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Bled through my pants at a fitting- freaking out by Mother-Luck1617  •  last post Aug 18th

Hi everyone! I know this is an extremely unusual post and very TMI, but I am a young female actor who was casted in a commercial directed by a well known director. when we were wrapping up the fitting I realized that I had leaked through the y gave me from my period. I am so mortified and embarassed especially because the director was present during the fitting. I told the wardrobe team and they were really nice about it, but I’m very scared it happened as I was changing fast and got on other pieces as well. I’m so embarassed that people probably saw me walking around with it. They said it should be fine and not to worry at all and it happens but I feel like such a loser and am so embarassed for my day on set tomorrow. Any advice would be welcome.

Acting with scars? (tw possibly) by Quiet-Raspberry6053  •  last post Aug 18th

Acting has always been a small passion of mines, recently I’ve been thinking about joining an acting club in school to get started but I used to struggle with sh back in middle school, and my scars are very obviously visible. They can be covered with regular jeans/pants and a long sleeve shirt **but i want to know if anyone is or knows an actor with scars (such as sh scars in my case),** and **is there a possibility that having scars would stun my chances at being casted in a play??** Looking forward to seeing any replies :,)

Would taking a full-time 9–6 production job make it unrealistic to keep pursuing acting in LA? by Dull_Ad_9523  •  last post Aug 18th

Career question: I’m 23 and moved to LA to pursue acting. I took a step back recently, but since I started submitting again, I’ve been receiving several auditions and have had a couple of callbacks. It’s making me wonder whether I should give acting a more serious chance before pivoting. My current job is as a nanny/house manager. It isn’t particularly fulfilling, but the schedule is unusually compatible with acting: I’m off Wednesdays and weekends, and I’ll soon have most of Thursday free before working from either 1–9 or 2–10. That gives me two weekdays for self-tapes, callbacks and last-minute appointments. I’m also using that flexibility to launch a jewelry brand. I’ve now been offered a full-time executive assistant position at a major live-event production company. The company works with major entertainment brands and high-profile artists, and I’m genuinely interested in production—not solely because I hope it will help my acting career. It could offer valuable experience, connections, coworkers and a professional path I might enjoy. However, the agreement lists core hours as 9–6. The role is described as hybrid, but remote work is at the company’s discretion, and I don’t yet know how flexible it is in practice. I’m concerned that accepting would make short-notice self-tapes, callbacks and bookings extremely difficult. I plan to ask about their typical hybrid schedule and whether there is occasional flexibility to shift hours for an appointment. I’m hesitant to specifically mention auditions before starting because I applied for a full-time job and don’t want to signal that it wouldn’t be my priority. For actors who have worked traditional full-time jobs: Is it realistically possible to pursue acting while working 9–6? How do you manage auditions, callbacks or bookings that occur during business hours? Is it reasonable to ask about general flexibility before accepting without mentioning acting specifically? Would working in production provide any meaningful benefit to an acting career, or am I overestimating the value of being close to the industry? I’m afraid of turning down an exciting professional opportunity for acting, which remains uncertain. But I’m equally afraid of giving up the rare flexibility that allows me to audition just as I’m beginning to receive opportunities again.

BASIC QUESTIONS + HEADSHOTS/TYPE/AGE-RANGE WEEKLY MEGA THREAD by AutoModerator  •  last post Aug 18th

Please feel free to ask any question at all related to acting, no matter how simple. There will be no judgements on questions posted here. Everyone starts somewhere. We have a FAQ which attempts to answer basic questions about acting. \[Have a look\]( https://www.reddit.com/r/acting/wiki/index), but don't worry if you ask something here that we've covered. Also, use this thread to post your headshots for feedback, get info on your age range/type, find good headshot photographers, ask any questions you may have about headshots. It is advised that you do at least some basic research on what actor headshots look like -- composition, framing, lighting. You will find a Google Image search for "actor headshots" to be very helpful for this. Non-professional shots are fine for age/typecasting, but please keep in mind that one picture is a difficult way to go about this. Video of you moving and speaking would be ideal, but understandably more difficult to post. For what it's worth, the branding workshop at SAG-AFTRA recommends a five-year age range. That's inclusive, so for example 19-23, 25-29, 34-38, etc.

Reel Clips by motherofdr  •  last post Aug 18th

Is it okay to post on actors access a self tape audition for a project? where do you guys get your sides for these if you don’t have reel clips

Hello is there any newgen/rookie japanese voice actors who deserves more lead roles in Anime? by Any-Interest2781  •  last post Aug 18th

Hello I just want to ask if you know about new voice actors in Japan who deserve give a main role in anime and for example that is Taihi Kimura, rookie voice actor who will Chihiro from the upcoming Kagurabachi anime which is released next year.

How do I tell my parents? by Jesus_Is_So_Real  •  last post Aug 18th

I'm 13 and when I was 5 my parents signed me up for piano, and at 7 for violin. But I've thought about it for a really really long time and I really want to be an actor. I never really enjoyed music, but my parents always pressed me to play, and if I didn't they'd alwasy say that I'm lazy and wasting my talent. And I don't mean to boast but I am actually talented at it. Every day I'd practice and once a week I had private (expensive) lessons for each instrument respectively. If I wasn't good enough I had to listen to a weeks worth of critique. Calling me arrogant and lazy. I've done research, I know my parents need to be involved, I know it's competitive, but this is what I REALLY want. Also, my parents don't know how I really feel about music but they alwas tell me I'm not taking it seriously and I'm scared to tell them the truth but I don't want y'all to blame my parents and think they're bad people.

comedic female trio scenes? by peony-tulip04  •  last post Aug 18th

I’m currently working on revamping all of my materials for Actors Access, and I don’t have many comedic scenes, only monologues. I’m looking for a scene for me and my two friends to film, but can’t find a lot of TV or movie comedic 3 female (or could be gender neutral) scenes. Any suggestions?

Do actors prefer when casting directors let them know if they didn't get the part? by 3beyfyp  •  last post Aug 18th

I'm working as an AD on a college short film and handling the audition emails. In the past, I used to send rejection emails to the actors who submitted their self-tape. However, I recently saw a thread where actors said they didn't like it. They argue that getting a random email from a production gets their hopes up, only to crush them when they realize it's just a "no." I also saw a person saying that rejection emails is "rookie behavior" and that only low budget/non paying productions do it. Now on one hand I like to be cordial and I appricate the time and effort it takes to send a self-tape, but on the other hand, it would save me some time just not sending any emails at all, considering I do this on my own and the production doesn't really care if I do it or not. Personally, if I were an actor, I'd want to know either way, but I'm curious to see what the majority actually thinks. P.S. I'm not in the U.S, so maybe in south america is more common to send rejection emails, but idk.

Good Expressionless Acting by Doug Kayne  •  last post Aug 17th

It is said that acting is reacting.  It is also said that the camera can read every twitch, every eye movement, every tiny quirk to convey to the audience what a character is thinking.  It is the actor's job to imbue their performance with these subtleties to create a layered, nuanced performance.

But what happens when a character can't do this?  What if they are inanimate in a sense?  Can there still be good acting?

Now, for this, we're going to exclude animation, both traditional cel animation and computer animation.  So, gone are the objects from THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER and WALL-E.  They were animated, and the animators gave them the abilities to emote visually.  This also excludes the hero masks in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY and DEADPOOL, for example, as their eyes were changed in post-production to alter the expressions.  I'm talking about instances where the look of the character does not change, yet good acting happens due to the actor inside. 

A couple of examples from one of my favorite movie trilogies, the original STAR WARS trilogy:

1.  R2-D2.  Now, I can go on and on about how Artoo is the greatest hero in all of Star Wars...but that's not the point of this post.  If you watch the Star Wars saga (especially Episodes IV through VI), you can very clearly tell the little astromech's emotions at any time.  Granted, the tones of the beeps and whistles help, but even those moments when they are either not present or are vague, his emotional journey is clear.  Take the moment in A NEW HOPE when he and C-3PO have landed on Tatooine and go their separate ways.  Artoo's conflict (should he go with Threepio or continue on the path he wants to go on?) is evident, and a huge part of that is due to the performance of Kenny Baker, the man inside the droid in close-up shots.  (Yes, I'm aware that not a lot of people know there was a person inside him during these shots, so surprise!)  Baker's performance was instrumental in giving Artoo these emotions, which is one reason why the little astromech is so beloved.

2.  Darth Vader.  James Earl Jones gets a lion's share (pun intended) of praise for providing the voice of the Sith Lord in the trilogy, but I'm going to take this moment to highlight the performance of the man in the suit, David Prowse.  Prowse, who was also the man who helped Christopher Reeve bulk up for SUPERMAN, carried Vader menacingly throughout the trilogy.  This was not a character to be trifled with.  But, there is one instance I want to mention specifically which showed real acting:  In RETURN OF THE JEDI, when Palpatine is throwing the mother of all lightning storms at Luke, Vader watches wordlessly (I am specifically ignoring Lucas' most recent tinkering, wherein he gave Vader the eloquent dialogue of "No...no...NooOOOooOOOooo" during that scene).  As he looked back and forth from his son to his master and back, you can actually read the conflict on his expressionless face mask.  And, that is in no small part due to Prowse's physical performance.  You can feel the dilemma he faces.

Bonus:  THE MANDALORIAN.  And, for this, I am highlighting Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder, the two men who embody the armor throughout most of the series (there are, in fact, whole episodes where Pedro Pascal wasn't even on set).  The way these two men acted, you can feel Din Djarin's exasperation, desperation, and rumination even though not one ounce of expression can be seen in the iconic helmet.

Obviously, these types of performances are not unique to the Star Wars universe.  There are other instances where the acting is evident in similar ways.  What are some of the performances and performers you'd like to praise for their work in similar ways?

ZACH THEATER- PETER PAN by ManifestTheGood  •  last post Aug 17th

Check Your Ego, Not Your Value by Suzanne Bronson  •  last post Aug 17th

In yesterday's blog by RB our fearless leader, RB tells us to Check Your Ego, Not Your value.

https://www.stage32.com/blog/4561

He asks, and I am asking you actors: What is the part of the business side of acting that you understand the least, and have been avoiding learning about? For those of you who been around awhile, what are some things that you wish someone had shared with you when you were starting out?

Why I Refused to Talk With Judi Dench On Set by Aaron Marcus  •  last post Aug 17th

I refused to speak a single word to Dame Judi Dench before we shot our scene together in Philomena — no hello, no introduction, nothing.


In this week's Quick Tip, I break down why I made that call, what a technical advisor on set taught me about playing the scene accurately, and why the opposite approach — building real closeness beforehand — was exactly right for a different scene, working with Ellen Burstyn in House of Cards.

Have you ever done something specific with a scene partner before shooting to make your performance stronger — staying distant to protect a character, or getting to know them like I did with Ellen Burstyn? Share your experience so we can learn from you.

Watch here: https://bit.ly/4x8iVvV

Voiceover just as hard by ActorWriter24  •  last post Aug 17th

I was curious if others feel the same way as me. I have been taking loads of Voiceover classes. Studying with some great teachers, have a demo, booth set up but I feel like the VO community is the hardest area of acting to break into. Do other actors feel the same? VO doesn’t seem like there is a clear path unlike theatre/on camera. It seems more of a “take this class and take that class” to progress forward.

What is the top 10 of the highest grossing voice actors? by valeliza3003  •  last post Aug 17th

What the title says. This refers to movies and not to be confused with "Highest paid voice actors"

Casting Associates VS Casting Directors by CaliforniaStoked  •  last post Aug 17th

LA Based SAG Actress here! I just signed with a new manager and I'm being submitted to great projects, but have yet to secure an audition. It's only been 4 weeks since I signed, so I'm not stressing, but I do want to higher my chances of getting called in. This is my first real legit big rep, and this is my first time even being thrown into the mix for big TV shows. I have a great reel (for never having reps, but I do tons of student thesis films as the lead), I'm enrolled in ongoing acting classes with a known studio, have some solid headshots from popular LA photographers (but I'm shooting some new pics next month per my reps suggestion), and the next step is just putting my face out there to casting directors, so I'm (attempting) to sign up for some CD workshops. I noticed that alot of the Casting Director workshops in LA feature Casting Associates instead of name Casting Directors. Do audition requests get sent out by the Casting Associates choosing? Or are they more of an assistant to the Casting Directors and help with the backend stuff? I guess I'm just confused on what they do. And obviously I know that these workshops don't promise anything and is a learning experience/class. I just dont want to throw all this money and time into CD workshops in LA, if Casting Associates have no say in the selection process or even look at submissions. And obviously Casting Associates become Casting Directors one day, but I'm just focused on the present and my situation currently.

Zero acting experience, 5 responses from 7 background submissions after uploading only 2 photos. Is that normal? by DragonflyEnough8835  •  last post Aug 17th

I’m almost 28, live in the NYC metro area, and have never acted before. I literally decided yesterday to try submitting myself on a casting site. My profile is extremely basic. I only uploaded two photos and added things like my ethnicity, phone number, and location. I don’t have acting experience, training, a reel, or anything else on my profile. I submitted to 7 background actor roles, and 5 of them responded or showed interest. Since I’m completely new to this, is that a normal response rate for background work in NYC? Or does getting 5 responses out of 7 with such a basic profile suggest that my look might be fitting what casting people are searching for? I know background casting is very different from getting speaking roles, so I’m mainly trying to understand what this means realistically

Uploading self-tapes to AA ruins quality. How do I fix this?! by Nerdy_Singer510  •  last post Aug 17th

I have an iPhone 16, which is supposed to have a good quality camera. I record all of my self-tapes with it and use a ring light and backdrop. When I’m in my Photos app and viewing the videos, they look perfectly fine and are nice and clear, but as soon as I upload them to Actors Access or YouTube or even Google Drive, the videos get this awful over-exposed and over-saturated hue to them! I’ve tried editing the exposure levels and whatnot to cancel it out but it still looks terrible! It always looks like my eyes are bloodshot, but then parts of my face are yellow. I’m tired of my self-tapes being ruined by the quality. How do I fix this? I’m going to be exposing myself a little bit, but the first image is how it looks normally on my iPad and iPhone. The second image is how it looks once uploaded onto Actors Access or other sites. Edit: Someone pointed out it seems to be an issue with HDR. Going forward, I will keep it turned off and use SDR instead, BUT this particular self-tape is already recorded and involved multiple takes and parts and I need to submit it ASAP, so if anyone has any advice on how to edit it enough to reduce the saturation that would also be amazing! ?

Becoming an actress by Queasy_Ad_1215  •  last post Aug 17th

Hey so im over in Arizona. I am still trying to become an actress. Im 27 and curvy so I know im not the typical pick however, im looking to see how most of people are broadening their chances of becoming an actress/actor. The most experience i have is backstage work with hair and makeup. I have some singing on stage as experience as well as dance but those were from back in high-school and grade school. So its been a minute since I have been on a stage or in front of a camera. Any recommendations for acting classes?