Please help me?! teacher or actress??

Question

hey everyone. so im dying inside because i have nobody that will listen to me about this. i want to become an actor more than anything else in the world, but i know that it's going to be a hard and long journey, and i might end up throwing my life away and i may not get to the point where i want to be. on the other hand, i am in love with a seaside town, rockport massachusetts, where i grew up, and for the long run im thinking about becoming a teacher there. i adore this town, and i love surfing there and all my family and friends live there.

im 16, so im being pressured by my mom to look at colleges, but i want to go into film and act. my mom keeps discouraging me and saying that you'll never get to that point. my goal is to win an academy award, and i think i have a good shot because i act out any scene i see in a movie, and i feel like i can really connect my heart to the character. i am a very emotional and intelligent person, and i have a very heartfelt outlook on life.

Answer 1

no reason to avoid college.  It is probably a good place to learn more about acting and connect to some folks who might get you in films.  Go to college to become a teacher, or maybe something else, but get experience acting and continue to contact talent agencies.

Answer 2

college is great, how about trying to be an actor after college and if not u have a job to fall back on

Answer 3

Yes, becoming an actor is very hard, you are often in debt, looking for jobs, and it is hard to make a living off of it.  If i were you, I would study for becoming a teacher, and when you have made enough money to live on, take a couple of years off and look for acting opportunities.  

P.S.  I find it ironic that you brought up acting and teacher, because I also want to be an actor or teacher, and I am also having trouble deciding.

Answer 4

As an out of work actor who didn't go to college I can tell you it's a gamble!!  

You live in Mass, as did I.  If you have the grades and more importantly the money, Look into Emerson in Boston.  It is one of the leading theater schools in the world.  I would have killed my own mother to go but alas I could not afford it.  

Anyways, I have never been trained as an actor and most actors that I know who have been trained can't  tell that about me, but going to Emerson is more about the experience and the connections.  

You also live close enough to New York that if you chose to take some time off from school you could move to the city and really discover if acting is for you.  Go to auditions, here the criticism, and maybe, just maybe you will get your break.  But even if you don't at least you will get a first hand feel of what kind of struggle being an actor is.  It's a tough life. Maybe you should apply for schools, get accepted, and have them defer your acceptance for a year so at least you will have a safety net.

I hope you are wicked hot because baby it's not about talent.  Looking like Ellen Page isn't going to cut it.  There is already an Ellen Page.(I like her tons too, but she got lucky)

Answer 5

to start off, start teaching and do acting as part time career, when u get a break then leap to bigger role.,

best of luck, dont fall in the trap, people will take advantage and push you into p**n movies, so be careful

Answer 6

I'll be honest with you. Right now, being a teacher is a better goal for you than the other. Why? Normally, I would say follow your heart and be an actress but, your goal seems to be more of and ideal rather than passion. Almost all the successful actors when they started didn't have a goal to be an academy award actor. They became actors because the love for it, and if they receive an accolade for it, then it's just cherry on top of it. Being an actor is not just being able to imitate what you see on the screen or TV screen or even on stage. You have to bring life to a character through your own insight. Most actors are successful with bringing their own self to characters - even characters already been done (e.g. The Joker - same character different portrayal by the actors.). You seem to have more passion to being a teacher than an actress. Don't confuse passion with want.

You want to be an actress, fine. But be your own original. The fun of it is the challenge, figuring out who or what the character is all about - and finding new character.  It's not a matter of I could do that, cause it's "being" done already where you saw it. Take acting classes. Be in stage plays. You want to polish your craft, if you are a serious actress. You want people to take you seriously - if you worked hard and seriously, your parent might see it and change their mind.

Being a teacher is the best profession - a lot of time under appreciated but, then it's about passion. So is acting. You can be a teacher while trying to break in the business. You can even teach it. My best and fav teacher of all time is an actor and a teacher of his craft at the same time.

Really look deep inside what is it about acting you want. If it's only goal is to win an award, you'll have a humongous chance of being disappointed - you might not even become a good one at that. If you want to act because you want it as an expression of yourself and art, go for it. Find your passion, and no matter what, even if no one acknowledge you, you will always feel like a winner.

Answer 7

ok i think wat ever u want to do but i would be a actress if it was me and if ur mom doesnt like it why not show her wat u can do?she might like it!! u never  no

Answer 8

Theres a show about acting and stuff it might give u tips

its called

Glass Mask its about a girl that wantsa to be a actress like u she goes throw tough stuff im on episode like 16 or 17 its so good so far... Try that

Answer 9

italy gangster!

http://www.trasalimenti.blogspot.com/

Answer 10

why don't you combine both... be a teacher that teaches acting.

Answer 11

please yourself AND your mom.....

go to a college for the proforming art's (julliard, etc.)

that way you are more likely to get a part because of your expirience

definately become an actress you only live life ONCE there are many teachers and i guess many actresses to but if you think you have what it takes by all means GO FOR IT i guauntee you if you don't do this you will regret it

yes, get in touch with the agency send them a professional headshot and resume but don't just send it to that one send it to many and be PATIENT agents usually have hundreds if not thousands of applicants to get through and do a follow up by sending them a postcard invitation to one of your upcoming proformances... most likely it'll end up in  a bin but hey if they think it looks interesting and they have time the might come check it out.... but no matter which one you chose i wish you the best of luck

Answer 12

I completley understand you! If i were you i would train in preforming arts at college (comprimising with your parents) and try to follow a career in this as it is what you really want. Go to auditions and see if you can make it.If after a while you're not getting anywhere get a degree in teaching and teach preforming arts.It's what you like to do and this way you're still in touch with the acting world if there's an oppotunity for you (like jodie prenger on i'd do anything)