A Question to Older Actors

[AnotherHat]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 8:44am

We all know how difficult a career acting is and how very few actually make it. Or hang on when they do.

I'd like to ask any actors who have been around for a good number of years a question. What is it about acting that makes you stay with it? I'd really like to hear from those actors who have been pursuing a career for a long time and have experienced hopes and disappointments that would discourage other people. We know about the hopes and dreams of starry-eyed new hopefuls fresh out of school, so I'd really like to keep the question posed to the oldies who haven't given up.

[Guillermo Ugarte]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 6:24pm

The title of this post makes me feel a bit ancient but I will respond anyway. I have been working in the business for more years than I care to admit, and I get asked this question a lot.

The answer has always been simple in my mind. But let us go at it from another angle, shall we? Consider this for a moment. You are in a business that is rife with rejection, disappointment, long hours, endless rehearsals and lessons (assuming you are taking your craft seriously) and, will perhaps (if you are lucky) get you a few weeks of work here or there. You will most definitely have to find other ways to make a living so you can pay rent, pay for lessons, pay utilities and other expenses. You are living in an area that is one of the most expensive in the U.S., so paying those bills is no small feat.

Have I depressed you? That is not my intention. My point is simply to remind you how difficult it is to be in this business, and what a small percentage of Equity members actually make a living at acting.

So, WHY does anyone stick with it? Simply put: we have no choice. If you love this craft and it is your passion, you stay in the business because you must. If you can imagine doing something else, if you have questions about staying in the business, then this business is not for you.

So, when I am asked why one might remain, my answer is simple. We stay because we MUST stay. We stay because we have no choice. It is our life and we love it enough to stay even when it breaks our hearts. Don't become an actor for money, fun or fame. Be an actor because that is what you are and you cannot imagine being anything else. I hope that helps.

[GatorNY]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 6:58pm

That was beautiful...and inspiring.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 7:24pm

Bravo, Guillermo, and thank you for your post.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 10/27/10 at 7:41pm

Post reminds me of something Colleen Dewhurst said when asked why she became an actress. Her response was, "Because I can't do anything else," meaning not because she didn't have the ability to do something else, but because something inside her demanded that she be an actress. It's a calling that supersedes all other considertations.

Updated On: 10/28/10 at 07:41 PM

[AnotherHat]

Posted: 10/28/10 at 9:32am

Thanks, Guillermo. You are wonderful.

"Because I must" has been THE response most given to my question. But can you dig deeper? What is it about the craft itself that makes it so irresistable, so MUSTable? Is it even possible to describe the essence of this catnip? I like to ask this question of "experienced" (a better word?) actors since, unlike the newer arrivals, you have already paid, and continue to pay, the price. I wanted to remove the tiresome element of potential "fame" and just focus on the process - the craft and your need for it and love of it? Or is what I'm asking indescribable? And did I spell that right?