You Just Think You Know It Is Hard to Have an Acting Career

A recent AOL Article was titled "Actress Admits She Is Desperate for Work"  Kristen Stewart, 22, star of the "Twilight" series, said "I'm kinda desperate for work right now." She also said "I'm itching to go back to work."   Unlike "Twilight" co star Robert Pattison, who is set to start a new film in Australia soon, Stewart is unemployed.

I urge my readers to reread the opening paragraph several times. Allow its message of "acting as a career is not a continuous occupation like teaching, for example.  Each film or play is a separate job and when it is over, the actor must find a new job. This is what an agent is for, of course, but the actor also has to help find new employment. 

Many actors become producers and make films in which they can work.  That is one solution. It is a financially risky one.  If the film does not earn back the millions it takes to make it, the actor may not work again for a long time. Anyone remember Pia Zadora?  She flopped in a big film "The Lonely Lady" produced by her husband and disappeared from acting.  Certainly no one wants to do that.

Finding work is always, always what an actor does most of the time.  Those 'day' jobs are really important.  An acting career is a costly investment. Hopefully if it pays off in big dollars such as those that Pattison and Stewart earned in "Twilight", the actor is wise enough to invest his earnings carefully so as to provide income for years to come.

So many young actors who suddenly find themselves with millions of dollars, waste their money or are conned out of it my unscrupulous managers and other members of their entourage.  An actor has to be money-wise and plan for the periods of unemployment between jobs.  Good managers, accountants, publicists, and agents, honest and trustworthy people, can help make or break an acting career as it begins to take off for the beginner.

The obtaining of such a crew of workers to support your career is a part of acting that I m sure few of my readers were aware existed. These people who help you survive and grow between jobs are just part of what makes an acting career so very. very difficult.

I hope all of you aspiring actors out there are able to reach a point in your career when you have to deal with such things, and that you do them well.   God bless, Doc