Nice work if you can get it...

How do we make a living as actors? As far as I'm concerned, the ideal job for an actor is, as I mentioned earlier, becoming a working actor. But, for those of us still slogging it out in the trenches, what do we do to make ends meet?

A full-time job is out of the question if you want to be a professional actor. All your time and energy is sucked dry, trying to make your boss happy while scuttling out to rehearsals in the evenings. I've had a 9-5 and been in shows before and it's very tough. The rehearsals are where you really want to be but the job is what you need to keep to get by. Unless, by some miracle, you find a FT job that allows you completely flexible hours, you can't make it to the auditions for professional, well-paid work because you're stuck in the office.

Working a part-time job isn't bad. Of course, then you're practically a parody of yourself, being a waiter and an actor or (if you're lucky) an actor by day, bar tender by night.

As far as I can gauge it, the best way to make a living as an actor is to have a marketable skill outside of acting; a skill that will pay well and one in which you can make your own hours. Being a Spanish tutor for private schools in a wealthy 'hood, for example, would be perfect in LA. A web designer would be a good one, too. Perhaps a stylist? Use your imagination. (I'm certainly open to suggestions.)

At this point, I'd just like to find something that pays reliably. It certainly takes the edge off, taking you out of the realm of "needy actor" and placing you firmly in the "self reliant actor" category. Who knows, maybe finding the right paying work, outside of acting, might actually enrich your craft. Stranger things have happened.

Happy Hunting.

Why pursue acting?

Why, in these precarious economic times, would anyone in their right mind pursue acting? Why sacrifice time with loved ones, a decent income, the perks of the pre-established corporate ladder and a modicum of dignity pursuing an elusive craft in which nothing is guaranteed? Some will insist that they can do no other job, they MUST act, dance, sing, or paint; there is no choice in the matter.

Yet doubt creeps in, even for the most passionate. I’m sure each actor has his or her reasons, demons and sirens that clamor for her to stick with it. I pursue acting because I love people. I have a need to tell stories. Those who know me personally will attest to my tiresome habit of shoe-horning the most miniscule events in my daily life into neat bundles of vignettes. I’m working on this, cutting down lengthy phone messages and attempting to be as considerate of other people’s time as possible. “Hi Babe, it’s me. I’m walking home from work and passed this nerdy guy on a motorcycle and…sorry. Give me a call when you get this. Bye!” What should normally be a twenty second message can expand until the beep cuts me off, if I’m not careful. Thank God my friends are good, patient people.

Yes, masochism factors into it, the pursuit of acting, I mean. I’m cultivating a positive outlook on life, so I can safely say I’m in the process of pushing self-loathing out of the moving car and into oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, I never want to get rid of any emotion or trait completely, seeing that they’ll all be useful at some point or another for one of the characters; much like the silly little stories and details. For now, then, I’ll keep all that stuff in the trunk.

Fame is a reason that often comes up. I’m not going to lie, it would be trippy to become famous but it is not the goal. In an ideal world, I would become a “working actor.” I’d have commercials to pay the bills, TV co-star roles and eventually supporting roles in Indie films at Sun Dance. There’d be interviews with online Entertainment shows and the occasional Red Carpet opening. Most importantly, there would be scripts. Oh yes, scripts waiting for me and an Agent to help me sort through them... Opportunities made through work. Work begetting work. I’d like to get paid for the work; paid enough to live on. That’s the goal.