This blog is about how to be a good and interesting actor. I am an actor and have been for a number of years. I have been in TV commercials, stage plays, corporate videos, and some indie films. I have a degree in Theatre Arts and feel like I have the credentials to write this.
This blog is different than most because it’s by an actor, for actors. It’s not written by some critic of theatre that has never been on stage. It’s written by a performer who has been on stage many times. So it will be more realistic than most articles you find on the internet.
I hope that you find this blog informative and helpful if you’re an aspiring actor or actress!
There are many qualities which are needed to be a good actor. These include:
* Confidence
* Hard Working
* Good Sense of Humour
* Willingness to learn
* Being dedicated and committed to your work
* Resilience
Confidence is an important trait to have as an actor. If you lack confidence, then you may not want to do auditions etc. If you do not have confidence, then you will not want to put yourself out there in front of people. Also if you are acting, it helps if you are confident as you will be able to project your voice better and make people believe that your character is believable and fits the scene or script. You could gain confidence by speaking in front of people on purpose e.g. going up at assembly and speaking into the microphone or even just reading something out loud for practice. Just do anything that gets you used to having all eyes on yourself!
If you want to be a good actor, acting is a skill that you are going to have to work on. Acting is not a talent that many people are born with. You can’t really say “I want to be an actor” or “I want to be a doctor.” Oh no, if you want to be an actor or a doctor you are going to have to make the commitment to learn how.
If you want to be an actor, first of all you need to understand the basics of acting. If you can’t act, there is no way that you will get a role in a movie or play. If you are good at acting, then it doesn’t matter what your background is because acting is something that anyone can do.
If you think about it, there are many people out there who have great acting skills but just don’t know how to use them properly. You might think that only famous actors and actresses are able to act well but this just isn’t true. If you look at some of the best actors and actresses in the world today, they weren’t always famous and they weren’t always good at acting either!
To be a good actor, all that matters is that you are able to do what needs doing on stage or in
So you want to be an actor? Well, it’s not as easy as it looks. You have to be dedicated to your craft. It takes a lot of hard work and practice. I don’t mean just memorizing lines and saying them out loud, you have to be able to make the audience believe that they are actually in the world of the play. You need to be able to connect with your character emotionally and intellectually.
First off, in order to be a good actor you need to know how to act like a professional person. That means you need good manners, and always show up on time. If you are tardy, then you will not have time to warm up before hand, which is very bad for your voice because it’ll hurt it if you go from talking normally to yelling in front of a crowd. When you first arrive at the theater or show space where ever you are going to perform, always run through with the cast, even if you think you know all your lines and cues by heart, because there is always room for improvement and rehearsing never hurts anyone’s performance. When running through, make sure that everyone is paying attention and if someone messes up then politely correct them and ask them what their next line or cue is so
My first audition was for a city-wide production of The Wizard of Oz, and I got the part of the Tin Man’s heart. I felt like I had been introduced to a whole new world. I have always loved performing and being in front of people.
As an actor, it is very important to be comfortable in your own skin. If you are not comfortable with yourself, then you cannot be a good actor. You also have to be able to work under pressure and be able to stay calm in stressful situations. You need to be able to take direction, but also know when you can make suggestions about your performance. You also have to be able to change quickly based on the director’s feedback or changing circumstances.
It is really important that you have confidence and believe in yourself as an actor because if you don’t, then no one else will believe in you either. Auditioning is when an actor shows how they would perform a certain role, so you want them to see how great you are, not how nervous and afraid of yourself that you are.
The actor should be in the habit of asking: What am I trying to say? What do I want to convey? Do I have the right words? He should imagine a specific audience and think how they will react. He should look at a scene as a whole, see its essential relationships, choose the most important word or idea and build on it.
An actor must be able to use his body, his voice and his feelings. He must be sensitive but not self-conscious. He must be positive and assertive but never aggressive. The actor should always work with people who are more talented than he is, for this is humbling and teaches him things that no amount of study can teach him.
The actor must learn to listen and respond when artists around him are speaking. He must learn to take criticism from the director and accept it in an open-minded way. It takes years of practice before an actor speaks with complete confidence in front of a large audience; it is something that has to be learned gradually, through years of experience.
The first thing you need to do is get a good acting coach. I recommend a really good one at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, it cost $25,000 for just two years, so be prepared!
After that, you need a persistant agent. It’s not easy to get one, because they don’t want your business unless you are already famous. If you are willing to pay them enough money… then they’re interested.
Next, you should start auditioning for roles. You can audition on stage or television or film. In any case, it’s hard work! But you’ll make some contacts if you are lucky enough to get cast in something. You have to be an excellent actor though, and well-known with your agent and acting coach or else no one will hire you.
You have to have thick skin for this business as well. People will always be criticizing your performance and giving feedback about how poorly acted their scene was with you during auditions/rehearsals/shows/films/etcetera…
