This is the second in a series of articles about relocating to Hollywood or New York to follow dreams in the entertainment business.
Part II–Actors
If you’re an actor and you’re wondering whether it’s time to move to New York (the home of live theater and a decent amount of film production) or Hollywood (the home of most film and television production), you might want to consider a few things.
In a blog I wrote last week, I detailed information I learned from one of Hollywood’s top stars whom I have the honor of knowing and thus interviewing for my book. Consider these business facts:
- There are 120,000 SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) actors in Hollywood.
- At any given time 85% of them are out of work.
- The average salary of a SAG actor is less than $10,000 a year.
- Most of them are just trying to earn the required $7,500 a year to keep their health benefits.
- 18-20% of them fall into star roles and make serious money.
- Less than 1% are the ones you read about and know, the real stars, the actors who make million dollar and double digit million dollar salaries.
The actor I interviewed falls into that last group—earning $250,000 an episode for his role in a hugely successful show. He’s one of the lucky ones. But it took many years for him to get to that point.
The question that is perhaps most important in making this decision is whether the move will afford you greater opportunities than it will cost you to do it. Here’s what I mean: It is obvious that there are many more auditions being held in Los Angeles and New York than in Baltimore, Cleveland, Tampa, Salt Lake City and perhaps the rest of the country combined. But what might not be so obvious is whether that translates into a better shot at becoming the actor you want to be. It would seem it should. But consider this:
- There are many more actors competing against you for that very reason.
- Because there are so many actors, there are gatekeepers set up in L.A. and N.Y. to block many newbies.
- Many of the actors competing against you have far more experience than you may have.
- If you don’t have an agent (most new actors in Hollywood/N.Y. don’t), you may not even hear about the auditions for your type.
- It will cost you far more money to wait for your chance in N.Y. and L.A. than any other place in the country.
Again, I’m not writing this to pour water on your fire. I’m writing this because I believe, as one quote says, “The best way to achieve your dreams is to wake up.” By wake up, I mean recognize the realities of the world you are looking to enter. Too often young actors are lured to Hollywood with dreams of becoming the next Will Smith or Jennifer Aniston. They are lured by the glamour of the less than 1% of actors who enjoy such glamour. Not many have their hearts set on even being one of the 18-20% group—those actors whose faces you may recognize, but whose names you don’t know.
It’s much easier to be a big fish in a small pond. One thing for sure about Hollywood, here you are swimming in the Ocean. Before you move here, make sure you’re ready for the salt water and sharks.
How do you do that? You get big in your town first. You find the theater groups that are active where you live and get involved. If you live in a very small town, you might want to move to a city near you to expose yourself to more opportunities.
Most actors considering a move to New York or Hollywood should have already done these things. If you have succeeded in those smaller ponds, move up to a lake. There are many acting opportunities in larger cities like Las Vegas, Orlando and Chicago. You may want to cut your chops in those large cities first. Doing so will get you used to the process so that, when you do get your shot in L.A. or N.Y., you’ll know better what to do to win the role.
But say you’ve done that as well. Let’s say you’re going to get a roommate (or two) and make the costs of living in one of these cities as cheap as possible. What’s the benefit of moving to N.Y. or L.A? Mmm…? Maybe sharing my story would illustrate it best.
Here’s the set up: I moved to L.A. with my family after placing as a semifinalist the Chesterfield screenwriting contest, getting an offer to purchase my screenplay, and attaining representation as a screenwriter. At our new apartment in Burbank another couple had moved here in support of their son’s acting career. He’d won a major talent contest in New Mexico, had gotten an agent and booked a few TV shows and movies. The mother had just taken a job as an agent with her son’s talent agency.
Within two months of being here, while chilling in the hot tub by the pool, the mother asked me if I’d ever done any acting. As it so happened, I’d been the star of nearly every high school play we’d done from my sophomore year forward. She said she’d like to rep me, my wife and daughter as actors because she believed we’d book a lot of roles. I thanked her, but said “no.” I was focused on writing.
My wife and daughter, however, said, “Sure! That sounds cool.” Soon they were in movies—The Italian Job, The Hulk, Legally Blonde; commercials for Time/Life, Rent-a-Center and others, and making decent money while hanging out with the likes of Mark Walhberg, F. Gary Gray and Mekhi Phifer—all without having taken a single acting class or having any experience at all. Once my wife took a few classes, she booked more work. After two years of being asked, I finally said, yes. Before long, I too was booking commercials for Time/Life, Papa Johns and others and going on auditions for movies and TV shows including Stargate Atlantis, CSI, and ER.
My point is that none of us had any intention of being actors, yet we fell into it in Hollywood. However, none of us are famous, nor have we made a career of acting as the less-than-1-percent actor I mentioned above. He too fell into acting—in college—in a small town. He moved to medium city—got big there in the local theater groups, then moved to N.Y. where he did Broadway and off-Broadway shows. Finally, he moved to L.A. where he struggled for nearly 20 years before he became a less-than-1-percenter. But he succeeded at making a career of it because when he got to L.A., he knew the game thoroughly. He pursued his dreams wide awake and understood it might take many years. He was ready to swim in the ocean. The question is, are you?
Now tell me what you think. Do you agree? Disagree? Please share from your experience in the comments below and share this article with others. Also look for my next article on Singers and Musicians in the next few days and please check out my book for the complete stories and all the other advice from this actor and many other successful celebrities.
Good Luck
TRL
October 20th, 2009 at 10:18 am
“The best way to achieve your dreams is to wake up”–excellent advice. i think i’ll make that my FB post of the day, lol. But this was indeed a great article, not just for actors, but for anyone aspiring to be in the business. Thanks for sharing and keep ‘em coming.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Thank you, Ebony. I’m glad you pointed out that I’m not deterring people. I’ve had some say on my FB page that you follow your dreams no matter what because you only live once. I agree. That’s why it’s so important to not blow it by doing things that don’t help or lead to discouragement. Thanks again for the comment.
TRL
April 7th, 2010 at 7:56 am
I agree with this 100% ,I’m 17 and trying to be a actor but now I realize success can come overnight or it can come in 20 years .I got to want it and I want it .I’m still taking a few acting classes to build my craft but you lol
April 7th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Hi TR. Great article. I read your book and I find myself coming back for more information from your website and blogs. I can’t recommend you enough to other moms of child actors and readers. Thank you for providing such a wealth of information about the behind-the-scenes life of Hollywood dreamers.
You are right that in LA you will get many more opportunitites. My son has auditioned at least 50 times since last September. That’s 48 more times than we auditioned when he was signed up at a modeling/talent agency in Miami Beach, FL several years ago. But you are also right that the competition is that much greater, that the pool of talent is that much better, and the living costs are exponentially higher. My son, who is a newbie with a B-list Hollywood agent, has managed to land some really big auditions on his look alone – Tim Burton’s next feature Frankenweenie, Disney FX’s Zeke & Luther, Nick’s iCarly and Big Time Rush, Lifetime movie Amish Grace, several feature films and national commercials. Of the 50 auditions, he has only booked two commercials — one as an extra and another as a principal kid — and one film — also as an extra — and has made a grand total of $500. Many parents don’t realize that non-union roles no longer pay. They expect you to work for the standard credit/copy/meals. And good luck getting a copy of the work after production wraps! I still have to hound directors for a copy of my son’s work for his demo reel.
As a parent of a child actor trying to break into Hollywood, the best advice I could give is to see living here as a VERY expensive acting school (with “tuition, room and board” averaging about 35k to 50k a year), with the rewards being that you get a chance to rub elbows with real industry people and not just your local theater acting coaches. Hollywood can also wreak havoc on marriages, which your book depicted so well, and I am personally experiencing. My husband could not find work here so he returned to FL, meanwhile he is underwriting our adventures out here in LA.
Needless to say, this contract will expire soon, as he cannot keep up with this very expensive arrangement.
Most acting coaches, casting directors, agents and managers in the industry want the actors (and the parents of actors) to have a life outside of the acting world. Many will ask the children what they want to be when they grow up, and usually they will reject them if they say “acting.” They usually want to hear something else, like lawyer, doctor, tennis star…. anything BUT actor. They realize that most children won’t make it in the business (and those who do make it as child actors wind up unemployed as adults) so they emphasize the need to get involved in other activities outside of Hollywood. The problem is… once you have an agent, they OWN you. They want you to be on call 24 hours, and you simply can’t say “No” or they will drop you as a client. Its a troubling dichotomy and only the most emotionally stable people need sign up for that kind of tension and suspense. It can be quite gut wrenching to be at an important meeting for your job or school (bravo for having a life) then…. get a call that the director wants to see your polished kid in 30 minutes. That’s what happened to me this past Monday, except I couldn’t answer the cell phone because its prohibited in class. It was the first time since we signed with the agency that I refused to go to an audition at all. It would have been impossible anyway, but it is not beyond these folks to expect the impossible from us. The agency is now considering dropping us because of it. That’s Hollywood.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
@F Newman–Wow, thank you for sharing this. (And, of course, thanks for reading the book, too.) I really appreciate your insights into the world of child acting. It is truly amazing what they put parents through out here. We were just watching old In Living Color episodes on TV and saw this skit about the mother of an child actress. They made the mother look crazy. But what they didn’t tell you is that she wasn’t crazy before she started dealing with Hollywood. LOL.
I spent a couple years running my daughter around to auditions as well. She had a theatrical and commercial agent. She booked an extra spot on Legally Blonde 2 and got call backs for “Are We There Yet,” and a couple other parts, but in the end, I think the metaphor of Hollywood as a “very expensive acting school” is just about right. You learn things being here that you will not learn anywhere else, that’s for sure. But oh the cost of that education. That’s a very good point about expecting actors to act for food, credit and a copy of the reel–reels are very hard to get. It’s amazing how they get away with that here.
And great insight into the agents and managers too. I remember one point I hadn’t gotten a call from my acting agent in 2 months. I went out of town for a trip and suddenly she called. I told her I was out of town and she hit the roof. I thought, “You got some nerve–You don’t call me for 2 months and now you’re mad at me?” People are a trip. But their jobs are high stress too. They’re all subject to the same nuts who make the movies–the directors who “want to see your polished kid in 30 minutes.” I’m sorry to hear about them threatening to drop you for prioritizing, but that is also true. So much of what I write in this book, as you know, is exactly the kind of insight you’re bring in this comment. In fact, I’d love to quote you directly in the new edition I’m working on now for the digital device release. That will then flow into the new edition of the book as well. I’ll contact you by email to set up an interview if you’re cool with it.
Appreciate the comment. I know a lot of readers will find it very helpful. Thank you.
TRL
April 8th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
@Sherman–What happened? You comment got cut off. Hopefully you’ll finish it. Please do. But to your point–yes, you do have to really want it. Acting classes will help a lot. Mainly, you need to figure out your type and get clear just on what it is you present to the camera and audience. I’ll wait for the rest of your comment/question before I finish.
–TRL
April 19th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
No problem TR…. By the way, since I posted the last comment, the agent decided to keep us around a little longer. Turns out the director of Spy Kids 4 is very interested in seeing my son this Friday. So we are back to rearranging priorities this week again (setting up private coaching, rehearsing, clothes shopping, hair styling, etc). Interesting how this works. I would rank threats right up there with criticism of one’s artistry and craft. As newbies, its hard to tell the difference between a real threat and a perceived threat — between being on the verge of losing an agent, and an agent just venting their frustrations on you. Either way, its a pressure boiler and no one has captured the experience as well as you have. Your book, and lots of prayer, have kept me sane. Thank you.
April 22nd, 2010 at 6:47 pm
@F Newman–That is very cool. I’m very glad to hear it and I wish you son the best. Agents can be a handful and tremendously insensitive, but I guess sometimes they may get rejected 100x more a day than artists do. Thank you so much for you positive comments. It really encourages me to know that I reached my goal with this book–to help folk to not to give up but to understand how it works better so that they can make sure there’s enough in the tank for the journey. Good Luck!