Every actor has his starting point for his acting career. You can start at any time if you want! Whether acting in movies, plays, or TV series, it is both exciting and challenging for new actors. If you are willing to work hard to study acting and devote yourself to the art, your acting career can begin quickly.

Learn to Act

Before you get started, ask yourself a question: Is acting a hobby or a career choice for you? Only by clarifying the direction in which you want to work hard can your acting career go better. You don’t need to have a complete plan, just a rough idea. First, decide what type of acting you want to learn. Is it a comedy, a musical, improv, a TV series, or a movie? Then search for reliable instructors and training courses in the field.

• Stick with classes for at least six months and give yourself some time to adjust. If after it’s over, you still love performing, then continue taking classes. After the course, you can take acting classes in other areas to see if they interest you.

Watch plays and movies. While you should still take classes and practice to improve your performance, watching movies is also a great way to learn. Study your favorite movies and learn acting techniques from your favorite actors, such as characterization, body language, and line skills. Likewise, watching plays is another great way to study actors. Try to absorb and understand what you see!

• If you want to make movies or commercials, these are the acting skills you need to learn. You might as well find a few of your favorite commercials and movie clips to act out and give it a try.
• If you want to do a play or a musical, you need to study both. Observe what actors do well and what they do poorly so you can apply what you learned when you perform.

Make friends with the actors. Acting is a group activity, so you need to get along with other actors. Many actors like to review lines, chat about innovations, and tell stories together. You can take advantage of these opportunities to meet a few actor friends and learn from them. They may be able to give you some guidance or recommend audition opportunities.

Don’t go to a big city in the first place. Being an actor in big cities like Los Angeles and New York is difficult, even for veteran actors. If you’re a new actor without any acting experience, it’s best to start in your hometown. Almost all cities have their own film and television companies, and these local film and television companies are a good starting platform. Of course, if you are more interested in movies and TV series, you can also participate in plays directed by student directors or local directors.

• It doesn’t matter if your hometown is in a big city! Audition for community theater and independent films. There are also small community theaters in big cities where you can get some good acting experience.
• If you decide to become a professional actor, move to a big city because that’s where you’ll get the best training. Of course, it’s not too late to move when you’re sure you want to become a professional actor.

Volunteer at a local theater. Community theaters often need volunteers to help with props, scenery, costumes, and more. As a volunteer, you can watch actors rehearse and study their acting skills. At the same time, you can also get familiar with the entertainment industry in advance and get to know some people in the film and television industry.

• Try auditioning for a theater. At this point, everyone in the theater group already knows you, which is great for your audition. Also, they can usually give you some helpful feedback.

Go For the Chance to Perform

What new actors need most is experience. In the beginning, you’ll inevitably have to take on some unpaid acting jobs, but in the process, you’ll be able to gain some experience to bolster your resume. For example, shoot a commercial for a local car dealership, or audition for a play or student film at a local college. These unpaid acting gigs can build your resume and help you develop a habit of auditioning and performing. After all, acting is the best way to learn to act.

• It’s very normal for actors to go to many auditions and only get a few roles. When you’re first starting as an actor, auditioning can be a more important learning opportunity than acting. So you should cherish every audition and actively seek feedback from the director.
• Search online for audition opportunities. Many websites provide audition opportunities for TV, movies, commercials, etc.
• Look for audition opportunities on local theater websites.

Try to take every role you can get. New actors need to gain acting experience, take on different roles, and build up their resume. Even if it is a type of role that you have never been exposed to before, you should accept it, because playing this role can help you broaden your acting career and make directors think that you are a versatile, passionate, and bold actor.

• There is no need to accept a role that is completely inconsistent with your morals and values. If the role makes you uncomfortable, you have no problem saying no.
• As your acting career continues to develop, gradually you can only play the roles you want to play. But until then, take on as many jobs as you can!

Master some special skills. As a new actor with no experience, it was challenging to audition with older actors. At this time, some of your specialties will be particularly useful. Specialties such as horse riding, foreign languages, tennis, and singing may help you defeat your competitors and win roles. You never know which character will use what perk, so keep working hard to learn new skills.

Whether your ultimate goal is to work in commercials or not, auditioning and filming commercials can give you some on-camera experience, which can help you land better, more important roles in the future.

Acting as an extra in a film is a great way to break into the entertainment industry, and it can help you make some money at the same time. The process of becoming a well-known actor can often be difficult, especially financially, so always check for audition information for extras. In the process, you can get to know some people in the entertainment industry or participate in some movies, which will add content to your resume.

• There is a lot of information on recruiting extras online, and you can also go to an agency. You need to submit a photo and resume of yourself to the agency. You can contact them by phone, email, or in person. Find a film and television agency in your city.

Actively Promote Yourself

Image photos are professional photos that every actor should have. When submitting your audition application, you need to provide a photo and resume of yourself. Take multiple photos so you can submit different images for different auditions. Photos should show your professionalism while showing off your personality.

• Any type of performance such as movies, advertisements, plays, musicals, etc. requires image photos.

A resume is a document that showcases your acting experience, educational background, and work history. Your resume must be professional because directors, producers, and agents will read it. As a new actor, you may not have much to put on your resume just yet, so audition, do extras, and volunteer in community theater. All of these experiences can enhance your resume.

• It’s also important to create an online resume. With the development of technology, some directors prefer to read resumes online. Fill out your profile on a few movie sites because you never know who might happen to see your resume.

Make your performance video highlights. Highlights are usually 2-3 minute videos that focus on your best performances. Therefore, you need to leave a video of each character you have played so that you have the material to make a highlight reel. Highlights are a great way to showcase your acting skills, talents, and experience.

• Upload your video collection to the Internet and have a backup on a USB flash drive.
• Find a professional to make a video highlight for you. Highlights are an important tool for you to market yourself, so make them beautiful.
• Whenever you have new performance videos, update the collection. The video collection should be able to fully demonstrate your performance level, so remember to update it frequently.

Find your path. Although having a wide range of roles is a good thing for an actor, you should still find your role. Our appearance is something we are born with. As an actor, you should have a clear idea of what you look like and use it correctly. For example, think about it, do you look more like a smart and capable young lawyer, or do you look more like a homebody in your thirties? More of a popular girl, or a nerd? Understanding your acting style can help you clarify the direction of your audition and shape your character more accurately.

• You can still play roles outside of your acting niche, but understanding and clarifying your acting niche is a good way to help you break into the film and television industry.

Make friends with people in the industry. People often say: “It’s not what you know that matters, it’s who you know that matters.” In the acting world, this statement is very true. Make friends with other actors and industry professionals so they can get to know you. Meet directors, agents, makeup artists, and more. You never know who you’re going to meet and whether they’ll be able to help you in your acting career.

• As a new actor, you don’t need an agent just yet. Only when you have accumulated a certain amount of performance experience and qualifications will an agent be of great help to your career development. Now you can make friends with more agents and keep in touch with them regularly. If they are interested in you, they may become your agent in the future.

When you get to the stage of finding an agent, you can start by researching different agents and brokerage companies online. Find a few that you think are suitable, submit your profile picture and resume with a cover letter to them, and tell them that you are looking for a new agent. Finding a good agent can be difficult, but if you can keep working hard at acting and networking, it gets easier.

• Ask your actor friends, teachers, and industry acquaintances for advice. If they know some good brokers, you might as well ask them to introduce you to them.
• Agents receive a lot of photos and resumes every day, so don’t be frustrated if you don’t hear back from them. You should send your resume to several agents or brokerage firms as this will increase your chances of getting a response.
• If no agents contact you, you may need to revise your resume and take new photos.