Starting A Career As An Actor:
Interview with Personal Manager Ingrid French Part 10

Before we get to what it takes to start a career as an actor, in part 9 of this interview Ingrid talked about the entire talent casting process from A to Z, from the moment you are submitted for an audition to the moment when you actually get the job. She talks about those things and everything in between. Tony: What advice do you have for someone who wants to start a career as an actor?

Ingrid: I would say, first do the research. Talk to people who are in the business. Read and find out what that actually means to start and have an acting career. Try to figure out if it is really something you want to do. You can do research by reading, sitting in on acting classes and by talking to other actors and other people in the industry. Try to get to know people. From there, if you are still interested then get yourself into an acting class and train. Figure out what you are most interested in and take classes in that area. For example if you are interested in commercials, then take a commercial class. If you see yourself doing film or television take a technique and/or scene study class. If you want to do theatre, then take a class at a school that specializes in theatre.

Tony: What if we’re talking about a young person, say a teenager or a college student for example?

Ingrid: If you are young and still in school then see what kinds of classes are offered at your school and take those. If you are in college, see what classes and programs are offered there. And find out what the best schools are to attend. Don’t just call any school and go there. Shop around. Talk to people who have gone through certain programs and see what they say.

Tony: Knowing some of my visitors to ActingCareerStartUp.com, they are probably thinking: “OK, so when can I start auditioning and being considered for acting jobs?” When is the right time to do that?

Ingrid: Once you get some training and start getting some feedback from your teachers that lets you know how you are doing and if you are ready, then you can think about auditioning and setting up meetings with agents and casting directors. Just make sure that you are really ready before you do that.

I know that many people who want a career as an actor who want to jump right into the audition process without having any training. That can be the worst thing you can do because people in this business, agents, casting directors, managers, producers, directors have incredible memories. If you go in and audition before you have taken any classes or trained and you blow that audition, unfortunately it could follow you around for a while.

So you definitely want to train first so that when you first walk into the room for an audition, you’re confident, you’re comfortable, you know what you’re doing and you have the confidence, the knowledge and the experience that comes from that, you are setting yourself up for success, much more so than if you try to jump in too quickly.

A Career As An Actor: Getting Discovered!

Tony: Playing the devils advocate here Ingrid, I will tell you that there have been cases where people have done just the opposite of what you just said and they have started auditioning without any training and have actually gotten a job. What would you say if an aspiring actor throws that objection at you?”

Ingrid: You will always hear those little stories about how someone walked into an audition for the first time without having trained and got a job. It does happen, but it is so rare that I wouldn’t recommend that you try and set yourself up to be the one in a million person that that happens to. Your chances for success will be so much more if you put in the work.

A Career As An Actor: It’s Not That Difficult. Is it?

People look at the entertainment industry differently than they do other industries. You would never just walk into a company that you know nothing about and ask them to place you in a job, but often times people feel that this industry is different and that this is just fun and it’s entertainment. And that’s true. It is an incredibly fun business, but there is also a lot of work involved.

Tony: Why do you think so many people feel like they can come into acting so easily and make it without any training?

Ingrid: Because there are so many good actors that make it look so easy and aspiring actors see that and think. “I could do that.” but they don’t realize what goes into that performance, the preparation that makes it look so effortless. There is so much work that goes into it and people just don’t realize it.

End of part 10

In part 11 of this interview with Ingrid French she talks about what an agent or personal manager can do for you that an audition website cannot. She also touches on what some of the best ways are to get experience at the beginning of your acting career. Stay tuned!

Here are some books that can help you start your career as an actor

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What you’re doing is great Anthony. Whenever I read the things on your site, the interviews and even your book, I feel like if only everybody got to read this before they got started, they would be so much better off and everybody else (casting directors, agents, directors, etc.) would be so much better off too.
Personal Manager, Ingrid French

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Tony,
I want to say you changed my life. I want to be an actress so bad, but i began losing motivation when I couldn't figure out what to do. And then I found you! Thanks to you, I'm taking my first acting classes next month! Yippee!
Sara, Pasadena, CA

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Hi Tony
I would like to thank you for helping me with the monologue question I asked you. I went to the auditions for a Drama course and I am happy to say that I have been accepted as a first-year student at the Tshwane University of Technology. Please keep on sending me those newsletters and let me know where I can find books that will help me in my acting career. Thank you once more. Have a blessed day.
Sincerely
Edward Thaba -South Africa

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Dear Anthony,
Just wanted to thank you for bringing me in to [audition for the video], meet you and chat this Saturday. I was really excited to hear about your working on actingcareerstartup.com and even took a look at it today - it's awesome! You are very well-spoken, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and it shows through the work that you do! I hope our paths in the industry will cross again and really enjoyed meeting you. Thanks, again and best wishes with your very important work!
Warmly,
Gretchen, NY, NY

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Hey Tony, thanks for the info, yours by far is the most useful, I am 30 years old, and I myself always (secretly) wanted to be an actress, but I never knew where to begin, so thank you. You have given me hope!
Ana C., Tampa, FL