhere and some stage performances that were well reviewed. The hardest thing for me as the amount of bullshit you had to deal with. So many people in the industry blatantly lie to your face. Yes, we like you! What a great script! We want to manage you! It got to the point I didn't anything that anyone said and I would never even bother to get my hopes up. I was lucky in that I studied to be a graphic designer at the same time so I could make money and have some sort of creative career.

The final straw came when I project I had been involved with for a few years was canned because the producer got divorced and and his new girlfriend didn't like it. That was it for me.

As if acting isn't a tough enough business the gay actor has the added BS of fearing being outted.

Lisa Picard is Famous is a good movie about the vagaries of acting. A black comedy that would appeal to a lot of DLers.

r103, please provide recent examples of gay actors whose careers have been harmed from being outed.

r105 I didn't say it was rational, just that its a fact. You must be aware that many actors In Hollywood are gay and in faux marriages. The lavender marriage still thrives.

R94, you should post one - there are some of us here. I'm not the person you asked but I can answer that.

[quote]Is it hard to get? It seems like they hire mostly big name stars with familiar voices.

There are all kinds of voice over gigs for all kinds of voices. You have to start thinking smaller from internet commercials to internal voices for companies. Text books with accompanying narration have voice over actors that do them. Have you ever taken a test at the DMV etc? One that's guided by a voice? A voice actor did that. It's true a lot of the high profile gigs in animation are now going to already well known celebs. That trend has picked up a lot over the past decade or so. There are all kinds of avenues for doing voice over.

Yes it is competitive because it doesn't rely on your looks. Also if you have a home studio you don't need to even leave your home. As a matter it's becoming, if it's not already, required to voice act to have one. That's if you want to work regularly.

[quote]Also, is the money good?

There's union and non union work. Union work has a set pay rate minimum per hour around a couple of hundred bucks per hour depending on who you're working with and what kind of a contract they have with the SAG/AFTRA (but it only varies by a few bucks). The maximum can be huge depending on what it is you're doing, who you're doing it for, how long will it air, how will it air, where will it air etc. Or some companies will try and do a buyout. I said a single sentence once and made a few grand but that thing was airing everywhere for months and then was renewed for another cycle.

Non union work can run the gamut in terms of pay rate.

[quote]I've always wanted to do that, especially since I'm camera shy, but I wouldn't mind at all being the voice behind a cartoon character.

Start by taking acting classes. Voice Acting is Acting. Then try and train with a voice over coach who you trust who will not only help you hone your skill but will help you produce a demo. Technically you should have three different demos. Broadcast (commercial), Promo and Narration but you only need one to start.

While VOs don't need headshots they do need demos and those cost money. If you want to build your own home studio that will cost money. There is money involved.

[quote]How would I go about finding work in this field?

For VO you may book things through an agent but otherwise for steady consistent work it's 100% about marketing yourself.

What a helpful post, R107.

[Quote] but I found it very enlightening when Aaron Paul of "Breaking Bad" fame was commenting on the casting couch, he found it the most surprising and worst part of the industry.

Aaron sounds naive.

[Quote] please provide recent examples of gay actors whose careers have been harmed from being outed.

Lol

My cousin took acting classes from Julia Roberts' mom in Georgia then moved out to L.A. 20 years ago to become a star. It never amounted to anything (I heard he was in a commercial once but I never saw it) and he ended up in the business end of the industry, like someone upthread said is common, working in music licensing or something. He's in his late 40s now. He'd probably get work now as an actor, or at least an extra, if he moved back to Atlanta where there is so much filming going on.

I think the question would be "How much dick do you have to suck to become an actor?"

R111 What is the answer?

[quote] How much dick do you have to suck to become an actor?

[quote] What is the answer?

Ask Jennifer Lawrence.

or ask Olivia Munn, or whatever that whore's name is. She would show up on movie sets and try to fuck the directors for parts, just ask Brett Ratner.

Did any backstory come out about who took those pictures of Jennifer Lawrence? I figured someone would match the office walls and furniture she's bent over.

R87, when you say you support yourself fully doing voiceover work- how much do you make per year (approximately)... thanks.

R81. thanks for sharing. I would watch lifetime cause the guys were always so very hot. I always wondered what happened to them. I mean in their early 20s, i am sure they are full of positive thoughts of being a tom cruise or big star, then as they get close to 30 they start telling the story of harrison ford. but by mid to late 30s, they have to realize its not going to happen. that i am sure is very scary. i had a guy rent apartment from me 20 plus years ago. he was very hot. in hollywood, i figured he would become big star. because he was so attractive . but he did not. i googled him he is now a therapist in santa monica. I wonder why scott eastwood is not a huge star? horrible actor but so goodlooking, and we know its not about talent. he must not be putting out for the right people

Scott Eastwood is a strange case. He had a barely there role in Suicide Squad. I would have thought that he would have been offered a bigger superhero role by now. Maybe there are bigger plans for him. He's going to age out pretty soon

yes, he looks just like the dad. maybe the huge ego of the father will only allow for small parts for the son and once dad kicks it, his career will take off? The BMW commerical is really tacky, .. he is very hot not a good actor, but many have made it on looks alone. i guess he cant really take the route his dad did and screw and old ugly jewish director cause of how famous his dad is. but his mom is the stewardes clint screwed many years ago

Basically it's not only actors...it's anyone in the arts. Making it is very difficult. Lots of rejection for every one 'yes.' This is true of musicians, dancers, artists, writers as well as actors, etc.

Oh please, r51....

Tom Holland had a starring role in the West End when he was 12, and got Oscar buzz for his film debut at 15.

It sucks until the paycheck clears.

Anybody know what the difference is between Showfax and Sidesexpress? And why do some roles not show up on either?

All the ass-kissing. All the endless promotion. Everything you say and do put under a microscope. It sounds like a living hell.

In case you missed the DISCO VERSION ...

Carrie Fisher was an addict who liked to make excuses for herself, r14. She died because of it. She was brilliant and I love her. But like a lot of brilliant people, she used her mind to rationalize bad habits and attitudes.

And most actors don't "leaf through his/her binders of collected reviews, press photos and other personal memorabilia."

r19 is probably referencing one of the many British media reports on working class actor struggles, which always cite James MacAvoy as a success story.

I read one on Datalounge.

Most of the things people think of as perks of being a Hollywood star sound awful to me (other than the paychecks). Having to attend industry parties and premieres, being interviewed, having people recognize you wherever you go and be all up in your business. That's before you get to the obvious downsides like prevalence of drugs, crazy stalker fans, the struggle to remain relevant, etc.

I do know people who act and enjoy it, but it's more like a dedicated hobby (and strictly on the local level) rather than a career.

Speaking of Dick Van Patten's sons, r47, I just watched Vincent Van Patten in HELL NIGHT.

He was a hot piece of ass!!!

Good insights, OP. I just finished the latest season of Barry and found its unconventional angle quite interesting. The acting storyline involves much of what you describe and is not glamorous as acting is usually portrayed. I think it would be hell.

I guess you have to have a screw loose to stand it - and apparently most actors are nutty to a degree.

If this article is at all accurate, it sucks hard.

Tom Holland is INDEED hot, r51, especially his body.

And Peter Parker is a nerd who's supposed to be a social outcast. Holland embodies that Hollywood picture of "ugly-hot" or "off-hot."

Thanks for chiming in, Milo/ Vladimir / Mr. President / Shirley Phelps-Roper @ r60.

I work with actors, some obscure, some well-known. None are "happy" with their career but none show any intention of looking for work elsewhere. "What would they say about me if they found me working at Trader Joe's?" seems to be the nightmare that haunts once-but-no-longer-employed actors in desperate need for income. Once you're in the biz, unless you retire at the height of your career like Garbo, you're stuck. If you stay, the work generally goes away as you age. If you go, you're a loser. Wanna be in pictures?

So what you're saying, r110, is that your cousin and other wannabes should actually WANT to take that Midnight Train to Georgia?

It can be very demoralizing for new arrivals into Los Angeles OP. Not for me since I grew up in L.A. I met wonderful people, and slept with beautiful men.

It wasn't for me though, I quickly learned that if you were Latino your options would always be limited. White and Black actors are the only ones that get opportunities. And many East coast directors that are not used to seeing Latinos as the top minority will actually call of a casting call if too many Latinos show up. This happen to me twice in the early 00s. I hope it is different now.

call off* happened*

Sorry to hear that, r139.

Here's another halfway decent movie with some interesting insights into wannabe actors fresh off-the-bus.

[Quote] And many East coast directors that are not used to seeing Latinos as the top minority will actually call of a casting call if too many Latinos show up. This happen to me twice in the early 00s. I hope it is different now.

Yikes 😧

I heard actors and actresses have to pay their agent 10% of their salary.

R144 only 10% ?

I think a certain amount of narcissism is required to be and stay a Hollywood actor, which is why the pursuit drives people crazy. Nothing like the humbling of endless rejection, flop projects, competition with endless parades of better looking people and PR disasters to drive you to drink.

It sucks. Believe me. It SUCKS. S. U. C. K. S.