Reality Check: What It’s Really Like to Be a Professional Actor

Monday Minute / By / May 6, 2019

So you wanna be a professional actor. Great! But do you really?

In last week’s post, I encouraged you to define your own success in this industry, lest someone else define it for you. This week, let’s take a look at some resources for sussing out what that success could look like, even before you book your first job.

Theatre? Film? Both?

Designing Your Life, one of the resources I recommended last week, suggests an exercise where you try on a career path by interviewing, shadowing, or interning in the job you think will make you happier than your wildest dreams. It’s a great reality check, because there are dreary aspects of any endeavor, even things that make you excessively happy. But if you are in a position like I was as a teen, maybe you know zero people who work in this field – any part of it. And also, if you are in a position like I was as a teen, maybe you don’t have the resources to attend an arts camp with a professional focus. Finally, if you are in a position like I was as a teen, maybe you don’t live in a community near people pursuing a career in this field.

So, what can you do?

  1. You are already doing something in this field – whether that is high school drama or community theatre – ask the people in charge of these programs if they know anyone with whom you could speak. Your community theatre director may be college buddies with an artistic director of a professional theatre, or your drama teacher may have a friend who runs a video production company nearby.
  2. Read autobiographies by working actors. A few that come to mind are books by Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Bryan Cranston. (Audiobooks are acceptable.)
  3. Listen to podcasts about working in this industry. Late night talk shows provide interviews that can be fun to watch as fans, but if you want to find out what it is like to be a working actor, look a little deeper. Some of my favorite podcasts in this vein are:
    1. David Tennant Does a Podcast with… – David asks questions that actors ask other actors, which means you get really interesting insight into the professional journey of some of your favorite actors.
    2. That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse – You may not recognize all the names in the list of episodes, but each person is a working actor. Alyshia’s interviews are a service to those pursuing a life in this industry.
    3. National Theatre’s NT Talks – From across the pond, I enjoy these talks, which are recorded pre- or post-show talks from the staff and artists of the National Theatre.
    4. A Balancing Act with Analisa Leaming – Especially episode 25 (April 17, 2019) with John Tartaglia (from Avenue Q, Shrek, Johnny & the Sprites, Sesame Street, etc).
    5. Fresh Air with Terry Gross – A daily radio show on NPR, produced by WHYY. Terry is a legend. In particular, her interview with Patricia Arquette that aired on April 29, 2019, is insightful for those pursuing a career in acting.

To listen to podcasts: If you have an Apple phone, Apple Podcasts is already on your phone. You will find each of these podcasts there. If you have an Android, Google Podcasts and Spotify are both good apps for listening to podcasts. You will have to download the app to your phone. You can also listen on your computer through Spotify. There are other podcast listening apps, but these are the top three.