Training

Many actors that have had great success in the business continue to work with acting coaches on a regular basis. Whether it is for suggestions about a character or help perfecting a certain accent, acting coaches often have the insight that actors, who are switching from one job to another, do not. When accepting her Academy Award for Best Actress in the film As Good As it Gets, Helen Hunt made sure to thank her acting coach for all that she had learned throughout the making of the film. 

Cherie Franklin (Actress, Acting Coach) has stated that “the value of working with an acting coach on an ongoing basis is this: they can offer a safe environment that can allow you to reveal your fears and bring your work to a place where you can face your truths. This work state will invite you to trust in yourself, creating confidence and steering you clear of self-sabotage throughout your journey as an actor”.

Many people entering the business feel that acting is easy, that anyone can do it with or without proper training. Although there are those who enter the business with little or no previous training, most at one point or another in their career will end up working extensively with a teacher or coach.

“Whether you are one of the three tenors, a member of the Bolshoi Ballet, an iron man in baseball, an Olympic swimmer, or a waiter at Denny’s, you have a coach and a trainer who warms you up, guides you and prepares you for the physical and emotional struggle that lies ahead that day.

For an actor it is important to be in a class so that your instrument stays flexible and focused. Unlike a violinist who plays an instrument, you the actor are the instrument you play. It is as wrong to mistreat your body with alcohol and smoke as it is to deny this same instrument the opportunity to be nurtured by exposure to good writing, risk taking and the emotional communion that happens with other artists in a safe landscape. 

Class offers you the opportunity to share your losses and gains with others who will understand. Compliments or criticism from fellow artist you trust is the highest form of support

and sharing” stated Terrance Hines, acting coach and personal manager.

Working as an extra

All actors should do at least several days of extra work at the beginning of their careers. New actors have no idea what it is like to be on an actual film set. No person or book can explain what it is like to be on location or on a sound stage. While working as an extra, there is the possibility of obtaining your SAG card. Through this work you may be given SAG vouchers, and once you obtain three of these you are eligible to join SAG. A voucher is your pay record; a three-page, multicolored form. As a SAG extra, an actor is paid a minimum of $596, plus any residuals that

Come from the film in the future.

Many of today’s well-known actors started their careers as extras. Brad Pitt’s first acting role was as an extra in the film Cutting Class. Bruce Willis was an extra in the film The Verdict, along with being a photo-double and extra in Frank Sinatra’s film First Deadly Sin. Other actors such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sharon Stone, Bette Midler, Dustin Hoffman and Nicholas Cage all worked as extras at the beginning of their careers. Being an extra is the first step towards an acting career. In this position, you are able to gain knowledge, insight and experience into the film making process that is not obtainable through just sitting in a classroom or reading a book.