To become an actor it can be extremely expensive…
Actors have to pay for head shots, travel to meetings to find a talent agent, a manager, and still have to pay for acting classes. But what if I told you there is a way to learn how to become an actor without paying for acting classes? Would you believe it? Would you do it? Well, buckle your seatbelt because today we’re going to learn how to teach yourself to become an actor without spending a dime.
In a recent interview, actor Wyatt Russell, who has never taken any acting classes but has appeared in several feature films including 22 Jump Street, Everybody Wants Some, Cowboys and Aliens, and Black Mirror, discussed 4 ways to teach yourself acting. In the interview with No Film School, the actor broke down how actors can learn to become better actors using these 4 tips.
1. Keep it real
“Acting is treated like this thing you can’t touch,” Russell said. “How do I get good at it? To me, it’s: wake up, look around. Everything you see and do is acting. Everybody’s acting. Everybody wants to be seen as a certain type of person. The way you carry yourself down the street. The way you treat me, treat your mom.”
“Whatever the situation calls for, I’ve lived it before in some way or I’ve thought about it in some way,” Russell affirmed. “So why not execute it the way I would execute it myself?” He shook his head, dismissive of less personal methods. “You can’t be taught how to be someone else. You won’t find anything out that way. You have to bring yourself to the party.”
2. Don’t try too hard
“The more challenging roles are where you really start to learn how to manipulate your character—all while staying true to yourself,” he said. “You know when it feels right. But after you’ve made your crucial first step, it’s no longer up to you. It depends on who you’re working with. If they understand the character the way you do—if you’re all on the same page—they can make you believable during production and in post.”
3. If a casting director doesn’t like your audition, take it as a compliment
“Casting is where the two parties ask each other, ‘Do you, the filmmakers, and I see the character in the same light?’ For me, that’s where I get to offer my honest opinion. It means that we have a better chance of making a good movie. And if their opinions don’t match up with mine, then they don’t want me in their movie, and that’s totally fine. After all, it’s their vision.”
4. Leave your comfort zone
“That’s what I tell the students I meet with,” he explained. “Especially the ones who want to be actors. They ask me for guidance and my answer is simple: ‘Wait until you’re 18. Do school plays. Go to college. Travel. Go somewhere unfamiliar. Just watch other people. Experience life while you’re young, without responsibilities to cloud your view.'”
“You have to get outside of your comfort zone,” he insisted. “For me, leaving my house in Santa Monica and meeting people who live with true pain is something I always carry with me. Back when I was playing hockey, I lived in Europe for three years. At one point, I lived with a heroin addict. Then, I lived with a Rwandan refugee, Frank, who had watched his whole family get fucking killed.”
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