Top 5 celebrity acting tips

Watch the Hartiverse acting video here: https://youtu.be/1zGgvFyeDtY
Enjoy a brief overview of breaking into show biz.
As promised, here are some costume clothes and additional resources from Amazon affiliate links:
ThePirateDressing Steampunk Victorian Costume Airship Pants-Black (Large) (I own several pairs of airship pants from ThePirateDressing. Highly recommended brand!)
SCARLET DARKNESS Women Steampunk Lace-up Cinch Belt Tied Corset Belt (XL, Black) (I own several garments by Scarlet Darkness, including lace-up tops, dresses, and this corset. Highly recommended brand!)
Sanford Meisner on Acting
Acting: The First Six Lessons (Enhanced Edition)
The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide
Uta Hagen’s Acting Class: The DVDs
Michael Caine – Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Movie Making (The Applause Acting Series) Revised Expanded Edition

The dream of becoming a famous movie star is one that burns deep inside many people. Landing your first role is a huge step in the right direction, no matter how small it may be, but knowing how to accomplish that task is something that eludes most people who are new to show business. This video will examine the top five tips from some celebrities that have made it big that may help guide you to stardom.

1. Location is Key.

Simply put, if you don’t go to where the work is, you aren’t going to find a job. There are a number of acting jobs available all over the world, including Atlanta, Toronto, Spokane, and Vancouver B.C., but when push comes to shove, New York and Los Angeles are the cities where the most work exists. If you are serious about making the big time, you have to go to where the big time actors get cast.

2. Commit Yourself.

Acting is a unique profession because the entire process involves pretending to be something or someone that you truly are not. Having the commitment to engross yourself 100 percent in the character that you are portraying will help to make your performance more convincing. You must learn to live the life of your character and not allow yourself to slip back into your life, otherwise your performance will reveal it and your work will suffer. This is called Method acting, and is used by many famous award-winning celebrities.

For example, Leonard Nimoy would go to parties in the emotionless demeanor of his Star Trek character and his friends would tell newcomers, “Don’t worry about Lenny, he’s still in his Spock bag.”

3. Learn How to Act.

This seems like a rather obvious point, but one that is often overlooked. The biggest stars in Hollywood do not rest on their laurels and expect that their resume will do all of the work for them. Acting is a craft that needs to be learned, practiced, and applied as often as possible to keep your skills fine-tuned. There are acting workshops all over, including places like Seattle and Portland where you can find classes to take. Most of them are virtual right now while the pandemic is on, but they will meet in person again with time and the relaxing of restrictions on face-to-face interactions. Meanwhile, some of these classes you can sign up for and participate in over Zoom from wherever you live.

Participating in a wide variety of acting classes, ranging from improv to comedy to Shakespeare will help you prepare for a wide variety of roles and situations. You might think Shakespeare is out of date, but every year, there are Shakespeare festivals worldwide where the bard’s plays are reenacted. Having some suitable Renaissance outfits can also get you gigs at your local or regional Renaissance fairs, and some of these are paid positions. It depends on what’s included in your act, but the clothes are easily obtained from online stores such as Amazon. Links to a few, along with some additional acting resources are listed in the description below. The point is, the broader your understanding of a variety of cinematic themes, including music and dance, if those are in your wheelhouse, the more desirable an actor you will be for a role or series of roles.

4. Identify Your Range and Expand Upon It.

All too often, actors will pigeon hole themselves by going after and accepting roles in the genre or style they are accustomed to and feel most comfortable with. These are character actors and featured extras, and there is money to be made in these supporting roles. While this may seem ideal upfront because it’s a good way to start, you won’t offer yourself room for growth if you never test your boundaries.

Where would Tom Hanks be if he only took the role of the silly nice guy for the duration of his career? Sure, he may have had success, but he never would have achieved the worldwide recognition he has earned without a willingness to break free of his mold and venture into other styles of acting. This is why some people chide Nicolas Cage, but let’s not overlook how much work he gets by accepting scripts that keep him working all year, year after year. And those roles keep the money flowing, which is as much a part of the game as enjoying your work. The same is true of character actors who seem to be the same person in every movie. It can make acting a simple, satisfying life with enough money to live comfortably.

5. Be Willing to Make Sacrifices.

Anyone hoping to be an actor as a profession must throw away the notion that it consists of a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday schedule, except perhaps if you’re Nicolas Cage, working smaller but very lucrative films. Actors, especially those that have hit it big, like Tom Hanks, have to accept the reality that their life will revolve almost completely around their work. Working up to 20 hours per day, on location, for months at a time can take a physical and mental toll on even the strongest of body and mind.

Familial and romantic relationships can become severely strained from the lack of attention you will be able to pay to both. As with most things in life worth doing, acting will require a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice. But if you’re willing to invest in yourself with classes, professional headshots, a demo reel, taking small roles to get started and building your resume, get representation through an agency, and don’t be picky about the scripts offered to you, including student films and local or regional commercials, you just may have a chance. And that’s how stars are made.

If you found some actionable tips in this brief presentation, please click like and subscribe to the channel. Thank you and good luck with your new acting career!

jamiehart

Content creator and Chewbacca cosplayer.

See author's posts