The dream of stardom

So much of it is luck and connections (nepotism).

But actual stardom is such a calculated thing. You really need a team around you to make that happen.

OP well, this is a sad but interesting subject.

ITA going to auditions without a call back is soul-destroying, I imagine.

I never had the balls to really go for it. I took the classes in LA -- scene study, improv -- and I got the head shots. it's a cold, cold world out there.

Been lucky enough to do extra work and so I've been as close as you can get to having lines without having lines.

I think what's different today is that actors have more control; they can create their own content, CAST THEMSELVES in the roles and then put their stuff out there.

They can be seen by more people and make their own content.

It think that's something a lot of people would have liked to have done back in the day.

You have to be ruthless...pathological.

I think "dreams of stardom" is an outsider view. Most actors are just glad if they are making a living.

Stardom ain't what it used to be.

Isn’t this what we’re living? The age of nobodies achieving acclaim?

Lack of talent means nothing when you have Instagram and this thighs

R5 thic

[quote]Isn’t this what we’re living? The age of nobodies achieving acclaim?

Stars are old hat. INFLUENCERS are the new new!

[quote]Stardom ain't what it used to be.

You said a mouthful!

You will have to sell your hole to some old jewish

[quote]Stardom ain't what it used to be.

Given Scarlett Johansson was paid $20m upfront to feature in a crap kiddie movie, and after suing, has allegedly been given a payoff of $40m, one could argue, it's infinitely MORE than it used to be!

I met an aspiring actress archetype once. Pretty blonde, skinny/big boobs, very Midwestern Homecoming Queen. This was 20 years ago. She was back in the Midwest visiting her family and joined her sister at a happy hour where I met her. The sister was bragging about how actress had worked on a few horror films. Actress was really quite sweet, but also had this aura that made me think the poor dear spent a lot of time sucking dick and being treated like trash.

R11 - Those millions should have gone to BIPOC trans.

Hollywood is literal violence.

I forgot to add, all that said, I would have trouble IDing Scarlett Johansson in a line up. Blond, pudding face, red lips: throw a rock, hit a dozen.

I used to be good friends with Larry Miller and Jerry Seinfeld when I lived in New York after college. Larry was and is far more talented than Seinfeld.

It's the folly of seeking stardom instead of wanting to act. Maybe you're safer if you pursue one but not the other?

His eyes look like two burnt holes in a bed pan...poor thing.

Rami has a twin brother who is a middle school teacher. Such different paths.

I'd much rather be with an interesting looking guy like Rami than a cookie-cutter pretty boy.

But that's just me.

Those who pursue acting with the primary motivation of becoming rich and famous are likely to be very disappointed -- stardom is a very specific thing that takes a lot of people to make happen, and is so dependent on luck and timing.

If you act because you love it and don't have the expectation of becoming a star, or even of being able to support yourself as a full time actor, the realities of the industry don't have to be so crushing. You come to view the audition as an opportunity to act, which is creatively satisfying, and understand that most of the time you're not going to hear anything back. Learning not to personalize the rejection is key--it is not a rejection of you as a person, but of your for that one particular opportunity, and it may have come down to something as trivial as hair color.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from an actress -- "Hearing the word 'no' just means you're trying, and you should be proud of yourself for that."

It seems working on an a long-running ensemble tv show might be a good gig. But then I guess people in ensembles start vying for position, etc

Something like Robert Sean Leonard on “House”

But I wouldn’t want to bee “famous.” I really like my anonymity.

I love this topic! In high school I knew a couple girls who thought they’d be famous actresses. They were all such ugly ducks with no charisma or talent that it was impressive they’d ever believe they could be working actors, much less stars. One of these girls thought she was going to get into Juilliard and did an audition, which was hilarious. Another one from my high school moved to LA with her friend and appears to live in a shitty apartment still, 8 years after graduation, going for auditions. Total delulu.

I’ve also met a lot of people in LA who are aspiring actors. They’re also pretty funny. They all religiously talk about how Brad Pitt became a star through doing background work on Central Casting jobs. They really think it’ll happen to them too even though they look like shit. Apparently acting well and coming off naturally is hard to do if all of the absolutely terrible performances I’ve seen by aspiring actors is anything to go by.

I agree that a person needs to be ruthlessly motivated to a pathological degree in cases wherein they don’t have family or industry connections. I like to read celeb Wikipedia pages and it’s really common for a lot of popular actors to have rich parents or parents who were unsuccessful actors themselves. Like, I recently have been watching a bunch of Tom Hardy films and I read up on how his parents are both creatives who make a living doing their craft. It helps to plant a seed when a person is young and then be able to pay for them to go to whatever expensive acting program they want to take and not have to work.

A lot of people pursue stardom to make up for a lack in their lives.

These days I assume, perhaps unfairly, that all stars had to do bad things to get there.

I can't give identifying details but an old friend is extremely successful. Got breaks through marriage and inlaws, thrived through talent and wears it well. I don't begrudge.

WEHT to Johnathon Schaech. In 2018 he claimed Zefferelli sexually molested him.

[quote]moved to LA with her friend and appears to live in a shitty apartment still, 8 years after graduation, going for auditions.

That's The Day Of The Locust right there! I wonder how many thousands there are like that.

YouTube and TikTok “stardom” seem relative easy to achieve.

[quote]WEHT to Johnathon Schaech. In 2018 he claimed Zefferelli sexually molested him.

Still getting roles. As a jobbing actor.

If only he'd found someone in his youth to nurture his talent.

Nepotism and connections are completely different things, and nepotism is something that applies to public office only. No once cares, or should care that a father helps their kid, etc, this is ludicrous and only bitter queens with severe mental health issues due to abuse of their own parents care about this.

Healthy people wouldn't think twice to help the children they love to succeed. You're just bitter that someone has loving parents and you don't. Sad, but true.

A family friend has made it to about the D-level in Hollywood and seems to have hit the ceiling between potential and actual fame as an actor. He had no industry connections but was the most “all-American hunk” of all the kids I knew growing up. Those great looks helped him jump-start a career and at first he was getting small speaking parts on high-quality shows. Time went by and he was aging a little: into his mid-thirties. He began getting medium-sized parts on lower-quality shows. Time kept going by. I haven’t heard of him getting a good role in a while now. I think unless he gets a late-career break like Jon Hamm in Mad Men, he might have to find a different field. I’m not sure he has the acting talent that character actors develop. But his family is wonderful (and he is a good, solid, well-educated person) so I’m sure he will emerge with his ego dinged-up but still okay.

R31 - That's the kind of guy who would've ended up flashing his ass on Skinemax.

R30's post was brought to you by The Anti-Defamation League.

R32 I don’t think he has that desperation for attention or money (partly thanks to his family). That actually may be one reason why he never makes it big.

[quote] but was the most “all-American hunk” of all the kids I knew growing up.

This is why Hollywood needs more Henry Wilson type agents that can push such square jawed hunks to stardom for a suck off. The system is broken! Otherwise why would Timotheé be thrust upon us!

Here is the thing about acting, it's all about making the right connection to get the right agent. Talent is subjective. The old studio system has been replaced by the big agencies in town. If you're in with the right agency, your career is set. Simple as that.

However, before you get to the good agencies, you have to put in your time with shit agencies. They'll get you parts, soap work, Hallmark Xmas movies, The CW, Basic Cable, but you have to find a way to stand out which will get you notice from someone who can really move your career forward. This is where building a social media brand comes in and helps.

The people who move to LA are the gorgeous kids. The serious actors, the drama club kids move to NYC to get on the stage.

That's not what Hollywood produces. It dabbles in art. The rest is mass merchandising, which requires a regular supply of fresh pretty. None of the big actors from overseas who so many of you resent at awards season could have emerged in LA. Eddie Redmayne, Olivia Colman... the list goes on.

Who are the U.S.'s talents without particular conventionally good looks? You got Streep, Glenn Close playing real life Jan Brady. Spacey before he imploded. I'm stumped.

I never went into acting with the hope of becoming famous so I’m not disappointed that after 40 years it’s never happened and it never will. I make a living. I audition. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don’t. Never take it personally. It’s rough but better than sitting behind a desk all day.

R30 - Well, part of it, no. Lots of companies nowadays will absolutely not let family members work together, unless they are in, for example, different parts of the country and and significant separation of duties.

On the main thought, because of my work I've gotten to know a lot of A thru Z list folks (including a string of the old classic people), and the single most important factor is being in the right place at the right time, which could also mean meeting the right people at the right time.

As to the guy at the top of this thread as a Bond character, holy shit, both of my grandmothers were scarier than that schlub. They'ed both kick his ass around the block. Who the fuck hired him?

I had a good friend who had a Maureen Prescott kind of experience. Moved to LA from Des Moines. Beautiful, sweet, bright-eyed girl. Initially shunned the casting couch but as time went on with no prospects, she ended up sleeping with some producers and directors, none of whose promises ever came to be. She eventually moved back home, bitter and disappointed her career didn't take off and hating herself for giving into those men. She took to booze and pills and is now paralyzed due to a suicide attempt.

Broadway doesn't.... never mind.

R38 Did it ever bother you when established stars get EVERYTHING – every commercial, every voiceover, every guest-hosting gig? I think that would chap my ass if I were a competent working actor.

Every actor's career is different. Some get the first gig they audition for fresh off the bus from Idaho and some toil in crappy children's theatre or regional theatre until they're 47 and suddenly get some great role in an indie movie that becomes a festival darling and they find themselves getting bigger opportunities. The truth is - if you're acting and getting paid even 10 bucks to do so, you're doing better than a lot of other people out there who want to be where you are. You have to love it so much that you'd do it for free and, starting out, you'll be doing a lot of it for free.

The only thing nepotism does is help you skip some steps, but it can't teach you how to act.

I couldn't have said it better myself, r44.

[quote]Who are the U.S.'s talents without particular conventionally good looks?

Well the person in the photo for one. And I'm not sure how helpful even top agents are. He said in an interview recently the first he heard about the Bond role was a someone on Barbara Brocolli's team he met at a Boh Rap screening who told him his agent hadn't been returning their calls! (His followup call to the agent would have been an interesting conversation!!!) And he got the Boh Rap role because the producer saw him in Mr Robot. And he scored Robot because Sam Esmail's wife saw him in The Pacific. So that's 3 major roles his fancy dancy agent didn't score for him, and only had to negotiate the fee. If I was him, I'd be wanting a reduction on their fees. But the moral is, however good the agent, they're only a part of the story, and often not the most important part!

I have two friends in LA who have made many millions of dollars from their acting careers. They're a (straight) married couple, you have seen them many times, each has maybe 80-90 credits in their IMDB pages. Each was once the star of a tv series that didn't quite make it.

Yet almost no one would recognize their names. And when we go out for dinner, no one ever recognizes their faces. You can't say they're not successful -- they have done extremely well. But only the very, very top stars end up at that Brad Pitt/Meryl Streep place. Hollywood is filled with not just people who didn't make it at all, but people who did quite well but no one cares.

I know this post is about actors, but it's also writers, directors and producers who come to L.A. with big dreams. Chasing a career in Entertainment is exhausting, unfulfilling, mentally challenging, and the burnout rate is really high. If you accomplish something, you realize you have do it all over again, which is a daunting prospect.

I was in it for over 20 years, and saw so many people throw in the towel and just disappear. (Myself included) Most of them realized it just wasn't worth the sacrifice. Marriage, kids, stability, etc. The truly horrible side is hearing about the suicides. So many damaged people are drawn to that business because they have a void to fill and when it doesn't "happen" for them, they choose to end it all.

I know one actor, who I knew in college, who is successful, but I wouldn't call him a "household name", but the business would consider him extremely successful. He's the only one out of maybe 50 actors I have known over the years.

What do you think of Shawn Farash? Very character actor re looks and politically the opposite of DL but supposedly he was offered a gig on Saturday Night Live after acquiring a pro-Trump audience on Social Media.

He does have good comedic timing.

Some celebrity once said that connections open doors but you have to walk through those doors on your own.

If you're going into the business to become a star and make billions of dollars, I can't see how most won't end up disappointed. There are about 20 or 30 people who are at that level these days. The star system isn't even a proven form of generating box office like it once was. I've known many actors who have made respectable careers just touring in regional theatre. You'd never know their names, but they do quality work and get paid for it, so that's better than a lot of other actors.

I did a few days of extra work in a few big Hollywood movies and the most deluded people in the business are these professional extras who really believe their big break is coming soon. They'll brag about having worked with this big name star or that hot shot director. Meanwhile, they can't even look in the right direction during a crowd scene.

The tough part is having to start over every time. It's great getting a job, but you know it's not going to last forever and, once it's done, you're out pounding the pavement again. It's a strange way to live your life. Even people who have just won Oscars or Tonys talk about how those awards still don't get them in as many doors as they thought they would.

I guess being pro-Trump is one way to make it with limited talent, because it’s a much smaller pool of competitors. How gross, though.

[quote]but supposedly he was offered a gig on Saturday Night Live after acquiring a pro-Trump audience on Social Media.

I call BS. SNL knows they're in enough trouble without hiring morons.

His Trump impression is the best. Alec Baldwin’s always sucked.

R22 I know a couple guys with D list careers. I have to give them credit for still pitching, but they have the advantage of rich parents.

R55 Did someone say D list career and rich parents? David Wain owns this thread. Of course with his dad’s money he can afford it.

Almost every unemployed actor I knew, came from a wealthy family, so they didn't need to get real jobs. It's hard to be friends with people like that, when you're struggling to pay your bills, and they don't have a care in the world.

Wasn't Billy Campbell, who was a hot number back in the day, supposed to be from the Champion spark plug fortune? He's still jogging along in minor roles, and appears to have lived relatively modestly. And unmarried. Billy, why honey?

[quote]I know this post is about actors, but it's also writers, directors and producers who come to L.A. with big dreams.

You have to pretty much be willing to sell a kidney to get a writing gig. It's tough as fuck to get a break.

Those who don't need the gig for the money will always have a definite advantage over those who do.

Casting directors will tell you that everyone in the industry "loves the smell of money." Poor actors remind them of their own "salad days" and will complain when productions are delayed and thus their paychecks.

Of course some aspiring actors go over the top with outrageous gifts for casting people. Back in the day one actor sent out his headshot done in solid chocolate.

Omg R58 I loved The Rocketeer!

[quote] Of course some aspiring actors go over the top with outrageous gifts for casting people.

Underwear?

As I was reading this thread in the elevator, in pops an actor who lives in my building. He was on one sitcom and doesn’t work all that often, but he’s married to a showbiz legend’s daughter and that’s his job, I guess. (She’s high-maintenance.)

I think is like the 500th thread on this subject but yes so many of them think they’re gonna be the next big thing on Broadway. They have to either wait tables or sell real estate on the side.

I work in development and I'd safely say that about 60% of people have some sort of connection, either through blood and money or just networking which could be expensive for outsiders. The rest is pretty even between talented people that made by themselves and whores who slept for stuff, male and female. I don't blame adults that sleep with someone for a role, specially if they're good, who gives a shit? I don't.

The biggest scam that’s out there is the acting showcase. You pay to perform your little monologue and a bunch of sassy gay agents who of course know everything about acting (probably failed actors themselves) tell you everything you’re doing wrong.

The are too many people who want to be stars, and not enough people who want to be fans.

No agents or managers go to Actor Showcases. Over the years I went to these to support actor friends, and let me tell you, some of the worst shit acting I've ever been subjected to. I finally had to create a hard rule and I would tell actors that I don't go to showcases, but if they are in a play, I will come see it.

I was standing next to a friend of mine (the casting director for a number of 'A' folks) at the health club, and the local professional sports team was having cheerleader tryouts there. He wasn't part of that, both of us just happened to be there at the same time. I was like, 'ohmigod, do you see what I see?', and he was like 'you should try needing to wade through that to make a living'.

In a nutshell, you pretty much have to be an asshole and do asshole things to make it to the top.

Actors showcases are the worst and I feel bad for those who get scammed by them. I'm starting to feel the same way about Improv. No offense to any improvers on here.

The first guy I was ever in love with had IT.

What killed him was a lack of confidence and mental health issues (later diagnosed as manic depressive).

But he had all the talent of Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte or anyone else in that group, and was both hilarious and hot. He could have minted his own money.

He's a sad mess, I am sorry to say.

[quote] You have to be ruthless...pathological.

No you don't. People getting more jobs are usually the nicest people to be around. Film and TV requires a lot of sitting around waiting for stuff. No one likes divas. You can't always just leave to your trailer, a lot of times you have no option but to be around for 2 hours. That's the reality of filmmaking. If you spot a bad actor that keeps getting roles, it's more likely this person is nice to be around than some nepotism or casting couch situation. People would hire mediocre nice actors over annoying divas any time if they can.

Most real actors couldn't care less about being a star, they prefer steady jobs. Their IMDB page is usually full of guest appearances and recurring roles. As far as I'm concerned that's what most actors wish and I've been working behind the scenes for a long time. Many A listers resent their status and wish they had this kind of life instead, that's another secret they don't share.

R73 with all due respect, you don't get it.

My nephew was in a Canadian group that was pretty popular but he left and decided to find full time work in mens fashion and marry his long time girlfriend. Shortly afterward the group had some stardom but it was short lived. He regretted leaving for about five minutes when he found out the group got a big gig, but only because they agreed to work for scale while other music groups were getting paid big money.

R47s friends have the ideal career-- successful enough to make very good money but low-key enough that they can go out to dinner and not worry about being rushed by fans.

I feel badly for all of the C-list actors who have multiple DL threads about them (Ben Barnes as an easy example) because they have to deal with these unhinged fans stalking them 24/7 but don't have the resources someone like Brad Pitt does to keep them at bay.

[quote] Like, I recently have been watching a bunch of Tom Hardy films and I read up on how his parents are both creatives who make a living doing their craft

Tom Hardy is a cunt and no one can stand this semi-closeted and very punchable homosexual diva.

OP's accompanying photo makes me realize how unlikely it is that Rami Malek ever made it to the top: Freddie Mercury should be the last sexy lead he ever plays, given how completely odd looking (even ugly) he is. (Fortunately, Freddy was also ugly, and eventually hid it with his big mustache and ripped body as Rami did.)

However, I might have said the same thing about Jeremy Renner after "The Hurt Locker": like Malek, I would have assumed after one breakout film role he would have been stuck with character parts, given that he has a face like a dog's ass. But somehow he got a lucrative gig as a second-string superhero in a Marvel franchise, perhaps because they realized if every Avenger looked like Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth it would have seemed unreal, and they needed some ugliness to make the team as a whole seem more relatable. So maybe Rami might get a part like Hawkeye down the line to contrast with the pretty boys.

R47, if I had any of the looks, talent or drive to pursue acting, that's exactly how I'd want my career to be as I am an introvert. Enough to live rather comfortably but I can do the mundane day to day stuff like grocery shopping and not get hounded by people or paps.

What is with this 'rushed by fans' thing?

I remember being someplace (8 million years ago) for a couple of weeks, where Audrey Hepburn was staying at the same time. She was absolutely and totally ignored by everyone. I think she was actually bent out of shape a little by it after the first week.

[quote] The people who move to LA are the gorgeous kids. The serious actors, the drama club kids move to NYC to get on the stage.

Not true at all. I wonder why people on this message board insist on this myth. Must be arrogant New Yorkers. That's only true for musical theater.

I have to admit, I went to LA expecting nothing but perfection and was surprised by how much regular to downright ugly there was around. I think the only real rule is don't be overweight.

If you're ugly as a dog, and it makes you look unique, (AND you can act) there's tons of work to be had. (At least nowadays with all the original content on the streaming sites.)

There's so much content now, that I have no idea what most actors' names are. But I can name every cast member from every 80's network show!

[quote]Not true at all. I wonder why people on this message board insist on this myth.

Because it's not a myth. Is it the overall rule? No, but it happens that way more often than not.

[quote] [R73] with all due respect, you don't get it.

Maybe I don't, but unlike most of you, I actually deal with actors and A stars so my observations stand as they come from dealing with them.

I was watching Truman Capote on an early ‘70s Tonight Show expressing the view that great actors are really dumb. He used Marlon Brando as his example. When Johnny Carson offered up Jill St. John’s reputed very high IQ, Capote retorted that she was a terrible actress.

r73 is right. I too, worked in the business and most are just as he described, but it's the absolute NOBODIES that pull the diva shit! I had one girl tell me ("as the "STAR" of the commercial",) her dressing room was too small and she wanted another one. (They were all the same size ) So I gave her the one next door and she was so stupid, she thought she got an upgrade! I later found out his girl was a cocktail waitress in real life!

And I was not shy about telling D-List actors to "fuck off with the diva shit"! They couldn't get me fired, and if I have to deal with them for 15 hours, I was gonna point out that they're NOBODY and should feel grateful to even be there!

[quote] Even people who have just won Oscars or Tonys talk about how those awards still don't get them in as many doors as they thought they would.

That's the truth. There is little difference between being nominated and wining in terms of opportunities, that's why so many producers and agents sometimes work so hard for nominations, they know it's all their clients need.

[quote] Because it's not a myth. Is it the overall rule? No, but it happens that way more often than not.

It doesn't and you're wrong.

Acting is like the modeling industry. It is driven by trends, flavors, and what clients are looking for their product to sell big.

You need an incredibly thick skin to not let all the rejection get to you. The prettiest people get self-conscious when they don't get cast or being told that they aren't the right fit (flavor of the moment) and they look into plastic surgery to fit that current mold or give casting couch a try.

And, as a previous poster pointed out, it matters which talent agency is representing you. Casting minor roles usually depend on which talent agency represents the lead. His or her contract usually includes an agreement that other minor roles will be cast with clients from the same talent agency. So, forget about the best audition gets the role. It's all about not looking like one talent agency clients are being favored.

For writers, it's even worse. Just because someone optioned your script doesn't mean that it's actually getting developed or produced the way the writer originally intentioned. But once you signed off your rights, nothing can be done, and making a stink will get you a bad reputation.

Directors get the short end of the stick when the producers tell them one thing and then change their mind midway through and blame the director for doing it all wrong so far and complain about budgets and required reshoots when the producers were the ones changing direction.

The closer you get to the top, the more you have to deal with egomaniacs. The low-rent bullies and divas at the bottom are child's play compared to these monsters.

[quote]It doesn't and you're wrong.

I have 24 years in this business and it's more right than wrong. I see it all the time.

[quote] Some celebrity once said that connections open doors but you have to walk through those doors on your own.

What the hell does that mean? (Nothing personal, R50.) Sounds like somebody who benefited from nepotism now trying to assert they succeeded through "hard work."

[quote]15 years behind the scenes and counting

I am supposed to be impressed by that?

R92 It means connections can get you small parts, parts in bad projects, or auditions in good projects, but they can’t get you artistic or commercial success unless you have some talent of your own.

Is that Malek’s real face or has he been made up for a zombie film?

The Hollywood writer career path has always fascinated me because the usual paths for writers--MFA programs--look down on writing for film or TV and most of the Hollywood writers I've met had zero "formal" training beforehand, nor did they actually harbor a desire to write plays or novels.

In terms of actors, the difference between LA and NYC seems to be that no one comes to NYC to act on Broadway because people kept telling them they were movie star good-looking--they almost all have some sort of formal theater training, often a many years of it, whereas in LA you do get a lot of people whose acting experience was a high school play and move to LA, take lots of classes while Uber-driving or waitering and hope to get that break.

Which is why the rap is that most successful Hollywood actors generally play a version of themselves versus theater actors who can take on a variety of roles. Not true in many cases, but... Tom Cruise.

Most stage actors have hard time acting for the camera. Their training is be BIG and hit the back row of the theater. Acting for the camera is something they have to learn. And vice versa with camera trained actors. You put them on a stage and the stage swallows them. Which is why the actor Showcases are so painful to sit through.

“She was climbing Mount Everest and the air was invigorating and wonderful. Even if every second verged on crisis, this was part of living - not just watching from the sidelines.”

― Jacqueline Susann, Valley of the Dolls

As an actor, an unfamous one, I can tell you it's a career path fraught with pitfalls. However, as I've gotten older, I've been able to put a career in perspective, and not judge my self-esteem and self-worth by how outwardly successful I am in show business. It's still a one man operation for me, even though I've got an agent and a manager. Ultimately, I'm still the one truly responsible for my success. I've now built a system through which I can pursue my career, so it just doesn't seem so monolithic and undoable to me.

Jennifer Aniston is a big star, but she can't keep a man.

Maybe she doesn’t want to.

"Everybody wants to be us."

[quote] I am supposed to be impressed by that?

I don't know R93, why don't you ask your therapist?

My actor friend, graduated college, moved to Hollywood... and on the day he arrived he had his VERY FIRST professional audition and he booked it! It was a guest spot on a television show. And he's never looked back. He has worked consistently for 25 years! Plus, he's grown from a cute freckled "all american boy" to a mature character actor.

The Truth Vary @ r30 has no idea what he’s talking about.

As usual.

You need to have a dick, be a dick, or suck a dick to get ahead.

Paul Newman himself said it's just about who gets lucky and who doesn't.

R97, stage actors tend to learn film technique pretty quickly. Even in their first films, stage actors like Streep, Close, Raul Julia, Dustin Hoffman, Phillip Seymor-Hoffman, Daniel Day Lewis, Julianne Moore, etc were already pretty good on film.

On the other hand, few film actors ever get good on stage.

“Paul Newman himself said it's just about who gets lucky and who doesn't.”

So true. When you look at some of the medium and no talents who became famous, there really is no other explanation for it.

[quote] unlike most of you, I actually deal with actors and A stars

Mary!

Get a big whiff of [italic]you![/italic]

I just want to be an extra for the hell of it. Do I apply at Central Casting?

I've been in several Broadway shows, many network and cable shows in guest star and recurring guest star roles, Off Broadway and Regional. All this whining about rejection is kind of ridiculous. You can't be a snowflake in this business. The reasons you book or don't book something are so varied and have so little to do with talent or who likes you, out of survival, you learn this and internalize it. Getting in the room is a huge deal its 99% of it. Beneficiaries of nepotism like to say " My lineage may have gotten me in the door, but that's it. Well, thats about 99 percent of the game. Its shocking how little the general public knows about the mechanics of this business, yet believe they are experts. Acting talent is actually somewhat rare, performing talent is more common but still rare. Ask any casting director and they willl all have examples of brilliant actors the general public has never heard of. The reasons for this are varied. Astonishing as it might be some people just don;t want to be famous. They avoid it. I've worked with several famous actors. Almost to a one, they say at some point, the hustle never ends. Stars get "rejected" just like every journeyman actor. The casting couch thing is way overstated, I don't know of more than a handful of cases.

It's not the "casting couch" anymore... It's "sex as currency". The number of actors (and writers and directors and producers) I knew who slept with someone for a "leg up" is astonishing. I was very judgemental at first, when I realized this was happening all around me, but then I realized they're creating opportunities for themselves using "what they got". The mentality is, "If I don't sleep with him, someone else will, and then they'll get the part!" It was crazy. But it was "transactional" and it goes both ways.

I knew a super hot dude, who was sleeping with his female agent AND her male assistant!!! The agent didn't know what was going on, but the gay assistant did. That blew me away. This guy was whoring around the agency so he would be submitted for roles. I withheld offering him career advice, because he was 30, a grown man, and by that age, you understand consequences. He's now fat and 50, but he built a moderate resume during those years!

As I recall, some aspiring actors got naked for Playgirl in the hope it would lead to Hollywood offers. I wish I could remember their names.

I wish an agent would write a gossipy book. I'd love to know what stunts some actors have pulled to try and get noticed. Some people must get absolutely desperate.

It's sort of shocking how quickly it ends. I knew someone who was a TV star six months out of college. One hit series then into another one right away with small films constantly in between. Then suddenly it ended at like 32. She has barely worked in 5 years and fears its over for her.

[quote]how unlikely it is that Rami Malek ever made it to the top

He says that himself. But on YouTube there's an interview with his first agent who says he never doubted he'd succeed, as he had a drive and will beyond that of anyone he's ever handled. I think it's the immigrant background. A friend recently hosted a pair of gay guys from Columbia and they had an alertness and energy and drive to seek out opportunity that made us feel half a sleep. When you grow up with nothing like Miss J. Crawford, it's easier to summon a white hot drive, than if you grow up with a normal cushy life in the burbs.

Agents get 10%. So, guess what? You have to do 90% of the work to make it Hollywood. That's why so many fail. They sit around and wait for their "agents and managers" to make things happen, but you have to HUSTLE to make things happen!

The biggest hustlers (people like Matthew McConaughey, Tatum Channing, etc) have no conscience and do whatever they need to do. That's how you make it!

I know someone in just a normal professional job who hired a publicist, and it worked really well for them! (Yes, they were shameless.)

Hiring Publicists is key to making it in Hollywood and working (but unknown) actors don't realize this!

You want fame? Will fame costs. And right here is where you start paying for it. In sweat.

I'm a working actor. There are people who know who I am but I doubt any one of them would be here. :)

>>> So much of it is luck and connections (nepotism).

I'd separate "connections" and "nepotism." You're born with nepotism. You can go out and make new connections for yourself. You should be doing that in any field but you REALLY should be doing that in acting. That's how I got my first agent and then later my first manager because I was friends with someone who introduced me to someone who I also became friends with who took me to a BBQ and introduced me someone. The rest is my own personal history. I've known a lot of people that got good "starts" from nepotism but they couldn't sustain shit.

>>> I think what's different today is that actors have more control; they can create their own content, CAST THEMSELVES in the roles and then put their stuff out there.

Plenty of people have done this. It's the trick to giving yourself a leg up when people can't figure out how to cast you. Mindy Kailing and Tina Fey have both pulled this stunt. Issa Rae is another one. There's also that guy that was on Will & Grace that made short movies before getting that role. New media has changed the landscape dramatically. There's also this thing where you sometimes have performers who have followings long before they ever get an agent. That ends up helping them get an agent. People always look down on Youtubers/TikTokers/Instagrammers, etc. All of that stuff has been integrated into the industry these days. You can get people to pay attention to you by having followers and a presence.

>>> You have to be ruthless...pathological.

No, you don't. Do you mean, mean? You have to have a thick skin. It really helps if you know who you are as a person because so many people want to tell you what they think you are. (It also helps you know where to aim.) While it's possible to get somewhere and be, not so nice, it's totally possible that you could get somewhere while being a perfectly sweet person. In those cases, however, you have to know how not to be taken advantage of. You do have to be driven and determined. Almost, supernaturally so if you're not (ultimately) anything extraordinary. I think sometimes people might see that as negative aggressive behavior but it isn't. I'd say it helps to have something unique about you. Some people are insanely attractive. Some people are insanely good at singing. Some people have great bodies. There's still luck involved but something random like that helps.

I feel like most actors, including myself, probably have something off about us but that could apply to a lot of people and honestly none of that would stop any of us from being nice. I'd agree with the person that said that the worst actors pull the diva shit. Also, one weird thing, if you consistently hear that an actor is nice they were probably always that way.

>>>The people who move to LA are the gorgeous kids.

They do move to LA but so does everyone else that doesn't want to do theater. I always say there are two kinds of actors, those who live in LA and those who will one day venture to LA.

Years ago, I spent time in LA while house-sitting in Pasadena for a friend. I signed on with a casting agency--mostly extra work. I spent days on a couple of well-known shows but realized it would take an enormous leap to ever get a speaking role. I can say, however, that networking can do wonders. I was sitting around with several extras and one of them told me a friend of hers worked in casting for NBC Productions. She said they were looking for a high school coach type. She said I fit the bill.

I called her friend at NBC and only because of that connection did I get an audition with the head of casting. The audition mostly went well. Enough that the casting director said she would pitch me for the role. The next day she called to say I was her pick until an agent pal sent over a client who might also work. The client had done some TV work and in the end he got the part. He was bald and fat. I was fit and telegenic. I sometimes wonder why TV shows always seem to cast shlubby types to play coaches (exception: Friday Night Lights).

I also took classes with a former TV sitcom star. She said I had the talent to succeed as an actor, but only if I could hang around LA for awhile. I tried getting work as a waiter and car salesman. But the minute prospective bosses discovered I needed my days free to audition, they rejected me. And here I thought every other person working day jobs was a struggling actor. Or maybe I just picked the wrong employers.

Perhaps the best example of how the trajectories of two aspiring actors can differ is "Bosom Buddies." Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari (deceased, this week) were co-stars on a hit show. Yet Hanks went on to become an A-list heavyweight and Scolari struggled as a character actor. I always thought Scolari was the better looking of the two.

>>> Or maybe I just picked the wrong employers.

When I was younger a lot of actors and musicians I was friends with worked temp jobs at night or just at night in general. The evening shift anywhere allowed you to go to auditions during the day. If you were lucky you got a well paying overnight job. Waiter, bartender, bell hop, security guard, cleaner, anything solo involving computers like word processor, reviewer or coder has an "overnight" equivalent.

Also I felt bad about this but there is theater in LA. It's not the same as NYC but it is there. (Some people get mad when I say there's no theater in LA offline.) Some of the theater in LA is even good. I just don't think most people go there to do exclusively that.

We'll leave it at that.

r87 brings real bullets to the set.

Some of your inspiring actors resort to such dubious things as porn to make it in the business or pose for porn mags which is a huge NO.. Instant career killer.

R78. Now grant it Rami shouldn’t have been cast to play Freddie in the biopic. I thought that was a huge mistake and didn’t do the film justice at all but to say that Freddie was ugly.. I’ll stop you right there. Freddie was absolutely gorgeous and millions of others think so too.

Rami is the one that’s not that hot looking.

Now Freddie’s look was unique but hardly ugly. Just his mere presence could command any crowd. FACT!!!!

You have to be prepared to present hole. Male, female or other.

Luck darlings..Sheer luck. The competition is rife.

It's interesting that they always say you have to be incredibly strong and have a 'thick skin' and so on to survive (and that's certainly understandable)...and yet some of these new, younger actors (later Millennials and esp. Gen Z) seem hyper-sensitive, almost to a fault. And I'm not talking about the ones that virtue signal with their supposed "mental health issues" for clout/to project a certain image...I mean the actors that seem to genuinely be incredibly sensitive, intuitive types (and even those who have real, genuine mental health issues). And some of them do succeed and have dedicated fanbases. I've always wondered how did those types make it if the process is that hard...

[quote] You do have to be driven and determined. Almost, supernaturally so if you're not (ultimately) anything extraordinary. I think sometimes people might see that as negative aggressive behavior but it isn't.

I think a lot of outsiders look at people with ambition, to make it in their field, and say "jeeez, he/she/they should use that brazen ambition to cure cancer, end world hunger, or negotiate peace in the Middle East!". To outsiders, other people's priorities and ambition always seems trivial and misguided.

I did a few gigs back in the day. Was a stand-up comic, did a few pilots that led to nothing. The thing that ultimately fucks you is how LONG it takes for anything to happen. Before you know it you're in your early 30s and still nothing has happened. I had one movie in development for 7 years before finally being cancelled. This was in the 90s and it's better now because you can actually put you're own content out there if you want.

R132 Shame you didn't meet Harvey.

[quote]Is that Malek’s real face or has he been made up for a zombie film?

That's from the Bond film (prosthetics, wig, and two and half hours in the makeup chair.) As someone who finds acne scarring sexy, I thought he looked even better. ;-) However R78 banging on about his looks has obviously never peeped at social media: there's a large fan base that find him hot. Of course, there's a fan base that find Benedict Cumberbatch hot, but there's personal taste, and then there's insanity.

this is r112 writing again. Just a few thoughts:

[[quote]]Scolari struggled as a character actor. I always thought Scolari was the better looking of the two.

Peter, God rest his beautiful soul, deserves better than this. I am sure the person who wrote this intended no disrespect and was only trying to make a point, so I hope they won't feel attacked. Here is the truth: Peter had a very successful career by industry AND general standards. Did he "struggle"? What the fuck does that even mean? He worked for over 4 decades, made a lot of money and worked with great people. He had ups and downs in his career, like everyone else in the world. Every path has limitation. Stardom has limitations. Veering from your "brand" can end your reign. Every decision has to be carefully considered, and too many wrong turns can knock you down a peg or two.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that A listers can do "whatever they want" This is true to a point, but it's far from an absolute truth. The bigger the career, the more fixed the expectations and the greater the risk of veering from those expectations. Some have managed that hat trick very well, but it takes careful planning and aligning of the stars. It's dramatic and condescending to cast Peter as loser and his famous former costar as the "winner" They are simply different tracks. Everyone assumes that all actors care about is fame. Some people become actors because they are really good at it, not because they crave attention. Granted, that is a minority of people :) but trust me, many, MANY people would love to have had Peters career.

As has been indicated elsewhere in the thread: this is a "who you know" business. It CAN be a "who you blow" business" but mostly, it's who you know. All this talk of how you have to be "ruthless" and willing to do "anything" is completely off. One TV Icon told me the following " I know I'm not the best actor in the world, but I am easy to work with and that's the key to whatever success I've had" The days are too long, and the risks are too high. Most people who become complete or partial assholes do so AFTER they have some success and they quickly get their head together and adjust OR the minute they are no longer hot ( Katherine Heigl comes to mind) they have no good will to fall back on.

Some people are cunts to their "fans" or their team but know how to turn it on for producers and don't fuck up or slow down production. Nepotism is a real thing because producers are always looking to ingratiate themselves to stars and if a stars kid wants to be an actor ( ahem, no names) producers and casting directors will knock themselves out to make it happen because they want access to said star. Fonda is a great example of someone talented and worthy who benefited enormously from nepotism. No complaints there. Agents and mangers are in the selling business. "son of" "daughter of " "Friend of" is a powerful selling tool.

An old, powerful agent once told me that his method of getting new clients of whatever age or type was to ask star actors he knew to identify the best, non famous actors they personally thought were super talented. He would sign anyone who had that pedigree without even looking at them.

Sex as currency is a good way to describe what most view as the casting couch. It may have escaped some peoples' attention, but all businesses have an element of sex as currency. However, you might want to fuck your assistant, but you aren't going to give them a job they can't handle and put your own career at risk. However, if your assistant is really great AND your fucking him, it does give that assistant the edge to become a producer...

When all is said and done there are really only a few genuinely excellent actors. Some of those people are famous, some aren't.

I wonder how things are with Miss Heigl.

She must have been a piece of work for her behaviour to receive the press it did.

Sometimes being too handsome or too pretty can be a problem, unless the role calls for someone who is very attractive. Typically, you want someone who will get lost in the part, a chameleon. You don't want anything distracting from the character. Sometimes a "unique face" looks better on film than someone who is just drop dead gorgeous.

I only lived in L.A. for a few years, late 90s to early 2000s. I wasn't there to pursue stardom or even in the industry but my revolving door of roommates at the time were. They all ended up very demoralized getting only extra work and most returned home on average after 2 years. The only one who stayed in L.A. ended up with steady, stable behind the scenes work and not the stardom he went there seeking.

Teach a lot of young actors, some of whom have gone on to great success. Most of them are genuine, hard workers who are blessed with great looks. They are aware that they are no more gifted than their colleagues, but are just lucky in their appearance.

You also have those who believe in "stardom." They tend to be naive and lazy, thinking that their specialness will take them to the top. One wanted to be a musical theater star, but without singing or dance training. Another thought she was funny--but she was not. There are all kinds of star wannabees. None of them ever continue acting.

Does a performer with a career like Peter Scolari, since he's newsy, or a Jessica Walter make enough money to live on a career with ups and downs like that?

Conversely, does somebody is essentially a one hit wonder or limited stretch success - say someone like a Pamela Sue Martin or Charlene Tilton - have enough to live on that they don't need to work or do they have to find alternate careers for income? I guess I am asking what is the pay like for all the actors who aren't big success stories but have a pretty good career compared to most.

[quote] One of the biggest misconceptions is that A listers can do "whatever they want"

The DL's understanding of an A-lister and those truly in the "fuck you money" section of A list are two very different things.

We're forgetting that a huge chunk of any star's earnings go to taxes and representation. The bigger the star, the bigger the machinery in place to promote the business of being The Star. And musicians have it worse.

David Lowery was the leader of two indie bands -Cracker and Camper van Beethoven - and Cracker's song "Low" has been played a bazillion and one times. He makes maybe 25K a year from his music. Could YOU survive on 25K?

R141 - Most people don't realize that MLB players are salaried employees. They read about 'contracts', so they think that they are independent contractors. That's not true. They get whacked for all state & fed P/R taxes up front and get a paycheck. There are a bunch of other gotcha's (like agent fees and financial advisor fees, hello) that means at the end of the day, the player has remarkably less than what that big contract sounds like. The other thing is the word 'guaranteed' we read doesn't mean what it sounds like- whodathunk, right? BTW, gross pay almost never turns out to be what a contract amount was for.

R44, but you don't need to know how to act.

You hit your mark and show up on time and stay out of your co-star's light.

Thousands have careers playing a version of themselves.

>>> I wonder how things are with Miss Heigl.

I may have told this story before, eons ago but I worked with her. I could see why people wouldn't like her. She comes off, before she opens her mouth, like she *might* have an attitude problem but then you realize she's just a straight shooter, funny and sweet. She's just "hard." If that makes sense, I'm not sure. That's the best way I can describe it. She is a hard worker, though.

>>> They all ended up very demoralized getting only extra work and most returned home on average after 2 years.

I don't know what they're telling kids these days but we all learned, early on, in school and I heard it again after school that extra work doesn't mean jack. You can't get anywhere on a resume filled with extra work. You shouldn't even be putting in on your resume. When you're an extra you're a prop. You're not acting. No one wouldn't consider that to be anything important. You'd be better off shooting something with a group of friends than admitting you were an extra in a few projects.

>>> One TV Icon told me the following " I know I'm not the best actor in the world, but I am easy to work with and that's the key to whatever success I've had"

People never seem to grasp that one reason why Keanu Reeves has had the career that he has had is because he's so NICE. I remember that thread on Twitter which had people climbing from the rafters to tell nice stories about run ins with him over the past few DECADES. You couldn't find a person with anything negative to say, even on Twitter where everything is negative some days. Conan O'Brien, Matt Bomer, Paul Rudd, Luke Wilson, etc. They've all had long careers. Some people might think they're nothing special but they're all so nice that people like working with them. Conan isn't an actor but that man has had second, third and fourth acts. He's a great example that sometimes being kind can take you a long way.

The issue I have with nice actors is that you get a sense that they are considered nice, because they don't ask for what they are worth. They are "just" glad to work and others get all the money since the nice ones don't ask for a proper cut of the profits.

To me it's like being a team player vs. difficult to work with, because you have the audacity to ask for a raise, refuse to put out, or demand better and safer working conditions.

Jean Stapleton didn't become a star until she was 56, after 30 years in the business.

I wonder what exactly marked the shift from the quality of both actors and stars - it's obviously been on decline since the end of New Hollywood, but it seems to have really plummeted in the early 2000s. Was it the domination of the blockbuster? Lack of emphasis on theatre/acting training? It's striking to me how most of the stars from the 50s-70s had trained at the Actors Studio or some other school.

[quote] They are aware that they are no more gifted than their colleagues, but are just lucky in their appearance.

This fascinates me. I wonder if it bothers any of these successful actors that they are successful partly for something they have little or no control over...their appearance.

They know, which is why they get face tattoos that say "mi$understood"!

Some of them deeply loathe themselves for it and are very insecure about it. That's why they get so over-the-top about how seriously they take their "craft." Others don't give a shit and cry all the way to the bank.

I know a woman who has been trying to make it as an actress for 18 years, but has refused to leave Austin, TX so obviously she's gotten nowhere. Blonde, thin and passably pretty but zero charisma. She's been consistently auditioning the entire time since college, and she's 38 now and has yet to land anything more than a local commercial or two. She does kids' parties as a clown or kids' programming character or superhero on the side and considers it "performing." Occasional bit parts in community theater. She will occasionally sigh on her FB that she's "really close to giving up" and all her friends will rush to tell her not to give in, but they must all know by now she's never going to make it in any capacity.

[quote]I wonder what exactly marked the shift from the quality of both actors and stars

It's all the nepotism. It was always a thing but people used to be like George Clooney and pretend they got where they were on their own grit and talent. But now it's actually considered chic to have a famous lineage. You'll be hard pressed to find ANY working actor right now under 30 whose parents don't have their own Wikipedia entry.

Joe Mazzello is a great actor bohemian Rhapsody, The Pacific, Jurassic Park as a child). And very handsome. Disappointed he hasn’t been in more major films-series.

R150, why do you think she has refused to leave Austin? Is it because of family or some other reason?

I've known super talented actors who are drop dead handsome and they flounder in Hollywood for some reason. Their looks are a distraction, and they make the women look like dogs when the camera rolls.

I went and saw some Shakespeare drama, and the actor who played the lead (and produced the play) was a really good actor, but his good looks contradicted the whole Shakespearean style. I stopped listening whenever he spoke and just melted in my seat. I remember thinking, "He should play Brick, in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!" I opened the program, and sure enough, his bio said he had played Brick in the past.

R111 Do you want to be paid $125 for a 12-15 hour day, just to say "I'm an actor?" And don't forget the inititiation fee to join SAG-AFTRA. Last I heard it was around $3,000.

I made it all the way to Broadway and still decided to change careers after age 30

[quote] I wonder what exactly marked the shift from the quality of both actors and stars

In the old days, Hollywood relied heavily on money laundering (the Mob) to finance their movies. No pressure to make a profit and more about doing "art". Nowadays, it's like Wall Street, making the shareholders happy by making huge profits.

[quote]why do you think she has refused to leave Austin?

The reason why so many straight women always fuck up their lives and stop pursuing their dreams: some raggedy straight man. Husband's job and family are in Austin so she stays put. I don't think it's impossible she would've made a living at it had she moved to LA instead. Many large cities have their own mini industries but it's a drop in the bucket compared to LA.

Posters here mocking what I said based on my experience, are now giving examples of career paths of 60+ stars. You have no clue how things work today.

We're casting three main roles for a show off Instagram, they're all theater actors one went to Juilliard.

Then, someone chimes in with stories from the 90s and the 70s when Rose McGowan used to be hot and desirable 😂

Wasn't born in the 70s so can't comment on that.

The Instagram casting stories are fascinating. How did you go about finding what you were looking for, R159? That French film, Titane, that just came out had a lead that was cast because the writer/director saw her Instagram. Apparently, Sean Baker did this with The Florida Project, too. The lead in that movie was good but I wonder how well these Instagram cast actors can translate to other projects. Obviously a differently story if they're a Juilliard graduate.

I think finding diamonds in the rough can really pay off for certain types of movies. The unpolished performance of the lead in The Florida Project definitely elevated the voyeuristic realism of the film while Dafoe's energy glued it all together. We're not going to see Instagram influencers in roles like M's Thatcher but there's room for unknowns in some kinds of projects IMO. Mindless romcoms too. That Addison Rae creature was inoffensive and competent in her Netflix debut.

People literally follow each other out of Juilliard or whatever school, then they make an online persona, post some shots, monologues, etc. Their bio state their school, their credentials on linktree. etc. Some make a brand out of them, like an instaho but with actual credentials. They usually focus on habilites, playing piano, woodwork, dance, pottery, etc. I think Michael Cimino had an online music following even before Annabelle, so did Avan Jogia, though he was in that Invictus show too.

They comment on each others work, etc and literally network.

The Justin Bieber clone from The Other Two was cast off Instagram by Chris Kelly. It's become a very common way of finding talent with a following or potential. There are lots of instahos too, but if you follow some networks, you'll get great trained actors or students that could work great on a show as does Case Walker in The Other Two.

This only tangentially related but I work in feature animation and literally every artist and animator is recruited through Instagram. It’s pretty crazy, especially for people who don’t know that recruitment now works that way. Recruiters will literally just browse Instagram tags and followings to find new hires.

That's actually very interesting and kind of cool, R163.

There's an exceptionally handsome B list actor who has a popular Instagram account: thick blond hair, very symmetrical features, square jaw -- the whole package. So perfect he looks, to employ the tired cliche, like a Ken doll. Sort of a more perfect version of Perry King. Damn it, I can't remember his name, but I once checked his IMDB page once and he's had a long steady career playing Hallmark type movies and other low rung stuff. Maybe it will jog someone's memory. But he has the same ridiculously perfect features as David Corenswet, who I'm sure will have the same kind of long career. Those people are handcapped because I think even if they were stellar actors, people don't take them seriously. Brad Pitt was set for a similar career until Ridley Scott, with none of the subconscious hangups of some directors, let his camera linger on and celebrate Pitt's beauty in the bedroom scene in Thelma and Louise. Most directors would have repeatedly cut away and lingered on the actress's reactions. Or maybe it was his editor! Anyway, it was a notable moment in cinema.

IIRC, Emma Thompson got into a bit of controversy a few years ago when she said something about casting directors giving jobs to people with large Instagram/Twitter followers but no acting experience over trained, seasoned actors. I think she had to walk it back but she was telling the truth, wasn't she?

Disney is casting movies with influencers and no acting experience and they don't care, because this is a numbers game, and all they care about is keeping their stock holders happy.

The kids with all the expendable income do not care about your Julliard training.

Of course, it's going to be Tween Fluff, and not an Emma Thompson "period piece", but still... Can you really see Disney's Zach Effron doing Shakespeare?

"I THINK NOT!"

You know you've made it when people send you up.

I hate LA

[quote] When you grow up with nothing like Miss J. Crawford, it's easier to summon a white hot drive, than if you grow up with a normal cushy life in the burbs.

Yet it’s the wealthy aspiring actors who are able to afford publicists, down time, rent in NYC/LA, no day jobs with time to audition, and networking in general. Just ask Julia Louis Dreyfus, Jane Fonda (nepotism aside), David Duchovny, Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, et al.

Another spin on that is about aspiring actors whose families lived in LA or NYC so they lived with Mom and Dad while pursuing their dream and didn’t have to worry about income. Barbra, Timothée, and, again, Duchovny come to mind.

For every star before the 2000s with family money, there's one from a middle/working class background. Pretending like there hasn't been a huge shift the last century towards the rich and uber wealthy dominating entertainment fields is stupid. Some of the biggest stars of the 20th century (Marilyn Monroe) or its most acclaimed actors (Al Pacino) came from poverty.

Fun fact: Helen Lawson's grandmother was infamous madam Belle Watling!

[Quote] That Addison Rae creature was inoffensive and competent in her Netflix debut.

She was fine, but also bland as fuck. I wonder how much the Karda$hian association helps? 🤔

[Quote] Joe Mazzello is a great actor bohemian Rhapsody, The Pacific, Jurassic Park as a child). And very handsome. Disappointed he hasn’t been in more major films-series.

He probably prefers it that way. Joe also directed a movie called Undrafted a few years ago.

I have a scoop on George Soros, is anyone willing to open a thread?