Acting

[Dunce]

Hey I've wanted to act my whole life but I'm not in a drama group or anything... how do I pursue a career in acting? I'm not sure I want to do it in college because I know people who do it and its really based on musicals and theatre productions and I'd rather be on tv. Those people have also been in drama groups their whole life. Am I being too picky with wanting to only be on tv?
Also I have depression and I'm quite mentally unstable. Is it unwise for me to go into acting? If I make it I feel like if I become famous I wont be able to handle it and Ill hate it...
I wanted to go into archaeology, paeleontology and nursing before, these and acting have been in my mind but when I research them I loose interest. Maybe its because theyre explained boringly or i just underestimated how hard they would be.
How do I know I really want this?
If I'm mentally unstable do you think this is a bad idea?

[Fact]

Hey I've wanted to act my whole life but I'm not in a drama group or anything... how do I pursue a career in acting? I'm not sure I want to do it in college because I know people who do it and its really based on musicals and theatre productions and I'd rather be on tv. Those people have also been in drama groups their whole life. Am I being too picky with wanting to only be on tv?
Also I have depression and I'm quite mentally unstable. Is it unwise for me to go into acting? If I make it I feel like if I become famous I wont be able to handle it and Ill hate it...
I wanted to go into archaeology, paeleontology and nursing before, these and acting have been in my mind but when I research them I loose interest. Maybe its because theyre explained boringly or i just underestimated how hard they would be.
How do I know I really want this?
If I'm mentally unstable do you think this is a bad idea?

If you want to be an actress then you have to be versatile. If you want to be just a television actress, then it's not for you.

If you want to go into acting, you have to be generally involved in drama from the start. You also need contacts and lucky breaks from my understanding. You don't just get on television from being in school doing nothing, you have to have experience - same as any other big career.

The fact that you're mentally unstable won't help anything you want to do unfortunately. Stability and availability are key in any job.

Also, about how you find that when you research your desired professions, you find them boring, that could be for either of the reasons you've stated. However, if you find that general research that exposes reality to you puts you off, then it's probably not for you either.

Sorry to be so melancholy, but it's just the way I see it.

[starbrite5]

I would start doing some community theater stuff. Community theater tends to be a lot more welcoming and friendly, which will help you get more confidence acting. I've never auditioned for any sort of film/show/commercial, but I imagine they aren't quite as friendly. Even if you don't want to be a stage actor, some of the best actors started on the stage. Scratch that, I think MOST of the best actors started on the stage.

But as said before, it won't be easy. I hate to be negative or mean, but a lot of actors don't make it. It's the sad truth. You have to be determined and focused. It takes a lot of hard work and even more luck.

[Syvelocin]

Right place, right time, right people.

Do any acting you can find. At this age, you probably should be doing school drama. Then, your best bet is to move to LA and audition for EVERYTHING, extra work, main roles, EVERYTHING. Make a name for yourself. The more you're in, the more you'll be recognized. A manager is also a good idea. They'll find auditions for you.

Acting is fucking hard. I'm sorry, but it is. You have a much higher chance of getting into most any other job. You'll be critiqued physically, talent-wise, constantly. And there will always be someone better than you, no matter how talented you are. Acting takes a lot of work, more so than you could ever imagine. Be prepared to have a stable job for you to fall back on.

The thing is, there's nothing wrong with someone with mental disorders acting. But if they get in the way too much, you'll have some problems. Make sure you're on medication and the medication solves the problem. I have a lot of my own mental disorders and even though I really want to be an actress myself, I'm not going to be able to pursue it for a few years now, if at all.

[Sith Lord 13]

Pretty much agreed^


Only difference is, in my personal experience as an actor, mental disorders can help sometimes. They're not worth it, but it can sometimes make it easier to identify with/ better portray certain roles.

[Syvelocin]

I guess, yeah. In some ways though, let's say mania in bipolar disorder, it's not optimum for having to get through filming/rehearsal. I have though found it helpful, such as when I played a girl who commited suicide by overdose in a skit I wrote for drama. I was laying there dead half the time, but I had a bit of a monologue I did in it and I'm sure it helped to know how someone in that position would feel to make it more real. It was a tear jerker that way ;)

[Theatheist of doom]

Well, honestly I can tell you its a bit harder to be a stage actor. Reason being: people on TV can have many years to finish a movie that takes only around an hour. But stage actors can only rehearse for a few months (I suppose depending) for something that is usually around the same amount of time and then during the real thing they can't mess up. So I think if you want to be a TV actor, stage acting shouldn't be your reason for not going to an acting college because stage acting is harder. Plus after completing a college course in stage acting will make TV acting seem like a breeze.