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Common Acting Questions

Acting in America

I’m a foreign Actress and I would like to live in the US

by Sunny

(Berlin/ Paris)

QUESTION:

I’m a foreign Actress and I would like to live in the US, but it is hard to get a Visa nowadays. Maybe anyone has any good ideas or tips?
If not I would like to know where other cities are with good opportunities? Paris? Vancouver? Toronto or London?

Many thanks in advance, I really appreciate it 🙂

ANSWER:

If you want to go to acting school, you can get a training visa while you study. I don’t know how visas work in Canada, but there are some good schools in Vancouver, where a lot of US productions are shot.

You may find this previous post useful too.

Good luck!


Do I have to be an American Citizen to become an actor in America

by Isadora

(Mt. Vernon, New York, USA)

QUESTION:

I am 15 years old and really want to be an actor. I have been in 2 local theater shows and have been to acting schools, but the thing that is stopping me from furthering my career is that I’m not an American Citizen. I’ve goggled this question and have not found an answer. So if you can answer my question it would be great help. Do i have to be an American Citizen to become a professional actor in America?

ANSWER:

Adult actors don’t have to be a Citizen as long as they have a green card or a working visa specifically for the field they work in. You can find more information on this issue, including information on training visas from acting schools, by reading my answer to a previous question about non citizen actresses. Also check out these acting tips I gave to a foreign actress.

If you want to work before you reach 18, things may be a little more complicated. In the least, young actors need a work permit and a social security number to work as performers. Check with the NYS Department of Labor. You can find a lot of information on their frequently asked questions page. An e-mail is listed at the bottom of the page. You can use it to ask about your particular situation and whether you can work as a non-citizen and minor.

Hope this helps! If you find out information you think may be useful to others, please use our comment box to add it to this post.

Disclaimer: The above does not constitute legal advice.

Acting in the US for an Actor from a non-English speaking country

by Afshin

(iran)

QUESTION:

I’m from non-English speaking country and I’ve come to the US for acting. I read SOS – Acting Tips for a Foreign Actress by Adrienne from Romania and i want to say yes actor accent is very important but you said «I haven’t met a single foreign actor from a non-English speaking country who can pull this off so far.» but i see for example Golshifteh Farahani,Shohreh Aghdashloo and so on…

But my question is if I’ll go in accent reduction classes in the US and reduce my accent, will I have a chance to be actor?

ANSWER:

Of course, everybody has a chance of being an actor, and many foreign actors who have learned English at a very young age have no accent. I just wanted to point out that a lot of successful foreign actors in American films have first reached a certain amount of success in their own country. I think that’s something to really think about when you’re making career decisions.

For some roles, of course, foreign accents are required. If you plan on living in the US for a long time, tape yourself reading copy before you start your accent reduction classes, and continue to do so regularly throughout the years, so you can return to a stronger accent when you need to for a specific role.

That being said, I’ve noticed that more often than not accented roles are limited and stereotypes that you may quickly tire of playing. They can limit you in terms of your range and the amount of lead roles being cast… but not all the time, of course!

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