Want To Start An Acting Career In Hollywood?:
Here are 6 Things You Need To Know
Interview With Premier Hollywood Acting Coach
Bernard Hiller - Part I

Want to start an acting career and move to Hollywood? You’ve come to the right place.

A few years ago I took one of the most intense acting classes I have ever taken to date. The class was led by an acting teacher from Los Angeles named Bernard Hiller. Not only did I learn things about myself to make my acting more compelling, I was also very inspired by his technique and by his ability to help actors reach new heights in their acting ability. Since that class, I refer to him as “The Great Motivator”. Given the many questions I receive about how to start an acting career in Hollywood, I decided to ask Bernard to shed some light on the subject. The following is an exclusive interview for ActingCareerStartUp.com with one of LA’s premier acting teachers.

Tony: Here’s a hypothetical question for starters. There is a young woman, who just graduated from high-school and who wants to start an acting career. She has decided that she wants to go to Hollywood to start her acting career, but she doesn’t know where to start. What would you tell her?

Bernard: First start with money. Be sure to have enough money to survive for the first six months. Without money you cannot start a business of being an actor. You must run your business like a business, or you’ll run yourself out of business. You need a very strong base, which consists first and foremost of finances so that you can concentrate on getting your career started. Finances are so important because you must have enough money to do four things:

1) You need to be able to get yourself a place to stay - You need to have a place to stay in town and not out of town, which means in the Los Angeles area and not someplace outside of the city limits. Some people tell me that they found a place that’s only one hour away. If that’s the case, as far as I’m concerned, you might as well be ten hours away. That’s too far. You need to have a place that’s in town so that you can get to auditions, and other places you need to be, relatively quickly.

2) You need to get a reliable car - LA is a city that is very spread out. It’s completely different from New York. In New York you can get around easily using the subway or by taxi for example. LA is not like that. A car is essential.

3) You need to build yourself a life - This means having enough money to live comfortably so that you can concentrate fully on doing what you came here to do: become a working actor. You should also make it a priority to build yourself a base of positive friends and acquaintances that inspire you. They will sustain you while getting your career started.

4) You’ll need to find a mentor and an acting coach. You need to find someone who has the inside scoop and can guide you in your career choices as well as your choices as a performer. A coach is your personal magic mirror who lets you know how you are really doing.

Tony: How would you describe what it’s like to start an acting career in LA?

Bernard: You have to understand that LA is the ‘Olympics of acting. The best actors in the world come here and make their careers. To come here without preparation isn’t very smart. You need to have a plan of action. They say “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.

There are some people who move to LA to start an acting career and they end up forgetting why they came here. They get sidetracked and get trapped into working for a regular job so they can pay the rent and they end up working all the time and then don’t have time to study or work on their acting career. Or they get so involved with their personal lives and lose sight of their acting careers altogether.

The best thing I could tell someone is to keep your eye on the prize otherwise you’ll forget. LA is very tempting and alluring and very accommodating and it can easily distract you if you let it. Some young people come here for acting and get distracted from their careers and then one day they wake up and suddenly remember why they came here. They wasted all that time not to mention a lot of opportunities, because they took their eye off the prize.

Tony: I can only imagine how important connections are in Hollywood as an actor!

Bernard: It’s important to know that in Hollywood it’s not “who you know” it’s more about, “who wants to know you?”. If you are going to come to LA to start an acting career, what are you going to bring with you? It’s really important that people think not about what they are going to get when they come here, but rather what are they going to give?

People would like to meet Brad Pitt for example, which is understandable. But the real question you have to ask yourself is, would Brad Pitt want to meet you? It’s really all about how interesting a person you are that makes people want to get to know you. The energy you give out. Once they know you and like you, they will help you.

In my opinion, if you want to start an acting career, you have to become a dynamic person. Dynamic people make dynamic actors and they attract the right people into their lives.

Tony: So let’s sum it up.

1) In order to start an acting career in LA, you need to have money to start it off in the right way.
2) Find yourself a nice clean place to stay…in Los Angeles.
3) When you move to LA, you will need a reliable car.
4) Find yourself a mentor and a great acting teacher.
5) Create a life for yourself. Create a network of people. Happy people attract success.
6) And develop …a dynamic personality!







You won't want to miss part II of this exclusive interview with Mr. Hiller. Bernard Hiller is an acting teacher in Los Angeles who has been teaching acting and success coaching for twenty-nine years. He also conducts Master acting classes all around the world. Visit Bernard’s website at www.bernardhiller.com.

For more help on how to prepare for your trip to LA and what to do once you get there, have a look at this guide. While it is not specific to LA, it will hopefully give you some insight as to how to handle some of the logistical aspects of moving to La to start an acting career.

Site Map | Home | Who's Behind ACSUp.com | Acting Career Blog | Site Testimonials | Actor Q & A | Buy Acting Books | Typical Day Of An Actor | Start Your Career | Fund Your Career | Acting Classes | Acting Schools |International Actors | The Business Of Acting | Actor Promotion Tips | Your Actor Website | Teen Actors Guide | About Disney Channel Auditions | Headshot Advice | How To Find An Agent | First Audition Advice | Avoiding Scams | Find Acting Scripts | Find Monologues | Resources For Singers | Acting Industry Information | Cruise Ship Opportunities | Nutrition & Health For Actors | Public Speaking Tips | Staying Motivated | Link Exchange | Contact/Ask A Question | The Bollywood Connection | Find Acting Work |

Become a member
of the fastest growing community for new and aspiring actors and get your copy of the free ebook:
HOW TO START
AN ACTING CAREER
just for signing up!
We promise to protect your privacy and not to give your information to anyone else.

First Name* First Name* E-mail Address* E-mail Address*

---

Take The Actor Quiz and help us see where you stand in your new acting career!

Hi Tony
I would like to thank you for helping me with the monologue question I asked in October 2007. 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

-----------------

Hi,
I was wondering if there is anything established like actingstartup.com in the U.K. because you are amazing and I have learned loads...
Thank You.
Nadine., Newcastle, UK

-----------------

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

-----------------

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

-----------------

Hi, I’m John.
You answered a question for me about two weeks ago about how to write my cover letters…I want you to know your advice was helpful. I got called in for a part as an extra in my first movie! It’s not big, but it’s my first one! Thanks for your help!
John, San Diego, CA