Actor / Actress

What is an actor?

An actor is someone who portrays a character in film, television, radio or theatre productions. When most people think of actors they think of Hollywood actors who perform in hit films, and this is often the ultimate aspiration of anyone who dreams of a career in acting. It is difficult to achieve a high level of success in the field of acting; Most actors perform in smaller productions, often starting in commercials or as extras in television shows or films.

There are many actors who have a successful career and never have a starring role. Others achieve great success very early in their careers, become household names and land many major roles. Most actors will have a career that is somewhere between these two extremes.

What does an actor do?

An actor's job is to fully portray the character they are playing and convince their audience that the character is real by engaging them and drawing them into the story. This applies to leading roles and to smaller parts, as all roles combine to create a successful production.

There are many ways to get into character and actors often research the jobs, hobbies or activities of the characters they play so they can get into that mindset. Physical appearance can be important in creating a character as well, and actors often lose or gain weight, or change their hair color to physically create the character they are playing.

If the part calls for any kind of emotional drama (for example, dealing with a death), an actor often researches people who have experienced what the story portrays in order to understand and convey the emotions realistically.

What is an actor's workplace like?

An actor's workplace will vary depending on the type of production involved. Some film and television shows, as well as most commercials, will be filmed in studios and on sets. This can be quite exciting in itself, seeing how a place can be created by set designers and look real. Other film and television shows are filmed on location and can involve a lot of travel, sometimes to distant and exotic places.

Stage productions take place on a stage and have very different considerations than filmed performances. Performances are in front of a live audience, in theatres and in studios for some television shows. Other performances do not have an audience and feedback from these performances is not instantaneous.

The workplace is very varied and actors have to be flexible about where they work and the type of environment they work in. Those who are prepared to work in all kinds of situations and who are able to adapt to their different environments will be more successful in their career.