I always wondered how you actors make it through the years of poverty, till you make it big.
Does your love of what you do outweigh the poverty?
I read about the early years of actor’s lives-when you worry about paying the rent, and have old, worn-out clothes, or live off sardines and crackers and cheese.
What is it that keeps you going?
I have never been an actor, nor do I have the desire to be one.
But sometimes I wish I had this kind of “fire in the belly”-that allows people to overcome such harships!
Don’t forget the vast majority (>90%) never make it big. Not everyone turns out to be Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts.
Did that shit til I got tired of living on peanut butter. Then I joined the military. Did some community theatre while I was in, on base and off. Haven’t done it in years, probably won’t again unless/until I retire. Eating > Art.
I remember my acting teacher telling us that, in order to make a living at our art, we either had to be extraordinarily talented or willing to make extraordinary sacrifices – and preferably both.
Way back when, when I wanted the theater life < didn’t care about film except that’s where the money’s at> I made the definitive decision that I liked acting and the theater world enough that I didn’t need to do it for a living; I would be quite happy doing community theater or what-have-you.
Of course now I look back and think “Dumbass! Being happy at it without needing to be famous <rich> off it is the attitude you need to DO it for a living!!” :smack:
Not all actors necessarily live in poverty. I have several full-time-working co-workers who are aspiring actors. They’re by no means rich, but they’re not living in cardboard boxes eating garbage scraps.
Working full-time reduces the time they can spend auditioning, rehearsing, writing, and other actorly things, but they pour the free time they have into it, and work as steadily as they can in the field.