GOING TO HOLLYWOOD to be a film actor. my FEAR, HELP?!

Question

if i go to hollywood, get a part time job, and constantly going to auditions, and keep getting rejected, Lets say you keep doing that for 2 or 3 years, and you feel that your not getting anywhere. lets say u even dropped out of college before going to hollywood, lets say you fail to get any kinda film role, and your not getting paid for acting, and u start to go poor, WOW, I DONT EVER WANT TO END UP LIKE THAT, that is SO scary. while everyone else is back home going to college, getting their degrees, i wasted 2 to 3 years of my life in hollywood trying to be a film actor but failed and im so left behind in college and everything. lets say im going broke, WHAT DO I DO? and for my back up plan, when do you know when to use the back-up plan, use it if i get rejected at least 50 times? or...? how do i know when i have officially failed in hollywood. how do i know when to use my back-up plan? and if i have being auditioning in hollywood for years and failed to be a successful actor, wouldn't that be a BIG waste of my life. i would feel like i have wasted 2 to 3 years of my life trying to get somewhere but failed. and all im doing is working in a part time job and auditioning and maybe taking some acting classes or maybe going to an acting college at the same time? so WHAT do i do if this happens? or how could i prevent this from happening? it would be a BIG disappointment, i would be depressed like h**l if this ever happens to me!

and by the way, would it be a good idea to go to an acting college in LA somewhere, and have a part time job, and audition for movies at the same time?

and im just so scared about going to hollywood by myself, because my family and friends dont really support me. i get sad and scared everytime i think about this. and i dont know ANYONE in hollywood or LA. and living there by myself is scary, im scared of loneliness. i dont know how to survive living there by myself.

Answer 1

You need to think positively. Will Smith camped outside a television studio for a year if I remember right just to try and make a few contacts. It paid off for him. My personal advice is go to Broadway. You've got a better chance of making it there than you do Hollywood. But if your passion is films then by all means go to Hollywood.

You really won't know unless you try. But you obviously won't get a job straight away or if you do, You'll have to work your way up the ladder. It'll probably be an extra job. But all experience counts in showbiz. There really is no way to do it without trying.

It's a fear everyone has. You just need to take that leap.

Best of luck to you. I really hope it works out for you.

Answer 2

If you were my kid I would beg you to go to college first and major in drama and minor in something you can get a job with.  Your degree IS the backup plan.  If your parents will help you attend school in LA, all the better.

It's normal to be frightened of change, but have a viable plan that your friends and family members cannot dispute.  Then you'll know you're doing the right thing.

Talk to your high school drama teachers, they will be an excellent source of advice on the best way to proceed.

Answer 3

You may not be ready to move to LA.  It is an expensive town full of people trying to make it in acting.  YOU WILL more than likely spend at least 2-3 years auditioning before you get any sort of decent break and you will have to find a way to audition while working more than part time just to pay the rent.  I moved here two yrs ago and have a hard time paying bills with a full time job in an industry not in the entertainment field.  I have to fit auditioning and acting classes in where I can.  You have to be prepared not to make it in acting but fall in love with living in SoCal and trying to follow your dream anyway.  If you are so afraid than do something else (maybe go to college) before you decide to move out here.  If you are not ready to work really hard and make it even if you don't get any parts then don't move out here.  If you are willing to work hard at a job to make money, work hard at becoming an actor and work hard at making new friends in order to follow your dreams then put your fears aside and move out here.  It is really tough so you have to decide what you are willing to do and what is best for yourself.

By the way, I got my degree before I moved out here.

You can move out here and then work on your degree but just know that is a very expensive town and you need to be financially ready to handle it.  Plus work, school, and auditioning is a lot to handle.  I also suggest that while you do take acting classes, theatre and acting degrees can be fairly useless and it is sometimes a good idea to get a bachelors degree in something else.  Just figure out if you have the resources to make it here before you move or you will end up moving back home feeling defeated.  It is not impossible just a lot of hard work.