Learning To Be an Actor

I will have been in LA eight months at the end of October. Was it as I expected it would be? I realize an answer of "yes and no" says nothing but still, that is the answer I must give. I say that because in some ways my time in LA has exceeded my expectations, while in other ways it has been quite difficult.

The roles in which I have been cast have gone far beyond what I had thought would happen in eight months. The craft of acting, however, is much more complex than I first thought. Perhaps that requires some explanation.

Actors who come to Hollywood can be separated into three major groups. I know some will say there are many more groups than that, but I am speaking of three very basic groups.

First there is the smallest group, which is those actors who are incredibly gifted. Some have much training, while others have almost none. It makes no difference, as these actors have talent and success written all over them, and the ability to immediately back it up. It's an exceptionally small group, but it does exist.

The next largest group, but still relatively small, is the actors who shouldn't be here. They usually have great looks and think they can simply show up in town and be movie stars in a few months. They almost always have little training, and lack the desire to really dig in and work at the craft. Ninety nine percent of this group hits town, runs into reality, and are gone in six months, or less. As one actress so accurately put it on her website, "An acting career is a marathon, not a dash."

The quite large group that is left contains the rest of us. All of us have some talent (in varying degrees to be sure, but some), and probably have a good deal of training. We came to Hollywood because we believed we could make it here. Whether or not you do make it here, if you don't come to town with that attitude, you really shouldn't be here. Most of us also realize there is a lot of hard work, dedication and focus ahead of us.

However, here is one thing that many of us didn't count on. We all figured we knew how to act before arriving. Many of us had experience in films and TV before we came here, as well as some good solid training. Well, here is the unvarnished truth....many of us did know how to act before we got here, but will have to learn how to act at a level conducive to working in Hollywood.

It's an entirely different ball game with higher expectations for actors from those on the other side of the camera, fierce competition, and an industry where being at the top of your game isn't unusual, it's required.

In my lessons with my Hollywood acting coach I have found that in many ways I have to learn how to act all over again. As the old saying goes, "What was good enough to get you here probably won't be good enough to keep you here." As said before, my acting coach is always tough and honest with me. I would expect nothing less. He expects my best at all times and we both expect my best to keep getting better. He and I both agree that I am a better actor than when I got here. We also agree that I must get better still, to keep up with the marketplace in Hollywood. Finally, we both see a measurable increase in my acting ability from month to month, and that is probably the most telling yardstick of them all.

So for all actors who aspire to come to Hollywood and ply your wares, come prepared with all the experience and training you can possibly have, and then swallow you pride, dig in, and learn how to be a Hollywood level actor. The saving grace in all of this is that for all actors who love to act, the journey can be great fun.

Until next time.............