What is the likelyhood of me obtaining a successful acting career?

TStoneMBD · #1 04-19-2005, 03:17 AM

While maybe nieve, I always felt that I would make a good actor. However, most people who have become successful actors paved their way through hard work along with significant luck. Acting is one of the few careers that I feel would excite me if I could become successful. Is it worth it for me to pursue an acting career?

I'm 20 years old. I have no college diploma. I have no acting experience. I have no acting prospects. Fortunately, as arrogant as this sounds, I was born with a very handsome face. I am currently overweight, not by alot, but enough that it would seriously damper a career in acting for me. However, if I were to pursue an acting career, I would be willing to spend the necessary time to maintain a sixpack.

I am able to cry at will. Not just watery eyes either. I am able to shed a tear long enough to drop to my chin on demand. I am also able to turn red. I feel that I am able to reenact emotions as if they were actually taking place in reality very well. I am able to imagine a situation actually happening, and can forsee how I would react.

If I decided to take a potential career in acting, I would be willing to budget 20 hours a week or $2000/mo, whichever comes first, improving my acting abilities through personal classes, public classes, reading and other methods. I would also be willing to move to LA, or any other necessary location next year. If I landed a job that paid easy money and did not take away from my poker hours, like a commercial, I would be willing to reinvest nearly every dime into acting lessons. If I became a professional actor, and realized that I had a future in the industry, I would be willing to quit poker and dedicate 60 hours a week to acting through either learning or working. I am disciplined and motivated. The hours I spend on acting would not be fluffed. I would spend those hours working diligently.

I would also be willing to budget some of the dedicated 20 hours a week to writing screenplays, if I felt that it could improve my chances of success. I feel that I have some great ideas that would make good movies, but my writing skills are relatively average and I'm not confident that my ideas would really be successful.

If I am going to spend 2 years of my life learning how to act, I would not be satisfied if I was a small time actor making 100k a year. I would like to be earning at least 500k a year within the next 6 years. However, it's silly for me to demand such steep returns as so few people actually make it in this industry. However, the goal of acting for me is to make it big.

Fortunately, I am earning enough money that if a career in acting fails, my financial situation would not be in any trouble whatsoever. I will still go on to lead a wealthy life, but it may not be a life of abundant wealth with my dreams in the forefront.

So, what do you think, is it worth it for me to pursue this dream? What would you predict is the likelyhood of me earning 100k a year 2 years from now? What is the likelyhood of me earning 500k+ a year 6 years from now? Estimations such as a 2% success rate would be appreciated.

mmbt0ne · #2 04-19-2005, 03:22 AM

<blockquote>En réponse à:<hr />
What would you predict is the likelyhood of me earning 100k a year 2 years from now? What is the likelyhood of me earning 500k+ a year 6 years from now?

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<blockquote>En réponse à:<hr />
I have no acting experience. I have no acting prospects.

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Not very good. You're gonna have to do some sort of smalltime theater or something just to have any experience. It's rare that they just find some nonbody to fill a part, or that someone with no experience is able to blow a casting director away in an audition. You say you're willing to pay for it though, and that you have the money for it, so sure, why not. Do something you want to do.

sublime · #3 04-19-2005, 03:23 AM

a picture would be needed, and even if you are somehow better looking than me, you would still be a huge longshot.

that being said, always pursue your dreams, and never let anybody tell you otherwise.

sublime · #4 04-19-2005, 03:25 AM

also, if your good looking and dedicate your life to staying fit, you could make some real good money modeling. wouldnt take as much time/money investment as an acting career would either.

pshreck · #5 04-19-2005, 03:27 AM

Without a college degree, making over 500k/year... I would have to assume your chances are around 1 in 500 or so, and not just in the next few years, but at any point in your life (adjusted for inflation of course), even for a career that in your mind doesn't need a college degree (even though one would probably help you more than you know).

Beerfund · #6 04-19-2005, 03:28 AM

Hmmmmm, you would only be competing against 40 million other people born with a "handsome face", no formal education, no experience.......I'd say your odds are pretty damn good! [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

PokerFink · #7 04-19-2005, 03:29 AM

I think you have a FAR better chance of making 500k/year by dedicating yourself to poker and making it big time in that field than in acting. I don't think it is close.

bennyk · #8 04-19-2005, 03:30 AM

[ QUOTE ]
If I am going to spend 2 years of my life learning how to act, I would not be satisfied if I was a small time actor making 100k a year. I would like to be earning at least 500k a year within the next 6 years.

[/ QUOTE ]

you already seem to know that this is very unlikely. less than 2% imo, and i work in the "industry"

bk

TStoneMBD · #9 04-19-2005, 03:30 AM

what do you think that people are born actors? there are people who pursue an acting career, most of them starting out with few or no prospects, and there are a handful of people from that group who actually make it.

pshreck · #10 04-19-2005, 03:31 AM

For motivations sake... talk to a few of the 10s of millions of U.S. adults these days that are kicking themselves for not getting an undergraduate degree when they were younger. It is bad for them now, and it will be much worse in 15 years from now when an even higher percentage of American adults have degrees.

Plus... assuming at the age of 20 that you can easily fall back on poker for your whole life time is probably a really, really bad idea. I'm sure other people have told you this so I wont go further on that point.