I want to become an actress and I'm 13?

Question

Hi I am 13 and want to become an actress but first I am not very confident and I know to become an actress you have to be very confident and not care what people think of you. In the summer I am hoping to go to a youth theatre but the thing is I want to like go to autitions in a movie even if its only a small part or in a theatre could anyone tell me how people like get a part in theatre or in a part in a movie this has been my dream ever scince I was little and I love to act and show off and I think I have the real potential to bne an actress but when I told my friends they just laughed and said " You an actress your way too shy" but I grown more confident every day I know I have because when I first started high school I wouldn't talk to anyone but now I can do presentations and I contribute more in lessons. Please could anyone tell me if they think I have the real potential to be a actress and to take part in a movie or theatre at this age. Thankyou.

Answer 1

Sorry chick, but you'd need an Equity card first to get professional work in a theatre/film.  They're very hard to come by.  I'll be blunt - you are 13 with no training, so you are not going to be given any professional work.  Films and theatres who want kids will recruit directly from stage schools, so you wouldn't even get an audition.  (I say this, a girl i know was an extra in Harry Potter 3, but that was literally just being a body in a cloak and pointy hat and sitting at one of the tables in the main hall, to form part of the background.  The producers just took coachloads of kids from local schools and put them in costume for a day).

So you'll have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up.  Start off doing amateur theatre to begin with, school plays etc.  Youth theatre is as good as any place to start.  This will get you some experience.  I started at my theatre when I was 13, mostly as part of the chorus, but as I've got older, I've got bigger and bigger roles.  I'm now 25, and they've asked me to direct for June 2009.

I've done a 2 music videos and a friend's film (he was applying for a special effects course at a film school), all unpaid.  Do not be fooled into thinking that films are somehow glamourous - 80% of the day is sitting about waiting to be called while cameras, lights and microphones are set and reset, and the other 20% is standing in front of a camera, go back do it again, go back do it again.  A 3 minute music video took 10 hours to film, a 20 minute film took 10 weekends.  It's very very tedious, and I certainly couldn't do it for a living.

Then there's the old adage that 95% of actors are out of work 90% of the time.  Now you are 13, so haven't got to worry about bills, rent, living costs.  But when you've moved out of home, that WILL be a problem.  So sure, you could get acting work every now and again, but you'd need a Plan B for the 90% of the time when you get turned down at every audition for 8 months straight.  At 17 I thought I'd go to uni, go to drama school, and then an acting career would just happen.  It didn't.  So I hold down a full time job for an internet retailer, and I do acting in my spare time with my local amateur theatre.  And I like it that way - I get all the joys of performing, that buzz from an applauding audience, but I still get paid at the end of every month.

Having never seen you act..... well you could be amazing, but you might be useless.  None of us have seen so it's not our place to judge.  But your worries about your own confidence doesn't bode well.  Confidence is what will help you scrape yourself off the floor and throw yourself back in the ring, after what you thought was your best ever audition, and you had nothing left to give, only for a panel to tell you "Not what we're looking for.  Next."  it hurts, and it hurts like h**l.  And you will be turned down more times than you'll be given the part.  If you think you can cope with all of that, then good luck.  :)

Answer 2

If acting is your true passion, the only thing that can get in the way is yourself. Look for opportunities in the summer, such as acting camps and theater classes, that you can take advantage of while you're not in school. You might also want to talk to some drama teachers/coaches at your nearby high school and see if they can recommend anything to you (books, movies, other teachers, websites, etc.) that will help you in your progress. Also, be sure to start saving money so that you can attend a school with an excellent theater program. The sky's the limit! Good fortune in your future.

Answer 3

Well it's nice to dream a dream but i think you'd be best studying because it's very unlikely that it's going to happen to you.

Answer 4

Just a tip, if you become an actress, you don't want to be one of those blonde bimbos who can't read or write properly.  Use more periods and commas, you'll be more easily understood.  :)

Well, to get a part in a movie, you generally have to know someone (or know someone who knows someone) who advises for casting (if you have no acting history), or have a really good background when you audition.  Start out in the theater.  Do a few plays, then search online for "movie auditions application," or something like that.  Better yet, ask if anyone on Y!A knows a site for that.  (I don't.)  If you can find it, send in a record of all the plays you've been in.  If the plays were recorded, compile a set of your parts on a CD and send it with the list of plays you have been in.  Write a letter describing who you are and why you want to play in their movie.  If you can, meet with them about playing in the movie.  That way, even if they don't accept you for that movie, they might think of you for the next one.  If they make a new movie, and they call you to ask if you want to be in it, you've got a really good chance of making it.  

Try to meet some people who make small-time movies first - they will be more willing to give you a part.  Get a good background before you audition, and make a video compilation of your best parts.  Most important, work hard and be persistent.  Good luck!

Answer 5

good luck ?

Answer 6

I think you'de be a great actress. Don't worry about your friends laughing at you. Al ot of famous people are actually quite shy too, believe it or not.

You could sign up with an agency (you shouldn't need to pay a reputable agency any money to sign up).Also look for adverts in local papers for small parts in shows or auditions for things. Joining a youth theare / dramatics club or company is a good idea  too - a lot  of agents come to watch the shows to pick out the good kids.

I agree about keeping up with your education though. Acting is a great dreamt o have an I'm not saying that you can't make it, but it's a tough world and there a hundreds and thousands of "actors" working in bars and restuarants becuase they don't get regular (of any) work.

I wish you all the luck in the world

Answer 7

its ok being shy, people like katie leung, kylie minouge and a few other celebs have started off being shy, but are now amazingly famous, katie leung even had no acting experience. too become an actress, go to a drama school for around 6 months before joining an agent, you may have to audition 4 or 5 times before making it. you could start in a commercial or modelling, look at auditions on www.starnow.co.uk, there they do short films, which are good for starting off on.