I Want To Become An Actor But Have I Left It Too Late?

Question

I'm a 15 year old girl from Staffordshire in the UK and I absolutely love acting and would like to become an actress when I leave school. However i have never gone to any acting classes but I am currently taking Drama as a GCSE. When I leave school in June I wanted to go on to study drama and english lit at university but dont know what I have to do to get there.

When I told my friend I wanted to become an actress she told me I could not as i am to old and that you have to go to acting classes and singing lessons as I do not have a good singing voice.

Also my parents want me to become a solicitor as it is good money but I dont think I have what it takes and I dont think I will enjoy it as I went to the County Courts for my work experience in June and did not like it.

As I leave school in june I need to sort my career options out and do not know weather to pursue my dream or to follow my parents dream, and if I do pursue my dream how do I get there?

Thanks

Answer 1

I think it's not too late. You are still quite young. Maybe try acting classes and not all actors have to be able to sing. As for your parents, make it clear that this is what you would like to do. They should understand that you are dedicated and this is your ambition. Acting as a career is full of pitfalls and never a secure career. I think as long as you bare this is mind then I say go for it! Just try and always make it fun. If you get too bogged down in it, then it might get too stressful. It will be hard work but if you are dedicated than you shouldn't let your doubts hold you back. Hopefully these should help:

http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Singer/A...

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Great-Actor/...

http://www.wikihow.com/Become-Famous-in-...

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-an-Actress

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Good-Actor/A...

Good luck and don't give up on your dreams! ^^

Answer 2

Pursue your dream! I also have the dream of becoming an actress.

Do what you really wanna do.

And it doesn't matter where you start.

Most people start when they are children, but since that is too late for you just start now. ASAP.

Go to a million acting classes and stuff, do whatever you can to get expirience.

And no, you don't have to know how to sing, but it would certainly help.

Take voice lessons. You don't have to have a beautiful gorgeous opera voice, just develop a stage voice or something.

Dancing would also be impressive on a resume.

Look for casting calls and get an agent or something.

You can do it! Don't give up!

Answer 3

left it to late? hehe...your english, so am I, have you seen the grandma, in royal family, she was almost 80 years old before she started acting...I think your trying to early, what if you become an actor now, and get famous and dont like it! then you have to live with being famous for your enire life!

You should think about it more, and think whether, being a famous actor and being rich is worht sacrifising your privacy!

Answer 4

Pay no attention to anyone trying to crush your dream!!! I'm a 50 year old man, who has raised 4 children as a single parent and now am pursuing an acting career!  A lady named Clara Peller got her first acting gig at the age of 81 (she was famous for "Where's the beef?" You are never too old to follow your passion!!!

Answer 5

im 14 and doing my first big audition and event with lots of agencys next month! its never to late i mean there are child actors like dakota fanning, teens like miley cirus and all the high school musical people and ppl like johnny depp and brooke shields who are adult actors. its never to late to persue your dream and become who you want to be!

hope this helps!

:D

please help with my ?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 6

It's never too late to start.  You may never be a child actor, but that's really ok :-) Since you haven't taken acting classes, obviously that would be the place to start.  One thing you may want to consider is making both you and your parents happy by following both courses of study.  Being a solicitor requires many of the same skills as being an actor.  You need to be able to speak in front of an audience, you need to be believable, you need to research what you plan to say, it's a performance!  Taking acting classes would enhance your ability to be a better solicitor.  To make your parents happy, I would suggest majoring in law and minoring in theatre arts or or something like that.  At the very least you will have a great education and you will have done a lot of research into a specific set of characters for the future.

As for singing, if you are doing musical theatre you absolutely need to work on your voice.  If you have a great selection of theatres near you putting on straight plays and you can build experience there then don't count yourself out.  Although many actors these days can do it all, not everyone is blessed with a beautiful voice.  If you can swing the lessons, great.  If not, acting class is more important.

Once you have had a good amount of training and you've built up a resume (theatre, independant film roles, student film roles, etc.) try submitting your headshot and resume to several agencies and see if anyone is interested in representing you.  Remember to network with other actors while you are training and building your resume.  One of them may refer you to your first agent!  An industry referral be key these days.

Best of luck,

Marianne

Answer 7

You have definitely not left it too late. It helps to have training as early as possible but that does not mean you can't become an actor. Nick Frost for example (Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead, Spaced) never had any proper acting coaching until he was in Spaced (I think he worked in a pizza restaurant or something until then) but has proved he is a fine comic actor.

The more skills you have at things like singing and dancing the more it expands the roles you would be able to play. Holly Hunter got the part in the movie The Piano because she is a good pianist, to give one example. If you can sing and dance, that opens the door to do musicals and so on. But many actors can't dance or sing a note.

If you want to know how to get on to a drama course at university then I would advise contacting the drama department of the relevant Uni and ask them for advice. Drama GCSE is a good starting point at least.

If you plan to go into acting full time though, do be aware it is an extremely competitive field and many actors find it hard to make ends meet.

I myself am planning to take up acting when I retire so that I will have my pension as a money backup if I can't get work - I will be old but they still need old actors! Good luck with whatever you decide.

Answer 8

Never is too old!!  The key point is to be an artist. Just pursue it, perform, perform, perform, in any possible play to get seen by as many people possible... You also have to identify a style that you want. A person, group, or company that really make you think "I want to do that". Find a way to  practice with their technique (and i said practice, besides study). practice is finally what will get you on stage in a solid way. Be focused in what you deeply wish. When your parents see you serious about this they will support you. Welcome! Best of luck!

Answer 9

find a career which fulfils most of your dreams, it is never too late to start a career irrespective of your age; if you want to become an actor then go for it, given that you have taken all the advantages and disadvantages into perspective.  Actors do make a lot of money, but at times they live like slaves; they are told what to do, when to do and in any condition that the producer feels appropriate. at times it can be even depressing, to mention brad pitt, charlie shean, even Eddie Murphy have gone through some tough times.

Whatever career that you will ultimately take, there is one commandment which you need to obey: Never forget from where you you have started your career; and people will always fancy you.

Good Luck

Answer 10

i'm 14 and im an actress. i say go for it. no one can tell you what to do, and if you care enough and have enough passion about it, you can make it.

Answer 11

Listen, if you love it and fame is not an issue for you then don't let anyone tell you you can't.

Starting early does have an advantage, but there are roles everywhere for every type of person. Age 1 to 100.

If you have ever heard of Brad Pitt, he didn't get started until his college years with little acting experience behind him. Now he's a Hollywood star.

Definetely start getting involved with anything you can. This includes plays, school projects, church skits, and maybe learning useful skills such as singing, an instrument, martial arts, etc. You can devote your college education to studying acting, but if you don't want to take that chance it is not necessary. You can find a local acting and audition school or get private lessons. Before you get in the business find yourself an agent to take care of your boring paperwork and things like that. Start small and get a lot of quality experience. Some jobs won't even pay you, but it's something to add to your resume and experience.

Go on from there.

One thing to remember is that acting comes with a lot of rejection. The attitude to bounce back and not take things personally makes all the difference

Answer 12

Wow you sound pretty mature for being 15 years old. When i was that age, i didn't really have a clue about college classes or majors. But yeah you do not really sound like your 15. You are going to college pretty early? Well I think you should definitly pursue your dream, you only live once so do what you want. You are definitly not too old!!! I do not know where your friend got that information. But also, You should speak to your school conselour or college conselour, they will help you out greatly! Do not live your life doing something you are not happy with! go for your dream, try your hardest, there will always be tough times, just stay strong and good luck!!! :)