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My friend needs to interview an actor for his research paper. Are there any actors that are willing to be interviewed? Could anyone suggest an acting agency that would be willing to help a student?
My teacher would prefer a professional actor. Doesn’t necessarily mean famous, though.

when you say actor, what do you mean ? as i am 14 years of age and do theatre i am trying to get into t.v, you may email me on charlid@rocketmail.co.uk

When I get older I want to be an actor but I really don’t know where to start. I’m a sophomore in high school. I’m taking Theatre class and was in the play last year and I’m also planning on being in it this year. What else should I do to prepare, where should I go to college for acting, and anything else I should know/do. Thanks.

College for acting is NOT necessary to be an actor. If you go to college, make the most of your experience. Part of acting is living the life. Why not get a rich college experience so you’ll have an interesting story to tell through your work.

Here’s the cliffsnotes version of what you can do to do to get into acting:

1.EDUCATE YOURSELF FIRST!

READ (check Samuel French, libraries, and bookstores):

Acting business:
-Acting is Everything: Gold Edition-Judy Kerr
-How to Be a Working Actor-Mari Lyn Henry and Lynne Rogers
-Self Management for Actors-Bonnie Gillespie
-How to Get Arrested-J. Wallach Michael and Paul Thurwachter
-An Agent Tells All-Tony Martinez
-One Less Bitter Actor: The Actor’s Survival Guide-Markus Flanagan
-So You Want to Be in Showbusiness?- Steve R. Stevens
-Acting Truths and Lies (purchased at www.info4actors.com)

Acting:
-Book the Job-Doug Warhit
-Intent to Live-Larry Moss
-Acting for the Camera-Tony Barr
-Acting in Film-Michael Caine
-Acting Class: Take a Seat-Milton Katselas

Method Acting:
-Art of Acting-Stella Adler
-Sanford Meisner on Acting-Sanford Meisner
-A Dream of Passion-Lee Strasberg
-Actor’s Art and Craft-William Esper
-The Power of the Actor-Ivanna Chubbuck
-No Acting Please-Eric Morris
-Respect for Acting-Uta Hagen
-Challenge to the Actor-Uta Hagen
-You Can Act!-D.W. Brown
-Strasberg’s Method-Lorrie Hull

Comedy
-8 Characters of Comedy-Scott Sedita
-The Sitcom Career Book-Mary Lou Belli

Improv
-Anything by Viola Spolin
-Steve Book on Acting: Improv

Auditioning/Cold Reading:
-How to Get the Part Without Falling Apart-Margie Haber
-Audition-Michael Shurtleff
-Secrets to Successful Cold Readings-Glenn Alterman

2.GET TRAINING!
Definitely take classes in:
-Cold Reading/Auditioning
-Improv
-Scene study
-Commercials

3. Get GREAT headshots

Here’s is a good place to start:

http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8011031/m/110106342

4. Build Your Resume and Reel Doing Student films and Indie Films. Also do plays to build your acting experience.

Sample Resume:

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww80/ELDORADO59/scan0002.jpg

How to make an ACTING resume:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtPvL4SjI7JFo5ef8t3cNwzty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20091011203729AAkQetj&show=7#profile-info-TDkteHfQaa

The ONLY LEGIT Online sites that you can find jobs on your own through:
-ActorsAccess.com
-LACasting.com
-Nowcasting.com
-NYCasting.com
-NYCastings.com
-Backstage.com

AVOID:
AVOID:
-ExploreTalent.com
-ONESOURCETALENT.COM
-Talenthunter
-Instantcast.com
-Talentjug.com
-TALENT6.COM
-Talentwatchers.com

5. Get an Agent

Look up LEGIT agencies here:

http://www.agentassociation.com/

http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent

To get an agent, you need to get GREAT headshots, a good resume, and training from the best. These are enough to get you a commercial agent at least. Getting a GOOD theatrical agent (Film/tv) takes longer. Most good theatrical agents won’t see you unless you’re SAG, have a polished resume, and a demo reel. Commercial agents are more lenient about that. What the best Commercial agents want to see on your resume are good commercial classes, improv, and cold reading.

You can get an agent multiple ways. Here are a few common ways:
-Mail in an unsealed manilla envelope with a CONCISE coverletter and headshot with the resume stapled on the back. If you have a demoreel include that too.
-Attend a showcase and impress them. By showcase I do not mean scammy conventions like IMTA, IPOP, Proscout, or Best New Talent. I mean legit ones like at Actor Connection, Reel pros, Network Studios, etc.
-Get a referral from a friend who is with the agency that you’re interested in

DON’T
-Email them unless they tell you to. IT’S UNPROFESSIONAL!
-Call unless they tell you to. ALSO UNPROFESSIONAL!
-Walk in and ask for a meeting. UNPROFESSIONAL THREE!
-Sign with them if they ask for upfront money, make you take new photos with THEIR photographer, or take THEIR classes. Agent’s ONLY make money when you do. Agents usually make 10% on film/tv and commercials and 20% on commercial print.

I cant take many classes, but I want to get better as an actor. I’m a beginner. So is there anything i should do on a regular basis. Like practice monologues infront a mirror etc. Any tips would be helpful. Thank you.

take what ever classes you can. do school drama classes and school plays if their offered
in your school. when you get enough training and practice to feel comfortable on auditions,
do local theater and student films. their open calls and don’t cost anything but your time.
develop any other talents you have that could be related to acting. the more you can do
the more things you can try for. practice reading scripts with someone.

I have to do an essay on this topic.
So far I have come up with being an actor is more stressful than being the spectator (viewer).

An actor has an active role in whatever performance, and they often are very attached to the project because they’ve had to rehearse it so often. A spectator pays some money, sits down and watches.

I really want to become a actor for disney channel. How do i do it?

You need to find a GREAT Talent Agent who has the clout to get you Disney Auditions.
You can ONLY get Disney Auditions through Talent Agents! Any other site that promises that is a SCAM!

Look up LEGIT agencies here:

http://www.agentassociation.com/

http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent

To get an agent, your PARENTS NEED TO BE INVOLVED IF UNDER 18 and you need to get GREAT headshots, a good resume, and training from the best. These are enough to get you a commercial agent at least. Getting a GOOD theatrical agent (Film/tv) takes longer. Most good theatrical agents won’t see you unless you’re SAG, have a polished resume, and a demo reel. Commercial agents are more lenient about that. What the best Commercial agents want to see on your resume are good commercial classes, improv, and cold reading.

You can get an agent multiple ways. Here are a few common ways:
-Mail in an unsealed manilla envelope with a CONCISE coverletter and headshot with the resume stapled on the back. If you have a demoreel include that too.
-Attend a showcase and impress them. By showcase I do not mean scammy conventions like IMTA, IPOP, Proscout, or Best New Talent. I mean legit ones like at Actor Connection, Reel pros, Network Studios, etc.
-Get a referral from a friend who is with the agency that you’re interested in

DON’T
-Email them unless they tell you to. IT’S UNPROFESSIONAL!
-Call unless they tell you to. ALSO UNPROFESSIONAL!
-Walk in and ask for a meeting. UNPROFESSIONAL THREE!
-Sign with them if they ask for upfront money, make you take new photos with THEIR photographer, or take THEIR classes. Agent’s ONLY make money when you do. Agents usually make 10% on film/tv and commercials and 20% on commercial print.

Sample Resume:

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww80/ELDORADO59/scan0002.jpg

Avoiding BAD Headshots:

http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8011031/m/110106342

Is gifted storywriter a good actor as well? Can they act? My lil bro is a real gifted storywriter, he enjoys writting scripts and novel but his dream ambition is to be an actor when he grow up. Naturally, are storywriter good at acting?

And how popular are most people gifted at story writing? Is it rare or rather common to be naturally gifted at storywriting?
He really wants to be an actor cos he wants to be famous in a direct performing way and he said that he would rather give up on his storywriting skills for acting.

Is a guitarist who composes songs a good singer as well? Can they sing well?

While some people can be multi-talented, it doesn’t mean everyone else should be able to do what they can =)
Talents can be nurtured, so if he keeps training, then why not?

Good luck to your little brother!

I’ve wondered for a long time what happens after each take of an emotional scene where someone has to get angry and yell or scream, or burst into tears, or other emotionally intense moments? Is the actor comforted or "catered to" usually after the end of each take, and is there training on situations like that in acting training?
OK thanks for the answer. That’s the thing I’m getting at though: how do you avoid "inter meshing" too much and having "psychotic episode"? Are actors ever told or given guidance on how to do that?

It really depends on the emotional stability of the actor. most healthy actors keep a separation between themselves and the character, making it relatively easy to switch from the character back into themselves. this doesn’t always work though. a friend of mine was in a stage production where her character died and was placed in a body bag and left on stage for a good ten minutes. she couldn’t move because she was "dead" and when she finally got out of the bag backstage, it took her a good long while to shake out of her trance and come back into the realm of the living.
most actors, especially in intense roles are warned against letting their character inter-mesh with their personality too much, for fear of a psychotic episode, which is surprisingly common. if you look at the celebrities on TV, those that freak out are the ones that cannot separate who they are from their media portrayal.

I can’t sing for my life, but I really want to become an actor. How can I start? Where can I start acting, but something that’s not a musical?

No relations between acting and singing! do u live in India? Bombay movies require actors to sing –but not Hollywood!

I’m 18 and would like to become an actor. But it’s easy for me to doubt myself since you rarely see actors with defects. So before i go out and try, i want to know if its a realistic goal.

My eye looks normal if you don’t know its a prosthetic. The problem is when i move my eyes, you can tell a difference because the prosthetic doesn’t move as much as a normal eye.

I think it could be harder to become an actor that way but the way I see it is that there’s a role for EVERYONE no matter how they look. You see midgets, dwarfs, get roles…

but the problem is you could get typecasted into the same role

Anyone can act, all you do is pretend. Anyone can pretend, everyone pretends.

How can you say so-so is a terrible actor, and so-so is a magnificent one? What is the difference?
So, what you’re saying is, if the actor can convince you they are a completely different person, they’re considered ‘good’?

I believe what makes a good actor is not just someone whose character is "believable" but someone who is also able to play many different roles and be good at them. Ex: Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks.
Those two actors are extremely versatile; and neither one of them sound like they are reading lines.
Sometimes actors can win an oscar with just one role. Sure. If they are believable enough to win then I think they are entitled to being a "good" actor but not necessarily a "great" actor.
I also respect an actor who is able to play a character well even though the lines they are given are terrible. Usually most good movies
with good actors have better lines.