What would you tell your child if they want to be an actor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:My sister was very into drama and went to Tisch. Our parents paid full freight. She has never had a paid acting job and has worked as a nanny since graduation. Seems like it was a waste of 200k (would probably be even more now!!!!)

Are your parents wealthy? Did she meet her client there?

Upper middle class, and yes her first client was a teacher there. Then she has hopped around from client to client. She is 35 now

I’d say it had some payoff then.

If your daughter went to medical school and then instead of entering residency, worked as a nanny for one of her professors, would you say medical school really paid off for her?

Depends on the set of prospective families you’re nannying for. Being a celebrity nanny pays way more than residency.

So if her medical school professor was an A list celebrity (because this is so common), it would be worth it in your mind to pay for 4 years of medical school in order to babysit that A list celebrities children after graduating. Lol ok.

[Anonymous]

My son wants to be a musician so I have similar apprehensions.

We listened to a podcast where John Legend talked about his early life. He was by all accounts a musical prodigy (and academic prodigy), but wanted to have a backup plan in case a music career didn't pan out. Legend ended up at UPenn, majoring in English then worked as a mgmt consultant after college, pursing music /gigs in his free time until he "made it".

That resonated with my son, so he wants to major in business, minor in music, but go to school in a city like NY or LA where he can pursue music in his free time.

I know acting is a bit different, as auditions are during the day. I would suggest pursuing a business major or something skill-based with a flexible schedule - nursing, programming, or even hair/aesthetician (my hairdresser works 2 days a week an earns over 100k) - just so she has options aside from waiting tables.

[Anonymous]

I’d make sure they understood the high likelihood of not making a lot of money and then, if they still wanted to do it, I’d say good luck and support them with it!

[Anonymous]

I’d ask them to read Wikipedia pages for the most successful actors. Most of them either didn’t go to college at all or studied something unrelated to acting and dropped out. There wouldn’t be any need to pay for college - a child should move to CA, get a job, take some acting classes, and audition.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the program your child gets into. I agree the odds are t good, but many of my classmates are successful in the arts -MacArthur geniuses, legit theater or movie actors, screenwriters, etc. and those who didn’t “make it” still made it as theater professors, arts administrators, theater critics, etc. if your kid has talent, see if you can get him into a reputable program that pipelines into the industry.

[Anonymous]

I would hate the idea of paying for what I consider a useless degree. On the other hand, most of the people I know who gave up doing what they loved to have a more stable career didn't stay in that career long and ended up doing something both unfulfilling and low-paying. So if my kid was really passionate about it, I'd probably not try to talk them out of it. But if they weren't really passionate about it, then I'd try hard.

[Anonymous]

I would give DC five examples of friends and family who failed.

[Anonymous]

Just support them, show you care, and trust them to figure it out. They have a whole life ahead of them.

[Anonymous]

I would ask them to carefully think of what kind of lifestyle they want, and then think whether acting will get them that kind of lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

I would say go for it. Let your child follow his or her interests. Maybe get a business or communications minor?

[Anonymous]

That I love them and will come to all their plays, and also that they need a day job, a plan, and to be very careful with money and make cautious choices because it's a hard business to break into.

But I wouldn't discourage them. There are working actors out there. And I don't just mean waiters who do plays sometimes, but people who make a living acting who aren't super famous. Most of them don't get rich but you can do that for a living.

And I wouldn't mind if they majored in drama in college. People freak out about a degree like that but it's fine, even if their acting career doesn't work out. It's fine. You have to complete your general requirements no matter what you major in, and you can be a perfectly well-rounded and employable person even if you don't major in business or engineering. I actually think business/communications are wasted majors for most people because so much of what you learn in those majors can be learned more effectively on the job, and it deprives a person of a chance to gain deep knowledge in an actual subject area. Like you could major in drama, ultimately wind up in marketing or advertising, and your deep knowledge of Shakespeare, joke structure in comedy, and mid 20th century cinema will wind up being WAY more useful than a seminar where you learned to make really good power point decks.

[Anonymous]

I’m in my mid 40s and several of my theater friends from HS work in production in LA. Two are working actors, but like PPs have said it’s advertising, small parts in a single tv episode, theme park performance, etc. Another friend in LA does a lot of voiceover/MC work. One is the ED of a community theater in the Midwest. One did a lot of off Broadway and touring work after graduating from a theater conservatory for college and then got a job as a fitness instructor at a gym in NYC and worked her way into the management team there. One had minor success on Broadway for a short while then became a teacher.

There’s a lot of theater/theater adjacent work, but as PPs have said, a double major or minor in theater may be a wise choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That I love them and will come to all their plays, and also that they need a day job, a plan, and to be very careful with money and make cautious choices because it's a hard business to break into.

But I wouldn't discourage them. There are working actors out there. And I don't just mean waiters who do plays sometimes, but people who make a living acting who aren't super famous. Most of them don't get rich but you can do that for a living.

And I wouldn't mind if they majored in drama in college. People freak out about a degree like that but it's fine, even if their acting career doesn't work out. It's fine. You have to complete your general requirements no matter what you major in, and you can be a perfectly well-rounded and employable person even if you don't major in business or engineering. I actually think business/communications are wasted majors for most people because so much of what you learn in those majors can be learned more effectively on the job, and it deprives a person of a chance to gain deep knowledge in an actual subject area. Like you could major in drama, ultimately wind up in marketing or advertising, and your deep knowledge of Shakespeare, joke structure in comedy, and mid 20th century cinema will wind up being WAY more useful than a seminar where you learned to make really good power point decks.

+1 Your major doesn't really matter in college.

And, have you ever met one of these folks in real life? Those who are devoted to their art? If so, you know you can't really talk them out of pursuing their dreams. So help them see some practical uses and jobs and choices, but in the end, it's their life (assuming you have the money or they are helping pay).

[Anonymous]

My niece decided she wanted to be an actress, and turned down admission to a college DCUM loves because it would have required debt. Instead, she’s attending a cheap school in a location with a big film industry (not LA), working in a restaurant to help pay tuition, and doing auditions. After one semester of this, she has a recurring TV role and a small part in a movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mostly depends on how rich you are. Can you support them while they try to make it?

+1