How to go to work and become an actor.
Did you know? James Franco worked at McDonalds when he was an aspiring actor. A few years ago, the Washington Post published an interesting op-ed by writer/director/filmmaker James Franco. The article centered around Franco’s experience while working at McDonald’s.
He writes, “McDonald’s was there for me. When no one else was.” Franco says his late-night job at McDonald’s was the first job he’d ever had where he didn’t read at work, but he was able to train as an actor. “In high school, I was fired from a coffee shop for reading behind the counter and from a golf course for reading while driving the cart on the driving range…I refrained from reading on the job, but soon started putting on fake accents with the customers to practice for my scenes in acting class.”
But, not everyone is as lucky and as fortunate as James Franco. In fact, acting is not easy and it is not cheap. You have headshots, auditions, and acting classes. So, how does an aspiring actor afford all of these necessities and keep a job? Well, on Reddit, several actors shared their best tips on how to juggle a job and work as an actor.
Priorities
You have a few choices really, but it all comes down to priorities.
If what you want to do with your life is pursue acting as a life long career, then you need to accept that other parts of your life are going to be taking a back seat. What I mean by this is doing things like taking night time or weekends jobs to keep you open for day time auditions. It also means having the resilience, fortitude and saved resources available for that inevitable time when your boss says “us or them” and walking away from a guaranteed paycheck and financial stability for the chance to audition for a gig that you probably won’t get if you do audition, but definitely won’t if you don’t, so you go.
I encourage every young actor to really sit down and imagine their future. If you think that you’d be at the end of your life, looking back and thinking “I should have left that crap job and just DID it”, then look at jobs as temporary money while you work to create your REAL career. If, on the other hand, you think you’d look back and think, “damn, I should have started working more and dreaming less much earlier…” well, there’s your answer.
Now as far as the options, there’s a reason bartenders, waiters and barista’s are the stereotypical jobs for actors. Their hours are usually nights, they’re flexible and worst case scenario, easy to get another one once you’ve had to quit because they didn’t let you have time off to pursue your actual goals. (Even though they ALL say they will, when it comes time, they’re always shocked you need a day off) Also consider things like Uber/Gett or whatever driving service sort of job that you can make your own hours. You could also start your own business and be your own boss, but believe me, that’s just another set of issues, and rewards.
Point being, there ARE options, but none of them are simple and nothing about the decision to make Acting your life’s goal is easy. It’s a constant struggle to book work, but with time you’ll become a pro at juggling multiple jobs and time management. The weight stays the same, it just gets easier to lift once you’ve built up the muscles. – welwood
Focus on acting
If you want the acting to work, any other job has to take a backseat. Your agent will not be okay with you missing auditions, ever.
Any job you have other than acting has to be completely flexible to the acting. Sometimes you get auditions the day of or the night before. Freelancing is the best option, finding a job that is cool with you taking time off at any point during the week/day is the dream job. – calbobbball
Related:
- Aubrey Plaza Shares Amazing Acting Tips for Aspiring Actors
- 5 Most Important Accents Every Actor Must Know
- 3,000 Actors Auditioned for the Role of Han Solo
What do you think? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below.
