I graduated from my MFA acting program about a year ago. In that time since signing with my new agent and manager (both LA based) I’ve had 3 major tv/film auditions. I’ve been acting for 15 years and auditioning professionally for about 5 years now (with different agents/managers in that time). And it that time span I’ve had maybe 20-30 tv film auditions. Which in this numbers game usually results to nothing (as it has for me).
I know things are slow. And have been for years at this point. But you can only see friends around you get audition and bookings so many times before it starts to make you wonder what you’re doing wrong. And please don’t hit me with “comparison is the thief of joy”. There’s truth to it, but I’m human, it’s only natural to compare, especially with a profession that is largely predicated on how people view you.
My reps say my materials are great. That nothing needs to change. But I recently updated them anyway (headshots and demo footage) since nothing was working. Idk I guess I just feel stuck and I’m wondering what to do. Even if I was auditioning and booked nothing, I could at least feel like I was in the mix, but right now it just feels like I’m coasting in LA for no reason. How can you hope to build any rapport with CDs if they go a year + without even seeing your work?
Being a famous actor is a pipe dream. You give up a lot at the level. It’s nice to think about because of the opportunity that it can come with it for both me and my family. But the ideal outcome m for me would be to have a career where I can support myself solely from acting. Not millions of dollars but an honest living. I know older actors who used to do it. But with this current landscape, it feels like that reality might just be dead.
I really don’t mean to be so pessimistic, but rather more so think about whether it’s time to reassess the potential of what my future can actually look like. Not what I hope it can look like. I still have faith, I still take classes and I still live doing this but man it takes its toll, especially when there’s no clear path forward. Curious what others think.