How To Become An Actor:
17 Things You Can Do Today

One question I’m often asked is about how to become an actor. My own personal experience coupled with the information I received in a recent conversation with best-selling author Brian O’Neil (Acting As A Business), allowed me to produce this list of things you can do to facilitate your acting career start. Some of the questions come from young people who are frustrated by the fact that they live in a small town and can’t seem to find any opportunities to act in their area. Whether that is your case or not, if you are looking to start an acting career and you have already begun your classroom training, you should find the following list helpful.

How To Become An Actor: 17 Things To Do

1. Look up casting offices in your area.

2. Look up talent agencies in your area.

Related Links:

Guide to looking for talent agents.

A complete 13-part interview with NY Talent Agent Ingrid French.

3. Check your Regional Theatre Directory for their policy on auditioning and for information about local and upcoming projects.

4. Universities with film departments: Film students are required to produce a certain number of film projects each year and for those projects they are always looking for actors!

Advice regarding studying acting at a university.

5. Find advertising agencies that have clients who shoot on-camera commercials and commercial print ads.

6. See if there is a SAG, AFTRA or Equity office in your area and see if they have a list of reputable talent agents in the area.

7. Check the arts section of your local newspaper for theatres, shows, plays and events in your area. Take note of the venues where they take place and contact them for the information you desire.

8. Contact local photographers to see if they have contacts for ad agencies, other actors, casting directors, agencies. Agencies and Casting directors often refer actors to certain headshot photographers.

9. Look up you state’s film commission. Usually state film commissions have a list of upcoming film projects to be shot in that state.

10. See if there are any special editions of magazines and/or newspapers that have to do with theatre, film or acting in your area.

11. Pick up a copy of the Hollywood Reporter. Sometimes you will find a list of film projects that will be shot in different areas of the country.

12. Try to find a list of Equity and Non-Equity theatres in your area. Go there and they should be able to give you a wealth of information about where you can go to get started, teachers, schools, etc.

13. Look up acting schools, acting teachers and acting coaches in your area.

14. Look up casting offices that cast for extras, even if they are in a big city like New York or L.A. and sign up with them. Make sure they have your headshot and résumé and cover letter. But tell them where you are and where you live. If you are not in the big cities where lots of film and extra work is being shot, you’ll want to tell them to call you when there is work to be had in an area you can easily get to.

15. Remember that when building your résumé, the more theatre work you have on your résumé from reputable theatres, the more attention you will get from casting directors and agents.

16. You could also go and take classes with casting directors or agents if you can find them. That is a great opportunity not only to meet casting directors and agents, but also to spend time them and for them to get to know you and see you work.

17. Just don’t forget that once you do start to gather some information and take some classes, that the person who will have to execute your acting career is YOU. To do that effectively and ensure that you position yourself for success, you will need to develop certain skills. Although there are many different roads to choose, you will certainly be helped with regard to how to become an actor by following the steps you will find on this website as well as reading the many articles you'll find here by experts..

If you are really interested in how to become an actor in the shortest time possible, then you will certainly benefit from being dilligent at doing the things mentioned above.

Good luck!

Brian O'Neil is the author of the best-selling book for actors Acting As A Business: Strategies For Success, a must read for anyone who is serious about pursuing an acting career. Brian has more than twenty years experience in the industry as an actor, manager and agent. It is possible to contact Brian directly at www.actingasabusiness.com for personal consutations as well as for his speaking and seminar schedule.

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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