SOS - Acting Tips for a Foreign Actress

by adrienne
(Romania)

QUESTION:

Becoming an actress is my greatest dream. I didn't follow any acting course and i don't have any experience in acting, but i daily watch lots of films, and i write lots of scenes... I really think my place is on the stage. I would like to go to a film university, but everyone tells me i won't succeed, because there is a big competition, and as i have no experience in the domain, it will be really hard. And there is another problem: I am from Romania, and i want to go to England or the USA and study there, but i can't support any expensive tuition fees ( i mean higher than 5000 $ per year). But this is my biggest goal in life, and someone taught me to fight for it till the end. What do you suggest me to do?

ANSWER:

Dear Adrienne,

I get a lot of e-mails from young adults who live outside the country and want to come study in the US. When you love American films and American actors, it is natural to want to come and study here and follow your dream, but I don't think it's the best way to give yourself a chance of succeeding.

There are tons of foreign actors studying and auditioning in the US. If you come from a non-English speaking country like you do, you will miss out on a lot of parts because of your accent. Most casting directors are not very open-minded when it comes to accents. You may very well be pigeon-holed in parts for Eastern European girls. A lot of these parts will be stereotypes you will soon tire of playing. I've experienced this first hand.

Of course, you will have an advantage over American girls when it comes to getting those roles, but only the small roles will be cast in America, the bigger roles for foreign actresses are usually filled by a foreign actress who has already reached a certain amount of success in her own country. Which is what I'm getting at. If you really want to give yourself the best chances of being a success, you are better off studying acting and making a name for yourself in your own country first. Look at Antonio Banderas or Audrey Tautou, for example. They acted in successful movies in their own countries before getting noticed by American directors.

Of course, if you can do a perfect American accent, things are different, but in spite of accent reduction classes, I haven't met a single foreign actor from a non-English speaking country who can pull this off so far.

That being said, I definitely think you should follow your dream and not listen to those who try to stop you. They are right, it is very hard to succeed in the acting field. It's hard even to make a living (actually, the competition is so fierce it can even be hard to get a non-paying part when you start out). But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. If this is your biggest goal in life, you need to follow your dream so you won't regret not trying later in life. If things don't work out, you can always do something else later. Becoming an actress doesn't guarantee you'll become a movie star, but it's a wonderful journey either way. The things you learn and the friendships you make will be for life.

Hope this helps!