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Am I 2 Young 2 Act?
Actually,
the real answer to this question should be, can I become an actor at a young
age and still keep up my school grades? Ah yes, I remember when I
first started acting at the tender age of 8. Probably long before most
of you who are reading this were born. Listen, I’m not some 82 year old man here. I just turned 32
and I can certainly tell you that you can become an actor at any age. You’ll definitely have to keep your grades up in order to work as a young
person in the entertainment business.
Get Good Grades!
Even all the
young stars you see on today’s Disney Channel shows like “That’s so Raven”,
“The Famous Jett Jackson” or “Lizzy McGuire”... all of them have to
maintain good grades not to mention they have to go to school on the set.
The one good thing about being a young person and being a professional actor
is you get to go to school on the set for only 3 hours a day! I know, I
know it beats public school, huh? Well don’t get excited so fast…what about
all your friends you’ll leave behind in school? Sorry, they won’t be able
to come see you on the set shooting your big scene because they’ll be in
"regular school". Or Maybe not. What if you get to become a regular on a TV
series? A “regular” role is when someone stars on a TV show and is on TV
every week. If you get a regular role, you’ll to be on TV on a more
consistent
basis but you’ll have to sacrifice your time with your best friends and
ladies…that includes your boyfriends, lol. Is that cool with you? Okay, so
let say you're okay with that, ah but can you act though?
Do
You GOT the Skills?
That’s not actually
correct English but you get the picture. Attention! Young person! Guess
what? If you've GOT the skills, you can GET on television or in the
movies! You can make it as an
actor! But how do you know if you can act or not? Here are some great
signs that you’ve GOT what it takes to be a young professional actor.
Remember, just because you think you want to act doesn’t mean you have what
it takes to become a successful working actor. It is great that you have the
desire, though. That is a ‘key” issue in becoming successful in this
business. Here’s my take on signs you’ve got acting skills:
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You make your friends laugh all the time
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You do a lot of “impressions” = pretending to be someone
else
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You stare at yourself in the mirror all the time pretending
to be a movie star or in a movie or TV show
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You can recite lines verbatim or “word-for-word” from
characters of your favorite show or movie
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People always tell you or your parents that you should be
on TV
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Deep in your heart you feel that you are destined to become
an actor one day
If you answered “yes”
to 3 out of the 6 questions then you have what it takes to make it as a
young person. If you’re cute that’s good too. I didn’t want to really
mention that because its not the most important thing but of course as you
see on TV, Hollywood loves cute kids.
Keep Doing What You’re Doing!
If you can memorize lines
from you favorite movie or TV show that’s a great sign that you can act
professionally at a young age. However, doing it "on
camera" is another story. I encourage you to stick around this site.
I like to work with
young people and have great experience in helping young people fulfill their
dreams. I encourage you to do good in school and learn all you can about
acting. If you don’t have too many people who will encourage you…stick
around and I’ll get you excited about life and your future acting career.
Remember, the most important thing for you right now is to do good in
school. That’s the first thing you have to accomplish so if your grades
aren’t all that great…get your grades up quickly! Your great acting
career lies ahead!
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Shavar Ross
is best
remembered
as a child actor. He played "Dudley", Gary Coleman's best friend on the hit
1980's television show "Diff'rent Strokes". Shavar has been an
actor for well over 20 years and has starred in over 100 film and episodic television
productions such as Magnum P. I., MacGyver, Friday The 13th Part 5, Chicago
Hope, Designing Women, The Bold and the Beautiful, What's Love Got To Do With It?, Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air,
Family Matters, and many more.
Currently
Shavar is also establishing himself as an up and
coming film & television director. "Soul to Take",
Shavar's 26-minute short film marked his directorial
debut and the film has recently received
distribution through Simmons Lathan Media Group.
Lord Help Us, a romantic comedy starring American
Idol's Nadia Turner and comedian Joe Clair will mark
his feature film directorial debut and the movie is currently in stores
nationwide on DVD and on Amazon.com among many
others.
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